"Marco! King Neptune!", Vista shouted at the top of his lungs as he rushed into the royal palace.
Seeing Marco and Neptune inside, he hurriedly pulled out a stack of photos and eagerly handed them over, "Take a look! They actually took real photos! How could Queen Otohime be like this? Although that Celestial Dragon does look pretty good, she shouldn't be this smitten, right?"
Hearing this, Neptune's face darkened even more.
He reached out and grabbed the photos from Vista's hands.
Vista hadn't expected Neptune to suddenly make a move and instinctively tightened his grip.
Smack!
As they struggled, the photos scattered like snowflakes throughout the palace, falling all over the floor.
In the end, Neptune only held a few in his hand.
Marco took the chance to catch a few in mid-air and brought them close to look.
Such juicy gossip, he was very eager to get a good look.
Men of the sea, after all, getting cheated on now and then was normal. He and Vista had both been in the same boat before.
But for a king like Neptune to be cheated on, it was rare. And the other party was a Celestial Dragon, and a rather famous one lately at that.
Neptune ignored the others and focused on the photos in his hand.
But just one glance at the photo, and he froze completely.
In the photo, it was the day Rosse and Otohime first met, taken from a long-range hidden angle.
From the angle, Rosse and Otohime were by the temporary pool, one sitting, the other lying down, chatting happily, looking rather in sync.
Neptune's face turned pitch black. He had known Otohime for years, he knew exactly what her most relaxed state looked like.
He knew Otohime had never shown this kind of relaxed demeanor even when she was with him.
Only when she was alone would she occasionally show such ease.
Neptune's heart filled with sorrow.
No matter how unwilling he was to accept it, the photos didn't lie. Otohime's betrayal had already become reality.
With a heart full of grief and indignation, Neptune kept looking.
The next photo was of Otohime heading to the ship.
Because Otohime's physical condition was poor, Rosse was carrying her in his arms, stepping through the air toward the ship.
This photo was taken from below, so her expression couldn't be seen.
But watching Otohime being carried so obediently, letting Rosse do as he pleased, Neptune thought, if he could see her face, it would surely be a shy expression.
Thinking that, Neptune felt even more heartbroken.
No matter the race or the world, nothing hurt more than betrayal by one's partner.
"Tsk... he's really playing with style...", Marco suddenly commented, eyes widening.
The great hall was unusually quiet at that moment, and with Neptune's strong presence, Marco's voice was like a booming bell, almost making Neptune cough up blood.
He abruptly reached out, snatched the photos from Marco's hand, and, eyes bloodshot, looked through them.
He had to see just how far Otohime had gone.
"Guh!"
Neptune suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, the photo flying from his hand, and his massive body collapsed to the ground, he fainted without resistance.
"Seriously...? That's not even that bad. Honestly, kind of tame," Marco curled his lips and caught the photo midair.
A nearby guard took a quick glance and instantly gasped.
In the photo, Otohime wore a revealing outfit, pouting, holding a grape in her hand, feeding it to Rosse, who was reclining on a lounge chair.
Such a scene, how could the guards have ever seen it before?
In the past, Otohime was always noble and dignified.
She had never even fed Neptune publicly, and they hadn't even held hands in front of others.
Not only Neptune couldn't take it, the guards couldn't either.
The queen they revered had really eloped with someone.
"Why haven't you gone to call someone yet!", Marco glared at the guard, though he didn't really mind the guard's reaction.
After all, the news had already spread, what difference would a few more repetitions make?
Men of the sea, after all, it was just a little rough weather.
"Y-Yes!"
The guard looked like he'd been granted a pardon, gratefully glanced at Marco, and hurriedly ran off.
If Neptune were still conscious, he'd definitely have been killed.
But now, with the chance to report the matter, how could he hesitate?
If he wasn't the only one who knew, then it'd be fine.
Not long after, the guard spread the word about Neptune's collapse, drawing a large crowd of mermaids into the palace.
And the moment they entered, they were greeted by photos all over the floor.
Even a few glances were enough to leave them all stunned.
Some rushed to treat Neptune; others quietly backed away, letting the news continue spreading through Fish-Man Island.
———
[On the Ship]
"Even. You lost again."
Rosse smiled as he slowly opened his palm, only two fruits inside.
"Ah, I clearly saw you take one," Otohime looked frustrated, but only pouted cutely, then took a peeled lychee from a nearby fruit plate, walked to Rosse's side, and placed it into his mouth.
Rosse reclined in the chair, enjoying Otohime's feeding, his face full of contentment.
At first, they hadn't played this far, and it wasn't just Rosse and Otohime playing either.
But even then, Otohime had still resisted.
Only one sentence from Rosse completely broke through her resistance.
"Aren't you striving for coexistence between humans and merfolk? If you're unwilling to blend with us, to understand us, how can you expect other merfolk to integrate with humans?"
That one sentence made Otohime join their games without hesitation.
Starting from drinking juice, to swapping drinks with Sora, and then feeding Stella.
Step by step, Otohime became more and more comfortable, and more open.
In the end, when she lost to Rosse in a muddled round, she naturally fed him.
At the time, Otohime still felt a bit embarrassed.
But upholding the spirit of merfolk coexistence, she reasoned with herself and simply let go.
Once something happens once, it'll happen a hundred more times.
Rosse had lost a few rounds too, he had fed Otohime several times himself. All of these were photographed and sent to Fish-Man Island.
However, Otohime didn't know about this yet.
It was Rosse's little surprise for her, he'd make sure each shock was bigger than the last.
"Sabaody Archipelago is ahead."
Moa walked over and reported to Rosse. Her gaze toward Otohime carried a trace of disappointed frustration.
These days, she had watched Otohime be toyed with in the palm of Rosse's hand.
She had even become one of the accomplices.
On the contrary, Otohime herself didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying it a bit.
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