Almost 3000 years ago.
That's a very special day because it's Nea's thousand-year birthday. At that age, she already had perfect features that, together with her hot body and beautiful red hair, made her one of the most beautiful women in Blue Star, only having as a rival the young Naga Princess.
But unlike Mira, who was like any other Naga Princess before her, Nea had something that set her apart from her predecessors. From the age of ten, Nea already demonstrated an incredible maturity and awareness of her duties to the Mermaid People.
Her devotion to such duties was so powerful that before the age of eleven, she was known in the whole Blue Star as the Little Queen. And even though that title has been used for the last 990 years, it never left Nea flattered but rather encouraged her to work harder for the good of her people.
Nea's mother, the old Queen, couldn't be happier and prouder of her daughter. But even knowing that Nea had been ready to take the throne for over 300 years, she insisted on allowing Nea to enjoy life more before taking on such responsibility formally.
But Nea was never able to really relax; she was always getting stronger physically and mentally to give her best to the Mermaid People. And now, on her thousand-year birthday, her mother couldn't deny that to her anymore.
And not only the Mermaids but also the whole Blue Star and even guests from other worlds came to the Mermaid Kingdom to see such a moment, the rise of the greatest Mermaid Queen so far.
At that time, the Blue Star was at peace; Nea's mother ruled as peacefully as Mira's father. And Tyrion was not even born, so despite the Mermaids and Nagas being the largest races there, there were many other races in the great ocean of the Blue Star, including several races bigger than that world's Humans.
To avoid so many guests wanting her attention, Nea hid in the only place outsiders wouldn't dare to sneak in, the Sacred Garden, the place where is the Mermaid Race's greatest treasure, their Sacred Tree.
Lying beneath that mystic tree, Nea looks at its leaves and fruits while wondering about the future of her and her people.
"Heh?" But her meditation is interrupted when she hears the slithering of a tail followed by light footsteps. The footsteps quickly stop as the owner of that tail knocks on the big doors of the Sacred Garden.
"My Princess?" A gentle voice comes through the door, making Nea's good mood quickly turn sour.
Nea thinks about staying silent until that woman gets tired of calling and leaves, not because of her but because of the possible person who followed her there.
But that woman knows her as well as her mother, so she'll go in before she gets tired of calling, so Nea responds. "You may come in."
The large doors are opened just enough for a beautiful Mermaid to pass through before closing them again. That woman is Ranara, the current Mermaid Queen's adviser, best friend of Nea, and future mother of Ramla.
"I knew you'd be here, Nea," Ranara speaks in a friendly tone; Aside from the Queen, she is the only Mermaid who is close enough to Nea to call her by name, only when they are alone, of course.
Nea smiles at her best friend. "And I knew you'd find me… I just didn't think you'd bring him along."
Ranara makes a sorry expression, which is quickly replaced by an expectant smile. "Not going to lie, I came to talk about him."
"What if I don't want to hear it??" Nea quickly asks.
"I know you do not want it," Ranara speaks honestly. "But I ask that you do so in the name of our friendship."
Nea rolls her eyes but keeps a gentle smile. "I greatly cherish our friendship... go ahead."
"Thank you, my dear friend." Ranara walks over to Nea and sits beside her before looking her in the eye with a caring expression. "I really like you, Nea, which is why I fear for your health, physically and mentally."
"Do I look bad?" Nea sarcastically asks as she raises her arms and shakes her tail.
"You look amazing, of course." Ranara compliments but then makes a concerned expression. "But today is your thousandth birthday... a thousand years alone; not even your mother has gone that long without feeling a man's touch, and she was clearly delaying your coronation so you could enjoy your youth."
"I do not need that!" Nea quickly comments.
"We all need that," Ranara speaks with confidence. "We Mermaids are born the same, all females... and no matter how some of us find comfort in the arms of other women, there will always be something missing inside us, something only a man can fill."
Nea can't deny the mermaids' physiology, but she doesn't seem to want that for herself. "So you think this guy is what I need?"
Ranara feels Nea's hostility towards that person in her tone, but she still insists. "I think it's normal for us to wish for those we love the same things that make us feel good. And he makes me feel good... his touch makes me feel so alive, his kiss makes me happier than ever, and there's that, hehe..."
"He's turning you into a naughty woman..." Nea wants to be upset, but she can only laugh. "And it's fine if you want that, but it's not for me."
Before Ranara can say anything more, threads of dark energy emerge from the shadows in the corners of the large doors and open them from the inside. A shadowy figure quickly enters the sacred garden with heavy, confident steps, that is Yakov, the Dark Elves' Prince.
Yakov is 2.10 meters tall, with a very slender body and a strangely symmetrical face with sharp features, dark-gray skin, long white hair, and deep black eyes.
He would be considered attractive and beautiful anywhere in the universe, but compared to the Handsome Devil, he, like all the previously most beautiful men of all, would have a hard time being more than average.
