He's not a Merman

Chapter 1 Are Those Legs?

Chapter 1

"Men are stewed." I walk along the shore of our family beach, feeling pissed off and heartbroken. What's a girl got to do when she finds out that her man is cheating?

Carter Ufeir, my fiance, is the Duke of the neighboring country. He just came to our country one day and immediately presented our father, the king, with gifts and asked for my hand in marriage. Of course, my father said no a few times, but after I pressed him last week, he changed his mind. I can't explain why, but I have suddenly fallen for him. Whenever I try to think about how that happened, my memory just becomes clouded.

I swig a bottle of rum as I continue to trudge along the beach dressed and disguised as a sailor when I try to follow him. Who would have thought that I would catch him kissing another woman?

"Duke Carter..." I pause, whispering my conflict into the night and pondering it heavily. "Since when did I fall in love with the duke? He's not even my type." I hiccup.

This is weird. I just can't remember anything that made me love him. All I remember is hating that man's smug and lecherous gaze when he looks at women.

Maybe because I'm just drunk from all of my drinking because I couldn't remember any single redeeming qualities about him aside from his face. Personality wise? He is just trash.

Come to think of it, it's my first time ever touching alcohol. My head feels a little cloudy, and I can't seem to gather my thoughts to make any sense of this.

Am I in love with the Duke or just drunk?

"...stupid land dwellers!"

I snap out of my thoughts the moment I hear someone curse. I look around me and at the beach. No one seems to be here aside from me. Maybe it was just my imagination.

I gulp and pour the remainder of the liquor on the sand. I should lay off the alcohol now.

"Damn. Out of all the days, why do I have to be caught today!? And I was so close." There's a pause. "Ugh! What the hell is this!?" The voice pierces through the night so clearly that I was sure I wasn't imagining it.

The place is isolated from the others because the other side is also locked by the bottom of the cliff. Also, this is part of the Llyr Palace, which makes it private. There shouldn't be anyone here but me.

Could there be a ghost? Awesome!

When I started following the voice to the other side of the beach, separated by massive boulders, I let out a drunken giggle and tiptoed my way through. If there's anyone who is trespassing, it is only right that I, the princess, would catch them—or is it supposed to be a knight's duty? I don't know. My brain is not 'braining' enough for this at the moment.

It's a little dark out, but the moon has provided me with enough cover to see a silhouette of the back of a man. It takes a while for my eyes to adjust, but I can clearly see that he seems to be struggling with something.

"Intrudwwer!" I clumsily moved over the boulders so I could approach him. My foot slipped and fell, rolling over the sand. The alcohol I was carrying spilled all over my shirt as I lay on the sand.

Whoops.

My maid is going to have my head if she smells the rum on my clothes later on.

Clearly, I am not in the right state of mind at the moment, as I was starting to get comfortable and thought about sleeping in front of a complete stranger.

"You...!"

I roll until I am on my stomach and give the man a fierce glare while forcing myself into a sitting position.