- 21 hours ago
I Accidentally Bought the Merman King Compré al Rey Sirena por Accidente Sub Esp
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00:00When I was to tell him about our baby, my merman cut my heart open.
00:03Serafina needs your blood.
00:04No!
00:05See this as your payment for tearing us apart.
00:09When I woke up again, I was at the auction with Serafina.
00:12The mate claim is our clan's law.
00:14A woman standing rises and falls entirely with the merman she's bonded to.
00:18So last life, when I was maneuvered into taking Serafina's leftover,
00:22a merman whose tail hung in broken scales, I had no choice.
00:25I bled my heart essence for 49 days before he was barely healed.
00:29I hunted abyssal cores at every turn, pouring them into him to elevate his bloodline.
00:33Yet the first thing he became the Siren King was to kill me, his mate, as well as our unborn
00:38baby.
00:38This is my second chance, I won't make the same mistake.
00:41I want this one.
00:42Serafina's voice cut me back to the present.
00:44She pointed towards the enormous tank in front of us.
00:47She chose Silas?
00:49My eyes found Silas instantly, cowering at the very back of the holding tank.
00:54A merman's greatest pride is his tail.
00:56Every other tail in that water prison shimmered, rippling like silk ribbons in a dark current.
01:02Silas's tail was stripped nearly bare, scales shed down to raw, ragged flesh.
01:07Serafina, pack heiress and eldest daughter, exactly as she had in our last life,
01:12gestured lazily toward the two mermen at the back.
01:19Alara, let's just take those, too, shall we?
01:24Side fast before someone else snaps up the good one.
01:28In my last life, I had believed every word.
01:32Mermen didn't come cheap, and I had assumed even Serafina wouldn't deliberately choose the most broken creature in the tank.
01:38But she had.
01:39She had actually purchased the barely breathing Silas.
01:42Our father had erupted in fury over it.
01:46Father, Alara picked him herself.
01:48You know how she is.
01:49I only paid.
01:51I chose the strong one.
01:53I'm taking mine now.
01:55And just like that, the half-dead wreck called Silas had been handed to me.
01:59This life, I would not fall for a single word.
02:01And called my bid before she could speak.
02:03Take what you want, Serafina.
02:06I pointed at the stone-faced merman in the corner.
02:09I want that one.
02:17It didn't matter who I chose.
02:19If I'd turned the broken, helpless Silas into a siren king, I could do it with anyone.
02:23Every creature in this tank would surpass him with the right hand guiding them.
02:27This time, I just wanted one who would be loyal.
02:29Serafina's smile thinned when she realized the hook hadn't landed.
02:33Alara, you gave us a fixed amount.
02:34If you use it all, what's left for me?
02:36I gave her a single flat look.
02:37How had I spent an entire lifetime missing how well she could perform?
02:41She had engineered this from the start.
02:42Pushed the broken merman onto me.
02:44Keep me weak.
02:44Keep herself on top.
02:45Her trap had been set the moment we walked through these auction doors.
02:49I stared straight at Silas, who was pressing himself against the tank wall,
02:52performing desperately for any buyer.
02:54That one doesn't look bad.
02:56Feed him right, and he might amount to something.
02:58If you really can't afford your pick, buy him.
03:01Serafina laughed, sharp and incredulous.
03:03I wouldn't want him to warm my bed.
03:05I smiled, but there was nothing warm in it.
03:07Poor Silas.
03:08In our last life, he had actually believed I was the one who separated them.
03:11He had never known that Serafina wouldn't have had him on a bet.
03:14As in our last life, Serafina claimed her merman Jace without hesitation.
03:18But as I walked out with my merman Kaylin,
03:20something slammed against the walls of the holding tank.
03:22Silas, thrashing.
03:24Is he trying to get someone's attention?
03:26Broken thing like that.
03:27I glanced at Silas' frantic movement.
03:29Then at Serafina, who had gone very still.
03:32Had Silas also been reborn?
03:35His panic made sense.
03:36The woman he had spent his whole life loving had just walked away without him.
03:40I caught the fractured blue of his eyes through the water and smiled.
03:43When a dream you've chased for a lifetime shatters in an instant, that has to hurt.
03:47This life, no one punished me for leaving Silas behind.
03:50Kaylin stood before me, his tail slapping the floor in slow, rhythmic strikes.
03:54Can you shift to human form?
03:57He pressed his lips together and pulled the tail in.
04:00Obedient but clearly reluctant.
04:03Unlike the others, there was no relief on his face.
04:06No gratitude for being purchased.
04:08Looking closer, his blue eyes held something else entirely.
04:11Cold detachment and a pride that hadn't been broken yet.
04:14You don't want to come home with me?
04:15Kaylin glanced at me once and said nothing.
04:17As far as I know, the holding tanks run on hierarchy.
04:20Without a buyer, you fight every day just to hold your rank.
04:23I can protect that rank, right now.
04:25He moved to the chair farthest from me and sat.
04:28I'm not the wreck who got his tail beaten to pieces.
