Chapter 1: Escape
Flashes of blue lightning lit up the pitch-black night sky before disappearing.
Just as the thunder shook the heavens, a man stopped his hurried steps.
“Lady Yeonbi, are you alright?” he asked with concern.
Breathing heavily, the woman bit her lips and managed to speak.
“Ha, ha. I’m fine. By now, they must have noticed I escaped. We need to hurry. Where’s Yeah?”
The man checked the sleeping child, about seven years old.
“Fortunately, she’s still deep asleep. We just need to cross this valley. Let’s go.”
Suddenly, heavy rain began to pour, as if the thunder and lightning had been a signal.
The man looked up at the dark sky with a frustrated expression, realizing the rain wouldn’t stop anytime soon.
The child, disturbed by the rain, frowned.
Thinking they needed to hide from the rain for a moment, the man carefully looked around the dark forest.
He saw a steep cliff beyond the bushes.
“Lady Yeonbi, if we stay in this rain, the princess will wake up. We must find shelter. Follow me.”
The man dashed through the heavy rain, and the woman’s footsteps grew slower, as if weighed down by waterlogged clothing.
Realizing her footsteps were no longer behind him, the man quickly turned and saw the woman standing alone with a sad expression.
“Lady Yeonbi…”
As silence filled the air, the child suddenly woke up with a cough.
“Cough, cough. Where are we…?”
The child seemed confused and on the verge of crying, feeling uneasy with a stranger holding her.
In a tense moment, the woman’s calm voice reassured the child.
“Yeah, don’t cry. Remember, you promised me you wouldn’t cry, no matter the situation.”
Hearing her mother’s voice, the child asked with joy.
“Mother! Is that you?”
In the darkness, the child could see her mother, though her face was scratched as if injured.
“Mother…?”
“Yeah, run away. You must never step foot in the Daewon Empire. Yeomuk! Hurry, go to the southwest of the forest, where there are no soldiers yet.”
“Mother!”
“Lady Yeonbi!”
Suddenly, the sound of many footsteps surrounded them.
“We must find the Empress Yeonbi and Princess Deokon! Hurry!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The situation was turning grim. The woman, her anxiety visible, pleaded with the man.
“Yeomuk! Please, save Yeah. This is the order I received in place of my husband. Please, hurry!”
“Mother! Let’s go together!”
The child desperately reached out.
The woman only smiled bitterly, not answering the child.
“Understood… Lady Yeonbi.”
The man hesitated for a moment, but then ran toward the direction the woman indicated, as fast as he could.
Though he ran quickly, the soldiers had already reached the southwest of the mountain.
It was like being trapped in a rat’s cage, with no way out.
“Damn.”
Alone, he might have escaped, but with the child, it seemed impossible.
Then, the child pointed to a cluster of rocks through the thick bushes.
“Sir… among those rocks, there’s a hidden space.”
At first, it might have sounded like nonsense, but given the current weather, the man’s instincts told him it could be true.
He quickly ran toward the spot, behind a cluster of small rocks, and found a barely visible gap.
The man swiftly climbed the slippery rocks and hid inside.
“There are no traces here.”
“Let’s go this way.”
His heart pounded loudly in his chest.
If they were discovered here, everything they had done so far would be for nothing.
He waited anxiously, relieved to find that the soldiers could not see the hiding spot.
But his frustration was overwhelming. Years of planning had failed to avoid the watchful eyes of the treacherous Emperor.
“Lord… I’m sorry. I don’t think I deserve to see you again.”
Then, in the darkness, a man in golden armor appeared.
“Ah? Grandpa…”
The child tried to call out, but the man quickly covered the child’s mouth, signaling for silence.
“Why?” The child didn’t understand the danger.
If the grandfather were here, surely he could solve the situation, right?
But the man did not answer.
Suddenly, the desperate cry of the mother pierced the air.
“Quick, take her! Yeonbi Empress!”
“Let go! How dare you touch her safety?! Let go, now!”
The child, seeing her mother being dragged away by soldiers, couldn’t hold back her tears.
Her mother was being dragged away in a pitiful manner.
Tears fell from the child’s eyes like pearls.
The man, without a change in his expression, gently held the child close.
“Ha, ha, ha. Where is my beautiful granddaughter, Princess Deokon?” the Emperor laughed.
“You beast! How can you treat your own granddaughter like this, using her as a potion to extend your life?”
It wasn’t the kind voice of her grandfather, but the harsh one of the Emperor.
The child, hearing the conversation, couldn’t understand what was happening and moved closer to the rocks.
The man tried to stop her, but couldn’t move for fear of making a sound.
“Ha, ha. If I die, the Daewon Empire will fall into chaos. Princess Deokon’s sacrifice is necessary for the Empire.”
“Lie! You drove your own son to death to have your way with the mermaid woman! And now you plan to sacrifice your granddaughter?”
“You hypocrite!”
“Ha, ha. You used to act so innocent in bed, but now your sharp words are more attractive.”
“The mermaids are so useful. Your tears turn into precious pearls, and your skin is as smooth as oil that won’t burn in the rain. And you’re so beautiful. If you had given birth to a daughter instead of this useless son, it would have been perfect.”
“You… you’re not human. You’ll burn in hell!”
“Ha, ha. According to the Imperial physician, Princess Deokon’s lifespan can be extended by thirty or forty years. I’ll make her young and beautiful for you. Now, give her to me! Where is my granddaughter?”
“You won’t find her. Even if you search the four seas, you won’t find her.”
The Emperor laughed.
“You still don’t get it. It doesn’t matter how well you hide her. Just have another child, and everything will be fine. But if you take your own life, I can’t guarantee the life of the child you just gave birth to. Now, find Princess Deokon. Do you understand?”
The man hoped the child hadn’t heard the Emperor’s cruel words.
But the Emperor’s voice, loud and clear, pierced through the rain.
“What? You think I’m the Emperor’s potion? Ridiculous.”
The child could no longer tell whether this was a nightmare or reality.
She collapsed into the man’s arms, unable to hold back the shock.
The rain, which had fallen like summer showers all night, became a fine drizzle.
The man quietly waited for the soldiers to leave.
Princess Deokon (So-Ye), the child with the gentle eyes of King Yeweon and the beautiful features of Yeonbi.
If only her mother hadn’t been a mermaid, she could have lived a noble life.
“How unfortunate. Born a mermaid in a world of humans.”
The mermaids’ unique abilities were both a blessing and a curse, exploited by greedy humans.
The mermaids had been exploited for centuries, especially the women.
A long time ago, there was a mermaid queen who received a potion from a witch to walk on land.
Over time, the mermaids became divided, with some living on land, their beauty becoming the object of human desire.
“Ah. A male mermaid is born for every thousand females. That’s why they were so coveted.”
The man reflected on the tragedy of the mermaids, who were often used for their beauty and their tears.
The Emperor of the Daewon Empire had sent his son, King Yeweon, to war, just to possess Yeonbi, a mermaid.
“The Emperor… I will protect Princess Deokon, I swear.”
