"Long live the king! Long live the king!"
"Your majesty! thank you for saving us!"
After King Derian announced that they can be saved by Lady Ria's rare pearls, for the first time in history of the kingdom, the third floor of the Dragon Ship was filled with cries of joy and hope. It's because usually, the floor on the third to the last were only filled with ill slaves who worked to maintain the engine of the ship.
Yet now…
"Lady Ria is really amazing, isn't it? She's not only beautiful. She is also kind hearted."
"You said it right! I wouldn't even dream of holding the tip of her finger. She even managed to make these lawless slaves worship his majesty."
"She must be a goddess sent from heaven…"
"Only his majesty will deserve her…"
"Thank you."
"huh?" Ria, turned to her side and looked at Derian who was staring at her with sparkly admiring eyes.
"I said thank you'. You even sacrificed such valuable item for the people you just met. I was wondering. Just how big is your heart?"
At his remark, Ria laughed. She extended her arm fully and showed it to him. "Like thissssss…" she grinned.
"That big? Then how many people would it ever fill?"
"Huh?"
Though confusion painted her face, Derian didn't bother to explain but continue. "I would love it if it's only me who would fill that heart of yours…"
The royal guards who heard it as well as the slaves grinned and started teasing them, making Ria's face blush.
"What are you saying!" she snapped and ran off from him. it didn't help for instead; the teasing only went louder.
One boy even approached Derian and tugged his sleeved to get his attention. "Majesty! majesty…is she…queen?"
Derian laughed at the boy's question, but beside was Sigmund who wasn't pleased.
"Not yet. But in the future, she will be."
"Your majesty!" Sigmund protested but it was only heard by none.
'Looks like his majesty had really fallen hard for that woman,' he thought. His lips were pressed on a thin line as he looked at Lady Ria who's talking to some slaves.
Actually, if Lady Ria's background was just clear and she's from the same kingdom as they are, maybe he wouldn't object as this. but at the back of his mind, a voice was questioning him. 'Was that really the real reason?'
Sigmund walked away. frustrated.
***
At the doctor's quarters, a shadow was intently watching their actions.
"Lady Ria said that this will be powdered and added to a congee. One pearl to every 300 people. Don't lose it."
"Yes, Royal Guard Sigmund."
As the man left, and the ordered medicine man left to prepare the needed material for the medicine, the shadow appeared and replaced the rare pearls with a fake one.
Before the medicine man could even turn his back again, the shadow left to meet a woman in a cape.
'Is it done?"
"Done. Here it is."
As the red pouch was handed to the lady in cape, the shadow suddenly felt a hit from his back. It was late for him to shout or do anything. For his life was stolen away from him before he knew it.
***
"His majesty asked for me?"
"Yes, my lady. He asked us to tell you to meet him at the rear deck of the ship," the lady servant replied.
"But he told me last night I should rest more…" After the slaves were given medicine, it's only by then that Ria let Derian take her away. perhaps it was couple of hours after midnight that she was able to come back.
"Fine. I'll just wear a cape," she replied and moments after, they both went towards the deck of the ship.
It was dawn and unlike the other days, the sun was breaking through the horizon. The breeze was still freezing, making her gripped at her coat tightly.
"By the way. Aren't you cold? You didn't wear any…" as Ria turned behind her, she realized no one was there anymore.
"Where did she go?" she wondered. "Maybe Ian was near so she left," she just thought and walked towards the end of the ship. There, she found a silhouette standing towards the sea.
A smile broke into her lips. "Ian!" she yelled as she run towards him.
Yet, when the person turned around, she realized she was wrong. It wasn't the king. But instead, a woman she remembered seeing at the party. the one who tried to embarrass her.
"It wasn't him but you who called me here…"
Lady Hailey smiled too sweetly it almost seemed fake. "Yes."
"Why did you ask me here, Lady Hailey?" Ria asked and moved closer towards her. though she didn't feel good about it, somehow, she still believed that this woman will not harm her.
Won't she?
Hailey chuckled and again, turned towards the sea. "Lady Ria. You're new to our kingdom. So, I want to tell you a story that had been famous centuries ago."
… once in a timeline, there once was a fisherman and his wife who sailed in this exact sea and met a storm. While the storm was raging, they saw a drowning woman and the wife insisted on saving her. soon they found out that it was no human but a mermaid who's injured. They brought her into their home, take care of her until she was healed.
But who would have thought that the mermaid was a beauty when she recovered. The wife and husband had been together for decades already. But one look at that mermaid, the husband fell in love with her charms? He tried abandoning his wife for the mermaid who seduced him.
The wife found out and do you know what she did?"
Lady Hailey looked at Ria. The former shook her head. She didn't even know why she was telling her this story. Was she saying something through this story? But what would be it?
"She tied her with mermaid bounding chain. And tortured her. disfigured her face so she won't be able to seduce men anymore. then…then…" Hailey smirked. "Then she pushed her back into the sea where she came from."
The meaning… Ria's eyes widened the moment she realized what Hailey was telling her. she turned back, attempting to run but it was too late. Lady Hailey had grabbed her arm and pushed her into the sea.
Just like the wife in the story did to the mermaid.
The breeze seemed to be catching her as she felt herself falling. But it wasn't. she will still fall on the freezing waters. On where she came from.
As she closed her eyes, she saw a figure besides Hailey.
"Ian…" and he seemed angry and sad… was he trying to…
As she finally closed her eyes and a meter away from the water, she uttered under her breath. "Don't jump…"
'What did the husband even do when he found out that his wife had pushed the mermaid back into the sea?'