The Abused Novel Heroine Became a Clingy Sweetheart [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 39.1

You Ting reached out and caught the little mermaid, frowning. “What’s wrong with you?”

Arturdo shook her head, her voice weak. “I don’t know, I feel so uncomfortable.”

She pulled piteously at You Ting’s sleeve, like a piece of duckweed in the ocean, desperately clinging to the only thing she could touch.

“I’m taking you back.”

You Ting made a split-second decision, carrying the little mermaid back to the carriage and ordering the driver to return to the temporary palace. She instructed Claude to find a physician while she stayed behind to look after the girl. By the time they reached the palace, the mermaid’s condition had worsened, and she had fallen into a deep unconsciousness.

Arturdo lay on the bed, her breath faint. She closed her eyes as if in a deep sleep, but her once vibrant and healthy face was now as pale as paper. It was a heartbreaking sight. You Ting reached out and gently brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Seeing the situation deteriorate, she narrowed her long eyes and asked sharply, “Why hasn’t the physician arrived yet?”

The sound of hurried footsteps came from outside. Claude strode in. “Your Highness, the physician is here!”

You Ting immediately stood up to make room for the physician to examine her. After a moment, the physician withdrew his hand, shaking his head with a frown. “Your Highness, this lady’s symptoms are truly strange. I am afraid I am powerless.”

You Ting’s heart sank. “What do you mean?”

The physician looked apprehensively at the murderous-looking Claude, then at the cold-faced You Ting. “This… in all my years of practice, I have never encountered such a strange patient. All of her vital signs are dropping, but perhaps it is my own incompetence I cannot find the cause.”

From every outward appearance, Arturdo was a perfectly healthy person. Yet her breath was indeed weakening, and she could stop breathing at any moment. Such symptoms were unrecorded in medical texts and unheard of in the physician’s career.

Claude stepped forward with his sword drawn. “What nonsense! Are you trying to fool Her Highness? How can such a strange thing exist in this world!”

The physician trembled with fear, begging for mercy. You Ting raised her hand, stopping Claude’s movement. “Enough. Everyone, leave us.”

Claude hesitated for a long time before finally dragging the physician out of the room. Once everyone had left, only You Ting and Arturdo remained, and the room suddenly became hollow and quiet.

The subordinates who followed You Ting to the Kingdom of Billy were all highly capable people. You Ting trusted the physician’s skill. Since it was a case he had never seen, she rested her chin on her hand and wondered if it had nothing to do with human power at all. Only You Ting and Ugris knew Arturdo was a mermaid. If Ugris hadn’t made a move, there was only one possibility something was wrong with the mermaid herself.

You Ting looked at Arturdo’s pale face and carefully recalled if the original plot mentioned anything similar. It seemed that after the mermaid was imprisoned by Ugris, her health indeed grew worse and worse. As she was thinking, the person on the bed suddenly let out a light cough. You Ting looked up and quickly leaned down to check.

Arturdo had woken up. Perhaps not yet understanding the situation, her azure eyes were filled with lingering confusion. Meeting You Ting’s gaze, she murmured dizzily, “Stili?”

“I’m here,” You Ting said. She reached out to feel the mermaid’s forehead. Strangely, the temperature that had been icy cold earlier had now returned to normal. Arturdo’s complexion was also visibly regaining its rosiness.

You Ting asked, “Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

Arturdo shook her head in confusion. “No. Why do you look so nervous?”

Instead of answering, You Ting asked, “Do you remember what happened before?”

“I remember we went to the ball together… Ugris invited you, but you refused. Hahaha, his nose was almost crooked with anger!” Arturdo reminisced with relish. “Later, you took me to dance. I danced so well! Of course, Stili was great too!”

You Ting asked, “And after that?”

“After that…” Arturdo rubbed her head, saying uncertainly, “I think I fainted?”

“That’s right,” You Ting looked at her with a serious expression. “After you left the ballroom, you suddenly became very weak and fainted. I called a physician to treat you, but he couldn’t find any problem. On the contrary, after you woke up just now, you slowly returned to normal. Arturdo, do you know what’s going on?”

Arturdo listened in silence. After a long while, she spoke in an unreadable tone, “It’s probably because… I need to return to the deep sea.”

You Ting was stunned. “What?”

The little mermaid explained that for this trip to the continent, she had made a deal with the Sea Witch using her Mer-Pearl. Every mermaid, from the moment they are born, nurtures a pearl within their body. The mermaid race calls it the Mer-Pearl. It helps them condense magic and sustains their life. Losing it causes immense damage. In her deal with the witch, she had only agreed to exchange the pearl for a temporary period. Now, the time was up; she had to leave the land and return to the depths.

After hearing the explanation, Yu Ting asked slowly, “If you don’t return to the sea and get the pearl back, will these symptoms become more severe each time until… death?”

“I don’t know. I’m the first mermaid to ever trade her pearl with the Sea Witch,” Arturdo shook her head honestly, even sounding a bit proud. She tilted her head and whispered, “But I guess it would be like that.”

Seeing You Ting remain silent, the mermaid suddenly reached out from under the covers and cautiously placed her hand over the back of You Ting’s. “Stili,” a sweet smile blossomed on her lips, “are you worried about me?”

You Ting let out a scoffing laugh and turned away. “Not at all.”

Arturdo wrinkled her nose. “Stili is a liar.”

You Ting said, “I told you, I never lie.”

The mermaid gave a light hum. She didn’t believe it for a second. When she woke up, those emerald green eyes were clearly filled with tension and worry. A hint of sweetness rose in her heart. She was just… very happy. Happier than riding a horse for three laps!

