The little female was too adorable. What was he supposed to do with her?
Lanbo found himself falling for her even more.
He was already struggling not to pounce and mate with her on the spot.
He had no idea how this little female knew all these strange and fantastical tales, but honestly, he found it incredibly entertaining.
"Don't worry, it's nothing like what you were thinking," Lanbo chuckled. "Besides, I don't want to die just yet. I still want to spend a long, long time with you."
"Good," Si Lu sighed with relief. "As long as that whole cursed tail story isn't real."
"Come, I'll take you to the palace where us merfolk live. You'll also get to meet someone very important to me," Lanbo said as he grabbed Si Lu's hand and swam with her toward the palace.
"Someone important?" Si Lu blinked. "Wait—is it your parents?"
Meeting the parents this suddenly? Wasn't that a bit too fast?
And she hadn't even freshened up or changed clothes yet!
"Uhm, Lanbo… Could we maybe stop somewhere first so I can clean up? I don't want to make a bad first impression—especially if I'm meeting someone important like your family," Si Lu said sheepishly.
It just didn't sit right with her.
Meeting a future partner's elders while looking like a drowned beastman was a little too chaotic.
"You're right," Lanbo nodded. "Let's stop by my bedchamber first. You can tidy up there before we go meet them."
Honestly, Lanbo didn't think it was a big deal—Si Lu looked beautiful to him no matter what—but seeing how serious she was about making a good impression on someone important to him made his heart feel warm and full.
It showed she truly cared.
"Mm," Si Lu nodded firmly.
It wasn't that she was being picky. It was just that none of her other partners had living parents, so she'd never had to go through this before. But if they had had family, she would've done the same—cleaned up and presented herself respectfully.
She still had a decent amount of points left, too. If she needed to, she could buy a nice outfit from the point store. It pained her a little to spend them, but hey—it would be worn by her, not someone else. As long as she liked it, it was worth it.
Besides, she was still earning points. Why not treat herself?
Clothes could be worn again and again anyway. If she took good care of them, they'd last for years.
As they approached the palace, Si Lu's eyes widened.
The building was magnificent—pure white, shimmering under the filtered light of the ocean. Around them swam many other merfolk.
But none of them looked quite like Lanbo.
Their tails varied in color—gray, black, green, yellow, even brown—but none had the shimmering blue-white beauty of Lanbo's. Their faces, too, while not unattractive, lacked Lanbo's striking features and refined grace.
So it was true—not all merfolk looked like him.
There were a few female merfolk scattered among the crowd, but not many. Even under the sea, it seemed females were a rare treasure.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
"Salutations, Prince Lanbo!"
"Your Highness!"
The merfolk bowed in unison as Lanbo passed, right hands pressed over their hearts and heads dipped respectfully.
Si Lu's eyes flew open.
Prince?
Lanbo was the prince of the merfolk?
Suddenly everything made sense. That noble temperament, his ethereal beauty, the way others treated him with awe—it all checked out.
No wonder he was so… perfect.
Wow, she thought, feeling a little dazed. I really hit the jackpot here.
At the same time, the surrounding merfolk noticed her too.
Clearly a land-dweller—she had legs, not a tail.
They could hardly believe how beautiful she was. So much more stunning than even their most admired mermaid, Valsha. Her presence made their hearts flutter.
Some of them even felt a tiny spark of jealousy—how had their prince found such a gorgeous female? Was she really from the land? Were all land females this beautiful?
Still, even if they were tempted to speak up, none dared act on it.
She was with their prince.
Si Lu noticed the stares and awkwardly smiled, nodding politely in greeting. It would've been rude not to, especially since they were Lanbo's people.
She was trying to be respectful, that's all.
Lanbo, however, caught the stares instantly.
His expression turned frosty in an instant.
His people were staring at his female.
The temperature around him seemed to drop. The previously curious merfolk suddenly felt a cold, prickling pressure in the water.
Without another word, they quickly bowed and dispersed.
They weren't blind.
When Prince Lanbo lost his temper, it was rare—but terrifying. And this time, they could tell… he was serious.
Clearly, this land-female meant a lot to him.
"Uhm…" Si Lu gave Lanbo an awkward smile. "You really didn't have to scare them off, you know…"
"Lulu," Lanbo turned toward her, expression serious. "Don't smile at them again. I'll get jealous."
"You already got jealous," she muttered under her breath. "I was just being polite! They're your people, and I just wanted to be courteous."
"That's the problem," Lanbo said with a frown. "If you're too nice to them, they'll get ideas."
Some male beastmen might take kindness as interest. And considering how drop-dead gorgeous Si Lu was, it was possible one of them might even try to confess to her!
Lanbo would never let that happen.
Besides, they weren't even strong. Or handsome. Or worthy.
If Si Lu were to accept another partner, it had to be someone like him—strong, powerful, good-looking, and capable of protecting her.
And most importantly…
He hadn't even mated with her yet!
Those other guys?
They could dream.
"Alright, alright, I'll be cold from now on," Si Lu replied, nodding solemnly.
"Good girl. Now come with me—let's head to my bedchamber," Lanbo said, pulling her along.
As they passed through the main gates, the merfolk on either side bowed deeply. Lanbo ignored them. So did Si Lu.
Hand in hand, they entered the pristine palace.
Once they were out of earshot, the gossip exploded like a school of startled fish.
"Did you see that?! Prince Lanbo brought a land-female back with him!"
"Of course I saw! I'm not blind! But seriously, did you see her face? She's insanely gorgeous! Where did the prince even find her?"
"Do you think all land-females are that beautiful?"
"I doubt it. Just like us—our male merfolk are all fairly handsome, but only a few of our females are real stunners. She's probably rare even among land-dwellers."
"She's easily the most beautiful female I've ever seen… I'm kind of in love."
"I just hope the prince really likes her. Do you think he's serious?"
"Watch your mouth! If that girl hears you doubting the prince's sincerity, it could start a huge misunderstanding!"
"Exactly! Didn't you see how protective he was? The way he looked at her? They were holding hands! That was serious."
A small crowd of merfolk had gathered, all whispering and debating passionately about the mystery female and their prince's intentions.
Meanwhile, inside the palace, Si Lu was led to Lanbo's personal bedchamber.
Soft white drapes hung from the ceiling, fluttering gently with the current. Every surface gleamed in pristine white—from the walls to the columns—and sunlight filtered in to create a serene, glowing effect.
It was honestly quite beautiful.
Si Lu had to admit—the merfolk had pretty solid taste.
"Lulu, you can take a bath here," Lanbo said gently. "I'll have someone bring in clothes for you soon."