13th Wave - A Shiny Necklace [1]

In the Palace of Corals, the walls shook with a sorrowful wail.

Merfolk and sea creatures alike swam faster to avoid all the complications and emotional turmoils they could get themselves stuck in.

That said, not all were safe from such complications.

“…Father, please. It’s been too long—rumors will begin to spread again.”

King Taon had been locked up in his chambers, crying while holding an old painting.

For two days.

Princess Kei had a strong inkling of how the king would react to the news. She simply hoped there would be no need to interfere this time.

She was wrong.

The mermaid sighed again, still patting King Taon’s back. Like soothing a troubled child.

“We are both aware how, sometimes, delays happen. It was the same thing last year, and the year before.”

“But this time, it got delayed for a week…” Taon’s voice reflected the tears in his eyes, and the pain in his heart.

Meanwhile, Princess Kei was reminding herself of all the reasons why she shouldn’t hit her own father.

“Father. Mother’s been away for barely two months.”

The merman finally turned to face his daughter with reddened eyes, his arms crushing his wife’s portrait even more in his chest.

“Do you realize how many days two months have?! And now, it will take her even longer to come back. I don’t think I will be able to take it, starfish!”

Gods below, give me strength…

Princess Kei closed her eyes, smiling.

“I see…that is quite unfortunate, Father. I guess we have no other choice, then.”

For a moment, confusion replaced the sadness in his eyes. “W-what do you mean…?”

“Before she left, Mother entrusted me with your well-being. If what you say is true, then I guess the only thing we can do is send a message to the Palace of Radiances and inform them the Queen of Corals must return at once, otherwise the king’s life will be at risk.”

Bit by bit, King Taon lost the color on his face as a new emotion took over his heart.

Dread.

“Co-come on now, starfish, there would be no need for that—”

“Mother will have to stop her research midway, of course, yet nothing compares to your well-being. Wouldn’t you agree, Father?”

Shivers ran down Taon’s spine, his scales shaking.

“Wa-wait just a mi-minute, starfish, we don’t need to bother your mother for something this small—”

“Of course, once Mother arrives, we will have to explain to her the full extent of your turmoils and why we needed her back with such urgency. Yet this is nothing you won’t be able to explain yourself, right, Father?”

After two days of being in a pitiful, sorrowful state, King Taon finally straightened himself with a brand new certainty shining in his gaze.

“What are a few more weeks in the name of love? Obviously, your mother’s work is far too important to bother her with such trivial matters.”

Princess Kei kissed her father on the forehead before patting his head.

“That’s right, I’m glad you see it that way. Now go back to your duties; you have seven new amendments to revise, and fifteen hearings to attend.”

After Kei left her father to his endeavors, she let out a sigh of relief. In the end, the whole incident with her mother’s research couldn’t have arrived at a better time. After all, not once had the king asked about Eirin’s whereabouts, or the twins’. And Kei hoped it would stay that way.

At least for a couple more days.

                                                                        𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼

Tomi Seina’s house had a great location. It was a walking distance from the port, with a back door facing the sea.

For Eirin, this meant she could pass the night right below the woman’s house and sneak back in the morning.

For Okihiro, it meant he could get to see Eirin before his morning shift began. Normally, he would help Tomi-san with breakfast, yet that day the old woman insisted on doing it herself, letting the two youngsters alone in the living room.

After playing with Okirin for almost ten minutes, the princess rested her back to the wall [unaware she was letting the furry beast lie on her lap], her eyes fixated on a very particular object.

The small pendant hanging from the man’s neck.

So far, the plan has been a success. The sailor trusts me more, and he is even trying to learn our language to communicate.

By tomorrow, the shiny trinket should be mine.

Yet before that, Eirin had a very important task.

‘What you think?’

Eirin took a deep breath, her heart ceasing its beating for a few seconds. That task was, indeed, very important. Something that could risk the pride of the Palace of Corals, alongside her own.

The human wrote the question right above his drawing, revealing his new creation.

「What is this?」

When he signed back, the princess almost fainted.

「A bird.」

And it was atrocious.

She never imagined someone could be so terrible with the illustrative arts, and sadly, she stood corrected. And trying to improve the sailor’s skill was proving to be quite an arduous thing.

Princess Eirin took the notebook from his hands, still getting used to the feeling of drawing something without using ink. After a few moments, though it was a far cry from how she usually drew, it was still infinitely better than Okihiro’s poor attempt.

The man watched her drawing with awe, and at some point he stopped paying attention to her hands and started gazing at her face. Her eyes. Seeing how her lips would curl in an amused smile and how her eyes would sparkle with excitement as she progressed.

And as Kojin Okihiro paid attention to his heartbeat, to the emotions that warmed and propelled its rapid beating, he knew he was getting closer and closer to answering Tomi-san's question. Yet deep down, he was scared.

Scared of fully acknowledging his feelings and changing things. Making the princess go back and never see him again.

When Eirin finally showed the finished drawing, all he could do was smile. A smile to hide the fear that kept creeping into his heart, trying to get its hold on him.

「Can I keep it?」

Princess Eirin could hardly understand why the sailor would wish to keep such a low-quality product, yet she gave it to him without complaints. She noticed how his gaze had a quiet glow, one that carried things she could not exactly point out, yet knew were distressing to the sailor.

So, though not fully aware of all the reasons, she decided to ask him that question, at that particular moment, as the princess pointed at the object.

“What is this?”

Okihiro followed her finger, finding himself looking down at his pendant.

Oh…

He thought about it for a while, trying to recall if they ever created a sign for it. In the end, he asked Tomi-san for help. The woman thought for a bit and, instead of telling Eirin directly, was kind enough to write it down in Okihiro’s notebook, so that he would be able to memorize it later on.

Once he showed it to the princess, her eyes widened for a brief second.

So the trinket is…a sort of metallic cord. That’s why it shines so brightly.

Kojin Okihiro saw how Eirin’s eyes were fixated on the pendant, almost eager, prompting him to sign the question.

「Do you want to see it?」

Princess Eirin’s heart skipped more than a few beats before it stopped completely, the weight of his question making her freeze in place. It was only when he frowned, wondering if he had been mistaken, that Eirin took a deep breath and nodded.

He only asked me if I want to see it. He is not giving it to me. Not yet.

The princess did not realize her own reluctance, her own fear and nervousness, as the pendant fell into her hands. As the prospect of an “end” suddenly landed on her palms, as the promised time they had suddenly seemed shorter. Instead, she interpreted all of it as a very intense anticipation.

…this is it. This is the thing that will become my greatest treasure yet.

The pendant itself was by no means remarkable or distinct. To everyone who stole a glance, it would show itself as a bland necklace with no decorations or engravings whatsoever, something that would not even fetch a good price in the most unknown pawnshop.

As she turned the thing around, Eirin noticed a small fissure. Yet when she finally forced the locket open, her hands froze.

As she turned the pendant around, the question in her eyes was more than clear. So much so, Okihiro didn’t even need to read her lips as she spoke.

“Who is this?”

Inside the pendant, there was a photograph. A portrait of a young woman. Her features were kind and warm, her smile bright and full.

It was at that moment.

The moment Princess Eirin saw his expression change. The moment she realized she really didn’t know anything about him. The moment she felt a pain so sharp in her heart, she lost her breath.

「A person important to me.」

The moment she realized some questions could be left out without an answer.