Somehow a rendezvous in the library to discuss literature and rest eyes that couldn’t filter light properly resulted in the entire kingdom learning that the Princess Pearl was being courted by the intelligent miscreant Prince Credere from the Budleigh Deep. Pearl had never seen her father or brother so angry when he learned of the news and even Chlora seemed worried for her. While his peerage was nothing to scoff at his background and devious reputation was one to be reconsidered. Her father King Agate refused to let Credere in the castle, Jasper threatened to impale him on his narwhale, and Chlora was determined to set her sister up with one of Gabbro’s associates so they could have mates of the same station; not that they asked Pearl of her opinion on the matter.
Pearl neither confirmed nor denied Credere’s courtship after Gabbro found them in the library discussing the literature of the Budleigh Deep, and Pearl was steadfast in upholding her end of the deal; however, Credere seemed to relish the envious attention. Prince Credere had boldly professed his intentions to anyone curious or bold enough to ask him about it.
“You all should be jealous; I am their favorite.”
That was the statement he made for the Royal Tidings created their articles from the debutant ball, and Pearl wasn’t sure if she could truly be mad at him or not. While Credere certainly wasn’t her family’s favorite, Pearl greatly appreciated his company and insight to matters the others would never discuss with her. Trade relations had fallen out of favor with the Eel merfolk in favor of the Sharkmer for their ability to protect the borders and his people and many others from the Depths were suffering. Credere’s sudden gain in attention put the Budleigh Deep’s market higher in the business field and seemed to redeem his people if only marginally, however, it had not allotted him any time to come and see her since the night of the ball. Pearl was terribly lonely for his company and if she had to sit through another luncheon with Chlora and her loud Shark Knight again she might shriek like a siren and cast them all under a spell to finally leave her alone.
Regardless of how content Pearl was to court Credere, Chlora simply refused to accept it and wanted to find someone more fitting of her station. With both princesses finding suitors their first night of their debut, they both had a higher boost of popularity in the suitor pool and were both receiving letters requesting audiences and a chance to toss their scales in the shallows for a chance to court them and sway their minds. Chlora, with the help of her brutish shark Gabbro, had no issues rejecting such letters while secretly agreeing to set Pearl up on many a blind date – all of which were in the sun and all ending horribly. Pearl had such failing expectations for the next blind date Chlora tried to adorn her with jewels to attend.
“He’s a lovely merman.” Chlora hummed happily as she wove strands of pearls into her hair into an elaborate updo that wouldn’t last long. “His scales are as gorgeous as his smile, he’s wonderfully witty and –”
“Someone you chose, Chlora.” Pearl snipped as she kept her jaw tight and her eyes sharp as she sat sufferingly still to adhere her sister’s wishes.
“He’s colorful, intelligent, and shares many pastimes that you do, Pearl.” Chlora insisted with a strained smile on her face. “Loreto is a nice merman, Pearl and you need to give him a chance.”
Chlora tactfully avoided her gaze as she trained her eyes on Pearl’s hair and stringing as many of the tiny unnecessary pearls in the strands. Loreto was a Royal gramma basslet merman who used to go to school with Jasper and had a small fling with Chlora for a time. They had a falling out and were unable to move their relationship past one of friendship despite Loreto’s best attempts.
“While I appreciate your sentiment and your concern for my happiness, sister, I do not want your unwanted seconds.” Pearl slapped Chlora’s hands away as she rose and put some distance between them.
“Loreto is far from a second, more like a third or fourth.” Chlora kept up her strained smile but Pearl could see it twitching to fall away. “Besides, we were nothing more than friends.”
“Then should I tell Gabbro of how deep your friendship runs with him?” Pearl cocked a brow as she crossed her arms.
“There’s nothing to tell.” Her gills opened and closed nervously as she glanced to the door where Gabbro stood guard on the other side. “Don’t be silly.”
“Oh, then refresh me on the idea of friends who roll around in the shadows of the seaweed beds kissing. That would be nothing to your shark?”
The smile fell from her face and horror painted her sisters features as her fins trembled in anger. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Oh sister, after your inability to listen to me or how I feel on these unwanted dates, I very much will dare.” Pearl barked a laugh and scowled at her.
“You can’t be upset with me for trying to find you someone better.” Chlora’s hands bunched into fists at her sides and her hair trembled in agitation.
