The Princess and The Queen Want me as their personal Slave?
Chapter 40: Deep underwater {2}

Chapter 40: Deep underwater {2}

We made eye contact.

Her eyes lit up instantly, like someone had just switched on a light inside her. Her smile stretched so wide it nearly reached the roof, glowing with joy and energy. She looked like the type of person who never ran out of excitement—an energetic soul through and through.

Before I could even react, she suddenly grabbed my hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong. I sensed it instantly—she was at least a 6-Star. My eyes widened in surprise, but I didn’t resist as she pulled me along with her, dragging me toward a quieter area far away from the bustling crowd.

I didn’t pull away. I needed information—and right now, she seemed like the best lead I had.

She turned to me with a wide smile, her voice brimming with excitement. Her hands suddenly reached out and began squeezing my cheeks as if my face was a squishy toy.

"A real human!" she exclaimed, her tone filled with disbelief and intense curiosity.

She tilted her head and stared at me, clearly amused and fascinated. I could feel her gaze roaming across my features with admiration. She seemed completely captivated. Even the prince

in The other kingdom she saw she had seen before wasn’t, apparently, this handsome—or this cute.

Are humans really this attractive? she wondered, staring at my ocean-blue hair and obsidian-black eyes. She looked like she was trying to memorize every detail of my face.

Then her gaze lifted upward, and she froze.

Her mouth opened slightly, her finger slowly pointing toward the sky.

"T-That’s..." she stammered, her voice trembling.

I followed her line of sight—and spotted the Starfish. A glowing starfish was floating above me, hovering mid-air, almost like a divine symbol. Its gentle radiance shimmered like starlight reflecting off water.

i already wanted answers but the Staff just wouldn’t explain it

Finally, I asked, my voice tinged with curiosity, "What’s this?" I didn’t bother asking who she was. I was more interested in learning the origin of this mysterious floating symbol.

She blinked, stunned that I didn’t already know. But rather than questioning me, she just stared at me with an oddly tender expression, as if seeing something fragile or rare.

A faint blush crept up her beautiful face. Her lips parted, but no sound came out for a moment. Then, she finally spoke.

"Really... you don’t know?" she asked softly, almost in disbelief. She sighed gently and took a step closer, peering into my face as if to confirm I was real.

He looked so lost, she thought. A real human... and yet so unaware.

She couldn’t help herself. Something about me made her want to help.

"That starfish is bestowed by our God—The Sea God," she explained, her voice now a bit more reverent. "Only a few receive such a blessing. Those who do are never to be harmed. It means... they are chosen—favored by our God."

Her tone grew more serious.

"There are only a handful of Race who have it. And those who do... are not to be messed with."

The pieces clicked into place in my mind like a puzzle snapping together.

So They actually Praying too that Emotion?

a wave of disgust washing over me. Not only is this so-called god trying to destroy the Song kingdom... it’s also manipulating other races for its own agenda.

I sighed deeply, trying to compose myself. My emotions must have shown on my face.

"What’s wrong?" she asked, tilting her head with innocent concern.

I shook my head, then looked at her "I... I don’t have a home," I admitted. "I have nowhere to go, and I don’t understand how this world works. I need some guidance."

Her eyes sparkled with something between excitement and sympathy. She had always wanted to meet a human. Until now, she had only read about them in books. And here I was, standing right in front of her—confused, curious, and in need of help.

Without warning, she grabbed my head and pulled it down to her eye level with a delighted smile. Her whole body seemed to radiate joy. Even her tail was swaying back and forth like an excited puppy.

"Come on! I’ll show you around!" she beamed.

As we began She explains she is

walking side by side, she eagerly explained the basics of this world—especially the kingdoms and their currencies, as well as the different races. She described how not all mermaids were kind—some had darker intentions—but most were peaceful and just wanted to live harmoniously.

I nodded quietly, absorbing every word.

As if it was the most natural thing in the world, she slipped her hand into mine again. Her grip was warm and gentle, not forceful—just... comforting.

"Here," she said, holding out her other hand to show me three coins. "These are our currencies."

There was a bronze coin, a silver coin, and a golden coin. They looked familiar in shape and size, but I noticed one key difference—the symbols. Each coin had intricate designs of shells and aquatic symbols engraved into them.

"It’s similar to your human currency, right?" she asked cheerfully.

"Yeah..." I nodded slowly. "It’s almost the same, just... more beautiful."

That made her giggle, and she gave me a look so radiant it could rival the sun.

"Want a treat?" she offered playfully.

