Stop Thinking Chapter 45: Extra 8: What If… 【Merman X Little Prince】2 (Cute and Timid…)

Chapter 45: Extra 8: What If… 【Merman X Little Prince】2 (Cute and Timid…)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

After changing clothes, Ruan Yu finally stopped shivering from the cold, but the cave remained chilly, and wearing so little didn’t help much with warmth.

Earlier, he didn’t dare to be picky. The clothes he randomly grabbed were all thin, including a skirt, which he nervously wrapped around himself. But as time passed and the merman didn’t react, neither attacking nor forcing him into anything inappropriate, Ruan Yu grew a bit bolder. He wanted to pick a thicker outer robe, so he turned his head, eagerly eyeing the pile of clothes.

To his surprise, the merman was crouching behind him, arranging the pile of clothes as if intending to build a cozy nest for sleeping and keeping warm. Seeing Ruan Yu looking in their direction, the merman slowly withdrew his hands, with a questioning look in his eyes, as if asking Ruan Yu what he wanted.

Clutching the hem of his skirt tightly, Ruan Yu summoned up his courage and glanced at the merman, albeit somewhat reluctantly. He had been too scared to look at this monster properly before; his impression of the merman was just of a pair of phosphorescent black pupils and a few scattered scales at the corners of its eyes, thinking the merman was probably terrifying. However, after seeing the merman’s face clearly, Ruan Yu finally realized how wrong his assumptions had been.

Putting aside the slight strangeness brought by the scattered scales and the pale complexion, focusing solely on the features, this merman surprisingly had a handsome face with flawless features. His face was perfectly proportioned, with thick, glossy black hair like dense clouds, deep-set eyes, a high nose, and thin lips. The distinct contours made him both handsome and aloof. Such features, if on a human face, would surely captivate many women. Ruan Yu stared in astonishment, feeling a bit less afraid.

Not only did he find the merman attractive, but he also couldn’t help but wonder if the merman might understand human language. Furthermore, there was something about this face, especially those deep, dark eyes, that stirred a strange sense of familiarity and closeness in Ruan Yu, as if they had met somewhere before and had a significant connection. However, Ruan Yu couldn’t recall anyone among his acquaintances who resembled this merman’s appearance, not even after recalling the faces of some random people he had encountered. He decided to let go of those thoughts for now; his current situation didn’t allow him to dwell on such matters.

“I…,” Ruan Yu, in an attempt to show sincerity, suppressed the urge to curl up into a ball, and tried to lift his small face to meet the merman’s gaze. His soft lips trembled as he pleaded weakly, “I want to go back… back to the palace… Can you take me back?” Afraid that the merman might not understand formal language, he paused and changed his words, “I want to go home, please… I beg you… You saved my life. My father, my parents will surely thank you. Whatever you ask for, my father will grant it…”

In order to make the merman believe that he was grateful, Ruan Yu even forced a smile, despite his face being frozen in fear.

The merman remained silent, just staring at him intently.

In fact, Ruan Yu was being overly optimistic; the merman couldn’t understand human speech at all. He just found the little mermaid’s voice pleasant, soft, and tender, reminding him of a type of sweet dumpling he had tasted among humans, white and soft, extremely sticky, and hard to tear apart. When pinched from both sides, it would stretch out so long, revealing the reddish-brown bean filling inside.

He only liked meat and didn’t enjoy sweets, but he had a special fondness for that sweet dumpling. This little mermaid was like that sweet dumpling, from her voice to her body, seemingly kneaded from glutinous rice flour mixed with sugar syrup, making him like her at first sight.

The way the little mermaid obediently talked to him and smiled so beautifully at him stirred up his unease, causing waves of heat to surge in his chest.

The merman’s breathing suddenly became heavier, and the things covered by soft scales became more obvious.

But he didn’t immediately embrace the little mermaid affectionately; instead, he hesitated.

The merman could perceive the seven emotions and six desires of living beings: joy, anger, sorrow, fear, hatred, and love… Although they were just vague and general emotions, they could sometimes be quite useful.

For example, when the little mermaid finally dared to look at him directly, he sensed her emotions in that instant.

It was a touch of youthful admiration, as well as an inexplicable sense of familiarity and intimacy, which lessened some of his fear.

After all, the merman was different from civilized humans; this male merman was already considered “restrained and courteous” among the merfolk, but his actions were still much more straightforward than those of humans. He quickly approached and, while the little mermaid was chattering, planted a kiss on her tender, slightly moving lips.

“…Just take me back to where I fell into the water. There must be many people searching for me there… Hmm, hmm?!” Ruan Yu was shocked, dumbfounded by the sudden lick.

He never expected that after politely asking the merman to take him home, this would be the result.

