Transmigrated Into a Scummy Alpha Who Stole the Male Lead's Mermaid Fiancée - Chapter 68

Shasha had given Yu Ke enough hints. That evening, Yu Ke once again sought out King Peter, demanding an investigation into the whereabouts of Princess Lan Xing. This time, King Peter dropped all pretense and led Yu Ke to the Information Department of Panda Planet.

“I also want to know Lan Xing’s whereabouts, but the truth is… she vanished completely from the interstellar space with that crystal,” King Peter sighed, showing Yu Ke the travel records of Lan Xing over the past six months.

The true princess of Panda Planet had taken the rare crystal and piloted a spacecraft alone through the stars. She had visited the Persian Empire via Interstellar Route 66 and had even been to Datianxi!

Upon closer inspection, Yu Ke realized that the princess’s arrival at Datianxi coincided almost exactly with their own! This meant that at some point in the past, Lan Xing had been nearby!

What was she doing at the time?!

Was she monitoring the Princess ship?!

A chilling sensation crept over Yu Ke. Following Lan Xing’s route further, she noticed that the princess had disappeared near the Lingjiu System?! Since then, the locator had transmitted no further positional data.

“What was she doing in the Lingjiu System? Why did she go to Datianxi?!” Yu Ke asked King Peter. “Did she have any special mission?”

King Peter shook his head slowly, half-closing his eyes. “I never assigned her any mission. Escaping the marriage was her own idea. After she took the crystal, she never contacted us again. On Panda Planet, she has been listed as a traitor. For the past two years, our assassins have been tracking her… until two months ago, when her coordinates vanished.”

“Do you have any leads on this?” Yu Ke asked.

“I assumed she was dead,” Peter said meaningfully, pausing before adding, “If you ever find Lan Xing, tell her not to return.”

Yu Ke swallowed hard. “After all, Lan Xing is your daughter.”

“Panda Planet’s standing in the interstellar community relies on the superiority of our race. The mermaids are loyal to each other and never betray, ensuring the excellence of our kind. Lan Xing’s betrayal is a serious matter. For at least the next few centuries, her actions will not be forgiven.”

Yu Ke frowned deeply, her voice low and serious. “But what if… I’m asking about Xing’er?”

King Peter looked bewildered. Yu Ke took a step forward, her expression grave, and spoke softly, “My Xing’er, the one who replaced Princess Lan Xing in going to the Ferrari Kingdom, is a cloned mermaid created by Isabelle. She is beautiful, kind, and the most adorable being I have ever seen.”

King Peter stared at Yu Ke strangely. “What… happened to her?”

Yu Ke lowered her eyelids, then looked at King Peter again. That complex, cold glint in her eyes sent a chill down his spine. He heard her whisper, “Xing’er needs Lan Xing’s life to be saved.”

King Peter froze, his robust body trembling slightly. His amber eyes widened, pupils contracting violently, lips quivering as he uttered in disbelief, “What did you say?”

Yu Ke gave a light laugh, her gaze fixed on King Peter with profound meaning.

In that moment, King Peter knew he had been deceived.

If he had known Yu Ke’s true purpose in seeking Lan Xing, he would never have given her any clues about Lan Xing!

He felt furious and utterly incredulous. “You want to take Lan Xing’s life to save a clone?! That’s absurd!”

“How is it absurd? Isn’t Xing’er’s life a life too?” Yu Ke’s gaze was as cold as ice.

“Absurd! This is simply unheard of! Don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen in love with a clone?! Knowing full well she’s a clone, how could you possibly love her?!” King Peter suddenly let out a laugh and said, “In that case, you’re bound to fall in love with the real Lan Xing, because the one you love is merely her shadow.”

Yu Ke replied, “I love Xing’er, not Princess Lan Xing.”

“That’s because you’ve never met Lan Xing. Once you see her, you’ll understand. By then, you won’t even think of sacrificing Lan Xing’s life to save a clone, you won’t be able to bring yourself to do it!”

Yu Ke had nothing to say.

She had been searching for Lan Xing all this time, but if she truly found her, could she really harden her heart and use Lan Xing’s life to save Xing’er?

How was what she was doing any different from those who killed clones to save the original? How was it different from the Ivan family she had encountered at Datianxi?

If Li Jian’an were here, he would surely slap her hard across the face. But Yu Ke was at the end of her rope, to save Xing’er, she was willing to try anything.

“You won’t harm Lan Xing,” King Peter said, his expression grave as he looked at Yu Ke. He sighed and continued, “If you meet Lan Xing, you’ll fall in love with her at first sight, hopelessly and irrevocably. From the very beginning, you were destined to love her. That’s why you were drawn to her clone, because the clone is merely an imitation of Lan Xing. Once you meet the original, you won’t be infatuated with the imitation anymore.”

King Peter’s words infuriated Yu Ke. She clenched her fist and slammed it onto the table, shattering the shell plates and pearl ornaments on its surface. The action startled King Peter, and he fell silent.

Yu Ke spat out, “Xing’er is not an imitation of anyone.”

“You’re too stubborn,” King Peter said. “Your stubbornness is terrifying. In my opinion, you will soon come to regret your actions.”

Yu Ke sneered, her shoulders trembling slightly.

“I guarantee that once you find Lan Xing, you will fall in love with her,” King Peter declared with unwavering confidence.

To Yu Ke, King Peter’s words were nothing but nonsense. She might waver after meeting Lan Xing in person and struggle over whether to sacrifice her life to save Xing’er, but Yu Ke would never fall in love with her.

This wasn’t some kind of foreshadowing,  for Yu Ke, if she failed to save Xing’er, she would live a lifetime of guilt and regret. How could she possibly develop feelings for someone else? To her, Xing’er and Lan Xing were two entirely different people. Even if they looked identical, it was akin to a pair of twins, they led completely separate lives and were, in every sense, distinct individuals.

After leaving Panda Planet, Yu Ke piloted her spacecraft back to the Lingjiu System. The round trip took three months, during which Xing’er remained in a deep slumber in Anna Su’s laboratory, never once waking up.