"Lilly I want mermaid tears, Hope you could give it to me and yeah this is not a request but an order."
As Nitish casually mentioned the Tears of the Mermaid, Lilly's heart skipped a beat. She knew how precious and rare the Tears were, rumored to possess miraculous healing properties. In that moment, she felt torn between her desire to help Nitish and the temptation to keep the Tears for herself or her mother.
Trying to remain composed, Lilly hesitated before replying, "The Tears of the Mermaid? Are you sure that's what you want?"
Nitish smiled warmly at her, his eyes filled with a mix of affection and mischief. "Yes, my love," he said, gently taking her hand in his. "I know it's a precious gift, but it's the only thing that can cure my people on Earth. They are suffering from a terrible illness, and the Tears are their only hope."
Lilly felt a rush of conflicting emotions(she acted obviously). On one hand, she wanted to grant Nitish's request and prove her love and loyalty to him (atleast so that she could escape ). On the other hand, she felt torn between her duty as a leader and her personal desires (she felt that she could defeat nitish if she and all the merfolk attacked him together) . The Tears were indeed precious, and giving them away would mean sacrificing a valuable asset for her kingdom.
Before Lilly could make a decision, she used her mermaid scale to summon the assassin troupe she had previously hired which She thought that by using them, she could gain Nitish's trust and secretly keep the Tears for herself and merulin the last time.
As the assassins charged at Nitish with murderous intent and shouting "DIE!!", Nitish merely sighed, shaking his head. "You know," he said calmly, "shouting 'die' and charging at me is the worst decision you guys made."
Without warning, Nitish activated his solar magic, and flames erupted from his palm, engulfing the assassins in a scorching inferno. The underwater world trembled with the intensity of the magical display, and Lilly's eyes widened in shock.
The assassins thrashed and screamed in agony, their bodies charred and disintegrating in the intense heat. In a matter of seconds, they were reduced to nothing but ashes, leaving a chilling silence in their wake.
Lilly was frozen in place, unable to comprehend the sheer power and ferocity Nitish had just displayed. The sight of the once formidable assassin troupe reduced to nothing left her speechless. She felt a mixture of fear and awe at the depth of Nitish's abilities.
As the silence lingered, Nitish turned to Lilly, his expression softening. "You didn't think I would be so easily fooled, did you?" he said, his voice gentle but tinged with sadness. "I saw through your plan, Lilly. I know you wanted to gain my trust while keeping the Tears for yourself and your mother. But you should know, I would never have asked for them if I didn't believe they were the only hope for my people."
Lilly's heart sank, and she felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She had underestimated Nitish's perceptiveness and had let her ambition cloud her judgment. She had thought she could outsmart him, but instead, she had only hurt him and betrayed his trust. (she thought he was doing this all because he was betrayed)
"I'm sorry, Nitish," she whispered, her voice filled with remorse. "I didn't mean to deceive you. I was just scared of losing the Tears, and I thought..."
Nitish placed a finger on her lips, silencing her. "I understand, Lilly," he said softly. "But trust is the foundation of any relationship, and without it, we have nothing.