“Shall I go for a walk in the shopping area?”

The shopping area in Kapten Harbour had grown spectacularly over the years – so varied and lively that anyone would be drawn to it. Like a curious puppy on a walk, Regina’s footsteps soon came to a halt.

“Ha ha ha. My dear wife really loves the sea!”

“Pfft. Just looking at her makes me feel like my chest is clearing up! Maybe the child we’ll have in the future will grow up to be a brave naval officer!”

“What a clever little thing you are. Saying sweet things like that should be a crime, you know?”

It was Dan McCallum, walking and chatting with his wife.

What was so delightful about lingering in the territory of a woman who had once rejected him? It wasn’t like he was doing it to flaunt it in front of anyone.

But if that was the intention, it was effective.

Grey wasn’t at her side, and Regina was alone as usual – so used to it that it felt like second nature.

She didn’t want anyone to see that ugly, humiliating feeling of defeat on her face again.

With her tail tucked between her legs, Regina returned to the carriage, but couldn’t decide on her next destination.

The coachman and the knights, exposed to the blazing sun at the dock because of her indecision, looked exhausted. Pitying them, she was about to order them back to the manor when something in the distance caught her eye.

Fishermen, their skin darkened by the sun, were spreading out their nets to dry.

And with that, a memory buried deep within her leapt out like a surprise from a jack-in-the-box.

“How long would it take to get to the fishing port from here?”

“You mean where the cruise dock is being built?”

asked one of the escorting knights.

“Yes.”

“It should only take a quarter of an hour by carriage.”

He seemed quite familiar with the area.

“Would it be dangerous to go there?”

“Well… there’s no place in this world that’s really safe, but there shouldn’t be any incidents like last time. There are a lot of workers around because of the dock construction, and we’ll be escorting you closely as well.”

If the knight said so, she could trust him.

Regina stared at his face absentmindedly – and then widened her eyes.

“Wait, were you the one who came to help me last time? After my mother…”

“Yes, that was me.”

He was the one who asked Regina if she was all right, instead of Barbara – who had been herding the fishermen like game.

“I would like to know your name.”

“Kiers Bronan, my lady.”

“Sir Kiers. Thank you for this day.”

“I only did my duty.”

He was a rare sight among the knights – long black hair down to his waist, a tall frame and classically handsome, chiseled features.

Unlike most of the others, who gave the impression of being battle-hardened warriors, Kiers looked like someone who would be quite popular.

The fact that he had remained in her memory, even in the midst of the chaos, said a lot – his looks were certainly striking.

“The Captain – no, the Madam – has given us special instructions. To look after you well, Lady Regina.”

“My mother-in-law?”

The unexpected words touched Regina.

“She is such a kind person. I’m very lucky to be part of her family.”

Kiers smiled softly, revealing even white teeth.

In the way his eyes narrowed with joy, Regina could see admiration and respect for Barbara.

The journey to the fishing port of Dalsuro was short, but long enough for her to strike up a conversation with Kiers, who was escorting the carriage.

“Have you been to Dalsuro Harbour before?”

“I lived there for a while, actually.”

“You lived there?”

“I’m originally from that region. It wasn’t called ‘Cabil Territory’ then, though.”

What an unexpected connection.

Regina’s ears perked up. She didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

“Tell me more about the harbour of Dalsuro.”

“It’s a very small fishing port. The water is relatively shallow and the coral reefs and rock formations mean that large ships can’t get in. Only a few fishing boats come and go, and when it’s closed for fishing, it’s mostly used for diving.

“Do a lot of fishermen come and go?”

“Not many.”

A small, quiet harbour.

Just as Grey had suspected, it would be the perfect place for smuggling.

‘He said big ships couldn’t get in, right?’

Then perhaps they were dealing in small, high-value goods.

Jewellery? Spices? Tobacco, chocolate, ostrich feathers?

She was in the middle of mentally listing the possibilities when –

“This may sound childish, but there’s an old folk tale that’s been passed down in Dalsuro.”

“What kind of folk tale?”

“It’s the legend of the mermaids. Have you heard of it?”

“I have, vaguely. But I don’t know the details.”

Before marrying into the family, Regina had studied the Cabil estate carefully.

