I sniffed, inhaling the strong sweet scent deep within my lungs even as the repressed sensation of disappointment swelled over my chest, and I felt bitter once again.
Still, I forced myself to smile despite my pain as another thought occupied my head: I was no more important than a descendant to Dicken, just like the crystals he had spread across various lands. Though he searched for me and protected me, he did all that to protect his blood which flows in my body—I am one of his few descendants, and the most disobedient at that.
That being said, I also wondered what reason there was for me to be dissatisfied, and I would have been long dead as a child if not for Dicken.
And as the merfolk’s leader, his duty was to protect his people and to ensure the perpetuity of the next generation.
F*ck! Why would my thoughts keep drifting away? What had it to do with me…
“Linda.“
Dicken suddenly called me, interrupting my thoughts. Turning his head so that his ear brushed against my cheek, he asked, “What’s on your mind?“
“You, “ I blurted out as if bewitched, almost choking when I realized how straightforward I was being and hence added, ”I mean, how you’ve changed… and your identity. Uh, it really shocked me.”
”You’ll have all the time to find out.” Dicken turned to flash a meaningful grin at me, his voice echoing in the darkness of the sewers.
Although I understood Merinish, I was still a little unaccustomed since the accent resembled some ancient mystical chant no matter how I tried to describe it. Moreover, Dicken’s unique voice, which seemed to reverberate powerfully and carried weight, always left me spacing out.
All I could do was nod in reflex while I kept my hands tightly wrapped around his waist—he was now in his merman form once again, and sprinted through the waters like he did as he carried me through the ocean. Suddenly, the sewers seemed to turn vast and open, with the walls being distant from us as we dived deep beneath the canals.
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