04:31One sentence and I was already smiling.
04:33He was right.
04:33For a merman to have his tail destroyed like that, what was that if not useless?
04:37If you don't want to stay, the door is open.
04:44Something flickered in Kaylin's blue eyes.
04:46He was tempted, I could see it.
04:47Before he could act on it, I stood up.
04:50What are you doing?
04:52Since you don't want to be here, I'll go select a different merman.
04:55I'm building a Siren King.
04:57I have no room for someone with a divided heart.
04:59In my peripheral vision, Kaylin looked at me with something new on his face.
05:03Becoming the Siren King was every merman's deepest ambition.
05:06He had the raw power, but raw power could be cultivated in anyone.
05:09A backstabber like Silas wasn't worth the investment.
05:12The auction is over!
05:13I turned and smiled at him.
05:15A family that can afford a merman a senelmest in the first place?
05:19You think we worry about finding another one?
05:24The next several days I left early and returned late.
05:28Kaylin hadn't left, but I needed my own contingency plans.
05:31What I didn't expect.
05:33The moment I stepped onto the street that afternoon,
05:36Silas came staggering toward me.
05:38Lara!
05:40Why didn't you take me?
05:42He threw his arms around my legs.
05:44Take me with you, please.
05:46You were always supposed to choose me.
05:49My heartbeat stuttered exactly once.
05:51What did you just say?
05:53Lara, look at me.
05:55Are you really not choosing me?
05:57Silas gripped my legs tightly with both hands.
06:00That confirmed it.
06:02Silas had been reborn too.
06:03But if he got a second life,
06:04why was he coming to me instead of running straight to Serafina?
06:07I shook him off without expression.
06:09What are you rambling about?
06:10Who is your owner?
06:12Don't come grabbing at strangers in the street.
06:14I turned to walk away,
06:16but Silas chased after me recklessly,
06:18following closely in haste.
06:20I was half a second from losing my composure.
06:23Then I caught sight of Kaylin,
06:24following at a distance behind me.
06:26My eyes shifted, calculating.
06:34Your tail is badly damaged.
06:37Did the other mare shifters in the tank do this to you?
06:42Silas blinked, then nodded quickly.
06:45In my peripheral vision,
06:47Kaylin had drawn several steps closer.
06:49I ran my fingers along Silas' damaged tail,
06:52the same way I had in our last life.
06:54Every wound on his body had been healed by my hand.
06:56I knew exactly where the pressure felt good,
06:58and where it burned.
06:59So when I pressed just right,
07:01a shudder rolled through Silas' entire body.
07:03He kept leaning into me, breathless.
07:06Master,
07:07will you take me home?
07:09I curved my lips.
07:10Of course, I...
07:13Before I could finish,
07:14Kaylin launched forward,
07:15smashed Silas away with its tail.
07:17He slammed him violently onto the street,
07:19five meters away.
07:20He planted himself in front of me,
07:22jaw set.
07:23I haven't left yet.
07:25Silas hit the pavement and couldn't get back up.
07:29Several failed attempts,
07:30then stillness.
07:33I blinked at Kaylin with wide eyes.
07:37Was that really necessary?
07:40Didn't you say you were leaving?
07:43Why stop me from finding another merman?
07:45The hands hanging at Kaylin's side,
07:47it's curled into slow fists.
07:49I'm not leaving.
07:50Satisfaction curved my mouth upward.
07:53Mermen had their own will.
07:55Every one of them needed to be won,
07:56not forced.
07:58He had taken the first step.
07:59I would accept the olive branch.
08:02As for Silas,
08:04he dragged himself upright
08:06and crept forward again.
08:08Master,
08:09you agreed just now.
08:12You were going to take me.
08:14I slung my arm over Kaylin's shoulder
08:16and gave Silas a bright little wave.
08:18Sorry.
08:19I changed my mind.
08:20Silas opened his mouth to protest
08:22and moved one step forward.
08:24Kaylin's tail cracked down onto the pavement
08:26directly in front of him.
08:28One more step
08:29and the next thing that breaks
08:30will be your bones.
08:31When the tail lifted,
08:33I looked at the cracked stone beneath it.
08:34Kaylin was, without question,
08:36in another league from Silas.
08:38To prevent another betrayal,
08:40I forced Kaylin through the blood bond ritual.
08:42You can actually make me Siren King?
08:44I said nothing.
08:45A master speaks,
08:46she doesn't explain herself.
08:47In my last life,
08:48I had poured everything into making Silas a king
08:51and forgotten to make myself stronger first.
08:53If Kaylin performed,
08:54the title was his.
08:55If he showed one flicker of divided loyalty,
08:58he would spend this lifetime
08:59as nothing but a bed warmer.
09:00If you don't want to walk out,
09:02then don't.
09:02I turned to leave,
09:03but before I'd taken a single step,
09:05Kaylin drew a blade across his own tail
09:07and pressed the blood from it.
09:09I'll do it.
