Chapter 53
Dante Maxim’s speeches are known for being aggressive. He always emphasized how terrible the merpeople who rule the sea are, and how humiliating it is for humans.Â
And at the end, he never failed to bring up the Ellikiss incident from 20 years ago. The more Anschel thought about it, the more chilling the man seemed. Anschel shuddered and trembled at the thought.
Dante Maxim had grown more cruel with age, becoming someone who would use any means necessary. Anschel was gradually learning about the dark and terrible behavior hidden behind his benevolent smile.
He showed ruthlessness that didn’t care about blood ties. Not only did he kill his own child, but he even used that fact without so much as blinking, which was appalling.
Could he really defeat such a monster? Moreover, the past 20 years had been marked by war. People already had a strong impression that merpeople were enemies to be defeated. Additionally, Anschel was too young and lacked recognition.
Dante Maxim appeared like an old man grieving the loss of his only son. And that image tugged at the heartstrings of most citizens. Even Anschel Lee had applauded the President’s speeches until now.
Moistening his throat from the tension, Anschel bit his fingernail firmly. He was frustrated that the speech content written on paper wouldn’t stick in his head. Unable to bear the constricting feeling in his throat, Anschel opened the container door.
Although it was a relatively modern military base with air conditioning inside, Anschel didn’t like the artificial cold air from the air conditioner and had turned it off. Naturally, the internal temperature was higher.
After stepping outside, Anschel unconsciously headed toward the mountain. Though the dark mountains were dangerous, Anschel wasn’t afraid. There was no one who could threaten him in this rural village unless it was someone skilled coming down to assassinate him.
And Ender or Harriet certainly wouldn’t attack him. He hurried his steps, illuminating the path ahead with a flashlight. The mountain trail, where his feet sank deep with each step, felt unusually long and difficult today. Beads of sweat formed on Anschel’s forehead.
Splash!
A water sound was heard. As if discovering Anschel’s flashlight, someone jumped out from the lake he was approaching. The lake with life was like a beautiful small sea.
Since he began staying there, the lake had been teeming with life and vitality. Anschel let out a gasp of awe as he looked at the life that had settled inside the lake.
Just because that merman lived there, the once still and stagnant lake had now become a habitat for many organisms.
“Mr. Toolie?”
The one who approached Anschel was a man with blue hair and mysterious blue eyes. If there were gods, they would have crafted merpeople beautifully, and this man seemed like the most meticulously created being among them.
Admiration flowed naturally just by looking at him. Prince Ann of the Northern Sea smiled elegantly and stroked Anschel’s bangs.
“Your hair is disheveled today.”
“I didn’t use wax.”
Anschel cleared his throat as he shook his head to avoid Ann’s touch. Ann folded his beautiful eyes and smiled prettily. He seemed to have just transformed from merman to human, as he wasn’t wearing anything, and unintentionally, Anschel saw his naked body. And the genitalia between Ann’s legs was remarkably large.
‘Damn it.’
Feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, Anschel took off his outer garment and tied it around Ann’s lower body.
“…Please cover yourself in front.”
“Are you embarrassed? But I think you should be the one wearing this.”
Ann slightly lowered his head to look into Anschel’s eyes and smiled seductively. His red lips shimmered ominously under the dark night sky.
Anschel swallowed a groan and accepted the clothing. Ann then turned around and splashed into the lakeside. After a moment passed, Ann emerged from the water’s surface as a perfect merman.
Anschel cleared his throat again, rolled up his pant legs, and sat next to Ann, dipping his feet into the lakeside. Ann smiled and gently stroked the top of Anschel’s foot.
“Stop that, it’s sexual harassment.”
“Oh… Mr. Toolie, this wasn’t meant sexually.”
“If the recipient feels sexual humiliation, it’s harassment.”
Ann grinned widely and hid his face by propping his arm next to Anschel. His merman tail hit the water surface with a splashing sound. As Anschel hesitated for a moment, Ann opened his red lips first.
“Why did you come all the way here in the middle of the night?”
“…I couldn’t sleep.”
“Why is that?”
“…There’s a presidential speech tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
Ann let out a small exclamation, trying to comfort Anschel who had an unhappy expression, though he didn’t quite understand what it was about.
‘His reactions are top-notch.’
Anschel burst into laughter. Ann’s eyes softened gently as he looked at his face.
“Tomorrow… I’m going to meet the person who might have killed my parents. I’ll be confronting them. But I’m a coward… I’m terrified of that person to the point of madness. I’ll probably just stand there like an idiot, stammering. I feel so pathetic I want to die.”
“Oh, no. Don’t die, Anschel.”
Anschel was sighing but suddenly stopped. Ann’s face remained composed, but Anschel couldn’t maintain his composure. He blushed as if he had been toyed with by a rogue.
“…Why are you using my name?”
“You will do well.”
“……”
Ann went down into the lake and then emerged again. Anschel’s eyes were filled with Ann’s beautiful face, dripping with water.
His blue eyes shimmered gloriously and beautifully. Under the moonlight, Ann’s hair spread out like a painting. Soon, feeling something soft touching his lips, Anschel slowly closed his eyes.
