Evan Chu held the embroidered ball, completely unharmed, drawing envious stares from the crowd. The Mermaid Princess was convinced he was her true destined consort—until a faint white light suddenly shot from Evan’s brow and landed on the embroidered ball.
Almost no one noticed this strange phenomenon, but Evan knew it was Luna leaving his body—she was controlling the energy stone so he could throw the ball to Skylar Yule.
After about five seconds, Luna’s voice sounded in his mind: “Evan, hurry and hand it over—let him give the ball to the Mermaid Princess as fast as possible! I can’t hold this much longer!”
Hearing this, Evan quickly tossed the embroidered ball to Skylar Yule, catching him so off guard he nearly fumbled it.
Skylar Yule caught the ball, and still no red light appeared—leaving everyone confused as to why Evan had given the ball to another youth.
On the city wall, the Mermaid King and Princess were both baffled. By rights, Evan had held the ball long enough to prove the energy stone wouldn’t attack him—meaning he was the destined consort.
Now that he’d tossed the ball away, it was obviously a snub—a kind of insult, and one hard to accept.
Just as the Mermaid Princess grew angry, the Mermaid King said, “Claire, do you see? That kid clearly let you go to the other one. I sensed a strange energy flash from his brow just now.
Now the youth holding the ball is also outstanding, and there’s no sign of the energy stone attacking him. Both are clearly extraordinary.”
“Father, if you had to choose, who would you pick?” asked Claire, the Mermaid Princess.
“Whoever holds the embroidered ball is the one chosen. Both of them are outstanding, but these are your husband-selection rules—they can’t be broken. You can’t pick both boys, can you? That would be a story for the ages!” The Mermaid King laughed.
“Father, I really wanted to choose the first youth, but I can’t break the rules, so I’ll just have to settle for the other one. Hurry up and make it official, before something else goes wrong,” Claire said.
At that moment, Skylar Yule stared at Evan in shock: “Second Brother, what the hell is going on? Don’t tell me I’m the one she’s picking—I know that’s impossible. Is this your doing?”
“Big Brother, did you forget what you promised me? If the ball landed in your hand, you’d hold on tight and never let it go. Well, now it’s yours—what do you have to say for yourself?” Evan grinned.
“Second Brother, you’re killing me here! I haven’t even dealt with the tigress back home, and now there’s a Mermaid Princess too—I swear you’re going to be the death of me!” Skylar groaned.
He tried to toss the ball back to Evan, but with Luna inside, no matter how he threw, it wouldn’t leave his hand—the ball felt glued to his palm.
“Big Brother, the Mermaid Princess is a rare beauty—you should count yourself lucky. If it weren’t for my own problems, I’d never have given her up,” Evan laughed.
Just then, the Mermaid King’s voice rang out from the city wall: “My daughter’s husband-selection has its result. Will the youth with the embroidered ball please return it to her, so we can hold an extraordinary wedding for you both!”
Skylar Yule was at a loss, hesitating where he stood. Evan walked up and said, “Everyone’s watching you. Winning the Mermaid Princess has made you public enemy number one—if you don’t get her protection, you’re dead meat.”
Skylar glanced at the countless hateful eyes all around, a chill running down his spine. Bracing himself, he muttered, “Fine, I’ll risk it. Second Brother, I’ll deal with you later!”
Skylar Yule immediately took off, flying toward the city wall. All around, countless people stared at him with envy, jealousy, and hate—the youth holding the embroidered ball.
“This is just unfair! How could a human brat win the Mermaid Princess, the number-one beauty? It’s infuriating!” grumbled a merfolk youth.
“I’m ranked top ten among the merfolk’s younger generation, and even I lost to a human—how humiliating!” another merfolk youth complained.
“I’ll chop him to pieces later! My dream girl isn’t someone just anyone can touch!” shouted a young crabfolk, waving his massive pincers.
“Give it a rest. If you lay a finger on that kid, the Mermaid Princess will tear you to shreds. Try it and see.”
……
Once Skylar reached the city wall, the Mermaid King and his attendants approached, sizing him up. The King found Skylar impressive, sensing a faint air of royalty about him.
“You’re quite remarkable, young man. Winning the embroidered ball among so many proves you’re no ordinary person. The Mermaid Princess is waiting—hand her the ball and you’ll become her consort,” declared the Mermaid King.
Skylar nodded and walked over. The Mermaid Princess stood with her back to him, and from her figure alone, it was clear she had an incredible physique.
“Princess, here’s your embroidered ball. Please check it!” Skylar blurted out, not knowing what else to say.
The Mermaid Princess turned to face Skylar and said, “Hand me the embroidered ball. From this moment on, you’re my consort. You’d better treat Claire well!”
Skylar handed the ball to the Mermaid Princess, and as he did, a faint white light flickered inside—barely noticeable, but Claire saw it.
She noticed, but said nothing. Taking the ball from Skylar, she announced, “Today is our wedding day. Husband, come with Claire to the palace’s inner hall.”
Skylar’s mind was blank—this was all happening way too fast. He hadn’t even prepared himself, and now they were holding a wedding. He stared at the Mermaid Princess, dazed.
Though her veil was thin and transparent, her face was unforgettable—so beautiful it defied description, so stunning it made his heart race uncontrollably.
“Princess, I have friends—can I invite them to my wedding? This is all so sudden, I want to surprise them,” Skylar said.
The Mermaid Princess smiled. “Your friends are my friends too—of course they should come. Or would you like me to go with you?”
“No need for that, Princess. I wouldn’t dare trouble you—I’ll be right back!” Skylar replied quickly.
“Alright, hurry back—I’ll be waiting. And don’t even think about running off, or there’ll be consequences!” the Mermaid Princess teased.
Skylar nodded and flew down from the city wall, heading straight to Evan. “The Mermaid Princess wants me to marry her right now—what should I do?”
Evan grinned. “That’s great news! You’d better make the most of it—my Goldscale Coat depends on you!”
Skylar was speechless. “Let’s go—invite Selena and the others to the wedding that should have been yours!”