An incredible look is not the only similarity he has with Lucien, but Yakov also has a very daring personality and always keeps a teasing smile on his face; It's hard to say if they would be rivals or good friends nowadays.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, girls..." He speaks in a teasing tone, but Nea and Ranara can see through his emotions, which makes it clear that he is being sincere and stern as well as being very tense too.
"I told him to wait outside..." Ranara whispers to Nea in a to upset tone, but her eyes can't hide a passionate glow as she looks at the very young Dark Elf Prince.
"You shouldn't enter without being invited, Yakov." Nea understands that part of the Dark Elven Prince's intentions is good, but she still tries to maintain a hostile posture towards him. "Don't your people have good manners??"
"I'm afraid not, my lovely Princess." Yakov is using all his will not to fall to his knees due to Nea's stunning beauty, and he can only resist due to his will to further unify the Seven Stars' peoples.
Nea knows that, so she tries to make her answer clear without offending the young elf. "I'm not your Princess, Yakov."
"But you could be..." Yakov again has to use all his will to be so bold in front of Nea. "You could teach my people good manners... we could do a lot for our races together."
"It won't happen, Yakov," Nae speaks coldly. "Why didn't you try it with the Nagas? I bet they would be more willing to make that alliance."
Yakov sighs as he can't help but think he's failing with his people. "I went to the bottom of this ocean after them... but the Naga King said he would only let his daughter marry me if you did too."
"Hahahaha..." Nea starts to laugh. "Yeah, it's something he'd say... that smart old man, he wants me to test you."
"I guess so..." Yakov usually acts like an alpha dominant around other women, but the fact that the Mermaids can see through his emotions makes him very uncomfortable; that ability is more powerful than it looks.
"Nea..." Ranara tries to defend her man. "Don't be rude to Yakov; his intentions are good, and... what's the problem with us becoming one big family? We could shape the future of the Seven Stars together."
"There was no problem with that." Nea caresses Ranara's face. "We would make a good family, and the Naga Princess isn't a bad person, but..."
She looks at Yakov with a piercing gaze, which makes shivers run through the young Prince's body. "The problem is that your main intention is to strengthen your people first. We would be the foundation for the Dark Elves' rise and only that."
Knowing he can't lie to Nea, Yakov tries to make his intentions as straightforward as possible. "Actually, I can't help but think of the good of my people first; I went out of my world to help the Dark Evels grow more and more, but Its rising could be intertwined with the rise of other peoples as well, don't you think?"
"Yes, it could," Nea speaks honestly. "But not with you in the lead."
Yakov feels like he's taken a fatal blow to his self-esteem, and he can't even look Nea in the eye, but Ranara tries to persuade her. "Nea... my sister..."
"I just ask you to think better of it; we Mermaids are an all-female race, so perhaps our Maker made us this way for a reason... perhaps our destiny is to ally ourselves with a race of strong men to make each other stronger." She speaks about visionary ideas.
And even Nea can't deny that maybe there's some sense in that; after all, an all-female race feels somehow flawed like a puzzle missing pieces.
Nea looks at Yakov one more time before turning her attention to Ranara. "Alright... let's assume you're right and the future of our people is linked to another people or someone... why he and the Dark Elves?? Why creatures as pure and gentle as Mermaids should bond with such wicked creatures of the shadows??"
Ranara can't answer that, but Yakov tries by pointing at the large tree in the center of the garden. "Look at your Sacred Tree... you know we have one like this in our home, right?"
"But they are the opposite." Nea quickly cuts him off.
Yet, Yakov musters all his remaining courage and continues. "Exactly, they're the opposite... and do you know what's most impressive about opposite things?"
Something awakens inside Nea, and she gets curious about that. "What?"
"They complement each other perfectly," Yakov responds.
Those words get etched in Nea's mind, and although she believes that to be true, she is still not willing to support Yakov. "I'm sorry, young Prince; in other lives, we could be something together, but in this one, there's no future where you and I become a family."
"Why???" Ranara can't understand why Nea refuses to give Yakov a chance when she can see how good he is.
"Something is missing in him," Nea speaks directly without bothering further to hurt the feelings of the young Dark Elf Prince. "I don't know what it is, but I feel that if the future of our people is connected to someone, it's not him."
"So, who is?" Yakov asks in a tone more curious than upset.
"I don't know... not yet," Nea responds thoughtfully as a peculiar glow appears in her eyes. "And I also don't know if one day I'll find him..."
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Now.
Nearly 3000 years after that conversation, hundreds of years after Ranara's death, Nea remembers her old friend and Prince Yakov.
She remembers them because only now is she sure that denying Yakov was the right decision; while she kisses Lucien, she begins to believe that he might be the missing piece of the puzzle, what her people and herself need.
This is very strange as Nea still sees Lucien as a horny greedy demon, but something deeply rooted within her, a primordial feeling, that if there are opposites that attract each other more than any other, it is the gentle nature of her race and the sinful disposition of Lucien.
[Why is this so good???] She wonders as she lets Lucien kiss her to their hearts' content.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