“Everything will be fine.”
Ann’s voice echoed in his ear.
* * *
Harriet smiled at the dazed Anschel.
Anschel was in a daze but also fidgeting, whimpering like a puppy who needed to relieve itself. While watching this scene, Harriet slowly buttoned his cuffs. The perfectly ironed shirt without a single wrinkle was clean white like Harriet’s skin.
Anschel unconsciously stared at Harriet’s straight back, thinking he was a person so faint he might disappear without it being strange.
Harriet finished buttoning his cuffs and tied a black necktie, and that series of movements flowed so naturally it looked like a masterpiece painting. Harriet let out a small sigh and put on black dress pants and a black vest. When he wore a black jacket over it, it created a plausible appearance.
Anschel noticed that the same suit he was wearing looked strangely different on Harriet. If Anschel looked like an office worker, Harriet resembled the young master of some wealthy family.
Seeing Anschel who was tense, then relaxed, then dazed, all by himself, Harriet smiled again slightly and turned his back. Harriet, who looked very good in the black suit, was already prepared.
“Are you ready for the speech?”
“I’m not sure… It’s all formalities. I’m nervous, but…”
Suddenly, the scene at the lake came to mind. The beautiful moon in the sky was densely packed with stars. It was a clean and sparkling night sky that couldn’t be seen in the city at all.
And the merman beneath it was more beautiful than anyone. The face that quietly emerged from the lake, held Anschel’s thigh, and kissed him was as dreamlike as a painting.
Why did Ann’s face have to come to mind at a time like this?
This time, Harriet sat leaning on the sofa, holding a cane with a red jewel, and watched Anschel’s completely reddened face. Harriet’s straight legs were longer than Anschel’s.
Anschel took out a paper from his pants pocket and began memorizing the speech. The densely packed letters reflected Anschel’s personality perfectly.
He stubbornly maintained a 2:8 hairstyle, and whenever Harriet saw that hairstyle, he smiled bitterly. Even to Harriet, it looked a bit unsophisticated.
Anschel wore thick glasses and muttered the speech several times before exhaling. His tense back repeatedly swelled and deflated. Unlike Dante Maxim, who had given speeches multiple times through local broadcasts, this was Anschel’s first speech.
It was different from the low-grade provocation he had done in the previous interview. The speech taking place in the central part of the capital was attended by numerous members of parliament, committee chairs, and the other candidate, Dante Maxim.
“Car sound.”
Harriet raised his head.
It seemed Ender McGuire had arrived. Ender had to visit his family home from early dawn. Harriet applied sticky gel to his palm and slowly swept his hair up. Harriet’s hair, which had been limp and drooping, was now fixed upright.
Soon the door flung open, and Ender, wearing a suit as easy to move in as Harriet’s, appeared. He stared blankly at Harriet with sparkling red eyes.
Harriet with his hair swept back with wax and gel was a sight even Anschel was seeing for the first time. Angela and Ryan would probably feel the same, so Anschel understood Ender’s reaction.
Ender stared blankly at Harriet like someone whose soul had left their body, then covered his mouth with his hand and turned his head. And like a protagonist from a movie or a cheesy cartoon, his face turned red.
Watching Ender’s face gradually redden, Anschel clicked his tongue as if feeling sorry for him. It’s not like he was any better at keeping his composure.
“How far should we spread the barrier?”
Anschel asked gently while driving, without looking back. Ender, sitting leisurely in the back seat with his hand on Harriet’s shoulder, now openly stared only at Harriet’s appearance and opened his mouth.
“Complete.”
“……”
You know that’s difficult, right?
Anschel swallowed his curses internally and turned the steering wheel. The protagonist giving a speech as a presidential candidate was himself, so why was he driving now? Why were those two damn people sitting leisurely in the back seat?
From exiting the highway until arriving at the capital, Ender couldn’t get his mind straight. Even when Anschel asked a few questions, he answered halfheartedly.
Ender’s red eyes endlessly followed Harriet, as if the sight of Harriet with his white hair swept up was that fascinating. Anschel prayed internally.
‘Please just don’t get an erection. This is a live broadcast.’
And perhaps Anschel already knew that prayer would soon be shattered.
* * *
“Why must we lose family to the sea?!!! We cannot just suck our thumbs in fear about the last northern sea. We must promise our children a free sea in the future. I, Dante Maxim, will step down from everything after this final election!”
As they entered, Dante Maxim’s speech was just ending. Reporters were stretched endlessly, and broadcast cameras kept rolling.
Anschel panted and trembled with tension. The enemy who killed his parents was shamelessly standing in front of him, even clenching both fists.
At that moment, Dante Maxim’s eyes discovered Anschel and himself. And then, spotting Harriet limping along behind, his eyes widened during the speech. But soon he smiled very benevolently.
When Anschel appeared, some reporters excitedly gathered around him. No, most of them gathered around Ender, to be precise.
While the first floor of the speech hall was packed with people, there wasn’t a single soul on the second floor. This was because for this speech, sitting as close as possible was advantageous. That way, one could get more interviews.
Harriet smiled slightly as he looked at the empty second floor.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