09:10After the bond sealed,
09:12Kaylin stood beside me,
09:13stiff and stilted.
09:14I'm your merman now.
09:15Up close,
09:16a faint flush had crept across his pale face.
09:20Oddly endearing,
09:21I tilted my chin toward the bed,
09:23go lie down,
09:24just to watch his reaction.
09:28Kaylin's face went a deeper red.
09:30He shuffled to the bed,
09:31one careful step at a time,
09:33and let his bleeding tail hang off the edge
09:35so it wouldn't stay in the sheets.
09:36What are you doing?
09:37The crimson flooding his face nearly made me laugh.
09:40All that menace,
09:41and this was what was underneath it?
09:43I ran a deliberate hand along his tail.
09:45You know the custom,
09:46when our family brings home a mermond,
09:48there's a mate claim,
09:49which means,
09:50technically,
09:51you're my husband now.
09:52Kaylin said nothing,
09:53but the moment my fingers made contact,
09:55his tail gave a small,
09:56involuntary shiver.
09:57Our eyes met,
09:58and something in his expression shifted,
10:00a quiet resignation,
10:01and he closed his eyes.
10:02A soft laugh escaped me,
10:04as I turned and reached for the medical kit.
10:06With his eyes still shut,
10:07I leaned in,
10:08and blew a gentle breath across his bleeding wound.
10:11Does it hurt?
10:12Kaylin's tail began to sway side to side,
10:15in small,
10:15helpless arcs.
10:16In merman body language,
10:18that meant only one thing,
10:19pleasure.
10:21I packed the wound,
10:22and settled back into my chair.
10:23Stay out of water for a few days,
10:25it'll heal.
10:26Less painful now?
10:26The flesh hadn't left Kaylin's face,
10:28he darted one glance at me,
10:30and turned to look pointedly at the wall.
10:32Hyrus doesn't belong on my tail.
10:34Hmm.
10:35Then why was it still swaying?
10:36Once his tail healed,
10:38we fell into a daily training rhythm.
10:39Unlike my last life,
10:41this time I trained too.
10:42What kind of woman builds a siren king,
10:44and leaves herself defenseless?
10:46We hadn't been at it long,
10:48when Serafina arrived with her merman,
10:50Jace.
10:50My little sister,
10:51so committed you've thrown yourself into the sparring too.
10:53You spent so long choosing at the auction,
10:54I expected something impressive,
10:56but honestly,
10:56he's not even half of what my Jace is.
10:58I stopped,
10:59and looked at Serafina and Jace without expression.
11:01Jace was built impressively, yes,
11:03but in our last life,
11:04he had been thoroughly ordinary,
11:06and Serafina was no handler.
11:07After her mate claim,
11:09our father had handed house authority to me instead.
11:11I said nothing,
11:12but Kaylin stepped in front of me.
11:13Huh, a mermane, challenging me?
11:17Let me make this clear.
11:19I am this family's pack heiress,
11:21and when the time comes,
11:23I run this house.
11:25Jace, teach him.
11:27Jace lunged.
11:27Kaylin moved without urgency.
11:29He even had time to guide me to a clear position
11:32before turning to face the attack.
11:34Good.
11:34I wanted to see what he could actually do.
11:36The two of them clashed hard,
11:38but within a handful of exchanges,
11:40it was obvious Jace was losing ground.
11:42Serafina,
11:43who had opened with absolute confidence.
11:45Kill him!
11:46Just kill him!
11:47Why are you holding back?
11:48Finish him,
11:49and I'll take the blame!
11:49Jace showed no visible improvement,
11:51but Kaylin had stopped pulling his strikes.
11:54He was half a second away
11:55from crushing Jace's shoulder completely.
11:57No.
11:57Serafina screamed.
11:59How dare you!
12:01Alara!
12:01Look at what your pet did to my merchant!
12:03I smiled.
12:05Serafina,
12:06weren't you the one who let Jake start it?
12:08You were screaming at him to kill Kaylin.
12:10Everyone present heard you.
12:11Serafina couldn't win the argument,
12:12so she crossed the floor
12:13and put herself in my face.
12:15If Jace is injured,
12:16I will have father come down on you so hard!
12:18You cost a fortune.
12:19I held her gaze for a long moment,
12:21then told Kaylin to let Jace go.
12:23Smart girl.
12:25Eldest is eldest.
12:26No matter what,
12:27this house will never be yours to run.
12:29She snatched Jace by the arm
12:30and swept out.
12:31Erling curses the entire way.
12:33I should have finished him.
12:34What's the rush?
12:35Serafina had taken her first loss.
12:37She would come back with real hatred now.
12:39Let her rage.
12:40Let her spiral.
12:41The one who goes mad first loses everything.
12:44Serafina began watching me
12:46the way a predator watches an open wound.
12:48I had expected her to undermine me
12:49in front of our father.
12:51What I hadn't expected,
12:52she had brought Silas home
12:54and put into work as a house servant.
12:55The moment he blocked my path
12:57in the corridor and begged,
12:58my step stuttered.
