Mother

"Mei, you have to remember what mother says: don't trust humans. Mommy has seen it in the future. A human man who can breathe underwater, that man is dangerous! He will have the power to destroy cities and threaten the seas. That man will kill you!" A beautiful mermaid with fiery red hair and silver-gray eyes said to the child on her lap. Her voice was full of worry and fear for the little creature cradled tenderly in her arms.

"Mommy, Mei doesn't understand... Is there someone that powerful in the world? Do I have to die by his hands? Will it hurt? When will I die?"

"Don't worry little Mei, mommy will find a way to save you!"

"Will you really save me, mommy?"

"Mommy will definitely save you. That is why you have to promise me never to trust humans."

"Mei promises."

♔ ♔ ♔

Lin Mei felt a hand caressing her cheek and slowly opened her eyes, her consciousness slowly floating back to the real world. Finally regaining her senses, her gaze fell on the face of the person who was gently touching her.

It was Zhen Feng, the ice demon who had so domineeringly kissed her a few days ago and passed out afterwards. Lin Mei had worried over his health for two straight days and nights but had not seen a trace of the prince up to this moment.

She had asked Hu Cheng about Zhen Feng's health but the man had left her even more confused, telling her something about the prince having excessive inner heat or something along those lines. She had come to the library every day and stayed until late in the evening, hoping that Zhen Feng would make an appearance and finally ease her mind, yet there had been no sign of the man.

She hadn't been able to meet him for those two long days but now he had shown up at long last.

Zhen Feng was sitting leisurely next to her with a mysterious look, still wearing his white night robes adorned with golden patterns embroidered over the neckline and sleeves. His eyes were fixed on Lin Mei who quickly sat straight, freeing herself from his touch.

"Zhen Feng, are you alright? What happened? No one would tell me anything about how you were doing. Were you very ill?" Mei interrogated unrestrainedly, asking all the questions she had been denied answers to for the last few days.

"What did you call me?" The prince asked threateningly, a very slight smile on his face betraying his tone of voice.

"I... Your Highness, my apologies. I was too preoccupied and forgot my manners." Mei replied nervously, hoping he would not remember to punish her for breaking some rule. Humans were insane creatures, she didn't know whether she was stepping over the line just by calling him by his name.

Zhen Feng utterly enjoyed seeing her so bashful and cowardly. So much so that he almost laughed at her silly state.

"You are allowed to call me by my name in private from now on." The prince said with a pleased expression. "I was having a fever, but I am fine now." He continued.

Her anxiety was finally appeased when she heard him explain that it had just been a fever.

A few seconds after taking everything in, Lin Mei gave a sound sigh of relief realizing her back would also remain uninjured for another day.

"Good… Good." She said with a smile of satisfaction.

A few moments passed before she voiced a question she had been keeping in the back of her mind:

"Did you kiss me because you were delusional from the high fever? Mermaids and humans shouldn't engage in romantic affairs." She spoke bluntly. "Or entanglements of any sort..." she added, afraid that romantic would be too inaccurate of a word to describe their feelings for each other.

Zhen Feng raised an eyebrow at her words but remained calm and composed. He was now used to her straightforward approach. However, he decided to evade the question altogether.

A moment of silence followed and Lin Mei understood that she would not be getting the answer she had been waiting for.

She could tell that Zhen Feng wasn't willing to comment on the topic and thus, she decided to drop it. She would remember it as a one-time moment of passion from an otherwise indifferent man. She wouldn't attach any feelings of affection to the kiss or else it would be harder for her to leave.

"All the scrolls in this library were my mother's. She spent years collecting tales from all over the world and kept them here." The prince said casually, interrupting the awkward quiet that had prevailed in the room following the mermaid's forthright question.

It was the first time that Zhen Feng was telling her about himself and also the first time she was hearing of his mother. Staring at the man, Lin Mei thought that, despite his efforts to conceal it, Zhen Feng looked melancholic and mournful, like an actual human creature with feelings. Lin Mei wondered if behind the demon-like exterior stood a real person with flaws, grievances and emotions.

"Your mother... She didn't reside in the palace with your father?"

"Mother disliked the constrained life in the palace so Imperial father ordered this mansion to be built and permitted her to live here. She begged Imperial father to allow me to be raised here so that I would accompany her. Imperial father partially conceded, allowing me to stay for a few months every year. After reaching adulthood I decided to move here." The prince said, his voice as still as the surface of an undisturbed lake.

"Your father must have liked your mother very much. Am I wrong? I have heard that human men rarely ever let their wives make their own choices. Whether it is about their lives or their children's lives, it is usually the husband that decides everything."

"I wouldn't know." He answered. "Imperials and noblemen typically have several wives. They can't dote on one of them alone. My mother loved my father too much. She waited for him for years and years in this house." He paused. After a while, the prince continued "It was actually Imperial father who enjoyed tales. Mother once told me that she was retrieving all of these tales for him. That he would come one day and she would read them to the both of us." Zhen Feng stayed silent for some time to stare at the dozens of storybooks his mother had collected over the years.

"She suffered her whole life. However, Imperial father never showed up, not even when she was on her deathbed. On her last few days, she confessed that she was no longer waiting for him as well." He continued, this time traces of sorrow were distinguishable in his calm voice and he shifted his eyes back to Lin Mei.

"It is cruel to have so many wives. We merfolk usually only stay with our one soulmate for the rest of our lives, regardless of gender. Either that or we remain alone." Mei uttered in a soft voice. Her mood also turned downcast, as if the pain that could be heard in the crown prince's voice had infected her as well.

The life of Zhen Feng's mother had been tragic, and her death lonely. Lin Mei felt pity for the prince and his mother, and also for herself. Mei knew that, much like Zen Feng's mother's, her own life would be one of solitude if her soul's partner truly was the human crown prince.

Zhen Feng stayed silent for a while, his head and heart were uneasy as he pondered on something.

"You should restore this library, I believe it would have made your mother happy… If you wish, I could also send you a few tales from the sea to enrich your mother's collection." Lin Mei offered in an attempt to lighten his mood.

"Where would you be sending them from, since you are living here?" Zhen Feng asked, slowly but dangerously approaching her.

"Eventually you will have to let me leave, I suppose… I have a family awaiting my return." Lin Mei argued.

"You are not leaving." He declared calmly but resolutely in response. "You can write to your family, I will allow it."

"Zhen Feng, you can't keep me here forever. I may stay here for a while but one day I will leave." Lin Mei responded in a decisive tone.

"How will you leave if I won't allow it?" Zhen Feng asked menacingly as he circled her waist with his arms, his face only a few cun1 away from hers.

"Y-You… Zhen Feng!" Lin Mei shouted, flustered. Zhen Feng was embracing her from behind, his lips close to her left ear as he smiled cunningly.

"I won't allow you to leave."

1. Cun - A traditional Chinese length measurement unit equivalent to about 33 mm or 1.3 in