The days here were not longer than in Arhen. In the darkness that came a little earlier, Rayan opened his hands. A round drop of water rose from his palm and moved with a plump motion.
Using the bouncing water droplets that seemed to be pointing somewhere as a guidepost, Rayan breathlessly went outside. Every once in a while, he’d bump into someone. At times like that, he clenched his hand tightly and remained deathly still.
The person he bumped into, checked the pattern engraved on the edge of the robe, and chided Rayan that he might have gotten lost, but when Rayan did not respond, he passed by, telling him to just take care of himself.
It bothered him a little that he didn’t return the favor, but Rayan didn’t have that much time to spare.
Rayan followed the water droplets soundlessly. The water droplets as small as dew kept guiding Rayan somewhere, who was though being drawn by water.
Either way, he passed through some familiar landscapes, then some unfamiliar ones.
Every time he sensed a presence, he turned slightly, so he didn’t encounter anyone. Maybe he was just lucky. At some point, he didn’t even feel the need to listen.
The water drop led him to the door that glowed white in the moonlight. He could feel the faint smell of water beyond the loosely closed door. It was different from the sea, but it’s definitely there.
Rayan opened the door. He thought it would be tightly sealed, but fortunately it was easily opened without much force.
Rayan, who had slipped into the small gap, lightly scattered the intensely bouncing water droplets with his other hand as he turned in the direction where he could feel the energy of the water.
“…”
As he passed through a myriad of flower buds and bushes that were more than his eyes could see, he saw a lake shimmering in the moonlight. Rayan jumped into the water without hesitation. Splash! There was a commotion, but it quickly calmed down.
Rayan burrowed deep into the lake, as if he was being sucked in.
His round ears became sleeker, his legs grew bluish-green scales, and he developed a long, sleek tail. His body, which seemed to be drying out, was now able to breathe a little.
He took a long breath and stretched his body. In the water, his jet-black head swayed like seaweed.
In Arhen, the sea pushed him away sharply, but this lake calmly embraced him. Of course, saltwater and freshwater had different sources, so it wasn’t a perfect transition. In fact, it might feel a little better in Arhen. In any case, it was better than nothing.
Rayan, who was enjoying a moment of relaxation while gently swaying his tail, looked around him. Unlike the light emerald sea, the water here was a little murky. There was no seaweed, but there were what looked like plant roots. Rayan tapped them with his hand with curiosity.
Other than that, it was still. Not that there weren’t any creatures to be sensed, but they hovered in the distance, not daring to approach Rayan willingly.
“Hello?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Rayan went down to the bottom, touched the coarse grains of sand, and let them slip through his grasp. Looking around to see if there was anything else to see, he sneakily climbed up to the surface of the water. A stone bridge across the center of the lake hid Rayan’s body.
It was tranquil under the moonlight.
There was no noise other than the sound of rippling water and the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. Rayan basked in the silence for a long time. The walls of his current abode must have been thin, for he could clearly hear footsteps outside the door, and so he couldn’t sleep deeply for several days. Perhaps it was because of his own nervousness as well.
“I want to stay here forever. I wish I could sleep here.”
Just then, Rayan’s ears, who had been muttering with a listless expression, suddenly perked up. Tap tap tap. There was the sound of small steps, followed by a muffled voice. Rayan quickly hid his head half under the water.
“Your Highness… Your Highness Mariel. Goodness, you can’t keep coming to Renee Palace like this.”
While Rayan tucked to hide and listened, a woman was sweating trying to stop a child. The sound was getting closer and closer to where he was.
“Why?”
“Yes?”
“Why does Brother not want me to come to Mother’s palace?”
“That’s…”
The woman looked perplexed at the question the child innocently asked back. For some reason Rayan, who was covertly watching, had a feeling of déjà vu. He remembered Alle, who had tried to dissuade him from going to the surface world in the past. It was a sight that secretly evoked memories and longing. Rayan kept his ears perked up.
“Does Brother hate Mother?”
“How could that be, how much His Majesty loved Her Highness Olivia. He’s just worried that Your Highness, who is young, might get hurt wandering around in the dark.”
