Ch 257 There’s a Mermaid at Home (10.18)
XunMi turned her head to August: “Take Anson out. I’m going to talk with Betti.”
“Don’t worry, trust me.” She pulled August’s hand, lowering his head. “Betti’s scales should be here. Help me find them. Others must not discover them.”
As she whispered close to August’s ear, her warm breath surrounded his ear, and a numbing feeling rose from the soles of his feet up to a certain place.
August took a deep breath and strongly suppressed the restlessness in his body.
Even so, he was unable to resist leaning his head down to nip at XunMi’s lips. He then reluctantly parted from her to go work.
Nevertheless, in his heart he was thinking, Wait until we return tonight. I must double the interest.
Still, he was aware of the severity of the matter. Deep sea mermaid scales could not be allowed to fall into the hands of those harboring malicious intentions.
Anson saw August moving towards him and quickly raised his hand in surrender: “Nonono, I’ll go by myself. By myself.” He didn’t give August a chance to refuse, immediately escaping as if something were chasing after him.
As soon as he came out, he saw his two sisters with their messy hair and red finger marks on their faces, and he shook his head helplessly.
When they were bullying others, why did they never think that one day they may be the ones bullied by others?
Good will be rewarded with good, and evil will be rewarded with evil. If the reward has not yet come, it is because the time has not yet arrived.[1] He has always believed this phrase.
Those people too, in the end they will die by their own hands. {T/N: Way to throw your sisters under the bus after never disciplining them.}
A spark of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, and Lika, who happened to see it, was immediately stupefied.
When she closed her eyes and then opened them again, she saw her usual gentle cousin. Indeed, she was relieved that she had been mistaken just now.
Nevertheless, while Lika wasn’t paying attention, Anson looked over at her sorrowfully.
{T/N: Scene change. Back in the hospital room.}
“No one is here now. I have a few things to say to you.” XunMi took out a nutrient solution and handed it to Betti. This could help her recover her strength first. As for the scales, there was nothing she could do about it.
“I know you don’t like the deep sea, and you don’t want to stay there. You have your own opinions. I understand. I won’t interfere with what you want to do. But I hope you understand that I am not just a deep sea mermaid, I am still the Emperor of the Sea, and you are one of my people. I wish for my people to live in peace and happiness, and not to be in any danger. You also know of the enmity between humans and the deep sea. Now, who knows if the Mermaid Research Inst.i.tute has secretly moved against the mermaids of the deep sea. Out of the entire deep sea, there are only the two of us mermaids left. I really don’t want to be notified one day to come collect your corpse.”
After a pause, she continued, “Maybe my tone is a little heavy.”
She had no idea what Betti was striving towards, or what the sense in this insistence was.
Betti shook her head, clutching the potion in her hand, her fingers white.
“Your Highness,” she was finally able to address her so willingly, “I know you are good to me. Please forgive my selfishness. I don’t want to go back to the deep sea. I don’t love the deep sea.”
Yes, she really didn’t love it. Even after staying there for over a hundred years, she still didn’t love it.
“I know saying this will definitely make you sad, but this is how I truly feel. I like liveliness, I like crowds, and I like it when everyone is looking at me. In the deep sea, everyone only has eyes for you. I cannot be reconciled with this kind of existence. Maybe you can’t understand this ridiculous way of thinking, but it doesn’t matter. I just wanted to tell you.”
Taking a deep breath, Betti felt that after speaking the words in her heart, her whole body felt lighter.
It turned out that she could also talk to XunMi with such a peaceful mindset. She had really been mistaken before.
XunMi also didn’t expect Betti to be so calm with her, but she was still very happy about it. After all, she had been guiding and accompanying her for more than 100 years.
Rubbing Betti’s hair, she smiled slightly.
“I am very happy you are willing to tell me this. This means that you have finally let go of your inner unease and turmoil, and you are ready to move forward.”
“Yes, after experiencing this incident, I’ve found that it’s not because other people are more outstanding than me that they are welcomed by others. It’s just that they have more status and power than I do. Why can’t I also become more powerful, get more status, and knock these people down? I know my thoughts are a little bit extreme, but I just want to live for myself for once. I don’t want to turn back without waiting for the results.”
Betti lifted her head to look straight into XunMi’s eyes, letting her see the resolution and determination in her own eyes.
Everyone has their own goal they’re striving for, it’s just that she only just now has understood her own goal.
XunMi opened her mouth, but did not know what to say. It seemed that other than a compromise, there was nothing else to be said.
“Well ok, now that you have decided, then pay attention to your own safety. Don’t let others scheme against you, and don’t trust others easily. It will take a long time for your lost scales to grow back. I’d still like for you to return to the deep sea. Let the sea water nourish your scales, help them to grow back quickly, and restore you to full strength. In this way, I can rest a.s.sured that you can casually do as you please. At least apart from 2S spirit powers that can hurt you, you would be able to defend yourself against others.”
Betti thought for a moment and nodded. She really needed to recover first.
“I will arrange for you to go back and wait for you to recover before returning, and then I will enroll in the Mermaid Academy. If you are interested and don’t feel pressured and uncomfortable with me, I will let August also help you go through the enrollment procedures together with me.”
XunMi gave Betti two more nutrient solutions. In the deep sea, she could also drink more to strengthen her const.i.tution.
“I will work hard and strive to surpa.s.s you one day.”
“Good.” The two looked at each other and smiled. The barrier between the two from before had vanished like smoke into the air.
When she stepped out the door and saw August posted at the door like a door G.o.d, she raised her eyebrows and put on a tyrannical show: “When did our Major General Ludovic become a little guard for the door? Isn’t this truly strange?”
August didn’t mind at all, and took her into his embrace. “From the moment I knew you, I had already become your home-use door guard.”
” (￣ ▽ ￣ ～) Tch! ~~ Will the next sentence be to say that I’m your home-raised mermaid?”
“Pff… haha…” As she spoke, she began to laugh at herself. Because now it seemed to really be as she had said. All of the food, clothing, housing, transportation, and entertainment were all taken care of by August.
“That’s right, you are the mermaid raised by my family, therefore you are mine and you can’t escape. Don’t even think of escaping.” August nodded earnestly. He was going to support her for a lifetime.
XunMi lifted her chin slightly, and looked at him proudly: “Hmph! ╭(╯^╰)╮ You want to support me for a lifetime? Let’s see if you have the ability.”
[1] 善恶终有报，不是不报时候未到 This is the phrase; I tried to make the meaning clearer in English, though it does lose its pithiness (and rhymes).