Mei felt herself once again at the mercy of gravity. She was dropped onto the unexpectedly soft ground, cushioned by the dense grass. The fall sharpened her senses and she remembered she wasn't allowed to be there in Zhen Feng's garden.
Was that why the ice block had suddenly decided to let go of her? Peering at him, she wondered if she had been so drunk that she had imagined the enchanted look on his face just a few moments ago. Whether or not it had been her own illusion, he was back to his original expressionless self.
"What a pity... Men are most attractive when they have a passionate look in their eyes." She thought she had whispered the words in the back of her mind, but his irritated glare revealed that she had said it out loud.
"And women are the least bothersome when they are not wandering around making trouble." He responded, both annoyed and a little helpless.
"You humans and your misogyny... I will have you know that a lot of female merfolk have made extremely impressive rulers."
"Unfortunately you are now residing on human land." Zhen Feng mocked.
Mei realized what he was implying and with a long and loud sigh she conceded:
"This humble mermaid will try her utmost not to bring any more trouble to you, your Highness." She gave a small bow, mimicking what she had observed the servants doing.
Feeling caught off guard and displeased by her response, Zhen Feng added:
"Who would in their right mind climb up a tree and drink to the point of falling down?"
"I may not look like it, but my body is actually very resilient. Mermen's bodies are strong, we rarely get sick. To make myself sick on one occasion, I even had to almost freeze myself in Snowflake Ocean."
"..."
"I understand how this may sound. But I really didn't want to talk with all those noisy people." She said while looking at her hands. She clenched and unclenched them trying to return some feeling to her numb drunken fingertips.
"What a silly woman." He proclaimed, looking at her disapprovingly.
She couldn't really contest it. She understood why anyone would find it excessive, but to her, it had been worth it.
"You could have just let me fall." She remarked. She was wondering how and why he had caught her just at the right time.
It had been stronger than him. At the time, Zhen Feng had felt hypnotized by her and had kept his eyes glued to her figure. He didn't hesitate when he saw her slip from the tree. He let her fall into his arms and embraced her.
Afterward, he even lost himself gazing at her for a long time. When his eyes strayed to her pink lips for a split second, wondering what they would feel like, he realized his own desire and felt repulsed by it. He then instantly released her body, dropping her to the ground.
"Hmm... When can I leave here?" She raised her head, directing her gaze towards his.
"When I make sure that you don't have the Ocean's Tear in your possession."
"And how will you be able to confirm that?"
"If I don't find a way to guarantee it, then you can stay here forever." He declared, with a menacing expression.
Just because he had felt attracted to her body, it didn't mean that he would just let her off. Zhen Feng knew mermaids were charming and deceiving creatures that took advantage of human lust and foolishness to get what they wanted.
Granted that she had succeeded in bringing out his manly desires, he wouldn't succumb to his impulses. Even less would he allow her to deceive him. He had checked her story and it seemed legitimate, but that didn't prove anything. He had instructed a maid that Ni Ni had befriended to serve her when she was dressing or undressing to inspect her clothes and body for the scarlet pearl, but the servant had found nothing.
However, he was aware that mermaids were cunning and that many of their abilities had still not been discovered by humans. He wouldn't let the Ocean's Tear back into the hands of the merfolk even if he had to kill her.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!" Alarmed by his threatening look, Lin Mei felt a knot in her throat that didn't seem to untangle even after coughing a few times. Taking a deep long breath to collect herself, she managed to ask:
"What about taking this thing off?" She raised her hand and pulled down her sleeve, exposing the jade bracelet on her wrist.
"If I were to take that off, who in this household but me could stop you from leaving?"
Mei felt disappointed but she had been expecting that exact response.
"Can I at least be allowed in the library, to pass the time?"
Zhen Feng didn't give her an answer but turned around to leave.
"What about this garden, can I come whenever I want?" She asked expectantly.
The prince kept on walking without looking back. Since he didn't outright forbid it, Lin Mei took it as a yes and smiled mischievously.