The Cute Mermaid's Sweet Love

In the botanical garden outside the banquet hall, 

The unknown seaweed shimmered with a soft green glow, swaying gently with the waves, enticing curious little fish to swim around it. 

Lu gathered the fluffy fabric of her gown and perched herself on a silver swing, furrowing her brow as she looked at the golden-eyed youth standing before her. "What do you want? Can't it wait until the banquet is over?" 

With so many eyes upon them, one might assume there was something clandestine between them. 

"This banquet will last until evening; can you endure sitting there?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow. 

"That's beside the point! How long has it even been since it started?" Lu retorted, indignant. "And how do you know I can't sit still? I've trained for this!" 

Besides, even if she couldn't sit still, there was no need for him to pull her away so early— 

She hadn't even had the chance to exchange a few words with the other sea and demon folk. 

Her mother had specifically instructed her to make a few good friends. 

A faint smile graced Sebastian's lips as he contemplated for a moment. "Well, if I don't take you away now, I might lose my chance to be your first dance partner, Princess Mermaid."

Lu's azure eyes widened slightly as she regarded him with skepticism. "Are you... serious?" 

Is that really the reason? 

"I don't necessarily have to dance," Lu replied, blinking. "Besides, I have my Third Brother to be my dance partner." 

Sebastian stepped closer, grasping one of the thick chains of the swing, leaning down to confine the little mermaid within the still structure of the swing. With his golden eyes narrowing, he gazed directly into Lu's deep blue orbs and said slowly, "So, does this mean that Your Highness is refusing to grant me the honor of the first dance?" 

"How heartless," he feigned a sigh. 

Lu's breath caught momentarily as she quickly turned her head, her dark blue hair concealing her flushed ears. She fixed her blue gaze on a nearby little fish, pausing before stammering, "I—I haven't said anything yet; you're the one who thinks that!" 

"Oh? Then what is Your Highness's stance?" Sebastian inquired with a smile in his eyes. 

Lu cast him a seemingly casual glance and muttered, "...Seeing as you have no dance partner and appear rather pitiful, I suppose I could indulge you with one dance." 

Sebastian observed the awkward expression on the little mermaid's face and finally laughed. "Very well." 

He straightened up and, before Lu could fully process his words, shifted the topic. "However, you seem entirely unconcerned about why I am here in the depths of the sea." 

He had expected that, given her naive nature, she might confront him directly from the very beginning, but instead, she had been quite compliant, sitting at her place, eating and daydreaming, lost in her own thoughts. It was he who had to initiate the conversation. 

Lu turned her head back, hesitating for a moment before responding quietly, "Of course, I'm curious." 

"Then, are you suggesting that I should explain myself? Surely, I cannot interrogate you in front of so many people." 

Moreover, she had initially thought it was merely a case of mistaken identity... 

Although the odds seemed rather slim. 

"Quite obedient," Sebastian remarked, reaching out to pat her head, his tone ambiguous, neither entirely complimentary nor exasperated. 

"Don't touch my head!" Lu exclaimed, instantly annoyed as she swatted his hand away, glaring at him. "Why can't you change this bad habit of yours?" 

"I'll try to improve next time," Sebastian replied, stepping behind the swing and giving it a gentle push. The movement was slight, yet it caused Lu to instinctively grip the swing's armrest, a glimmer of excitement shining in her blue eyes. 

Though Sebastian could not see her face directly, he knew she was pleased. As he pushed the swing steadily through the gentle underwater currents, he murmured, "If you had mentioned your fondness for swings sooner, we could have had one built in Yining Palace." 

Lu sat on the swing, her long gown swaying to reveal the deep blue of her fish tail, suddenly feeling quite content to have stepped outside the banquet hall with him. 

"That's not necessary." 

…Besides, she could also let the water currents propel the swing beneath the sea; she just hadn't done so. 

As a child, she had waited for her brothers and grandmother to come play with her, but now that she had grown, she felt too shy to ask. 

Occasionally, she would have Belle push her, but that was merely a pastime to alleviate her boredom. 

Ah, indeed, having a good friend to push the swing felt entirely different! 

"If all goes as expected, I should be grounded once I return. Not only will I be unable to visit the human world, but even if you remain in the sea, I won't be able to play with you," Lu said, gazing mournfully at the invisible barrier surrounding the botanical garden, where the other magical beings were reveling in merriment. 

She had initially hoped to perform well at the Sea Festival to atone for her earlier missteps. 

But now she had been pulled away again. 

If her mother discovered that she was associating with humans, she would undoubtedly be furious. 

At that point, her punishment would likely be even longer. 

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Grounded?" 

It seemed the little mermaid's upbringing was quite strict. 

"Yes." 

"…Do you still wish to visit the land?" he asked casually. 

"If I could go, of course I would!" Lu replied, her tail swaying more energetically. "I haven't experienced anything yet!" 

As she spoke, she suddenly turned her head, her blue eyes sparkling as she looked at the handsome young man whose hand rested on the swing. She stared at him for a moment before blinking expectantly. "Do you have a way?"

"Actually..." Before Sebastian could respond, Lu tilted her head in contemplation and exclaimed excitedly, "We could elope!" 

However, before eloping, she should write a letter to her mother and brothers, urging them not to be alarmed. 

She was merely seeking freedom!