Chapter 203: The You in My Eyes (6k)

"Stop playing dead — fish don't drown."

Glub glub glub—

But no matter how Herbert called out, the shy mermaid Young Lady just hid beneath the water without showing her face, expressing her feelings only through the bubbles she kept blowing.

Glub glub glub glub—

Even though Herbert considered himself exceptionally insightful about monster girls, he still found it hard to understand the meaning behind those bubbles.

"If you keep this up, don't blame me for being rude."

Glub glub glub—

Herbert watched the bubbles rising from the bottom, leaned over the bank, and with an amused look reached his hand into the water to feel around.

Pet pet pet pet.

Plop.

He quickly caught that cold, soft palm — no, it was more like the palm had actively grabbed him.

"Got you!"

Herbert gently held that soft palm and then lifted it upward.

Drawing on last time's experience, Herbert had prepared himself in advance this time, ready to tilt his head and dodge at any moment, unafraid of her splash ambush.

But his preparations were once again wasted.

Because not only did he fail to pull the mermaid Young Lady out of the water, he was instead yanked hard by that palm.

Under a tremendous force, he had no time to resist and was dragged straight into the water.

???

"Hey hey hey—"

Splash!

Glub glub glub!

Herbert, who had no time to react, plunged into the water. Driven by the instinct of a land creature, he instinctively held his breath to escape from the water.

Oh no!

Fishing every day, and today he finally got fished by the fish!

She's going to drown me — no, wait!

I can't drown.

After struggling for a moment, Herbert quickly came to his senses.

He wouldn't suffocate in the water — he could breathe easily underwater just like other aquatic life.

And Fu Leimei knew this too.

He adjusted himself, opened his eyes underwater, and looked at the culprit who had dragged him down.

Herbert: not-hehe. jpg

Fu Leimei: hehe. jpg

"You should have seen how adorably flustered you looked just now~"

Fu Leimei's voice, spoken underwater, quickly reached Herbert's ears, and the tone sounded even sweeter than it had on shore.

This was the true voice of the sea demons.

Herbert watched the mermaid giggling nonstop in the water and couldn't help but mutter, "Kid, this isn't funny."

You scared me half to death!

Honestly, the feeling of speaking underwater for the first time was a bit strange.

Herbert had expected to be filled with cold water and only be able to speak once the internal and external pressure equalized.

But he was wrong.

After all, this was another world with fantasy creatures, and its laws didn't operate the way he knew.

Because of the blessing, the surrounding water didn't rush into Herbert's body; instead, it formed a transparent film around him, blocking the water element from invading him.

Herbert was as if encased in a breathable, waterproof bubble, able to breathe and speak easily.

His voice wasn't affected in the slightest.

Fu Leimei watched Herbert's embarrassed and annoyed expression, and her smile grew even brighter.

"But isn't this fun?"

"What are you saying? I don't find it fun at all."

"Hehe~ I think it's lots of fun!"

After laughing triumphantly for a moment, the mermaid Princess said nothing more, but simply smiled and gazed quietly at the boy in the water.

The boy went from initial uncomfortable struggling to gradually getting used to it, and adapted quickly.

In just a few breaths, he could move through the water as if on flat ground, even as if he had always lived in water.

And the white-haired boy had by now forgotten his earlier embarrassment, calmed down, and quietly gazed back at the beautiful mermaid who had dragged him into the water.

If the Hungry Dragon Young Lady's first impression on Herbert was heroic spirit, then the mermaid Young Lady's impression on him was beauty.

Yes.

Beauty.

Among all the monster girls in the Foreign Race Prison, her looks could rank at the very top.

Fu Leimei's features were already outstanding on their own — even on shore she had a breathtaking, captivating charm.

Her hair, dotted with water droplets, and the perpetually damp, silky feel of her skin gave one the impression of a lotus just out of the water.

And now, once underwater, the feeling she gave off had completely transformed into something else.

Beyond bewitching beauty, there was now an added touch of ethereal grace.

The sea witch's hair drifted slightly underwater, not in disarray, but with a transcendent, ethereal quality.

Especially after falling silent, she carried an additional serenity.

Herbert had only seen this quality in her before when she played and sang; this was the first time he felt it in everyday moments.