What truly terrified Ruan Yu wasn’t the frivolous gesture, but the fact that since the merman had this intention toward him, there might be many more embarrassing things to come. Yet, he dared not get angry at the merman or resist; after all, the merman could tear him apart with just a flick of his finger.

Tears welled up in Ruan Yu’s eyes, but years of palace etiquette prevented him from crying out loud; instead, he cried quietly, looking pitiful with tears trembling on the tip of his chin, his cheeks turning red, and his thin shoulders trembling.

How did he manage to make the little mermaid cry?

The merman furrowed his brows slightly, pacing around the seemingly heartbroken little mermaid, the scales scraping against the rocks making a clattering sound.

To appease the little mermaid, he emitted a few calls from his throat, indicating a sense of weakness and concession. The merfolk’s way of speaking sounded more like ancient melodies with fluctuating tones, sometimes ethereal and sometimes deep enough to make the rocks beneath their feet hum… It was quite similar to the whale songs Ruan Yu had heard during his childhood outings with the emperor.

Although he couldn’t understand the language, Ruan Yu had been pampered and spoiled by the emperor, empress dowager, and his elder brothers since childhood, so he was very familiar with this kind of submissive attitude from high-ranking individuals. With just a slight hint, he quickly understood.

It seemed like… the merman was quite nervous about him?

Ruan Yu blinked his eyes, and the tears quickly stopped flowing.

He wasn’t so scared anymore, so naturally, he couldn’t cry anymore.

But he still wanted to probe the merman’s reaction a bit more. After hesitating for a moment, he buried his tear-stained face back into his knees and arms. Once his eye sockets dried up, he sniffled softly, “Wuwu, Sob, sob…”

The merman had no way to deal with this crying little mermaid. Since they couldn’t communicate verbally, he hesitated and reached out his hand to gently stroke Ruan Yu’s silver hair.

Ruan Yu turned his head, pretending to cry while secretly peeking at the merman from the corner of his eye.

Seeing no signs of impatience on the merman’s face, and even more concern for him, Ruan Yu became more certain that his life was not in danger. So he lifted his little face, partly to test the limits and partly out of genuine annoyance, and complained, “Who allowed you to kiss me…?”

Utterly adorable yet timid.

Knowing he was in the wrong, the merman remained silent, only looking at Ruan Yu with a puzzled expression, observing the dried tear streaks at the corners of his eyes.

Taking advantage of the situation, Ruan Yu continued, lifting his chin slightly and raising his voice, “A nobleman like you, if placed in the palace, would be dragged down and beaten right away.”

The merman roughly understood that the little mermaid was throwing a tantrum because he had touched her. He sighed softly, then jumped into the water, distancing himself from Ruan Yu, indulging him even more.

“Cough, now that you know you were wrong…”

Ruan Yu lifted his chin a bit smugly. He guessed right; there was really nothing to worry about. Perhaps the merman was just bluffing with his appearance.

Ruan Yu felt that this merman bore an inexplicable resemblance to the mastiff his third brother kept. The sturdy mastiff, much like a small mountain, initially intimidated people with its muscular physique and cold gaze. Even Ruan Yu, who was timid by nature, felt a shiver down his spine at the mere sight of it. However, when the third prince scolded it, it would obediently cower in a corner, wearing a fierce expression but silently feeling wronged.

Of course, resemblance was just that, resemblance.

The merman might not always be so tense around him; perhaps it was just a novelty for now, something to indulge in temporarily. Ruan Yu dared not let his guard down.

“I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?” Ruan Yu wrapped himself in a thick outer robe he found in the pile of clothes, feeling warm and cozy. Then, he made the request again, partly to test and partly because his stomach was genuinely empty.

To make the merman understand, Ruan Yu pointed to his mouth and rubbed his own empty belly.

After a moment of contemplation, the merman nodded slightly and disappeared into the water.

Ruan Yu thought he would be gone for quite some time and contemplated taking a nap. But to his surprise, the merman returned in no time, carrying several large fish that Ruan Yu had never seen before. He wrapped them all in kelp and tossed them onto the stone platform. Additionally, there was a gourd of clear water that seemed to have been acquired from somewhere.

The merfolk didn’t have the strict hierarchical system of land-dwellers. Anyway, this male merman was the leader of his clan, so it was no surprise that he commanded other mermen to gather some trinkets from the land. Since there was nothing in the cave to make a fire, they had to settle for raw food. The merman skillfully gutted the fish with his razor-sharp nails, removing the scales and innards, and cut out a piece of plump, white fish belly, offering it to Ruan Yu.

The merman had never fed anyone before, but his actions flowed seamlessly, as if he had served this young mermaid countless times without even realizing it.

