Women Are Such a Pain

Who is Nereus?

He is the leader of the Kingdom of Zebel, and a qualified king.

He had known for a long time that if he wanted to unify the entire seabed, then the King of Atlantis was an insurmountable hurdle.

Not for any other reason, but simply because the name Atlantis represents the legitimacy of underwater royalty.

Whether it was his Zebel or any other kingdom, in ancient times they were all just a part of Atlantis.

It was precisely because he understood this that he maintained good relations with two generations of kings of Atlantis, and even went so far as to arrange a marriage between his daughter and King Orm.

His original intention was to use his daughter's connection to obtain more resources from Atlantis to strengthen Zebel, but he never expected that Orm would suddenly die.

His plan thus fell through.

However, it was precisely because of this that Nereus came up with an even more ingenious method.

He wanted to place his daughter on the throne of Atlantis and make her the Queen of Atlantis.

The idea that Mera was engaged to Orm and that she was already a citizen of Atlantis had long been ingrained in the hearts of Atlanteans.

They were very familiar with Mera, who often wandered around when the former Queen Atlanna was still alive, and they trusted her completely.

With such popular support, Nereus could easily create a persona for Mera that portrays her as deeply devoted to love, making her a "nominal" queen who would automatically abdicate and relinquish power once her revenge was successful.

"Nereus, thank you for your kindness, but I still feel that this matter is somewhat inappropriate."

Inside the King of Atlantis, Vigo, the kingdom's second-in-command, continued to pretend he didn't understand and refused without batting an eye.

He had considered many people, but he never imagined that after Orm's death, the first person to attack the leaderless Atlantis would be King of Zebel Nereus Zebel, who had always followed Orm's lead.

"I know, I'm just giving you advice." Nereus resumed his kind expression, said a few more words, and then left Atlantis with Mera, whose mouth he had silently gagged, and returned to Zebel.

"Father!"

"Why?!"

"Orm is dead, so why do you still want me to be his fiancée? And why do you want me to become the Queen of Atlantis?"

Once back in the palace, Mera, finally able to speak, stood in front of her father.

"It is precisely because Orm is dead that you have the opportunity to become the Queen of Atlantis, do you understand?"

"What? No, no, I refuse."

"I--"

"You have no right to refuse this, Mera."

Nereus sighed, speaking the coldest words in the gentlest of tones.

"Listen, Mera. Unifying the oceans and restoring the former glory of Atlantis has been the lifelong dream of every King of Zebel, do you understand?"

"Now we have a chance. Orm is dead, and you are Orm's only fiancée. The people of Atlantis accept you and know you. Do you understand?"

Nereus's fingers traced his daughter's cheek, but Mera felt utterly unfamiliar with his gentle and kind face.

"This is our chance, Mera."

"So, you must become the Queen of Atlantis, do you understand?"

No, I don't understand.

"The throne of Atlantis should belong to Arthur Curry, the eldest son of Queen Atlanna, not me."

"You feel like a stranger to me, Father." Mera slowly stepped back, looked at the man she had once spent every day with, and shook her head.

His eyes were filled with disappointment.

"Atlanna's eldest son?"

"Mera, you need to understand one thing clearly."

"Atlanna is no longer the Queen of Atlantis. She is a shameless wretch, a wretch who broke her marriage vows and had an affair with a human man, a wretch imprisoned in the Marine Trench Kingdom to be punished!"

"Do you understand that the bastard child she had with a human is not worthy of the throne?"

"You are my daughter, and Orm's fiancée."

"You should honor your marriage vows. No matter what happens, understand?"

Nereus's gentle demeanor was gradually torn away by ambition, revealing a side that terrified Mera from the bottom of her heart.

She had never seen her father like this before.

"From today onwards, you are not allowed to step out of this room until your coronation ceremony begins."

After taking one last look at his daughter, Nereus turned and left her room.

Mera instinctively tried to climb out of the window where she had escaped before, but when she opened the window, she found that there were guards from three different squads watching her.

"How could this be...?"

In a state of panic, Mera searched all the exits she had used to escape, only to find large groups of people standing at each one without exception.

Nereus's meaning is already quite clear:

Before, you could just run away whenever you wanted, since you weren't married yet and it was just a bit of fun. But not now. You have to stay put and prepare to ascend the throne as queen.

"What to do..."

Mera closed her eyes and took deep breaths to force herself to calm down.

Nereus's attitude has been made very clear; he is following the same path as Orm.

Once he takes control of Atlantis using his identity and name, he will inevitably wage war against the world on Earth.

"Oh, right, Beckett! Beckett!"

After forcing herself to calm down, Mera suddenly remembered something: the conch shell she had given Beckett before returning yesterday.

"Beckett! Beckett, are you there?"

"Beckett, please get me out of here!"

"Beckett ..."

London, England.

Beckett, dressed in loose black sportswear, strolled along the River Thames, his brow furrowed as he watched the bustling crowds.

"Woz?"

"It's probably because too much time has passed that the building containing the clues to the [Mother Box], as recorded in the documents, has disappeared."

Woz, inside the wristband, compared and analyzed the data he had retrieved with the River Thames in front of him.

It also has a bit of a headache.

The existence of the Mother Box is truly mysterious.

The only clue they had was then cut off.

"Beckett? Is it really you?"

A call snapped Beckett out of his conversation with Woz.

Diana, wearing a black leather jacket, a white shirt, blue skinny jeans, and high-heeled ankle boots, came into view.

"Diana?"

"Are you touring the world's famous historical sites, Beckett?" Diana asked with a smile, having heard Bruce's analysis and feeling that the man in front of her was likely a distant relative she had no real connection with.

"Get out of the way." Beckett pushed Diana aside, who was blocking his path, but Diana grabbed his wrist instead.

"We need to talk, shall we have a drink together, Beckett?"

"Get out of my way, or I won't hesitate to throw you off." Beckett's face was full of indifference.

Why are all women so annoying?