12:59How are you here?
13:00Serafina stepped out from around the corner,
13:03smiling,
13:03with our father right behind her.
13:05So the rumors are true.
13:07I stared at her.
13:09What rumors?
13:10Father's expression was stoned.
13:12Elora, you already have a mate claim.
13:14Why are you still tangled up with him?
13:16Your sister was fortunate enough
13:17to run into him today.
13:18She brought him here to keep him quiet.
13:20Otherwise, your reputation would be ruined.
13:22I had no words.
13:24Serafina strolled toward me
13:25with pure delight on her face,
13:27hooking Silas' chin up
13:28with the toe of her shoe.
13:30Little sister,
13:30he's been asking around outside,
13:31trying every connection he has
13:32to get through our gates to reach you.
13:34You should have said something.
13:36If there was something between you two,
13:37you could have just bought him at the auction.
13:39Why bother bringing Kaelin home?
13:42The more she talked,
13:43the darker father's face became.
13:44Elora, clean this up
13:46or get out of this house.
13:48He turned and left without another word.
13:50Serafina beamed at me.
13:52My capable little sister.
13:54Take your time sorting it out.
14:00Silas knelt half on the floor.
14:02His face tilted up toward mine.
14:04His eyes full of naked wanting.
14:07You love being near me that much?
14:10Then stay.
14:11Better to keep him where I could watch him
14:13than to throw him out blind.
14:14In this life,
14:15without my heart essence,
14:16Silas surviving it all
14:17was already uncertain.
14:19He started drifting through
14:20every room I occupied.
14:21Kaelin, on the other hand,
14:22had gone cold on me again.
14:24When I cornered him
14:24in the back garden one morning,
14:26You're coming to me right now?
14:27Shouldn't you be with
14:28that pathetic Silas?
14:29That whole scene on the street
14:30was staged.
14:31You two tricked me
14:33into the blood bond.
14:34Kaelin's tail hit the ground
14:35in sharp, irritated slaps.
14:36I watched him
14:37with genuine interest.
14:38You already bonded.
14:39There's no running from that.
14:41The real question is,
14:44do you still want
14:45to be Siren King?
14:46He gave me a flat,
14:47suspicious look,
14:48like I was setting another trap.
14:49There's a Merman tournament
14:50in two months.
14:51Whether you become
14:52Siren King depends entirely
14:53on what you do
14:54with that time.
14:55Really?
14:56There's truly nothing
14:57between you and that Merman?
14:59I was half a breath
15:00from swearing on it.
15:01Kaelin finally let out
15:02a grudging huff
15:03and fell into step beside me.
15:04We drilled repeatedly
15:05in the draining field
15:06while Silas kept finding
15:08reasons to wander past.
15:11Let me break his tail.
15:12See how he walks after that.
15:14Kaelin!
15:16I have plans for him.
15:18All that heart essence
15:19I'd fed him in our last life
15:21was not going to be wasted.
15:22He walked right up to us.
15:24What happened next
15:25was on him.
15:27That evening I had Silas
15:28called to my room
15:29to serve.
15:30The Siren King of my last life
15:31was now on his knees
15:32at my feet,
15:33cradling a basin of water.
15:34His injuries were severe enough
15:36that he swayed
15:36every few minutes,
15:37barely holding himself upright.
15:39You're not well?
15:40I kept my voice casual,
15:41almost bored.
15:42The annual Merman tournament
15:44was weeks away.
15:45Silas had to be crawling
15:46out of his skin.
15:47In our last life,
15:48with my help,
15:49he had claimed
15:49the Siren King's title.
15:50A man who had sat
15:51at the top of the world
15:52does not quietly accept
15:54kneeling on someone's floor.
15:55So no matter what it cost him,
15:57he would endure.
15:57Because he still needed
15:58my heart essence.
15:59Silas sad sideways
16:01onto the floor,
16:02his voice thin.
16:03My tail was damaged
16:05in the holding tank.
16:06It never healed properly.
16:08Hmm.
16:09What would it take to fix it?
16:10This house doesn't keep
16:11idle staff.
16:12Silas looked at me,
16:13testing the water.
16:14A human's heart essence.
16:1649 days of it.
16:18Taken in doses.
16:20Only then will I heal.
16:23I said nothing.
16:24Right now,
16:25he was nothing but a servant.
16:26When I didn't react,
16:28he coughed twice.
16:29I know I'm useless.
16:32All I ask in this life
16:33is to stay near you.
16:35I would never dare
16:36dream of your heart essence.
16:38Why are you so set on
16:40staying near me?
16:42Silas studied my face,
16:43searching for the lie.
16:44My expression was open,
16:45guileless.
16:46There was nothing for him to find.
16:47Once he was certain
16:48I wasn't performing,
16:49he shook his head
16:50with a face full of grief.
16:51You really don't remember me.
16:53You saved my life once.
16:55Mermen repay their debts
16:57and that is why I stay.
