Danton’s lips thinned. Without a word, he abruptly stood and walked toward the creaking wooden door.

"Wait."

Evangeline’s fingertips were cool as she gently closed them around Danton’s wrist. Her grip was neither light nor heavy, yet impossible to break.

With her other hand, she placed the egg, which had finished absorbing the medicinal fluid, into her dimensional space. She then lifted her gaze to meet Danton’s, her eyes placid. "It’s still raining outside. A Siren fed on your soul. You need to rest."

"Why are you here?" Danton’s voice was soft, like a thin blade—sharp and frigid. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

He didn’t pull away from Evangeline’s grasp. He simply turned to her slowly, his pale blue eyes filled with a faint chill, devoid of any emotional ripple, as if he were looking at a stranger. "Where is Finnian Finch?"

Though his voice was steady, Danton’s fingertips trembled slightly. His mind was a chaotic mess.

He didn’t understand. All he’d done was fall into a deep slumber in the Demonsea Abyss. When he awoke, his tail scales hadn’t returned, Finnian Finch was gone, and the only person before him was Evangeline—the one person he’d do anything to avoid.

Worse, she had even laid an egg right in front of him.

The whole situation was so absurd it felt unreal, like a dream he couldn’t quite process.

Danton shut his eyes. His throat was dry, and his normally clear voice came out raspy. "...What in the world happened?"

"Finnian Finch is fine. He just went back to the Mer Clan to deliver a message, so don’t worry."

"Sit." Evangeline applied a little pressure, pulling his arm and forcing him back down into a sitting position.

Danton swayed. The tips of his long, azure hair had faded to white and now draped over his shoulders, framing a beautiful face gone numb. Evangeline watched him for a moment before flipping her wrist, a delicate wooden box appearing in her hand.

With a soft CLICK, the wooden box slowly opened.

A deep blue radiance swirled within the box, as if it held a sea of stars. Inside lay shimmering, azure mermaid scales. She had carefully removed them from the Mermaid Tail Skirt and cleaned them.

"Your tail scales." Her gaze fell to the scales in the box as she spoke softly. "I brought them."

Danton stared at the scales, his pupils contracting. The familiar aura clinging to them made him tremble uncontrollably.

The corner of Evangeline’s eye lifted slightly as she watched Danton, a rare softness rippling in their depths.

"I’m here to fulfill my promise." Her voice was gentle as her fingertips brushed lightly over the scales.

’For this Beast Husband, who had never once shown her any killing intent, she felt a greater degree of affection.’

Danton’s lashes fluttered, and his Adam’s apple bobbed almost imperceptibly. He remembered the words she had spoken to him.

She had said she would find his tail scales, make him well again, and have his offspring. He remembered every word.

"We had an agreement. I would return to the Oasis Tribe, and you would wait for me. Why did you leave on your own?" Evangeline gazed at Danton and sighed softly. ’I could have been here sooner.’

Danton lifted his gaze, his pale blue eyes reflecting her image, but his tone was perfectly calm.

"The rainy season was approaching, and you hadn’t returned. I am a Tideborn Beastman; I couldn’t wait there for you forever. Besides, you weren’t really trying to find me, were you? You even had time to conceive an offspring."

Danton’s voice was utterly frigid, like a handful of biting snow. It was impossible to discern any emotion from it, yet Evangeline could somehow detect a bone-deep trace of mockery.

She tilted her head, her long lashes fluttering. "Are you angry?"

Before Danton could answer, Evangeline’s lips had already curled into a smile. A faint blush touched her pale cheeks, and her voice became bewitching and soft. "You’re right, it’s my fault. I came back too late."

She paused before speaking again. "The offspring’s father is The Everwake. You should remember him."

Her gaze rested on Danton’s face, her voice a mere whisper.

At her words, Danton’s pupils constricted. He snapped his head up to look at her, a dark undercurrent churning in his pale blue eyes. His voice grew strained, and his fingertips curled unconsciously. "The Everwake? But isn’t he..."

’Didn’t you kill him?’

The question stuck in his throat, dissolving into a moment of dead silence.

Even though Evangeline had found his tail scales and even grilled fish for him, in his eyes, she was still that proud, cruel female from the Oasis Tribe.

Evangeline shook her head. "He’s fine. He was reborn from his chrysalis. But... he still hates me."

As she finished, Evangeline let out a soft laugh, a hint of vulnerability showing on her pale face.

Danton’s lips pressed into a sharp line, and he fell silent for a long while.

He lowered his gaze to the faintly glowing tail scales in the box. As he reached out to caress them, he saw that their patterns had long since grown dim. His voice was so low it nearly scattered in the wind. "Thank you for bringing them back."

Danton suddenly snapped the lid shut and pushed the box toward Evangeline. When he looked up, his eyes held an icy calm. "But I don’t have much longer to live. You should keep these scales. Consider them..."

’...a memento of our Contract, of the time we were the most intimate of partners.’

His Adam’s apple bobbed, but the rest of his words dissolved into a sigh.

He’d felt it ever since he emerged from the Demonsea Abyss—the decay inside his body was accelerating. Even when he lifted a hand, he could feel a stagnating thickness in his blood, as if the very tide was ebbing from his form.

Hearing the deathly resignation in his tone, Evangeline frowned. "Don’t say such grim things."

Her voice carried a sharp, dissatisfied edge. "I made you a promise, and I don’t go back on my word. Once I recover some of my strength, I can help you restore your Star Pattern and become the Young Clan Leader of the Mer Clan once more."

Danton froze, his pale blue eyes reflecting her earnest expression. He said no more.

Just then, a series of urgent knocks sounded at the wooden door.

Coral Cetus could no longer hear any movement from inside and was growing anxious. "Evangeline? Evangeline, are you all right? Do you need any help? Or maybe something to eat? How about some hot soup?"

She remembered how, when females in her tribe gave birth, their partners always brought them the freshest berries and the most succulent food. But here was Evangeline, giving birth all alone, with no one to help.

As her friend, she felt it was her undeniable duty to take good care of her.

Stellan glanced at Coral Cetus but said nothing. Regardless, Evangeline had helped the Mer Clan and Danton. His animosity toward her had already lessened considerably.

She didn’t seem to be like the rumors described, even if the harm she’d caused was real.

But now, faced with a female weakened from giving birth, all his pent-up anger was dissipating like a receding tide.

The moment Danton pulled the door open, a sea breeze carrying the damp scent of the ocean rushed in.

He froze when he saw Stellan. "Stellan?"

Stellan jolted, his head snapping around to meet Danton’s eyes. His own pupils contracted sharply.

He lurched forward, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion. "Young Clan Leader!"

Stellan’s eyes, already turning red at the rims, took in Danton’s much thinner frame. "Are you hurt? That Siren... it didn’t do anything to you, did it?"

He had barely seen him since Danton had formed a Contract with Evangeline and left the tribe.

Danton hadn’t seemed to expect to see his childhood friend here. But as he gazed at the man before him, his pale blue eyes softened. "What are you doing here? I thought you went to the Mysticeti Tribe?"