“I’m not young anymore. I’m already ten years old!”
The little girl was quite young, less than half his age. In Rayan’s mind, the child named Marielle was recognized as being on the same level as a very young mermaid who had just been born.
“Brother is a fool. Idiot!”
“Your Highness, how can you say something so undignified? If anyone hears it, it will look bad.”
“Anyway, there’s only you here, nanny.”
Marielle, who had no way of knowing that Rayan was there, continued to innocently make fun of her brother. The woman she called nanny was embarrassed and tried to dissuade her, but she didn’t even pretend to listen.
“Nanny. I’m thirsty.”
“Shall we go back to the palace?”
“No.”
“Then… No, absolutely not. I know what will happen if I leave the young Your Highness here alone.”
“Who can touch me?”
Marielle was quite arrogant. Rayan suddenly became curious. Raising his head to look in the direction of the conversation, his eyes widened. Cascading blond hair and delicate features were seen through his disheveled hair.
“Unless you want to be killed by Brother.”
She was somewhat similar to Erich when he was young.
“Even though Your Highness may be His Majesty’s only blood relative… No, I mean, who taught Your Highness such undignified words? In God’s name, this cannot be overlooked. If His Majesty finds out, I will probably be punished severely.”
The nanny sighed and complained, “I don’t know who taught our flowery princess to speak such harsh words when she is more precious than gold, jade, or pearls.”
“Enough, nanny, I’m thirsty. Okay?”
The nanny finally relented, not from thirst, but from impatience.
“…You must remain still.”
“Mm.”
“Do not even go near the lake. How many times have I told you how deep it is?”
“I know, nanny. When have I ever disobeyed you?”
The woman was just like Alle, even in the way she pleaded with the other person, but Rayan’s concerns were no longer focused on that. He looked at Marielle with such fascination that, if it were possible for a gaze to wear one down, he would have worn it out a long time ago.
The nanny walked briskly as she looked back at the child several times before leaving quickly. Marielle, who waved her small hand to see her off, went straight up to the stone bridge. The warning to not go near the lake was not heeded even a little bit.
When the child climbed onto the stone bridge, Rayan was hiding under it and could not be seen. He slowly moved towards the side where he could see the child better, and only slightly peeked out with his eyes.
Erich’s younger sister looked like him. A lot.
Of course, Erich’s silhouette was a little thicker and sharper, and if you looked at them closer, there were more differences, but looking at that kid eventually reminded him of Erich from his younger days.
“…Sob…”
While he was immersed in useless memories, the child who was snooping around looking at the lake suddenly burst into tears. She looked so energetic and immature just a moment ago, but there was no trace of such an appearance now.
What was so sad?
It was heartbreaking to see Erich’s younger sister sobbing.
“Mom…”
The words that scattered were filled with a deep longing that could not be hidden. Rayan has never missed his mother like that child, but he did miss someone as much as that.
The tears he shed from time to time turned into alabaster pearls that rolled around carelessly on the cave floor, and then swallowed by the waves and sank to the bottom of the sea. He embraced those days, the loneliness, and the longing, and never forgot them. Perhaps that was why he could not take his eyes off the child who was left alone and sniffling.
Even though the wait and the emotions accumulated during those days were now a thing of the past, Rayan easily empathized with those emotions. But since he couldn’t show himself, she couldn’t comfort the girl, so he just rolled his eyes here and there, wondering what to do, and eventually the whimpering gradually subsided.
When he took a quick look, the child rubbed her hands around her eyes as if trying to erase any traces of her crying. Her nose was obviously red. Would the redness go away before the woman who brought Erich’s younger sister a drink arrives?
“…”
“…”
For a moment, their eyes met. Rayan’s wandering thoughts were interrupted by a pair of pale yellow eyes that met his own, hidden among the leaves. He jerked back slightly, wondering if he was mistaken.
“… What. Who are you?”
But a clear question was directed at him.
Dun dun duuuun~ he was spotted.
Thx for the ch (ㅅ˘ㅂ˘)
Ya va a ganarse a la cuñadita