If I Throw Myself into His Sea - Episode 1.19

In truth, she hadn’t expected Pereian to properly remember her words. Wasn’t it obvious from the way she’d been treated since day one?

He was a lord who had never once visited the Coral Palace.

Irene had initially felt a sense of disconnect from the kind boy he once was, but now she was almost more accustomed to this indifference.

To live as if dead. To live in his sea, in this strange world where his traces were everywhere, without expecting his love.

Pereian, remembering what she herself had said and conveying it to another.

It was for this reason that the news Sipri brought was precious and overwhelming.

Sipri, who had been rubbing her leg where Atina had kicked her, shook a pouch in front of Irene’s dazed eyes.

Judging by the clinking sound, it seemed to contain glass or metal.

“He told me to send this to that person.”

She dropped the pouch onto the table with a thud, and small glass bottles could be seen through the opening. There were exactly four of them.

“To whom?”

“His Highness’s first love.”

Irene, who had paused for a moment, recited with a faint smile.

“First love is it.”

Now, Irene repeated the words “first love” in a voice that had become locked again.

“Actually, his first love isn’t on land.”

“Pardon?”

“An unexpected story,” Sipri retorted, as if surprised. Irene’s first love resided in this sea, in the Deep Sea Palace, so in a way, it was a correct expression.

“Shamefully, I don’t have many acquaintances from the mainland.”

“It seems your father was selective about your friends.”

“That’s…”

“I understand. With such beauty, any father would naturally be anxious.”

Sipri spoke as if testing her, knowing about Irene’s scar and the magic cast upon her. Even though he was already aware that she didn’t have a doting father, he had to do this to find clues about the silence spell. Receiving Atina’s fierce glare, who knew the inside story, Sipri cleared his throat.

“Yes, that’s right. There was such a story.”

“Is that so?”

“Since I only have one friend of my age on land, after all.”

Irene smiled, raising the corners of her lips. Even though she was in a position where she had to deceive the people of the underwater kingdom, actively uttering lies was always a burdensome task.

The smile she put on to avoid being caught couldn’t reach beyond her lips. Her eyes wouldn’t crinkle into crescents as she wished, so she lowered her head, pretending to smile, and hid her still anxious gaze.

‘Pull yourself together. If you’re caught, you’ll die.’

She had to fabricate. She mustn’t be caught. At least in the underwater kingdom, she had to maintain her noble status from the land, cultivating it without allowing anything to be criticized.

If she didn’t, Irene would die.

It was a warning she had received from her father even before being thrown into the underwater kingdom. Her father, who had taken Irene out of the basement in a wretched state, ordered her to be adorned and whispered to Irene.

“Even there, your life belongs to the land. If you open your mouth carelessly.”

It was a clear killing intent. A sensation she had felt several times before when facing her royal father. So, she mustn’t be discovered.

She had to survive, undetected, parasitizing on this lie her royal father had inflicted. Only then could she see Pereian a little more.

That child who was once warmer than anyone else, his happiness, the world he ruled, she would be able to capture it in her eyes. For that, she was confident she could churn out lies until her breath wore out and her soul disappeared. Irene was like that.

Fortunately, Sipri changed the subject without saying anything else.

“Oh, is this friend a man?”

“Yes. He’s just like family.”

Irene, who tried hard to hide her trembling voice, answered nonchalantly. It was relatively easy to finish the sentence because it wasn’t a lie that she had one friend.

“Ah, so this is…”

Sipri took out a glass bottle from his pocket and opened the lid. The trapped air escaped with a cheerful sound. Sipri put his finger into the glass bottle and took out a thin bundle of paper.

“This is my bribe to Your Highness.”

He unfolded the rolled-up paper with magic and took out a pen from who knows where. Looking at Irene, who seemed not to have grasped the situation yet, Sipri explained how to use the glass bottle and the paper inside.

“I’ve cast a spell on it. You could call it a glass bottle postman.”

“Then…”

“Tell her to write a letter to the friend she said was on land.”

Irene picked up the pen. It wasn’t of her own volition; Sipri had simply inserted the pen he was holding between her fingers.

“Um, can only that friend see the contents?”

“…There’s no such function.”

Even as he said that, Sipri diligently entered a magic formula. A kind of barrier was created, accompanied by the sound of chains. Sipri smiled, looking pleased. He tapped the glass bottle with his finger.

“Now, all that’s left is to put it in the glass bottle and send it. No one but Your Highness and your friend will be able to read the letter.”

“You seem to be very good at magic.”

“Yes, I suppose so. That letter, it’s visible to anyone before it’s put in the glass bottle. Hurry up and write it and put it in.”

His tone was consistently worried. Watching Irene move the pen busily, as if relieved, Sipri added,

“I’m going out to sea to subjugate sea monsters for a few days. I won’t be able to keep you company for a while, so I hope that will alleviate your boredom.”

A woman who seemed to want nothing. A woman with an indifferent face, and sometimes one who brazenly lied. She was clearly hiding her true feelings, but when he faced her, a transparent heart shone through, and Sipri continued to pay attention to her.

“Just put the letter in the glass bottle and float it on the waves.”

A transportation magic that delivers letters to the recipient. Originally used to manage spies, Sipri modified the magic, thinking there was nothing better to soothe the seemingly lonely queen.

“Confidentiality guaranteed. I’ll manage it well so it doesn’t get swept away elsewhere.”

“That’s a relief. He happens to live in a port city.”

Does that person you speak of, that friend, know your secret? Of course, he would. Unlike us, who rarely hear news of Epin, he must have been watching the queen all along.

A feeling of envy arose within me. Annoyed even by that, Sipri left the room. It was almost time for him to head to the assigned sea trench.

‘Should I intercept the queen’s letter? I, as the caster, should be able to break through the barrier. If so, the queen’s secret too. ‘

Useless thoughts kept intruding, and Sipri quickened his pace. He could peek, but he shouldn’t. This was a matter of amusement.

He had to slowly narrow the distance with the queen. Get as close as that friend, and someday uncover the secret and find out what Epin was trying to hide. To enjoy the interest derived from the process and the result, Sipri licked his lips and retreated.

It was then, as Irene, who seemed accustomed to Sipri’s childish magic, picked up her pen and began to write what she wanted to say to her friend on the mainland, Rupel, the son of her nanny, that a chilling energy rushed in as if she had been waiting for Sipri to leave.

“You seem to have grown close to Sipri in the meantime, you.”

A wary voice, completely different from Sipri’s cozy voice, echoed. At the suddenly heard, longed-for voice, Irene dropped the pen she was holding.

Support If I Throw Myself into His Sea