I lingered at the entrance of my chamber long after the doors closed behind me.
The palace corridors outside still glowed softly, distant laughter and conversation drifting through the water like echoes carried by gentle currents. It surprised me how alive everything felt here. Nothing about Oceania was silent or cold the way I had imagined an underwater kingdom would be.
It breathed and it listened.
And somehow… it felt aware of me.I drifted toward the wide shell window,resting my palm against the smooth surface. Beyond it stretched endless dark blue water illuminated by floating lights and slow-moving sea creatures. Massive shadows passed in the distance,creatures too large for me to fully comprehend yet none came close to the palace itself.
It was as if the entire ocean respected invisible boundaries Or feared them.
My thoughts betrayed me again,it immediately drifted to Him.
Even thinking his name made my pulse quicken.I didn't understand why my mind kept returning to him. He had barely spoken to me, yet his presence lingered everywhere;in the guards' discipline, in the servants' careful movements, in the way the entire palace seemed to exist around his unseen authority.And yet today… everyone had been kind to me.
Not because I was human but because he allowed it.The realization settled slowly inside my chest.
If the Emperor had wished otherwise, I would not have been welcomed.I would not even be alive.A faint ripple moved through the water behind me.
I turned instinctively and saw Nothing.Still… the sensation of being watched wrapped around me again, gentle but unmistakable.It wasn't frightening anymore but Just… constant.
I sighed softly. "You really like watching people, don't you?" I murmured under my breath, unsure whether I was speaking to myself… or to him.
The water shifted almost imperceptibly.
Goosebumps rose along my arms.I shook my head quickly and moved away from the window, embarrassed by my own imagination. Exhaustion finally caught up with me, and I settled into the resting shell prepared for sleep.
Warm currents wrapped around my body instantly, soothing muscles I hadn't realized were tense.
My eyes slowly closed.For the first time since arriving in this strange world, sleep came easily.
High above the residential chambers, hidden within a balcony carved from ancient coral, Azarus stood motionless.
His silver eyes remained fixed on the human girl's chamber.He had not intended to return.
After leaving her earlier, he had attempted to resume his duties,court matters, territorial disputes, noble complaints but his concentration fractured repeatedly.
Reports blurred,voices faded…His awareness kept drifting back to one place…which is her.
He watched as palace servants greeted her with warmth. Guards adjusted currents to ease her movement. Even kitchen staff,normally indifferent to outsiders…welcomed her laughter.None of this had been commanded.His people were choosing her on their own.
That unsettled him more than any prophecy could.Azarus extended his senses carefully, allowing his consciousness to merge with surrounding currents. The ocean whispered familiar truths to him,movements of tides, distant migrations, hidden disturbances across his vast domain.
But whenever those whispers touched Marimar…they softened and Blurred.As if the sea itself refused to reveal her completely.
His jaw tightened slightly.The ocean had never denied him knowledge before not once in centuries.Yet this fragile human existed beyond even his understanding.
He should have removed her immediately.
Eliminated uncertainty before it threatened stability.That was the logical choice.Instead… he watched her sleep.
The steady rhythm of her breathing disturbed him in ways he refused to name.She looked peaceful, unaware of the danger her existence represented.Unaware of the attention she was beginning to draw.
Already, nobles questioned his decision.Already, rumors moved through political currents like approaching storms.
Azarus's gaze darkened.If they perceived her as a weakness…they would attempt to remove her themselves.And that;he would not allow it.Not until he understood why the ocean guarded her so fiercely.
I woke sometime later, unsure how much time had passed.The palace outside had grown quieter, the glowing corals dimmer, signaling night beneath the sea. A calm stillness filled the water, broken only by distant whale songs vibrating faintly through the walls.It was hauntingly beautiful.I drifted toward the window again, drawn by the sound.
As I approached, small glowing creatures gathered near the glass. Tiny jellyfish pulsed gently, their lights reflecting across my hands.
I laughed softly. "Are you visiting me?"
One floated closer, brushing against my fingers.Warmth spread through my skin instantly.
More creatures appeared;Fish,Small rays.Even delicate sea spirits shaped like drifting ribbons of light.They surrounded my chamber quietly, hovering as if curious.
My heart swelled with wonder. "You're not afraid of me…"
I pressed my palm to the glass,mesmerized.Outside, currents began circling slowly, forming a gentle spiral around the chamber.I didn't notice how unusual it was.I didn't notice how the ocean itself gathered closer.But far above, Azarus felt it immediately.
Every instinct sharpened.Creatures from multiple regions abandoning natural paths…currents responding without command…ancient water patterns shifting toward a single point.Toward her.
His eyes narrowed immediately,this was no coincidence.The ocean was reacting emotionally and Protectively.As if recognizing one of its own.Yet she was human.Which is Impossible.
Azarus moved forward slightly, the water parting around him in silent obedience.
For the first time since her arrival, something unfamiliar stirred within him.
He wasn't curious nor suspicious…rather it was something deeper…Something dangerously close to attachment.
He remained in the shadows, watching the girl smile at creatures that normally avoided palace boundaries.Watching the ocean choose her again.And though he still did not know what she was…
He understood one thing with absolute certainty.Marimar was no longer merely a guest.
She had become something the ocean itself refused to ignore.And anything claimed by the sea…would soon change the fate of Oceania forever.
It irks him...