Second Chance at Love and Life

Reginald saw the obvious grin on my face and could not help but laugh along.

"Celine, did you already know this would happen?"

I nodded, meeting his eyes with quiet seriousness.

"Do you think I'm cruel? My younger sister gave birth to the lowest kind of red-finned mer-children, and instead of feeling sorry for her… Here I am, gloating."

Reginald's smile faded. He gently shook his head.

"You and Princess Caroline are sisters by blood, yet she insulted you and claimed you were only fit to bear red-finned mer-babies. If anyone's cruel, it's her, not you."

He reached out and softly clasped my hand, his voice warm and steady.

"If she had given birth to black-fins, she would've been even more arrogant. She never would've spared you a second glance. Everything that's happened to her… She brought them upon herself."

My eyes stung with unshed tears.

Caroline was born to the emperor's most beloved consort, and the emperor adored her.

Out of all the princes and princesses, she had the finest silks, the rarest pearls, the best of everything. He spoiled her into arrogance.

Caroline hated me, so naturally, the emperor turned cold toward me too.

Time and again, just to please her, he would humiliate and punish me.

After marrying Sheldon, my life only worsened with endless torment and nights of pain. I had often thought of ending it all, but every time, my mer-children would find it and report me to Sheldon.

What followed was more suffering and deeper despair.

The centuries of life granted to me as a merfolk bride felt less like a blessing and more like an unrelenting curse.

It was not until I married Reginald that I realized I, too, was someone worthy of being loved.

He stood by me, defended me, and treated me like I was the most precious pearl in the sea.

How foolish Caroline was to believe that Reginald was not good enough, and even more foolish to look at my happiness and feel jealous.

That night, Reginald held me in his arms.

Wrapped in his warmth, I asked suddenly, "That love manual of yours… How's the studying going?"

His ears instantly flushed a deep crimson.

"All those… Hundreds of positions… I've learned them all," he stammered.

I once woke up in the middle of the night to find him quietly studying the illustrated manuals in secret. His face beet-red, hands trembling, eyes focused with utmost seriousness.

It was so endearing that I could not help but tease him once in a while.

I gently brushed his scales and whispered, "Honey… I want to try."

I wanted to shed the nightmares of my past.

"Okay."

His voice was soft, trembling with excitement.

With care, he undressed me, his fingertips reverent, his gaze full of love.

When he saw my body, the flush spread down to his neck, but he did not disappoint.

Reginald had memorized it all. His movements were awkward, unpracticed, and it took some time for us to find our rhythm.

The shadows in my heart slowly faded. His tenderness never once sparked revulsion in me.

Instead, it made me begin to enjoy this feeling.