Stop Thinking Chapter 47: Extra 10: What If… [Mermaid X Little Prince] 4 (Mermaid Bead)

Chapter 47: Extra 10: What If… [Mermaid X Little Prince] 4 (Mermaid Bead)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Every time Ruan Yu hinted at returning to the palace, the mermaid’s reaction was always the same. Ruan Yu was tormented to the point of dizziness, and the number of times he mentioned returning to the palace became fewer and fewer.

Even a fool like Ruan Yu had figured it out. The mermaid had long understood his words; they just pretended not to understand, deliberately feigning ignorance.

Before long, the language barrier between them began to dissolve gradually.

In those dreams that visited night after night, Ruan Yu could touch upon some memories within the mermaid Ruan Yu’s mind. Those memories were hazy, like veils over a window, containing a variety of content. There were tips on how to efficiently move fish tails while swimming, common knowledge about dangerous sea creatures, and… the chants and ways of listening in mermaid language.

There were many subtle differences between the two dialects of mermaid language, but they were generally similar.

As time passed, Ruan Yu gradually began to understand bits and pieces of the mermaid’s words, even if it was through guesswork. He could barely mimic the ethereal and melodious rhythm and could speak a few simple mermaid language phrases.

At the same time, the mermaid occasionally uttered a few vague human words. There were serious conversations, but more often than not, they were less serious, especially when the mermaid was playing around with Ruan Yu, the impromptu remarks became frequent.

He would say things like “Little mermaid, you’re so sweet, even your saliva tastes sweet,” which always made Ruan Yu cover his mouth in exasperation.

In short, after understanding each other’s simple meanings, Ruan Yu became more convinced that the mermaid simply didn’t want to send him back to the palace.

Ruan Yu angrily grabbed the mermaid’s fin and scolded him, but the mermaid couldn’t understand. He was clear that the mermaid was not an animal or a monster. Like him, the mermaid also had emotions, desires, understood love, longing, separation, and sorrow. If he were to disappear, the mermaid would be immensely pained and lost.

He was the youngest prince, destined to have no contention for the throne. He was born to be a wealthy and carefree prince, unlike his brothers who had to marry and have children.

His father and mother always indulged him, never going against his wishes, always pampering him unreasonably.

No matter how much Ruan Yu tried to persuade him, the mermaid still seemed reluctant.

After so long, the merman had realized that Ruan Yu wasn’t offered as a sacrifice to the mermaid, his fall into the water was just an accident. He knew Ruan Yu was homesick, but he was also certain that as soon as they were seen together, the land people would take away his precious little mermaid.

Just imagining such a scene would make the mermaid feel like a piece of his heart had been painfully torn away, leaving him feeling empty and sore.

To prevent the little mermaid from getting bored with cave life and from constantly missing home, the mermaid would take Ruan Yu to play underwater during the warmest time of the day, when the sea water was bathed in sunlight.

There was no place in the world more vast and magnificent than the ocean.

Because he was worried about the unpredictable currents and lurking sea creatures posing a danger to the little mermaid, the merman would hold Ruan Yu securely in his arms with one arm and swim with him.

The undulating waves rocked under the azure light, and the coral forests, with their vibrant colors, were particularly eye-catching. Countless creatures, whose names Ruan Yu couldn’t even pronounce, roamed and frolicked in the coral forest, swaying gracefully with their fins and tentacles, content in their surroundings.

Occasionally, a fierce hammerhead shark, resembling a spindle, would patrol its territory. Sensing the dangerous aura of the merman from afar, it would quietly change its course to avoid him. Once, when the merman saw Ruan Yu poking his head out curiously and noticed the suspicious “hammerhead” in the distance, he let out a threatening roar. After hesitating for a moment, the hammerhead shark still swam over. After all, mermaids were not on the menu for hammerhead sharks, and fleeing might bring trouble.

