A Mermaid's Vow
Vivienne's eyes fluttered open to a space she had never seen before, unfamiliar and strange. Startled, she froze rigid, blinking slowly.
Just moments ago, she had been praying alone in the room. What was this?
Dazed, she rolled her eyes in all directions to take stock of the situation.
The sea cave was lush with seaweed, its depths plunged into gloom that allowed no sunlight. It was eerie, almost unnervingly so.
Was this a place even deeper than the mermaid kingdom? The water felt bitterly cold, carrying a chill that seeped through her skin.
She had always sung of wanting to leave the mermaid palace, yet the fresh sensation against her skin was more terrifying than wondrous.
“Hello, Princess.”
She had not sensed any approach.
Vivienne jerked back, shoulders trembling as the woman stepped before her in an instant.
Whether or not she had moved, the woman circled Vivienne slowly, scanning her from top to bottom.
“From what I see, our princess possesses a tail more beautiful and tempting than any other. Would you like me to trade it for legs?”
“W-Who are you?”
Her face had paled to the color of a ghost. The woman chuckled lightly.
“Me? Your savior.”
Unexpectedly called a savior?
She had met this woman while praying, but her manner suggested distance from any true rescue. Purple-haired with crimson eyes and heavy makeup, she was beautiful yet unsettling. She bore the appearance of an otherworldly creature that radiated danger.
Honestly, she terrified Vivienne. Her fins quivered as if begging to hide, yet one wrong move might mean being devoured whole.
To steady herself, Vivienne took a shallow breath and carefully recalled what had happened before she came here.
She had prayed to be happy, and a mysterious voice had answered. Then she had opened her eyes here.
“I’ve come to grant a reward to a good princess who prays.”
The woman before her spoke in the exact voice Vivienne had heard moments earlier.
Magic, perhaps?
In any case, this was no ordinary situation. When Vivienne refused to lower her guard, the woman laughed mockingly.
She shook a potion bottle in front of Vivienne. The green liquid inside looked grotesque.
“No need for legs?”
Yet the word “legs” sent a thrill through Vivienne, widening her pupils.
“Drink this and legs will grow. Aren’t you curious?”
“...I need them!”
Vivienne reached for the bottle with a trance-like expression. The woman snatched it away swiftly.
“I’ll give it to you.”
The woman raised one eyebrow as if offering a favor.
“Of course, it won’t be free. We must trade.”
“Is a price required?”
“Correct.”
This woman was a witch.
Vivienne sensed her identity from the woman’s attitude.
She had read in books about the sea witch who lived in a black cave deep beneath the sea and fulfilled wishes with the souls of mermaids as collateral.
Why had her fervent prayer reached such a sinister being? Had she asked for something too ambitious, something the gods would never grant?
Perhaps the divine grace she sought could only come from forbidden sorcery.
No matter how she had become entangled, the important point was that she was attempting a transaction.
“Before that, I have a question. Do you truly believe that if only legs appear, a human prince will love me?”
The witch propped her chin on her hand and asked with a thoughtful gaze. The question carried clear mockery.
Yes, she admitted it.
She knew better than anyone how absurd her wish was.
“No. I can’t promise that.”
Vivienne answered sharply and met the woman’s eyes directly.
“What I desire is an opportunity. With legs, I could approach first.”
“How amusing.”
She had said she was imprisoned, yet here was a princess who knew nothing of the world. She was not entirely lost in delusion.
“Fine. The potion is yours. In exchange, I want one of your mermaid tears.”
“A mermaid tear?”
“Yes. Give me one of the mermaid tears you possess.”
The mermaid tears were crystalline fragments of soul, two in total, one in each eye. The witch proposed trading one of them.
“Your eyes are beautiful, Princess.”
The woman stroked Vivienne’s left eye corner with a long finger, her greedy touch sending chills up Vivienne’s spine as though she were eyeing a tempting fruit.
“This potion only gives temporary legs. It is incomplete. The rest is yours to keep.”
Incomplete?
Contracts had conditions. Vivienne held her breath and pricked up her ears.
“The full moon appears every month. Nine moons from now, the ninth full moon will rise. When the red moon appears, if you are carrying the child of that male, you will become human through this power.”
Carrying his child? Did that mean she must mate with that male?
