Chapter 18 - The Mermaid Princess's Little Brother

Translator's Note:

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"Lord Glen!" Rito cried, panic rising in his chest.

 

Glen's hands, desperately covering his mouth, tried in vain to contain something, but to no avail. Blood began to seep between his fingers, trickling down his chin. In mere moments, Glen collapsed onto the grass, his once-pristine blue attire now stained crimson with his own blood.

 

"My lord! What has happened?!" Rito exclaimed, terror clutching his heart.

 

The prince's body, crumpled on the ground, convulsed violently, as though struck by an unseen whip, thrashing so wildly that even Rito, rushing to his side, could not hold him still. Blood spattered the ground as Glen's coughs tore through the air, before his trembling frame fell still, a chilling silence settling over him.

 

"My lord, Glen! My lord!" Rito's desperate cries echoed through the garden.

 

"Your Highness! Lady Lina! What has happened?" The commotion had drawn the attention of the household, and the servants rushed forward, their voices filled with panic.

 

Rito, kneeling beside Glen's lifeless form, grasped the prince's bloodstained fingers, a dreadful realization dawning upon him. A bitter taste lingered on his tongue, mingled with the iron tang of blood... and the unmistakable flavor of mint. And beneath it all, an unfamiliar bitterness—something he had never tasted before.

 

(It can't be... poison?)

 

As the maids and guards frantically shouted, "Call for a doctor!" and "Alert the palace!" Rito's gaze turned back toward the terrace. There, two cups of tea sat undisturbed, and only he had taken a sip.

 

(Poisons and medicines have no effect on merfolk... Only enchanted potions can touch our kind...)

 

In his mind's eye, Elsa's face flashed before him, her sudden flight home. And then Glen's face, pale and on the verge of death, overlapped with hers. The images blurred together as Rito touched his chest, feeling the blood pulsing beneath his skin.

 

"Your Highness! Hold on, Your Highness!" cried a young guard, who adored the prince.

 

The elder maids were wailing, their tears flowing freely. Rito sat beside Glen, clutching his bloody hand, focusing intently on his own heartbeat.

 

(My heart... right now, I am a mermaid with legs. In that case, my heart could still become the cure...)

 

No human hand could save the poisoned prince. No amount of weeping or calling his name would bring him back. By the time the doctors arrived from the palace, it would be too late. Rito knew, with a certainty that could only come from one who was not human, how much time remained before the flickering flame of Glen's life would be extinguished. And because he was not human, there was something he could still do for Glen.

 

"Lady Lina!" a servant cried out.

 

Silently, the merman reached for the silver-inlaid sword that hung at the guard's waist. There was no time left for hesitation. The thought that he would never see Glen again filled him with sorrow, but he could not afford to dwell on his own feelings. His only wish was for Glen to live, to continue to shine in this world.

 

(My dear lord Glen... forgive me. You, who said you loved me so dearly... Perhaps I will leave behind painful memories. Perhaps you will feel sorrow and loneliness... but...)

 

There will be countless other opportunities in your life. Even if darkness once swallows you whole, the light will eventually return, and you will once again bask in its warmth. There are still happy days ahead for you.

 

But in death, there is only despair. After death, there is nothing but a world without light... the end of all things, where no more possibilities remain.

 

"Lord Glen, please forgive me!" Rito whispered, and before anyone could stop him, he plunged the blade into the left side of his chest without a moment's hesitation. The sharp edge tore through fabric, skin, and flesh, scraping against bone before forcing its way through.

 

"Ugh... ahh..." Rito gasped, his breath ragged.

 

"W-what are you doing? No, stop!" the guards cried out in horror.

 

Pain surged through Rito's body, but he pressed on, widening the wound, his hands slick with his own blood. His trembling fingers reached into the gaping cut, feeling for his heart, even as the onlookers—maids and guards alike—watched in stunned silence. At last, Rito grasped it, his heart, gleaming like a pearl, no larger than a bird's egg.

 

"I... am a merman... my heart is the ultimate cure..." he whispered, his voice fading.

 

But the strength to explain this to Glen was shrinking, just as his body, now bereft of its heart, began to crumble. Oh, how deeply Rito had wished to see the moment when the prince would awaken. There was so much he longed to say. He knew, of course, that Glen already understood, even without words, but still, Rito wanted to tell him—he wanted to say that he would love him forever. He wanted to plead with Glen to find happiness again, if he survived... The kind-hearted Glen, he knew, might fall into sorrow and despair. But if he lived on, there would be something, someday, that would stir his soul once more. There would be unexpected meetings and new possibilities—he would find another joy, another love, and Rito wished with all his heart for Glen to grasp that chance.

 

(My lord Glen… I hope my feelings have already reached you.)

 

Falling face-first into the grass, Rito could feel the world fading—the voices of the servants growing distant, then silent. Someone took his heart, and gently held it in his hand. He could no longer hear, and even the single eye that remained to him was beginning to see no more. Yet, through the veil of his fading senses, he felt a stranger's emotions, tender and reassuring: "Leave the rest to me. All will be well," and the warmth of a woman's strong hand enveloped his heart.

 

Rito's body bubbled and dissolved, transforming into a crimson foam. The earth drank him in, leaving only his clothes and the bandage over his eye upon the grass. The foam sank deeper and deeper into the soil, and perhaps one day, it would return to the sea. Sad and lonely though it may be, this was not the end. Glen would still survive, and Rito's soul would forever remain with him.

 

On stormy nights, when the seas rage and roar, will a flicker of memory stir within Glen's heart, recalling the mysterious mermaid? When he gazes out upon the vast ocean and sees a dolphin playing in the waves, will he think of another dolphin, the one who was once his friend?

 

Will he, at last, realize... that it was always me?

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