Since Ruan Yu, who had been raised in the deep palace since childhood, was curious about everything once he entered the water, he circled around the big guy like he owned the place, examining it carefully. He even reached out to touch the indigo-colored triangular fin of the hammerhead shark.

So the two, one human and one merman, lived together smoothly and peacefully for a while.

Perhaps, for Ruan Yu, it wasn’t so peaceful after all.

He was almost being driven crazy by the merman. Inside and out, he was soaked through, feeling like a ripe fruit, with sugary juice almost oozing out of his tender skin.

Everything described in the tales was true, including the mermaid’s silver nature. When he encountered a female mermaid he liked, he couldn’t stop thinking about certain matters. And the most crucial point… he could lay eggs through his abdomen.

Moreover, whether to lay eggs through the abdomen was not something the mermaid could control; it happened naturally.

Ruan Yu initially thought the layer of soft flesh on his belly was due to indulging too much in fish and meat. After all, they say you are what you eat… It wasn’t until he experienced various discomforts similar to those of other pregnant women that Ruan Yu realized something was terribly wrong.

When the mermaid first learned about this, he was delighted. His cold, frosty eyes softened into a smile, and he often hugged Ruan Yu’s waist, pressing his fin against Ruan Yu’s slightly swollen belly, even though he couldn’t hear anything, he wanted to be close to the little mermaid like this.

Originally, he didn’t care much about little mermaids, but if Ruan Yu gave birth to a little mermaid for him, he would love it even if it was separated by belly skin.

But the good times didn’t last long. After Ruan Yu, who had been weak since childhood, became pregnant with so many mermaid eggs, his qi and blood weakened significantly. Coupled with the dampness of the cave and not having soaked in medicinal baths for a long time, a few days after confirming the pregnancy, Ruan Yu fell ill.

His body weakened, and the cold wind took advantage of the opportunity to invade fiercely.

In the mermaid’s perception, accustomed to the perennially cool skin, the little mermaid felt like a burning charcoal.

The face, usually as fair as lotus petals, turned crimson with illness, eyes tightly shut, unconscious, lips moving slightly, emitting a weak sound, “Father… mother…”

The mermaid had roughly understood the meaning of these two words. Ruan Yu was calling for his parents. He must be in unbearable discomfort…

As the leader of the merfolk in this area, the mermaid experienced helplessness for the first time, his anxious flicking tail almost smashing the rocks into powder.

Even if he could find the herbs of the land people, he didn’t know how to administer them. Only the land people’s doctors could save his precious little mermaid.

Ruan Yu was originally someone who wouldn’t gain weight no matter how much he ate. He had finally gained some flesh during this time, but this illness was consuming it all again. With his small frame, the mermaid’s large hand seemed like it could easily hold him.

The mermaid tilted his head, pressing his face against Ruan Yu’s burning cheek, staying like that without moving for a long, long time.

“Ruan Ruan… Ruan Ruan.”

The mermaid spoke other words in a muddled manner, but this name was already spoken quite proficiently.

The mermaid repeated the name many times, and it wasn’t known how long he held Ruan Yu before letting go.

Then, he somehow produced several black, shiny, rare mermaid pearls the size of a palm, wrapped them in mermaid silk into a small bundle, and stuffed them into the hollow of Ruan Yu’s chest.

…

Near the area where Ruan Yu fell into the water, there were always skilled guards patrolling by boat. Regardless of anything, Ruan Yu was the most favored little prince. Whether alive or dead, it was impossible for things to be left unclear. As long as he wasn’t found, someone would be ordered to keep searching.

“…What… what is that?!”

On the boat, a sharp-eyed guard rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

In the azure waves, a figure emerged from the sea, appearing human yet not quite, with the upper body of a man. The noon sun was scorching, highlighting the muscles and jagged scales of the man, all bathed in a strange bronze gleam — this was a legendary mermaid.

And the beautiful youth he was holding in his arms, wrapped in layers of mermaid silk, only revealing a small face, was none other than the Fifth Prince they had been searching for desperately for days.

 

 

 

 

 

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