The night sea breeze carried a chill. Everyone sat around the bonfire, the aroma of charcoal-grilled food wafting over in waves.

Fish and shrimp sizzled on the grill. The overpowering aroma of the sauce had completely conquered Rhea. ’How can I get all our clansfolk to taste cooked food?’ she wondered, huddling with Coral Cetus to discuss the matter.

Evangeline rested her chin in her hand, watching the two with great interest.

In the orange-red glow of the fire, her fair cheeks seemed to shimmer with golden light. Danton leaned against a nearby reef, gazing at her silently, his light blue eyes filled with a gentle glimmer.

The tide swelled, and after the revelry, Coral Cetus and Rhea flanked Evangeline, taking her hands. Talking and laughing, they leaped into The Deep Sea together. Danton and the others followed close behind as the moonlight spread a silver sheen across the surface of the water.

The last time she’d entered the sea, Evangeline’s nerves had been stretched taut. She had been afraid of not finding Danton and of failing her mission. But tonight was completely different. The kindness of The Mer Clan and Danton’s tenderness allowed her to relax.

Evangeline tilted her head slightly, glancing at the long, powerful arm wrapped around her waist.

Danton’s azure Fintan cut a smooth arc through the water. Its tail fin, like gauze or mist, drifted and unfurled with the current, emitting a pearlescent shimmer as it tangled with her crimson Fintan.

The azure of his Fintan was like satin, shimmering with a cool light. As strands of it coiled around her, it only served to accentuate his refined, deep-set features. He was like a treasure from The Deep Sea, utterly captivating.

Upon returning to The Mer Clan’s territory, countless clansfolk emerged from the Coral Grove. They circled Danton, singing the song of the Merfolk, all of them ecstatic over the return of their Young Clan Leader.

The position of Clan Leader was naturally passed to Danton. He was, after all, the rightful Young Clan Leader.

The Mer Clan’s ceremony for passing down power was simple yet solemn.

Rhea held a lustrous crown in both hands. It was inlaid with crimson pearls—the tears shed by every Clan Leader of The Mer Clan upon their death, a tradition passed down through the ages.

Danton bowed his head to accept the crown. The watching clansfolk began to sing a special melody. The currents surged, and fluorescent jellyfish suddenly rose from the Coral Grove, surrounding them as if in celebration.

"Brother, from this day forward, the fate of The Mer Clan is in your hands. I believe that our people will thrive and prosper under your leadership!"

Rhea gazed at Danton wearing the crown, her fingertips trembling. A shimmering wetness welled in her eyes, but her face was wreathed in a joyous smile. There was a time when she hadn’t even dared to imagine this moment.

Danton stood motionless before the Reef House, the surrounding luminescence coating his slender silhouette in a radiant light.

He pressed his thin lips together, his gaze slowly sweeping over the hopeful faces of every clansman. His expression was more serene than The Deep Sea itself. His voice was soft, yet clear. "I will guard these waters with you."

"Clan Leader—Clan Leader—"

Surrounded by his people, Danton became the new Clan Leader of The Mer Clan.

Evangeline stood in the crowd, gazing at the slender figure at its center. He seemed bathed in moonlight and radiance, the crown on his head reflecting the rippling waves and making every inch of his silhouette exude a noble elegance.

She curled her red lips into a smile. ’This is how Danton is meant to be. Things have finally been set right.’

*

As the night faded, the Merfolks’ revelry gradually came to an end.

Danton led Evangeline back to the Sea Conch he had once lived in. The large Sea Conch, nearly three meters tall, stood deep within the Coral Grove. A faint blue light swirled around its exterior, while the inside shimmered with a silvery-white glow. A bed of soft, layered Merweave Silk occupied one side, its edges decorated with shells Danton had collected in his childhood.

He was clearly a very nostalgic person. Picking up a faded scale, his voice held a long-absent ease. "This is a scale I lost when I was injured on my first hunt."

The Sea Conch was filled with Danton’s old belongings, and he tirelessly told Evangeline the story behind each one.

A smile playing on her red lips, Evangeline listened intently as he reminisced about his past.

He only stopped when the lights of the clan gradually dimmed and their surroundings fell completely silent.

When Danton turned his head, he met Evangeline’s smiling eyes.