Of course she wanted that male. She yearned to be held. Even though she might simply be in heat, if she conceived his child, happiness would know no bounds.
But she could not be forced. Just as she herself disliked forced marriage, she could not be compelled by the human to engage in such acts.
Even if conception succeeded, it might not happen in one attempt. Thus, she had to consider the possibility of failure.
“What happens if I fail?”
“Simple. The remaining tear becomes mine. With your soul completely taken, you will dissolve into sea foam.”
A contract secured by the soul. From the start, it was a high-risk agreement.
She had not expected such peril, yet the thought of vanishing into sea foam like something that had never existed made her shudder.
“......”
Dark fear began to overwhelm her. It felt as if all blood was draining from her face.
“Want to see what I’ve collected?”
While she hesitated in a daze, the witch proudly displayed her collection. Inside the jewel box were countless mermaid tears of every color.
Because they contained mermaid souls, each one gleamed in its own hue and brilliance, like priceless gems.
“Aren’t they beautiful?”
So many mermaids had come seeking wishes. Many pairs were displayed side by side. Their owners had likely become sea foam. The thought sent an even deeper chill through her.
“Well, what will you decide?”
Perhaps one day she would regret this reckless choice.
Vivienne knew the world held many things that would not go her way.
Conversely, if she refused this opportunity now, could she truly live without regret?
In the end, the decision was simpler than she thought.
“I’ll do it. The trade.”
Even if happiness was impossible.
Before trying, she had no desire to flee.
“Give me the legs.”
The ship was in chaos. After the pirate eradication operation ended, sailors carried off the spoils on deck.
Kian von Larson, commander of the operation, stared at the creature tied to a rope, trembling.
His face was deathly pale, his eyes filled with terror, yet below the waist he possessed a perfect fish tail.
Strangely, it was neither human nor fish.
“It’s a mermaid, Captain. What should we do with it?”
Without emotion, Kian ordered, “Kill it.”
The season had reached early summer, but the night air remained cool. The southern Erich coast was relatively mild, yet after sunset the boundary between seasons blurred.
Ships that had completed the operation anchored along the coast.
Thud, thud. The irregular rhythm of military boots on the sand gradually faded. As meal time approached, the area grew somewhat chaotic.
After landing, the breakdown of unit discipline was common, but today something unusual had drawn them. They clustered together, murmuring.
“Find out what happened.”
“Yes, Captain.”
At Kian’s command, the adjutant moved swiftly.
Though the training had been grueling, he had no intention of scolding every detail. Yet fatigue had accumulated from night drills, just like everyone else.
That might explain why the minor disturbance after all duties ended was not entirely welcome.
“There’s a woman collapsed on the beach, Captain.”
He asked no further questions and immediately headed there. Between the surrounding sailors, a woman lay collapsed.
What had occurred? She wore nothing but scraps, curled into a tight ball. Her long hair clung to her body, yet failed to cover her snow-white skin.
A naked woman among the dark-skinned men. The sight of her defenseless form made Kian’s perfectly groomed brow crease.
“Come to watch the show?”
The sharp voice of his superior startled the soldiers, who scattered like waves.
Kian’s cape fell heavily, draping over the woman.
“I recall no order to raise the flag of truce yet.”
His eyes sharpened. The soldiers’ gazes dropped to their feet at once.
“Return to formation before discipline is imposed.”
Kian wrapped the woman in his cape and lifted her into his arms. Her weight was surprisingly light, so his eyes naturally turned to her face.
Perhaps washed ashore by the waves. The moment she entered his embrace, a strong sea scent filled the air. Inside his arms she burned like a living ember. Looking down, he saw her trembling with shallow breaths, color flushing across her pale skin.
Her lashes fluttered. Struggling to open heavy eyelids, those eyes like waves opened, blue as the sea.
Lips moving as if murmuring something. Her voice failed to carry clearly. Lost in fever, she mumbled nonsense and kept nuzzling closer as if seeking warmth. The human touch seemed to comfort her; she burrowed deeper into his embrace.
She couldn’t even open her eyes properly, yet she acted without fear.
A dry laugh escaped him.
“Captain, this way.”
“No need.”
When the adjutant reached to take her, Kian cut him off sharply.
“Call Matilda.”