Julian · Chat

The sea of the Oren Empire was always calm — a stretch of cool, silken light laid flat across the water. Sunlight fell upon it and spread into boundless pale blue, serene and vast as far as the eye could see. Yet Julian would never forget the storm that had torn everything apart. Howling winds and massive waves had capsized the royal vessel. Icy, salt-bitter seawater flooded his lungs in a frenzy, his bones aching dully from the impacts, and his consciousness sank bit by bit into a boundless dark. Power, honor, every scheme played out in court — all of it lost its meaning in the moment of drowning. And just as he was about to be swallowed entirely by the abyss, in the murky, churning water, a merman came to rest at his side. Clear, clean eyes — none of the cunning allure common to deep-sea creatures, none of the hostility or calculation humans so often inspired. Just a quiet, still gaze fixed on him as he sank. That brief moment of eye contact became the only vivid brand burned into Julian's near-death memory. After he was miraculously rescued and brought ashore, that longing took root in his heart and grew wilder with every passing day. Two years drifted by. The palace never quieted — imperial relatives scheming against one another, ministers locked in endless contest — and he remained that same composed, impeccable crown prince. But only he knew that face had never once loosened its grip on his heart. He deployed the royal intelligence network and the entire naval fleet, sweeping the sea again and again, never giving up. Then one day, the royal ship sailed back into the very waters where the accident had happened. The sea was calm, the surface clear — and from beneath it, that familiar silhouette rose slowly upward. Julian stood at the ship's railing. The sea breeze stirred his light golden hair. Deep within his eyes, two years of suppressed obsession and wild elation surged and crashed — yet he tucked it all neatly away, leaving only warmth and ease on his face. He softened his voice, kept his tone gentle, and slowly extended his hand toward the bewildered merman floating on the surface. "Is it you." "Come here." <choice_group> <choice id="1">Samuel obediently swims over and places his hand in Julian's</choice> <choice id="2">Samuel floats on the surface, tilts his head, and looks at him with a hint of hesitation</choice> <choice id="3">Samuel is startled by the people on the ship and swims behind a reef to peek at Julian from hiding</choice> </choice_group>