If I Throw Myself into His Sea - Episode 1.14

“It’s not that grand a view.”

“It’s Your Highness’s sea. That’s why it was pleasant to look at.”

At those words, Ian smiled faintly. Irene, catching that smile, laughed along, but she only realized belatedly that it was a sneer at Ian’s next reply.

“I know well how much land dwellers scorn this sea.”

“No, I…”

“So don’t flatter me, my dear, by discarding even your petty pride.”

Before the misunderstanding could be corrected, a new one was born. It was true that on land, the undersea dwellers were regarded as the civilization of those exiled from land and were thus neglected. Even the sea itself, which formed the foundation of the undersea kingdom, was such a thing to them. However, Irene had never harbored such thoughts, nor had she ever heard them.

Having grown up in a basement her entire life and having only stepped on land a few times, how could she be tainted by the ideologies of land dwellers? The words “pleasant to look at” were not flattery spoken while discarding petty pride, but a genuine sentiment spoken to lighten the mood with Ian, whose pride had been depleted. Though the sincerity did not seem to reach Ian, Irene continued to hover around him, trying to speak to him.

“Um, Ian.”

“……Who gave you permission to call me that so casually.”

The name slipped out by mistake, as Ian was still more familiar than Pereian. He didn’t miss a beat, his gaze sweeping over Irene with displeasure. His eyes seemed to ask, ‘How dare you address me so familiarly?’

“I’m sorry. It was a mistake.”

Even to the short apology, Ian made an effort not to reply. He simply continued walking with long strides, as if to shake Irene off, his displeasure still evident.

“Pereian, by any chance, have you ever encountered whales that understand speech?”

At those words, Pereian halted his long strides and stopped abruptly. He took two steps back, grabbed Irene by the shoulder, and asked,

“How would you know about that?”

Enduring the grip on her shoulder, Irene slowly parted her lips.

“Well, that is…”

Before she could even finish speaking, bubbles rose all around them. Simultaneously with Pereian’s still serious expression, the scene shifted in an instant.

A space unfolded before Irene’s eyes, similar in structure to the Coral Palace, yet seemingly its opposite in color and scent. Pereian was beside her. Whether he had used the Sea Lord’s magic to move them, bubbles clung to his hand.

“Where is this?”

Though Irene hadn’t fully grasped the structure of the undersea palace yet, she could vaguely tell who the owner of this room might be. It seemed to be Pereian’s room, but Irene asked in a low voice, her tone filled with doubt.

Pereian answered the question perfunctorily. His attitude was as usual, never once meeting her gaze properly.

“My dwelling.” The place where Pereian stays. Ian’s dwelling. Although it might not be the dwelling from when he spoke with Ian in his childhood, his heart pounded at the thought that the current Ian spent his daily life here. Irene, who hadn’t noticed her cheeks reddening, hid her face belatedly.

“Is there a problem?” Pereian, who had been silent for a while, perhaps finding Irene strange, turned his head to gauge her reaction. Upon seeing her flushed face, his expression hardened. That was brief. Leaving Irene standing alone, he perched on the study table and quietly brought up a topic.

“I saw a whale that understands human speech.”

“Yes.”

“That’s impossible.”

Feeling a surge of emotion from being constantly denied and treated as a liar, Irene bit her lip and asked back. “Why don’t you trust me like that?”

Ian, why are you so wary of me?

“They say you’re easily betrayed if you trust land dwellers.”

“You are the one who brought that land dweller into this sea.”

It was the truth.

Pereian had made a contract with the land kingdom to cover up his scandal, and after a trade for trade rights, he had obtained Irene. If he hadn’t sent the marriage proposal, there would have been no reason for Irene to be here. She would have spent her days as usual in the basement of Epin Royal Castle.

Pereian, who had called Irene here and pushed her away after she fell into an unfamiliar place, all by himself, kept repeating his doubts as if he didn’t consider it his fault.

“If you really can’t believe me, go to where the whale was and check.”

This time, she couldn’t back down. It wasn’t because she was angry at Ian’s treatment, but it stemmed from the injustice of being misunderstood like this by the one she loved. Even though she hadn’t properly figured out the way to where the whale was, because she had spoken first, just as she was worrying, Pereian blew a whistle.

With a clear sound, bubbles rose once more. As if something was being summoned within the bubbles, the young whale they had met in the clearing suddenly appeared.

She had already thought it was strange that it could understand human speech, but if Pereian could understand it and summon it so readily, it was definitely a more mystical being than an ordinary whale.

Before Irene could grasp the situation, he cocked his head arrogantly and spoke as if commanding. It seemed to be to judge the truth of Irene’s words.

“Come, approach…”

“Kkiiii!”

But before Pereian could finish speaking, the whale rushed towards Irene first. Just like a dog that hadn’t seen its owner for days burrowing into their embrace, the whale gently wagged its tail fin and rubbed its smooth head against Irene.

“We meet again, right?”

“Kkii!”

Forgetting that the one who had summoned it was not Irene, or perhaps not realizing it, the whale clung to Irene as if Pereian was not even in its sight.

“……”

Realizing he had judged too quickly, Pereian rapidly became quiet. Breaking through the awkward silence, Irene spoke to him in a detached voice.

“Pereian, I…”

“……”

“I don’t want to lie to you anymore.”

It was pure sincerity. From the time she hid her appearance and name as a child until she became his wife, Irene had not been truthful to him. So now, by his side, she wanted to live peacefully without deception or suspicion. Even if he didn’t love her, if only that could be achieved, she would have nothing more to wish for.

Though her voice trailed off with emotion, her intention seemed to have been conveyed well. Facing Irene’s sincerity, Pereian’s eyes wavered for a moment. After briefly looking back and forth between the whale and Irene, Pereian let out a sigh as if he had no choice.

“I don’t believe your words.”

With a face full of distrust, he added, “I don’t believe anyone. I can’t.”

A lonely expression. Though it was Irene who was denied, Pereian’s face seemed to bear the scars of past years. Still, as if he had clearly realized this was his own misjudgment, he recalled the summoned whale and murmured,

“Still, this one thing seems to be true.”

“I told you. I don’t want to lie to you.”

“Yes. And I hope you won’t, from now on.”

He glanced at Irene, who was tracing the empty space where the whale had been, as if regretting its absence, then turned his gaze away.

“You may leave now.”

She seemed satisfied that the misunderstanding had been resolved and stepped back without hesitation.

“Thanks to you, I got to meet that child again. Thank you, Pereian.”

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