Her smile was dazzling—almost too bright. I was caught off guard, and before I could respond, I found myself smiling back reflexively.

She stared at me, blinking, clearly flustered by my expression. Her scales—light pink and pearlescent—turned a deeper shade of red.

I noticed the change and blinked in confusion

Her cheeks weren’t covered in full scales—just a few here and there, and honestly, they were beautiful. They shimmered slightly in the light like precious gems.

Her ears were unique too. I leaned closer, realizing they weren’t like others ears at all—they were shaped like small fins, covered in soft scales.

"I-is that bad?" she asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"No," I said, smiling gently. "They’re beautiful."

Her tail swished again, this time harder—splashing a bit of water around us.

She looked away shyly, muttering something under her breath.

I tilted my head innocently, my voice soft and soothing as I asked, "What’s wrong?"

She seemed caught off guard by my question, but quickly composed herself, brushing a lock of hair—or rather, a smooth, scale-like strand—behind her ear. She shook her head gently, offering a small smile.

"Nothing," she said quickly, then changed the subject. "How about we introduce ourselves properly?"

I nodded at her words.

"I’m Akashi," I said with a calm nod. My voice carried a hint of reserved curiosity.

She smiled and nodded back with a kind of composed grace. "I’m Fiona," she replied, her voice radiating with bubbly energy, like a spring tide crashing on sunlit rocks.

"Nice to meet you, Fiona," I said, mirroring her enthusiasm.

Suddenly, without warning, she dashed off—her tail flipping playfully behind her—as she ran toward a nearby food vendor. The stall was simple, made from coral and driftwood, but the smell coming from it was oddly mouthwatering.

She grabbed a handful of a strange-looking delicacy that was grilled over glowing sea-stone coals. It looked like some kind of skewered seafood, slightly charred, with herbs and colorful glazes.

She rushed back to me, holding one out with both hands.

"Try this!" she beamed. "It’s one of my favorites."

I looked at the grilled food she handed me. It was a skewer of what looked like grilled octopus, with crispy edges and a glossy surface. Honestly, I hadn’t eaten anything decent in over a week. My stomach was practically throwing a celebration just from the aroma alone.

"I haven’t eaten anything good in a week," I murmured with a weak smile, my fingers trembling slightly as I took the skewer.

I sighed and took a bite.

The first taste was... bitter. My eyebrows scrunched slightly. But then, like a crashing wave, a blend of spices, sweetness, saltiness, and something smoky followed. It was unlike anything I’d ever eaten—alien, but delicious in its own strange way.

A surprised smile tugged at my lips as I took another, larger bite, then another. I finished it before I even realized it.

"Thanks," I said, my voice muffled through a full mouth.

Fiona chuckled, her tail swishing happily behind her.

"You’re welcome," she grinned. "There’s more where that came from!"

Then, before I could reply, she gently took my hand and began walking again, guiding me through the glowing coral pathways that made up the city.

"You can stay in my room if you don’t have a place to sleep yet," she offered casually, as if offering a glass of water.

I paused slightly, surprised, then gave her a grateful nod. "Thank you. Really. That’s... rare. You’re kind."

She shrugged playfully. "It’s nothing. You looked like a lost little fish. I couldn’t just leave you flopping around."

I chuckled at her metaphor. Truthfully, sleeping on the floor of a cave these past Week had been horrible. My back still ached from the cold, uneven surface.

As we walked, I looked at her, curiosity blooming in my chest.

"So... how do i earn money here?" I asked. "I don’t want to rely on your kindness too much. Honestly, I’d feel a little guilty."

Fiona tilted her head, understanding my question right away.

"There are a few ways," she began. "The main one is by hunting sea monsters—dangerous, but profitable. The stronger the monster, the more Stars you’ll need to defeat it... and the more money you’ll earn."

"Stars?" I echoed.

She nodded. "It’s our ranking system. You’re around 3 Stars, right?"

"About that, yeah," I replied, a bit sheepish.

She continued, "Besides hunting, there’s labor work too—cleaning coral farms, helping with repairs, things like that. But the real money is in adventuring."

I nodded thoughtfully.

"There’s a guild," she added. "You can register there. They have a giant board filled with quests. Each one tells you what kind of creature you’re up against, the star level required, and the reward."

That made sense.

Still, it sounded a lot better than eating raw crab meat again.

I shuddered involuntarily at the memory of chewing through slimy, undercooked Crab flesh that I’d found scuttling near a reef. I’d almost thrown up then and swore never again.

"Well, then," she said with a mischievous grin, "I’ll make sure you taste all the best things in this kingdom. You’re going to fall in love with it"