Chapter 1
I never thought I’d die by drowning, and certainly not at the hands of the man I loved most.
“Ariel, what are you standing around for? Seraphina is waiting for your dance performance! Are you defying even your King now?!”
Damon, with the giggling Seraphina wrapped in his arm, glared at me with an unfriendly gaze.
Remembering his threats against me, I had no choice but to enter the water.
I began to perform the dance unique to our Merfolk, just as he demanded.
Before, moving in water felt as natural as walking on land.
But now, I was pregnant. My movements were clumsy, and I needed far more oxygen to sustain myself underwater.
It wasn’t long before I was gasping for air, completely out of breath. I had to stop and pull myself onto the shore to breathe.
I hadn’t expected that seeing me surface would make Seraphina immediately turn away, gagging.
“Your Majesty, I smell such a strong fishy scent! I just found out I’m pregnant, and I simply can’t tolerate this smell right now.”
With that, Seraphina nestled herself into Damon’s embrace, looking so fragile and helpless that it stirred compassion in anyone who saw her.
Hearing Seraphina’s words, I felt utterly humiliated. Though I was Merfolk, I wasn’t an actual fish. How could I possibly smell of fish?
And Seraphina’s mention of her pregnancy also bothered me. Damon and I had been married for years, yet we had no children.
Damon had once confessed to me that their royal line struggled to produce heirs due to their immense power in battle. Some spent their entire lives without offspring, so he didn’t care about it and accepted he wouldn’t have children.
Therefore, when I told Damon I was pregnant, he didn’t believe me.
Seraphina had just entered the palace then and was in his prime favor. Damon thought I was faking it to gain his affection and lashed out at me.
“Ariel, you’re truly shameless! To fake a pregnancy just to win favor—how could you? Don’t you know it’s hard for me to have children?!”
I expected Seraphina to receive the same reprimand, but instead, Damon was overjoyed.
“Really? Seraphina, you truly are my lucky star! I thought I’d never have a child of my own, and yet you’re pregnant!”
“Unlike some who fake pregnancies for attention, you can’t hide your fishy scent, even if you come ashore and become human.”
After saying that, Damon ordered me locked in the crystal cage he’d specially made for me and sunk to the bottom of the water.
“You’ve disgusted my beauty. When my beauty is no longer angry, I’ll let you out.”
Hearing Damon’s words, I was horrified. Once the crystal cage sank, it wouldn’t float back up.
Being pregnant, I couldn’t breathe underwater for long periods. If I stayed too long, I would suffocate from lack of oxygen.
My own death was meaningless, but my child—he hadn’t even been born, hadn’t seen the world with his own eyes.
“Damon! You can’t do this to me! If you keep me in the water, I’ll drown! Let me out, now!”
Damon listened, his eyes cold. “You’ll drown? Ariel, listen to what you’re saying! You’re a Merfolk princess!”
“I’ve never heard such a ridiculous joke.”
He finished speaking and, ignoring my struggles, locked me in. Then, he picked up Seraphina tenderly and turned to leave.
Watching his cold, heartless demeanor and Seraphina’s triumphant gaze, I was filled with bitter resentment.
But there was nothing I could do. And so, filled with despair, I sank to the bottom.