She’d been curious about the mermaid legend and once asked Gry about it, but he’d cut her off without hesitation.

“It’s just a silly folk tale.”

So she hadn’t dared to ask more, afraid of looking foolish in his cold, beautiful eyes.

“I only heard it as a child, so I can’t say for sure… but it’s said that mermaids form colonies in the deep seas off Kapten. The waters there are unreachable by human ships, so even the most experienced fishermen rarely claim to have seen one.”

Kiers opened the bag of stories with practiced friendliness.

“Legend has it that once every thirty years, heavy rains fall on Kapten Harbour, flooding the entire fishing port of Dalsuro. On that moonless night, the mermaids come ashore through Dalsuro’s harbour gate.”

“They come ashore? For what reason?”

“Well, I’m not sure I should say…”

“It’s all right. Go on.”

With her permission, Kiers continued with a calm expression.

“For reproduction.”

“What?”

“Mating, that is.”

Thinking she hadn’t understood, Kiers kindly elaborated.

“It’s also colloquially known as mating. That is, a man and a woman having intercourse in order to have children…”

“Stop! I got it, loud and clear.”

“My apologies.”

It turned out that Kiers had a surprisingly strange side.

His calm demeanour and tutor-like voice made it all the more confusing.

“Mermaids are all female, so without human males they have no way to reproduce. Every thirty years they come ashore and use their enchanting voices to lure men to them. They form a bond – something like a marriage – and live together for about two years. In that time they are said to give birth to four or five children, effortlessly.”

“So many? How is that possible?”

“The word escapes me, but, well… they’re fish, aren’t they?”

He seemed to be suggesting that they reproduce like fish – by laying eggs.

Oddly enough, it was a fairly plausible explanation.

“Among the children of mermaids, the daughters are born mermaid, while the sons are born human. As their time on land is limited, they return to the sea within two years. And when they leave, they take only their daughters with them.”

“What about the husband and the sons?”

“They leave them on land. Even if they took them, they wouldn’t survive under water.”

“I see. But wouldn’t they miss them?”

“Who knows? There are many stories of men longing for the mermaids they left behind, but I’ve never heard of a mermaid returning.”

“That’s cold.”

As Regina found herself judging her, she also found herself envying the mermaids.

To love fiercely, however briefly – and then walk away without looking back.

That kind of woman was… enticing.

If only she could be like that – disappear like sea foam, leaving the man who didn’t love her behind forever.

“Sir Kiers. About the mermaid legend – do you think there’s any chance it could be real?”

“I… tend to believe it, yes.”

Regina had expected him to dismiss it as nothing more than an old, dusty tale.

But to her surprise, Kiers responded with a rather serious expression and offered a thoughtful explanation.

“There are quite a few elderly widowers among the local fishermen. Men with children, but no wives – which is strange, considering it’s usually the opposite.”

In fishing villages, it’s usually the husband who goes out to sea, while the wife stays behind to raise the children and run the household. It’s the women who clean the fish, take them to market and keep everything going. And yet, more often than not, it’s the husband who disappears – lost at sea, never to return.

“Before Kapten Port was renovated, it was like a tightly woven fishing net – everyone knew everything about each other, down to how many spoons they owned. But strangely, when I asked about the wives of those old widowers, no one had an answer. Maybe I was just too young then… and the adults avoided the truth.”

The fishermen of Dalsuro Harbour often laughed in deep, rumbling voices, their laughter carving fresh lines into faces already weathered by the sea.

They would joke – half in jest, half in truth – that they’d married mermaids.

Their wives, they’d say with a wry smile, were now back in the sea.

The words drifted like ripples on the water – impossible to tell if they were meant or not.

After hearing all this from Kiers, Regina fell into a deep thought.

‘Could it be… that the reason the fishermen want to restore Dalsuro Harbour has something to do with the mermaid legend? What a ridiculous idea.’

Just an old folk tale.

“I guess the mermaids must be disappointed that Dalsuro Harbour has been closed, huh?”

“Probably.”

Kiers replied in a light tone.

“Even horses in heat will break free to find a mate. I’m sure the mermaids will find a way. If they’re desperate to get ashore – nothing will stop them.”

“Such intense passion.”

“Ah, we’ve just arrived at Dalsuro Harbour.”