16:58Even knowing that you and Kaylin,
17:02as long as I can see you live well,
17:04I have no regrets.
17:05I dug my fingernail
17:07into my own palm,
17:08hard enough to leave a mark,
17:09and I did not slap him.
17:10Gratitude and loyalty.
17:11He had taken my trust
17:13and stabbed me with a knife.
17:15And here he was,
17:16performing it with shining eyes
17:18and a breaking voice.
17:20If I didn't still carry
17:21every memory from our last life,
17:23I might have believed him.
17:24I ranged my face
17:25into something soft and moved.
17:27Just 49 days of heart essence?
17:29And you'd be fully healed?
17:31Silas's eyes lit up.
17:34The hunger behind his eyes
17:36was obvious,
17:36but he was working hard
17:38to swallow it.
17:40Yes.
17:42But Alara, it hurts
17:43to draw heart essence.
17:46I let a pause stretch,
17:48then spoke carefully.
17:50I can save your life,
17:53but once you're healed,
17:55you will not come near me again.
17:57Something flickered
17:58across Silas's face,
18:00a flash of injury,
18:01but he agreed almost immediately.
18:04Agreed.
18:05I won't come near you.
18:07He bowed his head,
18:08and behind his back,
18:10I finally allowed myself to smile.
18:12My heart essence
18:13is not so easily given.
18:15Starting the next morning,
18:16I sent Kalen out each day
18:18to buy fresh chicken blood
18:19from the market.
18:21Diluted with water,
18:22the smell was manageable.
18:23To make sure he couldn't
18:24detect the switch,
18:25I dissolved several herbs
18:27into the mixture.
18:28He needed to see results,
18:29or he wouldn't keep believing.
18:30Silas drained bowl after bowl,
18:32his brow creasing tighter
18:33every time.
18:34Alara,
18:35this heart essence
18:36tastes strain.
18:37I immediately let hurt
18:38flood my expression.
18:39Blood is never going
18:40to taste good.
18:41I cut open my own chest
18:42for you.
18:43If you don't like it,
18:44I'll just throw it out.
18:45Silas did not dare.
18:46He tilted the bowl back
18:47and licked it clean.
18:48Alara,
18:48this kindness is something
18:49I'll carry forever.
18:50I wish I were the one
18:51you'd chosen.
18:52I could spend my life
18:52at your side repaying this.
18:54I pulled my face
18:55into something pained
18:55and troubled.
18:56It was already
18:56a significant problem for me.
18:58You heard what father
18:59and Serafina said that day.
19:01I kept talking,
19:01watching him
19:02in my peripheral vision.
19:03When I mentioned Serafina,
19:05not a trace of longing
19:06crossed his face.
19:07What appeared instead
19:07was something close to hatred.
19:09I had died in our last life
19:11before seeing what came after.
19:13But judging by his face now,
19:14the Siren King's reign
19:15had not ended well
19:16for him either.
19:17Still,
19:18none of that is your fault.
19:20Serafina has always
19:21had it out for me.
19:22She's simply using
19:23your situation
19:24to make me look bad.
19:25The hand Silas
19:26had rested on the table
19:27tightened into a fist
19:28without him noticing.
19:29Looking at the locked muscle
19:30in his jaw,
19:31I knew I'd guessed right.
19:34Alara,
19:35don't worry.
19:36I won't be a burden to you.
19:37Good.
19:37Because in this life,
19:38he didn't come close
19:39to deserving to be my problem.
19:41Silas stopped haunting
19:41my rooms as much.
19:43Lately,
19:43he'd been gravitating
19:44towards Serafina's wing instead.
19:45He had taken what I said to heart.
19:47If he could be a blade,
19:48I aimed at her.
19:49That was at least
19:49partial penance
19:50for the last life.
19:51To keep him from noticing
19:52anything off,
19:53Kaelin and I had shifted
19:54our training sessions
19:55to my room at night.
19:57Faster.
19:59Every merman
20:00in that tournament
20:01fights to kill.
20:03If your speed isn't there,
20:04you'll walk in
20:05and get carried out.
20:06I finished
20:07and waved him over.
20:10Come on.
20:11Spa with me.
20:13Kaelin smiled
20:14and it was absolutely
20:15contemptuous.
20:16Get over here.
20:18Before the words
20:19finished leaving my mouth,
20:20he was already
20:21in front of me,
20:22fast enough
20:23that I couldn't track
20:24how he'd moved.
20:25How did you...
20:26Before I could finish,
20:27he pressed the attack.
20:29I dodged twice,
20:30barely,
20:31and then my footing slipped
20:32and I went backwards.
20:34Kaelin's
20:34sharp inhale,
20:35his hand caught my waist.
20:37I was fairly certain
20:38he did it on purpose.
20:39The momentum carried us
20:40both down onto the bed together.
20:42Pinned beneath him,
20:42my heartbeat stopped
20:43being something
20:44I could control.
20:45Those blue eyes flickered
20:46and without a word,
20:47he locked both my wrists
20:48above my head.