“I very well can when you entirely disregard my feelings and what I want.”
“Oh please, can’t you see how he’s manipulating you?” Chlora gestured to all of Pearl as she drew closer.
Pearl barked out a laugh and indignation painted Chlora’s face. “Oh, what, like you used to do?”
“I would never!”
“Oh, you certainly would, you’ve done it our whole lives. Just because I remain quiet does not mean I am so naïve to your plots, sister. Lest you forget Orcipi.”
Chlora instantly shrank away and her colors dulled in shame as she looked away with guilt. He was a handsome butterflyfish with yellowish orange spots decorating his green tail and was one who carried on intellectual conversations with Pearl while entertaining her rude sister who would interrupt their study sessions together. Pearl hissed as the memories of her first crush Orcipi and how Chlora had used her own insecurities against her to have her withdraw and take him for herself. Her gills tightened at the memory as she remembered how Chlora had pinned him behind a bed of sea coral and the way their tongues danced with one another. After a broken heart that she resigned to never open up again, and a week of refusing to speak with Chlora, she broke it off and Orcipi transferred to one of the neighboring oceans to study abroad.
Pearl might have forgiven her sister, but she would never forget what she’d done. When Chlora had the gall to look at her again, the guilt had been squashed away with irritation. “He didn’t even like you anyways.”
“Perhaps, but that is something I have been used to for a long time with my lack of coloring.” She felt the bite in her words and watched as Chlora’s face twisted in discomfort.
“You would never lash out like this before.” She hissed and clapped her hands to her curvy hips. “Can’t you see how much he’s changed you?”
“Is that really so wrong?” Pearl held her hands out as she searched her sister’s face for a valid enough of a reason. “Or is it that he’s given me the strength to speak up for myself that you don’t like?”
Chlora’s eyes narrowed into a scowl, and she crossed her arms like a petulant child. “He isn’t good for you.”
“Why because you don’t like him, or because he hasn’t shown an interest in you?” Pearl scoffed and squared her shoulders. “Is it so bad for someone to like me without an excuse to get to you?”
“You don’t really think that.” Hurt reflected in Chlora’s eyes, but Pearl was too angry to acknowledge it. When Pearl refused to deny it, anger flashed a vibrant red through Chlora’s scales before they calmed and turned a warm orange. “What are you going to do if he’s just using you as a way to draw attention to the Budleigh Deep?”
Pearl felt herself deflate as the thought had occurred to her when Credere still hadn’t responded to any of her messages. It wouldn’t be the first time someone feigned an interest in her to gain a spot in her father’s favor or to gain a higher title; after all that was the rewards for courting and wedding a royal after all. The few ‘friends’ she claimed to have were all young upstarts who only needed her signature for reference to start their businesses or have a ‘higher source’ for interest at parties.
“Then it won’t be any different that what others use me for.” She gestured to all of herself rather self-pityingly as she tried to ignore the pain in her heart. “After all, isn’t that all I’m good for? I’m a colorless mermaid that has the title of a princess without the proper embellishments.”
The color dulled in her sister’s scales as guilt resurfaced in her eyes and she had no way to deny her claim. “Pearl –”
Pearl held her hand up and gave her sister and admonishing look. “Don’t worry, sister, I’ll go to this ridiculous date since Loreto is a family friend, but this is the last one I will attend, and you will not convince me otherwise.”
Sparing a glance at her reflection and seeing it looked well enough for a blind date, she snatched up her clam parasol and left to get the even over with. The anger and hurt deep within Pearl lingered for her small journey to the gardens where Loreto waited for her and the anger turned cold and left her with her own guilt. Her words were filled with malice as she reached a breaking point with her sister, and while she hadn’t wanted to hurt her sister, she’d had enough.
Loreto was indeed gorgeous with his golden eyes, inky purple hair, and golden yellow bleeding into purple scales, but he hardly made her heartthrob. As they conversed, she could tell he was charming in his compliments, endearing even, but far too much of a socialite for her taste and nothing she wanted to be a part of. Pearl had remained polite throughout the endeavor, if only to keep her familial relations with her brother and sister relatively on good terms, but politely rejected him and had him swimming away in disappointment.
