"Hi guys!" she chirped, waving at her friends with her trademark cheerful personality, her voice as bright as the summer sun. Her smile, wide and effortless, had a way of making you feel like the most important person in the world—for a moment, anyway.
Now, let's get this straight. The reason I wanted those rumors about me and Everline to spread wasn't some random whim. No, I was sure of two things. First, she wouldn't care. Everline never gave a damn about what people thought of her. In fact, anything remotely interesting would pique her curiosity, and I banked on that. I gambled that she'd let the rumors simmer, just to see where I was going with it. And why did I need that? Simple. Protection. Being linked to her—potential future empress of the Mermaidan Empire—meant fewer people would dare mess with me. No one wants to provoke someone close to royalty, after all. The threat of retaliation alone was enough to keep trouble at bay.
