Chapter 222: Mermaid Demonstration
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
As expected, in the early hours of the morning, right after the live-stream ended, Loya received a notification that another substantial amount had been transferred to her account.
Relaxing on the plush bed, surrounded by luxurious silk muslin, she felt that this life was befitting of her status.
However, she had not anticipated the uproar her fish-scale dress would cause.
As the name implied, human scales were crafted from mermaid scales. To achieve the delicate thinness required for the dress, they could only be obtained from the scales of young mermaids under the age of five.
To maintain the shimmer of the human fish scales, the young mermaids had to endure the agony of having their scales painstakingly removed while they were awake. In order to swiftly acquire a large quantity of fish scales, many merchants administered various hormonal drugs to the young mermaids to accelerate scale growth. Sadly, this often resulted in the young mermaids not living past the age of eight.
Liao Ning and Tina had watched Loya’s live-stream that day. Tina’s fists had clenched tightly throughout, and her eyes blazed with fury.
“Do the imperial family of the empire not value the lives of mermaids?” Tina struggled to contain her anger but finally erupted.
She forcefully punched the wall. “A five or six-year-old mermaid is subjected to constant hormone feeding and the sacrifice of several children’s lives, all to obtain a fish-scale dress. Is a dress more important than human lives?”
Observing her sorrowful expression, Liao Ning was at a loss for words. She approached Tina silently and gently placed her hand on her shoulder.
At that moment, Li Xian’s eyes were filled with redness. Clearly, he had just witnessed Loya’s live-stream.
As a descendant of the merfolk, his motivation to rebel against the Empire stemmed from his desire to overthrow the class-based rule, allowing every race to coexist on equal terms. Yet, when he witnessed Loya’s fish-scaled dress, he could no longer suppress his rage.
“Tina, contact our allies within the Empire’s army immediately. We shall stage a protest tomorrow. We cannot allow human-scale clothing to become a trend in the Empire.”
Tina ceased her tears instantly and bowed to Li Xian. ‘Yes!”
Early the next morning, the royal family was having breakfast when they were disturbed by the commotion outside.
Initially, the king had been pleased to receive the check from Ke Lang, but now he was plagued by a headache due to the noise. “What is happening out there?”
Despite the castle’s soundproofing, Loya could still discern the hostile voices shouting her name from outside.
She pondered the previous day’s live-stream earnestly and breathed a sigh of relief, confirming that she hadn’t made any mistakes.
“Your Majesty!” A servant rushed in. “The mermaids are causing a riot! They’re roaming the streets, and they said… they said…”
The servant kept stealing glances at Loya, prompting the king to regard her questioningly.
“I haven’t done anything wrong! Yesterday, I merely conducted a live-stream. You’re aware of that,” Loya hastily stood up and clarified.
The king furrowed his brow and inquired, “What did they say?”
Following the king’s command, the servant reported, “They claim that the princess is immodest and that wearing human-scale clothing is disrespectful to the mermaids. They believe mermaids cannot be loyal to a royal family that condones such actions.”
“Human fish scales?” the queen asked with bewilderment. “What is wrong with human fish scales? I personally gave Loya the fabric made from human fish scales. Could it be that the merfolk are plotting a rebellion?”
The queen had always regarded Loya as her daughter and desired to provide her with the best things in the world. She was indifferent to the lives and deaths of the merfolk.
At that moment, the Third Prince whispered, “The process of obtaining human scales is excessively cruel. It’s likely that several mermaids lost their lives to create a single dress. It’s understandable for the merfolk to be upset.”
“How can their lives be compared to those of your sister?” The queen seethed with anger. “She is a noble princess, and human scales are most fitting for her.”
Witnessing the queen’s unwavering stance, the princes shook their heads. They had no desire to oppose their mother’s views.
However, the king was well aware of the impact of the mermaid rebellion. He cast an unfriendly gaze at Loya and instructed the servant, “What are their demands?”
“They request a public apology from the princess, the release of all the little mermaids, and the cessation of human scale cloth sales.”
As the servant relayed this, he avoided meeting Loya’s eyes. Loya, on the other hand, looked at the queen with teary eyes.
“That’s out of the question. She is a princess. How can she apologize to those inferior mermaids?” The queen vehemently objected.
In her eyes, Loya had endured a difficult life on the desolate planet for far too long. She was determined not to let her daughter suffer any further.
However, the king showed no sympathy towards Loya. He commanded her, “Prepare yourself.. Proceed to the castle terrace immediately and offer your apology to the merfolk!”
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