He froze instantly. A flicker of panic crossed his light blue eyes, and his fingertips curled unconsciously.

"Lord Clan Leader, it’s time to rest." Evangeline said, deliberately leaning closer, her hair brushing against the side of his neck.

Danton’s eyelashes fluttered, and a faint blush crept onto his ear fins. His thin lips parted, but all that came out was a muffled "mhm," his voice several shades deeper than usual.

Evangeline’s red lips curved into a smirk. She interlocked her fingers with Danton’s and gave them a gentle tug.

CLICK. Accompanied by spiritual light, the Sea Conch emitted a faint hum as it drew shut, blocking all light from the outside. Danton’s ear fins shot up, his entire body tensing.

It was Evangeline who, while holding Danton’s hand, had sealed them inside with just a light tap of her finger.

"Now no one can see us." Evangeline winked at Danton, her fingertip gently brushing over the fine scales that had appeared at the corner of his eye.

Inside the Sea Conch House, the lustrous inner walls glowed with a soft light, suffusing the entire space in a hazy blue. In the silence, the glow took on an intimate, suggestive quality.

Danton’s eyelashes were lowered, his breathing noticeably quickening. His Adam’s apple bobbed incessantly.

His azure Fintan was tensed. When it brushed against Evangeline’s crimson one, he sharply averted his gaze.

"Don’t be afraid." Evangeline reached out and stroked his sensitive ear fins, feeling the gossamer-thin membrane tremble beneath her touch. Hearing his heartbeat suddenly quicken, she couldn’t help but let out a low chuckle.

She tapped a finger in the air before her. Instantly, specks of light began to flicker inside the Sea Conch, like crushed stardust scattered all around them. The lights swirled, creating a dreamlike, beautiful scene.

Danton’s tense fingertips unconsciously loosened, and a trace of softness bloomed in his light blue eyes.

Satisfied to see his body relax, Evangeline pulled him down to lie on the soft Merweave Silk.

"Is it beautiful?" Evangeline asked, her voice lilting at the end, as seductive and sweet as honey.

Her crimson Fintan silently coiled around Danton’s. Red and blue intertwined, their delicate scales rubbing against each other with a faint, intimate RUSTLE that was startlingly clear in the quiet of the Sea Conch.

Danton’s breath hitched. His azure Fintan instinctively tried to retreat, but she only coiled hers around it more tightly.

Just then, Evangeline noticed a crudely carved little fox on the inner wall of the Sea Conch beside them. Judging by the marks, it had been there for a very long time.

Danton sensed her pause. Following her gaze, his body went rigid once more.

It was a mark he had left when he fell in love with her.

Danton’s arm trembled, his fingertips digging into his palm. He had gone ashore full of hope, but the night of their Contract had brought him nothing but endless pain. Those memories, like a cancer in his bones, began to churn within him once more.

Evangeline keenly sensed his tension, and a soft sigh escaped her lips.

She rolled on top of him, cupped his tense jaw, and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss was gentle, yet utterly seductive.

The specks of light around them grew more active, flowing between their touching skin to form a brilliant river of stars.

Danton gradually began to respond. His hand instinctively found Evangeline’s waist, his long fingers gently tracing her slender waistline. When he touched her cool scales, his breath caught. He opened his eyes, now tinged with crimson, a hint of hesitation in his gaze.

’In her current state... is this okay?’

Evangeline simply blinked. Her hand glided from his abs down to his V-line, sending a shiver through him with her touch.

’She’d wanted to do this ever since she first arrived on the Beastman Continent and opened her eyes to see Danton.’

Her fingertips lingered on his firm lower abdomen. The scales there were fine and smooth, slightly raised.

Danton’s pale skin grew hot, and a blush spread across his handsome face as he trembled uncontrollably. He arched his neck back, his Adam’s apple bobbing restlessly, and a low, hoarse, yet alluring groan escaped his lips.

Evangeline wrapped her arms around Danton’s waist, pressing their bodies together.

Her crimson Fintan entwined with his in the current, swaying gently with almost nothing between them. The salty surge of the water enveloped their shared warmth, making every sensation acutely clear.

Perhaps because they were in The Deep Sea, every touch, every caress, felt more tender and lingering than ever before.