8 An enchanting scent

Once the carriage stopped, Zhen Feng opened its door and jumped down. His two most loyal subjects Hu Cheng, a scholar who had been appointed to teach him since he was very young, and Wu Jian, the young general guarding part of the southwest border, were already standing at the gate of his estate awaiting him. When he approached, the olive-skinned man couldn't resist but ask:

"Your highness, is the lady still alive?"

"Wu Jian!" Hu Cheng exclaimed, astonished by his friend's audacity.

Zhen Feng turned around to look behind him. Not finding his target, he demanded threateningly:

"You come out, don't force this prince to go there and drag you here."

Almost immediately, a beautiful woman with sparkling grayish-green eyes, long and dark brown hair with two locks of lighter-brown strings framing her face appeared at the entrance of the carriage. Although her clothes were dirty with dried mud and her hair was still damp, the female looked slim and delicate like she would break if she jumped down. Furthermore, she had a small cut on her neck.

Mesmerized by her beauty, Wu Jian decided he couldn't let such a fragile ornament break, thus he quickly walked all the way to the carriage and extended his hand, offering his support so that the maiden could come down safely.

Mei looked at his hand and sighed disapprovingly "Does he think I will hurt myself if I jump? These humans are really foolish. They are so easily swayed by beauty but then put the blame on us mermaids for taking advantage of it..." She was planning on getting off herself when a strong hand grabbed her by the waist and pulled her downward into a man's embrace.

He smelled good, a fragrance she couldn't describe in words. Was it perhaps because he was human? She had never smelled anything like it before but the scent was strangely comforting and pleasant, nothing like what she would have imagined a human to smell like.

Zhen Feng had his hand around the mermaid's waistline and she was so close to his body that he could feel her warmth. As he inhaled her scent, he once again felt as if she had been his a lifetime ago and was finally in his arms again. His heart started beating faster and he wished to hold her tighter. The scent of the marine breeze filled his nostrils as he inhaled one more time and started questioning his own sanity.

Humans didn't have soulmates so why was he feeling this way? He had never met this woman. Was it just because she was a mermaid? He had come across many of her species throughout the years but had never felt enticed by them. Why was this creature eliciting such a strong visceral reaction from him?

Zhen Feng's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by an alarmed Wu Jian:

"She's a mermaid!" He yelled in shock. After being violently pushed to the side by his master, he had caught a glimpse of something pearlescent slightly below the beautiful woman's neck. He looked at the prince and at his friend and instantly understood that he wasn't revealing some new information. Prince Zhen Feng was bringing a mermaid woman into his home of his own will.

Zhen Feng was startled to his senses and let go of the female in his embrace. He strode towards the gates where two guards who rapidly opened the tall wooden doors were stationed. The prince walked in before anyone else without looking back.

Lin Mei followed his footsteps and arrived at the estate. She took little notice of the two men who were left behind. Inside, a few maids and servants greeted their master dutifully as they bowed their heads:

"Your Highness, your servants greet you."

"Huang mama, prepare one of the buildings in Cloudy Courtyard1 for this person to live in. She will be staying for some time." Their young master ordered.

The old maid nodded, gave a small bow, and happily obliged.

Mei was very grateful that she wouldn't spend the next few days in a prison cell. This way, her first focus would be on how she could take the bracelet off. Maybe she could figure out more clues inside Fen Zhen's estate, or perhaps she could even convince him to take it off himself. If she found it too hard, she would try to make her escape regardless.

She didn't have to panic since the Ocean's Pearl would remain inside her body and her cover was a really good one. The real Ni Ni had actually been missing for a few years. The people in the palace speculated that she had eloped with her soulmate because her father was against her marrying him until he became at the very least a public servant. And although Lin Mei may be one of the few mermaids who can manipulate blood, her deceased mother had insisted that she kept her peculiar power a secret from the public so not many outside her family knew about her ability.

Mei was a few years older than Ni Ni, but mermaids aged quite slowly after reaching 20 years of age. So if Zhen Feng were to ask about a mermaid named Ni Ni, he would find out that the person he had encountered in the Forest of Memories could very well be her.

Lin Mei was actually quite pleased knowing she would be staying in Zhen Feng's residence. After all, it was not every day that a mermaid could enter a human crown prince's home.

1. Pictures to use as a reference for courtyards:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/410953534729832083/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/311592867972269265/

*these pictures serve only to help the readers visualize the world of the novel. The story is set in an entirely fictional world.