But then, the mermaid’s mood suddenly plummeted. She had to go back to the deep sea soon. Once she returned, her father would surely be furious and would never let her leave easily again. Did that mean she would never see Stili again? Just the thought of it made Arturdo’s heart ache.

When You Ting turned back to look, she saw the mermaid’s eyes were red, with crystalline tears swirling inside. She looked pitiful. You Ting asked urgently, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?”

Arturdo shook her head and sobbed, “I have to go back to the mermaid race, but… but I don’t want to leave Stili.” Her voice was tearful, thin and soft, like a fledgling’s tail feather brushing against You Ting’s heart a slight itch.

You Ting’s expression softened, and she reached out to gently wipe away the mermaid’s tears. “Why are you crying?” She smiled. “Do you really miss me that much?”

Arturdo gave a forceful “Mm-hm!” and gestured with both hands in front of her. “I have this much, so much reluctance to leave.”

You Ting went silent for a moment, letting out a faint sigh. “Silly fish.” She suddenly lifted Arturdo’s chin with her hand, looking into her eyes with a deep gaze. “Why don’t you want to leave me?”

Arturdo had seen those green eyes many times. But now, something seemed different. The darkening green formed a bottomless abyss, forcing her soul to sink into it. She mumbled, not knowing what to say.

You Ting pressed again, “Why?”

The mermaid was usually slow-witted, but at this moment, she suddenly sensed a hint of danger. Her heartbeat was as rapid as a drum, as if something was about to break through the soil. She unconsciously clenched her fingers and tried to look away, but was held firmly by the other’s gaze.

Why? Arturdo’s thoughts followed You Ting’s question. Why was she so sad about leaving Stili? Her father told her to save her important memories for happy things. When she found out Ugris was just using her, she was only sad for a brief moment before putting him out of her mind. But Stili was different. Just imagining it made her heart feel like it was being squeezed by an invisible giant hand, a pain bordering on breaking.

The deep sea didn’t have Stili. Her future days would be without Stili’s presence. Scenes from the past suddenly flooded her mind: riding a horse together under the blue sky; Stili smiling and buying her snacks and trinkets in the streets; Stili sitting on the wall comforting her; and Stili choosing her firmly at that magnificent ball.

Arturdo thought seriously for the first time. She had never felt such a strong sense of attachment to anyone. So, why?

The tear hanging at the corner of her eye was wiped away by a thumb. She heard You Ting’s voice fall beside her ear. “Tomorrow, I will take you back to the deep sea.” It sounded like an imperceptible sigh.

After saying this, You Ting stood up and left the room, leaving the stunned mermaid behind. The door blocked out the noise from outside, and the room became quiet, suddenly feeling a bit cold. She hugged her knees again, resting her head on her arms, staring blankly at the door, wondering about something.

“Your Highness,” Claude whispered, peeking at Yu Ting’s expression, “how is Miss Arturdo?”

You Ting looked down. “She’s fine, much better. Pack the luggage,” she suddenly smiled. “Tomorrow, it’s time for us to head back, too.”

Claude sensitively caught the keyword. “Too?” Was someone else leaving? But he didn’t dare ask. Although Her Highness was smiling, he felt her mood was not good. A qualified subordinate should know when to speak and when to keep quiet. “Yes, Your Highness. By the way, Prince Ugris is here to see you again.”

You Ting looked up, her beautiful features etched with a touch of coldness. She was tired of the pretense with Ugris and said directly, “Tell him to get lost. It seems the current situation isn’t enough to make this Crown Prince feel overwhelmed.” She ordered coldly, “Get those other princes moving. Don’t let them waste the good opportunity I gave them.”

Claude obeyed. He went out and first expressed You Ting’s refusal to see him. Seeing Ugris about to resort to pestering, he said with unconcealed impatience, “Prince, rather than focusing on our Princess, you might want to look elsewhere. I hear Prince Charles has reached the border.”

He left it at that, not saying more, and returned to the palace after a bow. Ugris’s pupils shrank. Claude’s words set off alarm bells in his head. If the other princes were just useless trash to him, Charles was the only one he held in high regard. The border… wasn’t that where he had just come from? What was Charles doing there? Did he have a way to deal with Hatulu? Was he trying to step over Ugris to rise? In an instant, Ugris imagined countless possibilities, all of them unfavorable. Finally, he could only look unwillingly at the closed palace doors and galloped away.

Claude returned to report. “Your Highness, Ugris has left.” He guessed the Prince would be busy and have a headache for quite some time.

You Ting nodded. “Good. We leave tomorrow morning.” To avoid complications who knew what crazy things Ugris might do to keep the mermaid leaving early was the only way to be at ease.

Claude hesitated before asking the question in his heart, “Your Highness, do you not plan to go through with the political marriage?”

You Ting smiled but didn’t speak. Her silence was answer enough. “Without the marriage,” Claude worried, “will the King blame you? And the ministers and people of the Kingdom of Montcher?”

You Ting slowly curled her red lips, her green eyes flashing with a confident light. “Claude, I am the only bloodline of the Montcher royal family. I don’t need to rely on anyone to inherit this country.” Claude vaguely understood, his expression showing a slight shock. A moment later, he knelt on one knee before You  Ting in a standard knight’s salute. “No matter what, I am willing to follow Your Highness.”

You Ting raised her hand to help him up, smiling slightly. “Thank you.”

The sky had just begun to glow with a hazy light when You Ting opened her eyes. The room was still dim. She looked straight at the bed canopy. “Time to go,” You Ting said. Her voice faded into the silent air without a response. “I know you can hear me,” You Ting spoke again. “Arturdo, it’s time for us to leave.”

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