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