This momentarily stunned Ruan Yu. However, the young prince, accustomed to having everything handed to him, didn’t sense anything unusual. With an air of “Even if the king of heaven himself were here, he would serve me,” he lazily took a small bite of the fish, chewing slowly and elegantly. Occasionally, his cheeks would puff up slightly, showcasing his royal elegance, but also making him look adorable, tempting one to take a bite of those soft, puffy cheeks.

The fish, native to the deep sea, was rich and flavorful. The fatty belly meat was as tender as gelatinous water. Although Ruan Yu was accustomed to delicacies from both mountains and seas, he had never tasted fish this delicious before. After finishing one piece of fish belly, he still craved more, shamelessly eyeing another piece.

Seeing this, the merman brought out the remaining fish, carving out all the fatty belly meat for Ruan Yu, while he himself devoured the parts Ruan Yu didn’t eat.

After consuming several pieces of fish belly, Ruan Yu felt so full that he could barely sit up. He reclined in the small nest the merman had made for him with old clothes, massaging his stomach with his delicate hands. As he digested, he pondered how to convince the merman to send him back to the palace.

Little did Ruan Yu know, his plans were futile. The merman could sense some vague thoughts, guessing that Ruan Yu wanted to return to his ship. But no matter how much Ruan Yu hinted, the merman, enamored by this pretty young mermaid who had fallen from the sky, refused to send him back. At least half of his non-responsiveness was deliberate; he didn’t want to understand.

Seeing the young mermaid satisfied and baring his vulnerable belly—a sign of trust among the merfolk, and if it were a male and a female, it could even imply mating—the merman couldn’t resist moving closer again. Having learned his lesson, he didn’t act rashly this time, only wanting to cuddle the well-fed young mermaid, inhaling his scent and nuzzling against him.

He had such thoughts, so he acted accordingly.

“What are you trying to do? I don’t want…” Ruan Yu was afraid of angering the merman too much, so he didn’t resist too strongly. He squirmed and struggled, trying to cry to intimidate, but no tears came, leaving his face flushed with frustration.

This time, the merman didn’t indulge him. His arms, as solid as iron, restrained Ruan Yu firmly.

When he had rescued someone underwater before, he had noticed that although female mermaids were petite, they were well-nourished, with soft, tender flesh all over. It was just that their small frames made them seem fragile. Embracing this entire, plump body in his arms made him feel both excited and tormented, unable to do much but continuously curl and stretch his fish tail as a means of release.

Ruan Yu had been frail in his youth, often needing medicinal baths. Although he had grown stronger over time, he still needed occasional baths. The fragrance of those precious medicinal herbs had seeped into his bones, so even after soaking in the sea and being brought back up, the salty taste couldn’t overpower the faint fragrance.

The scent on Ruan Yu’s body drove the merman wild. He buried his prominent nose in the fabric, sniffing like a mastiff catching a scent, even trying to burrow inside.

“Who… who allowed you to sniff around on me…” Ruan Yu was horrified, clutching his collar tightly. He pushed against the merman’s cheek with his warm palm, kicking at the merman’s fish tail. In his confusion, he even called out for guards as if they could come to his rescue.

But in this cave, shouting was futile.

In this deadlock between man and merman, Ruan Yu had a sudden inspiration. Blushing furiously, he pulled up his skirt, stuttering as he tried to explain, “Look closely, I, I’m not a woman…”

Indeed, there were a few stories in strange tales books about merman and mermaid not caring about conventions. However, the merman in front of him was clearly different from the descriptions in those books. Therefore, Ruan Yu thought that if the merman realized he was a man, he might lose interest. As for how to coax the merman into sending him back to the palace after losing interest, that was another matter to consider, but he didn’t have the luxury to think about that now.

Ruan Yu’s actions indeed startled the merman. The merman slowly straightened up, staring at him motionlessly.

Feeling somewhat successful, Ruan Yu hurriedly pulled at his skirt, seizing the opportunity to continue, “I can’t bear you children. I’m a man, and you…” Ruan Yu’s eyes darted around, and he caught sight of something. Half surprised, half embarrassed, he added, “You’re similar to me.”

Ruan Yu swallowed the last four words, “like you,” with tears in his eyes.

Because indeed, they were very different in every aspect.

Having said these words, Ruan Yu felt so embarrassed that he almost passed out. He anxiously awaited the merman’s reaction, which turned out to be the opposite of what he expected.

The merman wasn’t deterred by his masculine identity; instead, his eyes lit up even more, and his fish tail, as strong and flexible as a steel whip, firmly wrapped around Ruan Yu’s lower body, immobilizing him completely, depriving him of even the slightest chance of resistance.

 

 

 

 

 

This Title is available for faster chapter releases through paid Patreon membership. Any proceeds go to keeping the website running. Check it out HERE.