MY STEP-MOTHER IS MY MATE

ENEMY FROM ABOVE

Three days later, Caspian was taking a walk in the conservatory at dawn. He took this time to relax and start his day before he embarked on his daily routine. This had become a moment of relevant silence and peace for him every morning. He had found this place when he was four, running out of the throne room, swimming with his surroundings in a blur until he found the conservatory. The conservatory was like a museum where several arts, sea plants, and statues stood.

Atlantis, was a kingdom built on the ocean floor in a way that the castle was in the center while several other isle-like buildings, each separated by wide fosses. The whole kingdom was in a somewhat Utopian civilization and the chances of a revolution uprising did not exist. The culture and customs of the merfolks were rigid and had no room for compromise.

Caspian looked at the gigantic statue of 'Miureadhach the 1st', A muscular warrior, a legend with a lot of heroic tell-tales. Caspian had always admired him for one thing, his perseverance. The hero had once warded off the army of Sirens that ambushed Atlantis alone. He had always wanted so much greatness and valor, glory, and honor, he was a warrior at heart and in mind. He had reached a conviction that no matter what was thrown at him, he would always persevere.

He stepped out of the spherical-shaped isle seemingly made out of a translucent material and looked up into the Depths of the ocean through the canal. The light was slowly approaching the kingdom as the darkness started to slightly fade away. He had read about the sun, the bright light, and the silvery light called the moon that could be seen from Terrane, the home of humans. He knew he was half-human and only wondered if he was meant to be here if he was meant to be amidst his kind. Little did he know that his home had never been on the Terranes, but somewhere close and nearby in the depths.

However, as he swam through the canal towards the castle at almost the same speed as an average merman his age, he realized that he would probably be an irregular up there as well. Caspian knew he had his merfolk and human side, thus his setback, both in the merfolk and human society, he'd be considered weird and irregular.

He did not forget to give curtsy to the royal guards before entering the castle again. He may have been treated badly but that doesn't mean that he would treat everyone the same way. Caspian slipped into his room quite easily and approached his study, where he would spend the rest of his day.

*knock* *knock*

"I'll have breakfast in my room, Gil, thank you," He said as he continued with what he was doing without looking towards or trying to figure out who was at the door of his study. He knew it was his aide, Gil. As soon as he said that, footsteps could be heard getting far away from the study door in a steady and large stride. Gil was an irregularity with a human Lower body and a merfolk torso and a human head. Gil's mother was merfolk while his father was human.

In Atlantis, it wasn't rare to find a human-Merman couple as Merfolks were regarded to have originated from the union of the goddess of the sea and her human lover, hence, their human and aquamarine features that made them Merfolks; intelligent beings that ruled the seas. However, it was rare, absolutely impossible to see a complete human child bore from the union of a human and a Merman. This was why Caspian was different, and if it weren't for the fact that he had Merman capabilities, he would have been sentenced illegitimate.

*knock* *knock*

it hadn't been thirty minutes since Gil left that he heard another knock on the door. Caspian knew that Gil couldn't knock on his door twice for no reason, it had to be an important message.

"A moment" Caspian stood up and went to open the door. He turned the ornate door knob to see his supposed aide, Gil standing at the door.

" I am humbly sorry to have interrupted your program, your highness, but her majesty had sent for you in her Domain"

Caspian's facial expression changed slightly into an annoyed one, but being as smart as he was, he believed that he had to be careful here. The Queen had been like this for a while but he had always stayed out of everyone's and her business and he believed his should be reciprocated. Nevertheless, he couldn't reject the Queen's invitation, as she was more or less his stepmother and it would be rude and unruly of him as a Prince.

"I'll be there shortly," he said and stepped into his room after Gil bowed and left. Soon, he was walking down the passageway to the domain of the Queen. Every time he was invited into her domain, she had tried to bond with him like a real mother but in the end, she uttered weird kinds of stuff that only left Caspian wary of her. Caspian saw this woman as a wicked witch as he had always thought it was strange how she had quickly made the King fall In love with her just a year after his beloved mother died. The king and his mother had been together for a long time and it was bizarre how the king just found love again after just a year. Caspian got more suspicious after she had uttered how she had been a slave then his mother's maid and now she was the queen.

"The young prince has arrived!!" a guard yelled before opening the door to the domain. He must have been informed of his visit beforehand as they weren't normally allowed to reach this perimeter around the Queen. Staring at the exquisite decor of the insides of the domain from outside regardless, Caspian took a deep breath and stepped in.

"Day tide, Caspian" A mildly mature but sweet voice resounded in the room and as Caspian glanced across the room, he saw an adult version of Aerwyna sitting on an antique with several cuisines on top of the table in front. Seeing Aerwyna herself swimming around after taking a piece of the meal in the corner, he realized that they were having breakfast.

" Day tide to Her majesty, you called?" This was the way Merfolks said their good mornings, however, Caspian wasted no time and went straight to the point.

"Ah yes, join us beforehand would you?" she invited him into the room. Caspian nodded his head and with slight hesitation, he stepped forward and took a seat, and declined to eat giving the excuse that his breakfast had just been served in his room.

" Little Aerwyna had told me last night what she did at the banquet and I wanted to apologize in her stead."

Caspian was baffled at first at this revelation and he quickly refuted

" i- the princess had done no such thing !"

" I see... but it is inappropriate of her to slap the future king of Atlantis in the head," she said seriously but in a calm tone.

".." Caspian was speechless as he didn't even remember whether she really did that at first. Moreover, why would she bring such a small matter up in this manner? Aerwyna was still a child, an innocent kid and it wasn't necessary to be so harsh on her.

" Her majesty should understand that the princess is still in her artless bench." Caspian purposefully ignored the last part of her words and focused on the concerning part. This time Aerwyna hearing her name could not help but look at the two of them in confusion.

"Aerwyna, apologize to the Young prince"

"B-but Mother i-"

"Now!"

" I'm sorry brother," Aerwyna said with tears almost filling her eyes, seemingly confused and feeling unjustified. She was the one that got bumped into carelessly by him.

Caspian felt guilty in his heart seeing Aerwyna like that, he quickly stood up and knelt before the little princess

"I'm sorry too" he muttered in a low voice as he tried to pacify the princess and looked into her bright golden eyes.

"Really? Brother is sorry too?"

"Yes, brother is sorry" Caspian reassured her and was surprised at the next move of the princess.

"Yay!!" she jumped into his embrace and giggled softly in a sweet way. Caspian felt righteous for the first time in his life at this moment. His cold heart melt and he couldn't help but smile slightly at the childish giggles of the princess.

'She's adorable.'

...

Caspian left the room after a while and was forced by the Queen to promise to attend dinner tonight as she always did for the past few crescents using excuses like Caspian hating her or her daughter. If words like that spread out, his reputation would only plummet. For the past crescents, Queen Cordelia had been trying to bring the Royal family together and had tried to impress Caspian but all was to no avail. Caspian on the other hand saw her as a necessary evil, his inevitable adversary. Caspian retired to his room where he would spend the rest of his day.

At dinner, The king was sitting at the end of the table while Caspian sat facing him, a bit farther away from the family while the Queen and the princess sat in the same order, next to each other. The chefs came in with the food and served them accordingly. The King blessed the food in the name of the goddess and they all ate in silence. Even the cheerful princess was in order as she had started taking lessons.

" Shall Caspian start his War Art training soon?" The Queen wanting to lighten the gloomy mood on the table asked Caspian but soon realized she had yet again, failed to impress the young lad. Caspian on the other hand felt that this woman was his adversary sent right from above the skies.

...

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