Evan Chu knew the Mermaid King was a powerhouse at the Divine Martial Realm—one of the strongest around. When Luna, the Sword Spirit, appeared, the faint glow she gave off definitely caught his attention.
Trying to brush things off with a random excuse would never fly here, so Evan just smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you have sharp eyes. I did seal the energy inside the embroidered ball. Honestly, I had no choice—please forgive me."
"Forgive you? My daughter's royal consort was chosen through your trickery! Do you have any idea how serious the consequences could be?" The Mermaid King's aura suddenly erupted, pressing down on Evan and Luna Chu so hard they could barely breathe.
Selena quickly blocked the pressure and said to the King, "Please, don't make things hard for them. I bet you already had a backup plan and just didn't say anything. Why not tell us how bad it is—maybe we can figure out a solution."
Evan didn't say a word. Right now, he seriously had no idea what to say—his clever plan had totally backfired. This was a complete accident.
The Mermaid King glanced at the three of them, then turned to Evan and said, "Only someone who isn't harmed by the Spirit-Sealing Stone can be my daughter's consort. If anyone else marries her, both bride and groom will be in mortal danger on their wedding night. Tell me, isn't that serious?"
Hearing this, cold sweat broke out on Evan's back. If he really endangered the Mermaid King's life, none of them would make it out alive. Skylar Yule would be lucky to escape with his life.
"Your Majesty, let's hear your solution. If there's a way to fix this mess, I'll take full responsibility," Evan said seriously.
The Mermaid King looked at the Queen beside him and said, "Only someone who doesn't reject the Spirit-Sealing Stone can dispel my daughter's extreme Yin poison. The whole embroidered ball contest was to find that person. Normally, there's only one kind of man who truly doesn't reject the Spirit-Sealing Stone."
"What kind of person?" Evan asked.
"Only someone born with a Pure Yang Constitution—absolutely pure, blazing masculine energy—can cleanse the extreme Yin poison. The fact you picked up the embroidered ball so easily proves you’re that kind of person. Am I wrong?" the Mermaid King said.
Evan’s heart skipped a beat. He never imagined there’d be such a bizarre stone in the world—one that could actually reveal a person’s constitution.
"That’s right. I do have a Pure Yang Constitution. That’s exactly why I tossed the embroidered ball to my elder brother—if I married the princess, I’d only hurt her. I know my intentions weren’t ideal, but I had no clue about her strange illness. If I’d known, I never would’ve done it." Evan said helplessly.
"Just as I thought—the royal consort can only be you. Your friend is waiting for you right now. I hope you won’t try any more tricks. I can forgive you once, but not twice. Consider yourself warned!" the Mermaid King declared.
Evan looked at Selena, totally innocent. "I swear, this wasn’t my idea. You’re not mad, right?"
"Not at all. If you get the job done, I’ll actually be glad. Besides, I’m not your woman yet, so you don’t need to say stuff like that to me," Selena replied coldly.
Just then, a palace maid walked in—Evan recognized her as the same one from before. Right now, no one was happier than Luna Chu, who was thrilled by this sudden twist. With things turning out this way, no one would be fighting her for Skylar Yule.
"You all just wait here. Soon, I’ll send someone to bring you to their wedding." The Mermaid King said, then left with the Queen.
Evan quietly followed the palace maid, barely noticing the scenery around him. He felt totally lost about how to explain this to Skylar Yule—this whole thing was way too dramatic.
Soon, Evan was led to an elegant room where Skylar Yule was sipping tea. Seeing Evan walk in, Skylar asked, "Little brother, what are you doing here? Weren’t the maids supposed to help me change? So far, nothing’s happened—they just keep making me drink tea."
Evan looked helplessly at Skylar Yule and said, "Big brother, sorry to keep you waiting. Turns out, I’m actually the real groom this time. I’ll explain everything later."
"You? What’s going on? Wow, this is great! I was just stressing about this whole mess, but you really get me, little brother—I never wanted to marry that Mermaid Princess anyway." Skylar Yule grinned, not even bothering to ask for details. All he cared about was the result.
"Consort, let me help you change!" a palace maid said, holding several sets of ceremonial robes.
Evan blinked at the pile of robes and joked, "Do I really need to wear so many? Are you planning to have multiple grooms or something?"
The palace maid giggled. "You’re funny, Consort. There’s only one groom, and it’s you! These are all for you—just pick whichever fits best."
"Oh, that’s how it is? I thought maybe you had a set ready for my big brother too," Evan said, glancing at Skylar Yule.
Skylar Yule was in a great mood and didn’t care much about Evan’s comment. He just laughed, "Hurry up and put it on, little brother—let me see what you look like as the groom."
Evan picked out a set of robes and told the maid, "You can leave—I’ll change myself."
But the palace maid insisted, "No way! I have to help you change personally—it’s palace tradition. Consort, please take off your clothes!"
Evan cursed in his heart, "Damn, so bold—she really wants to see me naked?" A dark line crept up his forehead.
Even though Evan didn’t want to, he reluctantly took off his shirt. "Is this enough? Hurry up, or I’ll catch a cold!"
"Consort, please take off your pants too!" the maid said.
Skylar Yule watched Evan squirm and burst out laughing, "Come on, little brother! What are you afraid of? Man up!"
Evan shot Skylar Yule a glare. "You’re having a good time now, but do you know the pain of being a brother?" Still, he reluctantly took off his pants, leaving only his underwear.
The palace maid saw Evan hesitating and said, "Consort, you have to put on all new wedding clothes. It’s a sign of respect for the bride—please take off your underwear too!"
Evan was so frustrated he almost coughed up blood. He stared at the maid, "Are you going to peek?"
"You’re joking, Consort. I’ll be serving you and the princess in the bridal chamber too—what’s there to be embarrassed about?" the maid replied.
After hearing that, Evan nearly fell over. "No way—are Mermaid Kingdom girls always this bold? Serving me? I’m afraid you’ll end up a corpse!"
He thought that, but didn’t dare say it out loud. Instead, he mumbled, "Can you turn around? I’m really not used to this!"
The maid saw Evan’s awkward expression and turned around immediately. Evan quickly took off his underwear, then realized—they hadn’t given him any new ones! What was he supposed to wear now?
PS: Next chapter will be updated at midnight (thanks for waiting, everyone!).