20:49Silas gets to come
20:50to your room at night.
20:51Why don't I?
20:53He had found out
20:54about Silas
20:55coming every night
20:56to drink.
20:59Silas has business!
21:01Kaelin didn't move,
21:02the heat of his breath
21:03spreading across my neck.
21:05His tail reached out
21:06and drew the bed curtain closed.
21:08He said,
21:08low and certain,
21:10Master,
21:11you're the one
21:12who said I'd be your husband.
21:13By the time my legs
21:15had gone completely weak,
21:16Kaelin was still murmuring
21:18in my ear,
21:19asking whether I wanted him
21:21or Silas.
21:22I gave some incoherent answer
21:24while internally screaming
21:25about how unfair it was
21:27that this infuriating merman
21:28had a body like that.
21:31A month later,
21:32Jace's tail collapsed.
21:34Serafina tore through the house
21:36like something feral.
21:38Jace lay on the bed,
21:39the color of ash.
21:42How does something like this
21:43just happen?
21:45Jace,
21:46did you eat something?
21:47Where is your tail?
21:48How are you supposed
21:49to compete with no tail?
21:50Are you even a merman anymore?
21:52Father, please,
21:54find someone to look at him.
21:56The tournament troll
21:56is almost here
21:57and I've put everything
21:58into him.
22:00Father's brow furrowed,
22:01but he nodded.
22:02The merman physician
22:03examined Jace,
22:04set down his wrist,
22:05and left shaking his head.
22:07The tail looks intact
22:08from the outside,
22:09but they've already begun
22:10to dissolve.
22:11Within three days,
22:12his skeleton will be
22:13nothing but fluid.
22:14Jace threw himself
22:15at the physician in a frenzy,
22:16so violent he rolled
22:17off the bed.
22:18Serafina stared at the wall,
22:20repeating impossible
22:21to no one.
22:22After she sent
22:23the physician out,
22:26she lunged straight at me
22:28and Kaelin stepped between us
22:29before she got close.
22:32Alotta,
22:33this was you, wasn't it?
22:35You've always been jealous
22:36of Jace's talent.
22:37Terrified he'd become
22:38Siren King
22:39and you'd never get above me,
22:40so you did this to him.
22:41You destroyed my merman!
22:43I will ruin you!
22:44You can die!
22:45Father walked in
22:46on those exact words.
22:47Enough!
22:48Enough!
22:49Father's voice cracked
22:50like a whip
22:50and Serafina went silent.
22:52Serafana,
22:52I genuinely have no reason
22:54to hurt your merman.
22:55Whoever ends up
22:56as Siren King,
22:57Kaelin outwells Jace
22:58so completely
22:59that Jake was never
23:00a competitor
23:01we even considered,
23:02so why would I bother?
23:04Serafina tried
23:04to erupt again
23:05and father
23:06shut her down.
23:08What's done is done.
23:09Stay in your rooms
23:10and rest.
23:10You're not competing
23:11in the tournament.
23:13As for that useless mermaid,
23:15that's your problem
23:16to solve.
23:17Both Jace and Serafina
23:18went white.
23:19A merman without a tail
23:21turned out of this house.
23:22What were the odds
23:23of survival?
23:25And Serafina,
23:26without a merman,
23:27had just lost
23:28every card she held.
23:31When Silas came
23:32to drink that evening,
23:33the good mood
23:33was written all over him.
23:35He looked at me
23:35like he was offering something.
23:37Serafina won't be able
23:38to take anything
23:38from you anymore.
23:39I handed him the bowl.
23:40He was nearly through
23:41the full course now.
23:42I had increased
23:43the herbal dose recently
23:44and Silas did look
23:45genuinely better,
23:46visibly stronger.
23:47But it was all surface.
23:48The herbs were keeping
23:49a thread of life taught.
23:50The moment he exerted himself
23:52past a certain point,
23:53the crisis would hit
23:54without warning.
23:55When it did,
23:56a hundred days
23:56of true heart essence
23:57wouldn't save him.
23:58That business with Jace,
24:00that wasn't you,
24:01was it?
24:01I let my eyes go wide
24:03with something
24:03that looked like awe.
24:04How did you manage
24:05it so cleanly?
24:06He just fell apart.
24:07I asked.
24:08He turned coy.
24:09For your sake,
24:10there's nothing
24:11I wouldn't do.
24:12I turned away
24:13and let out a quiet,
24:14cold laugh.
24:15The only reason
24:15he knew how to do
24:16any of this
24:16was because he had
24:17been Siren King
24:18once before.
24:19His body was a wreck,
24:20but the dirty knowledge
24:21that had stayed.
24:22He drained the bowl
24:23and licked his lips
24:24with slow satisfaction.
24:25Behind him,
24:26his tail flicked out
24:27in a slow arc.
24:28Showing off.
24:29After he left,
24:30Kaelin stepped out
24:30of the shadows.
24:31His expression was set
24:32and watchful.
24:33Alara,
24:34he's dangerous.
