Chapter 57: Thank You For Telling Me This

Aila ended up getting her chance completely by accident the day her father went to the main palace to speak with the merking along with some of the other concerned members of the nobility. She went along with him so she could look around the palace gardens.

She got lost on the way there and ended up overhearing something she wasn't supposed to. "…we can just blame it on Zale. From what I gather, the nobles are catching on to there being problems on the surface that are affecting the ocean and that's his fault anyway because of his idiotic jewelry.

"You need to be the one to take charge when the merking fails. He is old and set in his ways. You can use this as an opportunity to boost your popularity when you become merking. We can clear out the palace and get rid of the rest of those horrible concubines once you're in charge."

Aila's breath caught in her throat. She had only met her once but that was the merqueen speaking!

"Where would that idiot get poison?" Crown Prince Merrick asked skeptically. "No one will believe that for a second. He isn't cunning enough for such a thing."

"That's just it. He is stupid enough that it would be believable for him to give the merking a present containing poison entirely by accident. But treason is treason, accident or not. We'll finally be able to get rid of him as well. He has been an annoyance for long enough," Queen Nerida said disdainfully.

Aila had to get out of here. She had to warn someone…but who? The merking? She could be executed for treason if she burst in on a nobleman's council without being invited.

It was an emergency but all they had to go off of was her word. Would anyone believe her? Would Prince Zale?

She didn't know if there was anything he could do about this but at the very least he had been kind to her before. He wasn't likely to have her executed for barging in on him the way the merking would.

Aila swam for her life, hoping beyond hope that she was able to find the coral palace. All of the palaces looked so similar from the outside and she had been lost already.

She wasn't watching where she was going since she was looking over her shoulder to be sure the merqueen or crown prince hadn't seen her and smacked directly into an unfamiliar merman. His tail was bright green and shaped like an eel and he had hair to match.

He frowned when she ran into him. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Aila didn't know if this merman was trustworthy or not. He may be working for the merqueen. She had to play things off casually despite her urgency. She ran a hand through her hair and made a sheepish expression.

"I'm supposed to start work at the coral palace today as a maid but I'm afraid I don't know where that is. I'm a bit lost. Can you tell me which direction it's in?"

The merman squinted at her suspiciously. "I work in the coral palace and I didn't hear anything about a new maid."

"You do? You serve Prince Zale then?" Aila asked before biting her lip, unsure if she should say anything even if he did. It was fairly unbelievable and this merman didn't know or trust her.

"Yes I do."

There was a hint of pride in his voice. Idiot prince or not, he must be good to his subordinates in order for this one to sound like that. He would probably help her.

Aila sighed. "I am Lady Aila, daughter of Lord Yuval. And I'm afraid Prince Zale is in terrible danger. I want to warn him. Could you take me to him please?"

Alarm flashed in his eyes. "Danger? What sort of danger?"

She looked around nervously to be sure no one was listening in but was still wary. "I'm afraid to speak of it here. Could you please take me to the coral palace? He does know me. He sent me a gift once. I am sure he would be willing to speak to me."

"I will have to verify this. Come. I will take you to Beck. He is the head of security at the coral palace," the merman said before gesturing for her to follow.

Aila did so silently, still checking over her shoulder frequently. She desperately hoped no one had seen her speaking to this merman. Who was he? A servant? A guard? The latter seemed more likely if he knew Prince Zale personally.

The merman led her to what seemed to be a training field where several other mermen were gathered. Two of them were locked in fierce combat before one came out on top and the other groaned as everyone else laughed. She was startled to discover that the prince had been the victor and helped the merman on the ground up before his eyes locked on hers and she suddenly got the chills.

That look was far colder than any she had seen before. It was a far cry from his usual easy grin and affected expressions.

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"Aeces! What is the meaning of this?" Prince Zale barked, breaking eye contact.

"Forgive me, Zale, but Lady Aila insisted on speaking to you. She said you're in danger and she couldn't speak of it before arriving here for fear of being overheard," the merman who brought her here explained.

Prince Zale raised an eyebrow. "And you believed her?"

"She said you knew her and had sent her a present. She was very insistent. And she had come from the direction of the main palace so I assume she overheard something important."

Interest glimmered in those cold yellow eyes before it vanished back behind what she now believed was nothing but the pleasant mask of a simpleton. He had returned to his old light, affected tone as well.

"Is that so? Forgive my rudeness, Lady Aila. I wasn't expecting you. What is this you overheard?"

Aila had thought there was more to the third prince than met the eye but was getting much more than she bargained for by coming here. He was a skilled fighter—perhaps the most skilled she had ever seen—and could flip his personality like a switch. Which meant that he was far more calculating than he appeared. Her earlier suspicion that he had been raising awareness about the problem with surface items was seeming more and more likely to be correct.

"Forgive me for disturbing you, Your Highness," Aila said with a respectful nod of her head. "I overheard something terrible and had no one else to turn to."

"What exactly did you overhear?" Prince Zale asked airily, as if he couldn't care in the slightest.

It was too late to keep that charade up. She already knew he wanted to know what she had heard. What was the point of continuing to pretend now? She truly didn't understand him but answered his question anyway, wondering if she had made a terrible mistake by coming here.

He and the merking were the ones in danger and of the two of them she had thought that he was less dangerous. Now she wasn't so sure. He was unpredictable and unpredictability could be dangerous too.

"The merqueen and crown prince intend to poison the merking and blame it on you so they can execute you for treason," Aila said nervously. "I am unsure if there is anything you can do to stop them but I felt you ought to know."

All of the merman in the training area gaped at her. Did they not believe her? Or were they simply shocked by the very concept of their master being in danger?

Prince Zale's mask slipped for only a moment and he looked almost gleeful but she couldn't be sure before it vanished again and he regarded her blankly. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I don't wish for you or the merking to die?" Aila said as if it should be obvious.

"Hmm. It was very brave of you to come here."

She wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not because his tone was unfathomable. At the very least he didn't seem to be angry with her.

"Thank you for telling me this," Prince Zale continued, moving forward to kiss her hand as he had done the first time they met. "You shall be well rewarded for your effort, I give you my word. Are you absolutely certain that no one saw you?"

"Fairly certain," Aila said, though she couldn't be completely sure.

"That isn't good enough. Nerio! You are not to leave Lady Aila's side until this is taken care of. Do you understand?"

A blue merman with a bit of yellow on his tail and black markings on his skin nodded. "Yes. What shall I tell Lord Yuval about my presence?"

"That you are a gift to the lady as a token of my favor. It will only be temporary but I expect you to guard her with your life. Do not give anyone an opportunity to strike," Prince Zale said, his mask not slipping in the slightest despite the severity of his words.

"I will guard her as if she was the princess."

"Thank you. Lady Aila, I am sure you have suffered a great shock. You should rest. I will call upon you once this is taken care of."

"Alright," Aila said, a bit startled that he was taking her warning seriously enough to send one of his mermen to guard her.. She supposed it was his way of thanking her for potentially saving his and the merking's lives.

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