A sigh of relief escaped her when he finally left, and she had a moment alone and pressed her face into her hands as she tried to hide in the shade of her parasol. She hoped Credere reaped some sort of benefit from this because all Pearl received was heartache. All she wanted to do was hide away in the library and never be bothered with any of this again.
“My, my, my, have you been so lonely without me that you’ve sought out the attention?” That warm tenor voice clicked his tongue in mock disapproval as his electric silver tail wrapped securely around her stood.
“Credere?” Her gills fluttered and her heart throbbed as she looked up into dangerously glinting silver eyes. He was here. After weeks of her letters gone unanswered, he was here and dressed quite fashionably in black and silver pearls woven through his hair.
“If you wanted my attention, darling, consider it caught.” He crooned as he rested both of his hands on the arms of the chair and peered down into her face. “Though I assure you that I’ve not forgotten you, my precious pearl, only that I’ve been in quite the battle and debate with our fathers over our courtship.”
His shoulders sagged and Pearl caught the exhaustion in his features and dared to trace a finger along his brow and down his cheek. He nearly purred at the touch and closed his eyes as he leaned into her touch.
“No wonder you haven’t responded to my letters.” She hummed softly and he groaned in frustration and pressed her hand to his cheek.
“I have the responses with me if you wish to read them, though I would hope my presence is preferred.” He cracked his eyes open with a slight pout on his lips. “While I knew your father was going to be the cantankerous sort, I hadn’t anticipated his tenacity in rejecting my proposals. I had to get my father involved so that I would finally be allowed on the premises.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t tried sneaking in before now.” She smiled softly to herself as she could very well imagine him doing so.
“With Gabbro on the front lines of defense to keep me out, he’s taken it as his sworn duty to your sister to keep me away.”
Pearl rolled her eyes with a groan and sighed.
“Fret not, my pearl.” He hummed as he rested his forehead against hers and nuzzled their noses together. “Your sister is not enough to deter my affections for you, despite her best efforts. Though I will admit she’s quite the formidable foe.”
“Yes, and there’s a chance I might have made it worse.” Pearl trailed a hand through his hair and earned a buzzing hum from her.
“Oh?”
“I’m afraid I told her off before I had to meet Loreto and I’m quite certain she’ll be determined more now because of it.” She pinched her eyes shut and rested her head backwards most unladylike.
“Pray tell little pearl, what did you say?” He crooned and ran his long dark fingers through her hair and sent a shiver down her spine.
“That courting you, for whatever reasons you might have in doing so, is my decision and I will no longer attend any of the blind dates with suitors she’s dated, rejected, and planned away for me.” She huffed and glared at the castle windows hoping to glare at her sister.
“My, my, my, the little pearl speaking up for herself.” He chuckled and propped himself up on his arms again to look down at her. “While I am proud of you for sticking to your gills, I would like to note that I do not have any nefarious schemes for you other than making you my wife should you accept.”
“What?” Her gills tightened and she swore she felt the sunrays touching her face as he rose and pulled her up from her chair by her hands.
“Come now, darling, surely you don’t think I’d let such a precious jewel like you escape, hm?” He tucked her hand over his elbow and held the clam parasol over them to shield them from the sun. He drew her closer to him and her heart breathed a sigh of relief as she strangely felt at home with him.
“And if I wanted to?” She challenged and a mischievous sparkle glittered in his eyes.
“I would allow you to swim away if you truly did not desire me, but I would make you regret it.” He chuckled darkly as he took them into the shadows of the seaweed bed for them both to relax.
“Dare I ask, why?”
“Because I have gone through great efforts to come to know you and grow close to you that should you leave me now, I will make sure you will come back to me in good time.” He gently tapped his long dark finger to her nose with a wicked grin. “You are too precious a treasure, too smart for all the others, and simply too dear for me to share you with another. I treasure you more for your title and pedigree and dare say love the genuine soul that you are to let someone else shut out your light.”
“Your word are kind but surely you do not mean – ”
Her eyes went wide at his words and as his hand caressed her cheek, pulling her closer to him, she wanted him to hear the desire of her heart to feel his lips upon her own. His thumb touched her bottom lip and she allowed him to brush his thumb along her lip.
“Pray tell, beautiful Pearl, if you would allow me to taste these sweet lips, I will show you how much I mean them.” An electric storm so intense swirled in his silver eyes that she was unable to say no and felt the lightning strike as his lips crashed into hers.
Next
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