24:36Why are you helping him?
24:38I stared at the red stained bowl
24:39and let the question hang
24:40before I turned it back on him.
24:43What makes you think
24:44I'm helping him?
24:46Kaelin paused
24:47and I pressed immediately.
24:48The tournament is in three days.
24:50Do you believe
24:50you can take the crown?
24:51He reached back
24:52and closed his hand over mine.
24:53If my master wants it this badly,
24:55I'll throw my life
24:56on the line to win it.
24:57That, genuinely,
24:58inconveniently,
24:59made my face go red.
25:00I had assessed
25:00every merman in that tournament.
25:02As long as Kaelin fought
25:03at his actual level,
25:04this was already decided.
25:06On the day of the tournament,
25:07father came with us,
25:08along with Serafina.
25:09I hadn't seen Silas
25:10at the house
25:11since the day before.
25:12He had entered,
25:12then,
25:13he had to have.
25:14Kaelin.
25:14This match carries
25:15the family's name and standing.
25:17Give everything you have.
25:18Understood?
25:19Father's voice
25:20was low and firm.
25:21Serafina twisted her mouth
25:22to the side.
25:23But,
25:23unusually,
25:24she said nothing.
25:25I glanced at her sideways
25:26with the particular unease
25:27of someone who knows
25:28a quiet snake
25:29is worse than a loud one.
25:32Right before Kaelin
25:33was called to the arena floor,
25:34Serafina pulled a handkerchief
25:36from her bodice
25:36and moved to wipe his face.
25:38Kaelin never allowed
25:39strangers close to him.
25:40He stepped back immediately.
25:42Serafina's hand
25:43hung in empty air,
25:44the moment crystallizing
25:45into something awkward
25:46and ugly.
25:47Little sister,
25:47look at this merman of yours.
25:51I'm just
25:52wiping some sweat.
25:54If he becomes Siren King,
25:56it reflects on all of us,
25:58doesn't it?
25:59How petty.
26:02Huh?
26:02Helpful?
26:03I laughed,
26:04hollow and bright,
26:05and took the handkerchief
26:06out of her hand
26:07and dragged it
26:07across Father's face.
26:09What?
26:09Stop!
26:10The way Serafina's words
26:11failed completely confirmed
26:12what I already suspected
26:14about that cloth,
26:14so I scrubbed harder.
26:16What's wrong?
26:16The tournament matters,
26:18but Father has been
26:19standing in the heat for us.
26:20It's only right
26:21that I take care of him.
26:21While I was still talking,
26:23I pushed Kaelin
26:23toward the arena entrance.
26:25Two months of work.
26:26No one was going
26:26to dismantle it
26:27in the final seconds.
26:28Serafina began
26:29shifting her weight,
26:30watching.
26:31Her eyes kept
26:32cutting to Father.
26:33When he started to sway,
26:34I understood.
26:35A sedative.
26:36She'd laced it
26:36with a sedative.
26:38Father,
26:38are you alright?
26:39Father pressed a hand
26:40to his temple.
26:41Fine beads of sweat
26:42were already breaking out
26:43across his forehead.
26:44You were fine
26:46a moment ago.
26:47One wipe of a handkerchief
26:48and now this?
26:49I was still asking
26:50when Serafina's
26:50composure cracked.
26:54What are you insinuating?
26:57Father is just unwell.
26:59What does my handkerchief
27:00have to do with anything?
27:02Father was already
27:03too disoriented to speak.
27:04I turned to Serafina
27:05with a pleasant smile.
27:06Whether there's a problem
27:07or not,
27:08we'll find out
27:09when we test it.
27:10This time the drug
27:11had landed on Father.
27:12I couldn't see
27:13how he could look
27:13away from that.
27:14Serafina's goal
27:15was simple enough.
27:16Her own merman
27:17was finished.
27:17She simply refused
27:18to let Kaylin compete.
27:20But she had forgotten.
27:21As long as someone
27:21brought glory to the family,
27:23Father never cared
27:24who that person was.
27:26Once the tournament started,
27:27Kaylin tore through
27:28the brackets
27:28and into the final rounds
27:30without breaking a sweat.
27:31Father was barely conscious.
27:33Neither Serafina
27:34nor I had time
27:35to tend to him.
27:36When Silas appeared
27:37on the arena floor,
27:38Serafina's jaw dropped.
27:39His tail was ruined.
27:41He was a house servant.
27:43Why is he here?
27:44Then she seemed
27:44to grab hold of something.
27:46His tail can heal.
27:47Does that mean
27:47Jake still has a chance?
27:49That was you,
27:50wasn't it?
27:51How did you heal him?
27:53I tilted my head.
27:54Want to know?
27:55Feed him your own
27:56heart essence.
27:57Every day
27:58for 49 days.
27:59I told her the method
28:00with complete sincerity.
28:01But the moment
28:02Serafina heard the words
28:03your own,
28:04her entire face changed.
28:06For a merman?
28:07I'll just buy another one.