No… looking at their current state, this situation could hardly be called "everyday."

Herbert came wearing the ring—his intent was obvious.

And Fu Leimei clearly sensed this, which is why she became so flustered and accidentally fell into the water.

Both understood each other's feelings; they had both noticed, yet never pierced the final layer of paper.

The sea witch never lightly chooses her hero.

A hero.

And also the one she has chosen as her partner.

In ancient times, the Sea Witch Queen took a drowning prince as her destined one.

And after countless ages, the lonely Sea Witch Princess chose the boy before her as her promised one.

Herbert received two more rings from the Archbishop this time, yet he came directly to Fu Leimei rather than anyone else—this alone speaks volumes.

Compared to other monster girls, he now trusted this mermaid lady more.

The strategy was complete; it was time to wrap things up… he had thought so.

He believed the moment had arrived, that it was time to net the fish he'd been raising.

But he hadn't expected Fu Leimei's reaction to be so strong.

No, should it even be called "strong"?

Or was it overreacting?

Who would drag someone into the water right before accepting a confession?

If this were another race, it would be pure, deliberate murder!

What did she mean by pulling me underwater?

Rejection?

But it didn't feel like it.

Watching Fu Leimei's sweet, smug smile, Herbert felt confusion and bewilderment—but not a single trace of unease.

He didn't think he was wrong.

The timing had truly matured.

After raising them so long, it was time to harvest!

Today!

Since Fu Leimei had no intention of speaking first, Herbert would no longer sit idle—he prepared to strike first.

Herbert took a deep breath, fixed his gaze on Fu Leimei, and spoke seriously:

"Fu Leimei, I came to you today to ask you something… something very important."

"Mm."

The mermaid lady saw his serious expression, her smile subtly faded, becoming serene, and nodded gently.

She had also prepared herself.

Hm?

At this moment, Herbert's eyes widened slightly.

From Fu Leimei's slightly stiff movements, he realized a truth—Fu Leimei was actually nervous.

Pulling him underwater earlier had merely been an accident; now saying nothing was just her way of easing her own embarrassment.

Watching Fu Leimei's nervousness, for some reason, Herbert suddenly felt a slight pressure in his chest.

He did not launch his attack immediately; instead, he switched to a different question on the spot.

"But before I formally ask you, can you first tell me… how do you see me?"

Three months of interaction between them was not short, but compared to the sea witch's long lifespan, it was indeed brief.

At this critical moment, just one step away from the final leap, he suddenly felt curious.

What image did he hold in Fu Leimei's eyes?

Fu Leimei had not expected Herbert to suddenly ask such a question.

"... How you see me?"

She blinked her beautiful eyes, her tense expression relaxing considerably; she tilted her head, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Pfft, at a time like this, why are you asking something like this? Haha~"

She visibly relaxed.

Her seven-colored tail swayed gently as she circled Herbert slowly, examining him from every angle.

She fixed her gaze on Herbert and teased:

"In my eyes, you're a child—at least, that was my first impression."

When they first met, Herbert had been merely a pale, tense youth trailing behind the Archbishop, his spirit tightly wound.

His features were refined, his posture upright, carrying a complex aura of elegance and melancholy.

But what truly caught Fu Leimei's attention was his mental state—the subtle sea witch sensed the suppressed emotions within his spirit.

Anger, pain, loneliness… compared to his appearance, these emotions drew her attention far more.

Yet initially, Fu Leimei had no particular interest in Herbert beyond that.

She simply thought he was another new jailer, like all the others before him—a child who wouldn't last long before giving up.

Fu Leimei herself was lonely, yet she did not like loneliness.

But she was also proud, unwilling to form any connection with someone who shared her same loneliness; she didn't need to lick wounds together with another.

To prevent such a person from influencing her, Fu Leimei decided to give him a stern warning the next time they met.

A moderate threat, enough to make that child dare not disturb her for a long time to come.

"But later, when we met again, you changed completely."

Fu Leimei looked at Herbert, feeling a touch of awe—at his superb acting.

You acted so convincingly, you even fooled me!

"At that time, you dropped the mask you wore before that person, and became incredibly… charming."

