Chapter 18.
Only after that, did I finally let go of her waist and began wiping my tears with the back of my hand, making sure to maintain the persona by letting out a few, shaky sniffs.
Hopefully she wouldn't be able to see through my plot, I hoped, because there wasn't a point in my escape plan leaving if I myself ended up dying in the end.
I kept my head down, trying to look as small and pathetic as possible. The area around us was eerily quite.
"Mistress... are you really going to leave me alone like this?" I asked, my voice cracking perfectly.
"I thought you said I could stand by your side. Are you already going back on your words and discarding me like trash?"
I sniffled once more for dramatic effect, but beneath the act, I was practically vibrating with hope.
'Please say yes... please just tell me to get lost,' I prayed secretly.
Now that Artria and Garin had successfully made their escape, if she decided to kick me away in a fit of rage or disgust, it would be the single best thing to happen to me since I arrived in this watery hell.
I was ready to be "abandoned" right here and now.
"Oww! Mistress, that hurts!" I winced sharply, my dreams of freedom evaporating as I felt her fingers clamp down firmly on my ear. She didn't push me away; instead, she hauled me closer until I was forced to meet her gaze.
"You absolute idiot! When did I ever say a single word about leaving you?" she hissed, though the murderous edge in her voice had been replaced by a sharp, biting irritation.
"Hmph! I specifically told you to keep up with me, yet the moment I turn my back, I find you here, flirting with some strange girl in the middle of a graveyard? Is that how you show your loyalty?"
'Flirting? What the hell is she even talking about?' I wondered, my mind reeling at her bizarre interpretation of the events.
I had been seconds away from being a main course, and then seconds away from being a murderer, but she saw it as me socialising?
The throbbing pain in my ear made it difficult to form a proper retort, so I just stayed silent, looking appropriately chastened.
"Luckily for you, I'm in a remarkably good mood right now, so I won't punish you properly for your wandering eyes," she said, finally releasing my ear with a flick of her wrist.
She turned away with a swirl of her pink hair and swam toward the massive, dead shark she had been dragging.
She grabbed it by the tail again and began to propel herself through the water with ease.
"Well? Aren't you coming? Or would you prefer I actually do leave you on your own to fend for yourself this time?" She paused for a brief second, turning her head just enough to call back to me over her shoulder.
"Of course not, Mistress! I'm right behind you!" I shouted back, flashing a bright, happy smile that felt like it was made of lead.
It was the complete opposite of how I truly felt, but I didn't dare test her "good mood" any further.
As I watched her swim away, I found myself genuinely baffled. I just couldn't understand why this woman was still so tolerable toward me.
After the way I had distracted her and let those two merfolk escape with a massive haul of fish, shouldn't she be raging mad?
Shouldn't she be demanding to know why I interfered? Instead, she was calm, almost dismissive.
Whether it was because she was simply too eager to get back to the nest to eat her prize or she was just tired from the hunt, I couldn't tell. All I could do was fall into line.
' It wouldn't do me any good to pry into this one, best to just accept it and live to see another day.'
Since I was still stuck in my human form, I quickly realized that swimming with two legs was an exhausting, inefficient nightmare compared to her fluid movements.
It took an immense amount of effort just to keep her in my sights, and my human lungs were already starting to feel the strain of the rapid pace.
Feeling vexed and desperate to close the gap, I wondered if I could consciously change back into my merfolk form.
The moment the thought crossed my mind, my body responded with a sudden, tingly heat.
In a flash of blue and black, I felt the familiar weight of the tail return, and I was back in my aquatic form.
The thought of testing out my shark beast form crossed my mind, but after recalling what I'd done in that state, I quickly shut that door.
'This is actually pretty handy, now that I think about it,' I noted, feeling a surge of relief as I used the extra power to quickly catch up to her.
Within seconds, I was swimming side by side with her, the massive carcass of the dead shark between us.
Occasionally, I would steal a glance back at the shark, watching the thick trail of blood that clouded the water behind us.
I felt a sense of confusion growing in my chest. Despite being in the direct presence of so much blood, the very thing that had sent me into a murderous, mindless frenzy just an hour ago, I was still completely in control.
My mind was clear, and my heartbeat was steady.
'Could she be behind it? Is she somehow suppressing my instincts?' I wondered, casting a quick, suspicious look at my mistress.
I quickly shook the idea off, though. Not because I thought it was impossible for her to have that kind of power, but because I refused to accept the idea that my very sanity was now dependent on her presence.
I couldn't start putting thoughts in my head that made her seem like a savior or a necessity.
That would be the end of me.
All I wanted was to escape her and this sea and return to the surface, and I needed to keep that goal as sharp and clear as a blade.
I continued to follow her into the dark blue, my eyes fixed on the distance, already planning my next move.
[AN: Please, if you've got the time and funds, kindly support my other book on my other account so I can meet my tuition next month (*﹏*;).
The title is : SSS RANKED DRAGON KING: My Innate Ability is Unbelievable.]
[If not, some Powerstones and reviews on my books would really help as well.]
[Thanks for taking the time to read my stories]