28:09But Alara,
28:11you healed Simus
28:12just to watch him
28:13fight Kaelin in the ring?
28:14Serafina looked at me
28:15like she was watching
28:16something too stupid
28:17to pity.
28:17I fixed my eyes
28:18on the arena
28:19and said nothing.
28:20Before we'd arrived,
28:21I had given Kaelin
28:22one instruction.
28:23If you face Silas
28:24in that ring,
28:25don't stop
28:26until he can't get up.
28:34All that chicken blood
28:36and herbs
28:36had been worth
28:37every drop.
28:38Silas and Kaelin
28:39finally stood
28:40face to face.
28:41Kaelin rolled his shoulders
28:42once
28:42and charged
28:43without a word.
28:44Silas had looked
28:45formidable
28:45against everyone else.
28:47But against Kaelin,
28:48he shattered instantly.
28:49Kaelin lifted Silas
28:50over his head
28:51and brought him down
28:52hard onto the arena floor.
28:53The scream that tore
28:55out of Silas
28:55squirted the air
28:56of the entire stadium.
28:58I was smiling.
28:59In my peripheral vision,
29:00Serafina had stopped
29:01being able to.
29:02How is Kaelin
29:03this strong?
29:04Less than a quarter
29:04of an hour
29:05into the match,
29:06Silas could barely crawl.
29:09Was still waiting.
29:11Waiting for the moment
29:12he pushed too hard
29:13and the blood came.
29:14He spent everything
29:15he had just dragging
29:16himself back upright.
29:18First thing he did
29:19when he was standing
29:20again was look
29:21for me in the crowd.
29:22I turned my gaze
29:23away, cold.
29:25That manufactured
29:26devotion in his eyes
29:27was nauseating.
29:28Silas threw his head
29:29back and gathered
29:30himself for one
29:31total all or nothing
29:32strike at Kaelin
29:33and then his hand
29:34flew to his own chest.
29:36A rush of blood
29:37spilled from his mouth.
29:39Kaelin didn't need
29:40to finish him.
29:41Silas put himself
29:42on the ground.
29:44Serafina.
29:45Kaelin won again.
29:47By the end
29:48of the final matches,
29:50his title as
29:51Siren King was absolute.
29:53Across the crowd,
29:54Kaelin found me
29:55and held my gaze.
29:56Serafina's back molars
29:58were going to crack
29:59under the pressure
29:59of her clenched jaw.
30:01Back at the house,
30:02it took until the
30:03following morning
30:04for father's head
30:05to clear.
30:06When he heard that
30:06Kaelin had won the
30:07tournament and claimed
30:08the Siren King title,
30:10father was overcome.
30:12He said good
30:13three times in a row.
30:15It seems I can
30:16rest easy
30:16leaving the family
30:17in your hands.
30:19Before I could respond,
30:21Serafina erupted.
30:22Father,
30:23I am the pack
30:24Hi-Ress.
30:25This house
30:25should pass to me.
30:26My merman
30:27was sabotaged.
30:28Otherwise,
30:29the Siren King
30:29would have been ours.
30:31Father delivered
30:32a few mild words
30:33of rebuke
30:34and seemed prepared
30:35to let the matter go.
30:36I reached into my bodice
30:38and drew out
30:38the handkerchief.
30:40Father,
30:41yesterday,
30:42before Kaelin's match,
30:43Serafina tried to
30:44wipe his face
30:45with this cloth.
30:46It contains a heavy sedative.
30:47You only came to yourself
30:48this morning because of it.
30:50This concerns
30:53the family's future.
30:56Serafina's intentions
30:57are unforgivable.
31:00Father's expression
31:01went still
31:01and then ignited.
31:03Thank God Kaelin
31:04stepped back.
31:05If that cloth
31:06had touched him,
31:06the Siren King's crown
31:07would have gone
31:07somewhere else entirely.
31:09You have spent
31:09your entire life
31:10competing with your sister
31:11and I have spent
31:11your entire life
31:12looking the other way.
31:13But it is clear to me
31:14now that this family
31:15cannot be given to you.
31:16Are you really
31:17fanning over Alara
31:18just because her merman
31:19won a tournament?
31:21How dare you!
31:24Get back to your room.
31:27Serafina,
31:28you are forbidden
31:29from keeping a merman
31:30from this day forward.
31:31Serafina was dragged out.
31:33That last sentence
31:34had sealed
31:34every exit she had left.
31:36Without a merman,
31:37what did she have left
31:38to use against me?
31:39Kaelin and I rose
31:40to a new position
31:40in the household,
31:42one that would hold.
31:43That night,
31:43Kaelin's tail moved
31:44in restless arcs
31:45across the bed.
31:46Are you going to sleep?
31:49Sleeping.
31:50Sleeping.
31:55What did you say
31:56to Simus
31:56after he went down?
31:59I told him
31:59he'd been drinking
32:00chicken blood
32:01the whole time.
32:01doin'?
32:01I told you
32:03a terrible time.
32:03I told you
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