Fu Leimei couldn't pinpoint where Herbert's charm came from; she lacked Valentina's sharp intuition and didn't sense any unique fragrance emanating from him.

She simply suddenly felt this boy had become unusually appealing—his presence no longer annoyed her, but instead drew her in.

Yet charm alone wasn't enough to stir her heart.

Thus, during their initial interactions, Fu Leimei's attitude improved slightly, but didn't change much.

"Come to think of it, you're really good at playing dumb."

Recalling those days, Fu Leimei shot Herbert a glare and muttered, "Talking about fish tanks and all that—you were faking it all along!"

She had genuinely believed Herbert was a pure, untainted boy, and had even blushed over it for a while.

But after further interactions, Fu Leimei soon realized she'd been deceived.

This man was nothing like that!

Don't believe a word he says!

This fellow might truly be pure in body, but spiritually, he's far from spotless!

"And afterward, I was angry with you for quite a while!"

She recalled how, after Herbert forcibly took control of the sealing array, she had been so embarrassed.

"You even dared to threaten me… heh."

She glared at Herbert, but before she finished speaking, she herself began to laugh.

What had seemed furious at the time now felt strangely amusing in retrospect.

How, exactly, had two former enemies come to this point in their relationship?

Fu Leimei herself couldn't explain the answer to this question.

They simply grew closer over time… oh, right, I almost forgot this.

She looked at Herbert, her gaze turning exceptionally soft.

"You can hear my song—it fills me with boundless joy."

After enduring loneliness for so very long, after years separated from her kind, someone finally heard her song.

He was unharmed, and no death came… he was safe!

In that moment, Fu Leimei felt she had met fate.

She had finally waited for the person she had longed for.

And it was precisely then that Fu Leimei completely changed her view of Herbert.

He was no longer just a somewhat unusual boy, nor merely the saintly jailer in charge of the prison.

He began to become… a special existence.

Someone of immense importance to her.

And this uniqueness was the key catalyst for all emotional development.

She began to look forward to singing with him.

She began hoping he would come sooner, to listen to her ballads.

And she began… missing him when he wasn't there.

But to call this feeling "love" would be too simplistic.

Love is simple, yet not so simple.

At this point, Fu Leimei's feelings for Herbert were more like the "affection" between friends.

Even above friendship—a unique, singular affection.

Out of goodwill toward a friend, she followed Herbert's instructions to deal with the enemies who had breached the prison.

Though she bore no grudge against those dark elves and disliked killing, since it was her friend's request, she acted.

She also bestowed blessings upon him when he departed, making a promise with him.

And it was precisely that promise that caused the faint, ambiguous emotions in Fu Leimei's heart to fully sprout.

After Herbert left, though only a few days had passed, she already began missing him.

Time, once meaningless to her, now stretched long and painful.

Even thinking of Herbert leaving with other prisoners stirred up strange emotions within her.

Though unfamiliar, after careful thought, Fu Leimei understood its nature—jealousy.

She was jealous of a being she had never seen.

Jealous that she could leave this prison with Herbert.

Jealous that she could remain by his side forever.

To find a way to dispel this jealousy, Fu Leimei made a decision.

She began crafting these alchemical prosthetic limbs for herself.

Using her own materials as base, she spent countless failed attempts to wear down the agonizing time, striving to ease this jealousy.

And when she finally succeeded, Fu Leimei felt genuine joy—but only for a fleeting moment.

Would Herbert be pleased by this act of mine?

Would he be willing to have me follow him?

Are all my efforts merely one-sided wishes?

Or perhaps my actions won't make him happy at all, but instead bring him countless troubles…

This anxious, uncertain thinking began once again to silently torment Fu Leimei, causing her to spiral into chaotic thoughts.

Once more, Fu Leimei, to dispel this turmoil, began repeating her training, trying to waste away the time through practice.

She even began to hate why time passed so slowly?

In the past, a hundred years were but the blink of an eye.

Yet now, merely a month's separation felt unbearably long.

Why haven't you returned to my side yet?

Have you forgotten our promise?

"It was at that moment… you returned."

Fu Leimei laughed; her smile no longer held that faint sorrow, but only pure joy.

She swam to Herbert's front, gazing closely at his faintly trembling eyes.

"Herbert, do you know? At that moment, I was truly happy."

"You truly returned to me as promised, and… you didn't make me wait long at all."

"Thank you for not making me wait so long."

"And thank you…"

As she spoke these words, Fu Leimei suddenly fell silent, pressing her lips together and shaking her head.

Just as Herbert was about to ask, she swiftly swam behind him.

Her smooth arms lifted gently, wrapping intimately around his neck.

!!!

The gesture was intimate, but in Herbert's eyes, it seemed more like her inability to meet his gaze directly at this moment.

After avoiding Herbert's gaze, Fu Leimei felt slightly relieved, leaning her mouth to his ear and whispering:

"Thank you… for being moved by my efforts."

She could see his reaction upon realizing the effort she had made, and feel his sorrow for her.

Though he never said it outright, everything was understood without words.

After uttering this slightly cloying phrase of gratitude, Fu Leimei felt her tail stiffen slightly.

Though she felt extremely uncomfortable, she did not retreat, but gathered her courage and continued:

"It was at that very moment that you became… entirely different in my heart."

And what exactly had he become?

She did not speak it first.

She still awaited Herbert's reply.

!!!

And at that moment, she suddenly realized just how cloying the words she had just spoken were…

I—I—I, what on earth did I just say?

How could I have said all that!?

She bit her lips tightly, her tail rigid, barely restraining herself from screaming out loud.

Fu Leimei forcibly suppressed her emotions and feigned calmness as she asked:

"Then… what about you? Human boy, young Holy Knight, how do you see me?"

Good!

I've already been embarrassed—now it's your turn.

Facing Fu Leimei's ploy to shift the burden onto him, Herbert shook his head and smiled, raising his hand to gently grasp the arms draped around his neck.

After sensing her body tremble noticeably, Herbert chuckled: "You ask me how I see you?"

"The answer is simple—I already said it at the beginning."

Herbert recalled his earlier reply and couldn't help but smile.

"I think you're very beautiful."

As expected of me—I still remember what I said back then!

Yet the Mermaid Young Lady was not satisfied with his clever answer.

"Hm? That's it?"

That's all?

I just said so much, and you give me back so little?

No way!

Her arms around Herbert's neck tightened slightly, causing the previously smug Herbert to feel a chill.

Trouble.

Choked!

"Cough! Cough!"

He quickly coughed, patted her arms, and continued:

"I've always thought you were a beautiful presence—this comes from my heart, with not a trace of falsehood."

Feeling her grip loosen slightly, he hurried on:

"At first, you were a powerful and mysterious presence to me."

At first, Fu Leimei's impression on Herbert was actually not that good.

Planning to nearly drown him right from the start certainly wouldn't leave any favorable impression.

But helplessly, her appearance was simply too outstanding, causing Herbert's values to follow his features for a while, naturally overlooking the earlier minor conflict.

"In our later interactions, I also discovered that your personality isn't as cold as you present it."

Fu Leimei simply wasn't good at interacting with others, preferring to endure loneliness alone, but fundamentally she wasn't a bad person.

"I'm willing to listen to you sing; your singing voice can always purify my soul and relax my weary spirit."

"I really like your singing voice, and I also hate that fate won't let you sing in peace."

The arm loosened a little more.

But Herbert didn't let her continue loosening; instead, he took her right hand, brought it to his lips, and gently kissed it.

"Do you know?"

"After I came back this time, when I saw your delighted expression, what was the first thing I thought of?"

His expression shifted slightly, looking somewhat as if he were about to cry or laugh, and he whispered:

"Finally… someone is willing to wait for me to come back."

Someone willing to wait in a place that could be called "home" for one to return to.

In the past, this was something completely unimaginable.

Fu Leimei was lonely, and Herbert was equally lonely.

And the only thing that could be called fortunate is that when two lonely people meet, they are no longer lonely.

"So, I'm very grateful for your appearance."

"I… like you."

He released Fu Leimei's hand and said firmly: "And thank you for being able to like me."

Thanks to Mengmeng Zhu, Ni Shizhen Jibian, and Fengzi Yanli Xiaochou for their tips



(End of this chapter)