Princess of the Sea, Liya

As Ning Rongrong listened to Lin Ye's story, she gradually drifted off to sleep.

Lin Ye gently tucked the blanket around her, then turned and left the room.

Returning to his own room, he pushed open the door, only to find a strange girl standing inside. She had long, aqua-blue hair.

"Ah! You're finally back!" the girl cried out in delighted surprise when she saw him.

Lin Ye froze for a moment.

"I've been waiting for you!" The girl hurried over to greet him.

Lin Ye immediately grew wary and asked with a frown, "Who are you?"

The girl stopped in her tracks.

"Why did you sneak into my room? What do you want?"

As though frightened, the girl hastily waved her hands, looking anxious, her sapphire-like eyes filled with apology.

"Ah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to intrude!"

"I... I have something very important to talk to you about! It's urgent! That's why I..."

She nervously lowered her head, twisting her fingers together as her voice grew quieter and quieter.

"What could be so important that you had to sneak around?" Lin Ye looked at her doubtfully.

The girl hurriedly pleaded, "I can explain! Please give me just a little time!"

Watching her flustered yet sincere expression, Lin Ye thought, She really doesn't seem to mean any harm.

With that thought, Lin Ye let his guard down a little.

"Go ahead," Lin Ye said, his tone softening.

The girl immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then took a deep breath before gathering the courage to raise her head.

"My name is Liya."

"I... I lost something very important... something my mother left me..."

She looked at Lin Ye, her eyes holding hope and a trace of urgency.

Something stirred in Lin Ye's heart.

Liya?

That name sounds so familiar...

Could she be...

Lin Ye was astonished. Wasn't Liya one of Huo Yuhao's soul spirits? Sea Princess Liya?

What was she doing here?

Keeping his expression composed, Lin Ye looked at her and asked, "What is it?"

Liya seemed to hesitate. Her hands unconsciously tightened around her skirt, and her gaze grew evasive.

"A... a seashell. My mother gave it to me..."

She didn't dare tell him that the seashell was a special token her Sea Princess clan used to find their destined partners.

At her words, Lin Ye immediately remembered. The one Liya meant was probably the seashell he had bought on a whim at the market.

An old fisherman had been selling it. Ning Rongrong's Appraisal Eye had noticed the seashell, which was why he had bought it.

So it was hers all along?

The old fisherman had probably stumbled across it on the shore.

Having roughly pieced together what had happened, Lin Ye took the exquisite seashell out of his Storage Soul Tool and held it out. "Is this it?"

Yet the moment Lin Ye took out the Seashell, something strange happened.

A faint pink halo actually rose from the Seashell's surface!

Lin Ye caught sight of the faint glow but didn't give it much thought.

It was perfectly normal for something belonging to a sea soul beast to have an unusual pearly luster, especially when its owner belonged to the rare Sea Princess clan. He only wanted to return it to its rightful owner.

After all, the moment he learned her name was Liya, Lin Ye had already understood who she was.

That innocent, kindhearted girl from the original story, whose fate had ended up...

In any case, this girl wasn't a bad person, and the Seashell had only cost him one Silver Soul Coin.

Evil Soul Masters...

Disgust toward that faction welled up within Lin Ye.

And that source of the future calamity...

Shaking his head, Lin Ye put those thoughts aside and said, "Since it's yours, you can have it back."

But Lin Ye hadn't noticed that Liya had gone completely rigid the moment she saw the Seashell glow.

Her beautiful, ocean-blue eyes widened instantly, filled with utter shock.

Then a blush spread across her cheeks at a visible speed, reaching from the roots of her ears all the way down her neck.

How was this possible?!

Liya's heart pounded as though it would leap out of her chest!

Mother said it would only light up when my true destined partner picked it up!

This human... he...

Liya secretly lifted her eyes and stole a quick glance at Lin Ye.

Moonlight streamed through the window and fell across his face.

Well, this person...

His features are so well-defined.

His eyes... they're deep, so captivating.

And there's something so special about his bearing...

(He's really so handsome...)

She felt her face grow even hotter and hastily lowered her head again.

When nothing happened, Lin Ye finally noticed that Liya was standing there with her head lowered in a daze, neither taking the Seashell nor speaking.

"Hey?"

Lin Ye gently waved the Seashell in front of her and raised his voice a little. "Liya?"

Liya abruptly snapped back to her senses, as though startled awake from a dream.

"Ah!!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Liya waved her hands in a panic. "I... I lost my composure!"

"Aren't you going to take your Seashell?" Lin Ye asked with a smile.

At those words, Liya immediately reacted, reaching out almost as though snatching it away as she took the Seashell, which still emitted a faint pink glow.

It felt warm and smooth to the touch, but she hurriedly stuffed the Seashell into a pouch at her waist as though hiding something scalding.

The pouch immediately concealed the pink light, and only then did she quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

The movement was quick, but Lin Ye had very sharp eyes.

The light disappeared after she took it? He caught that detail.

The way that light appeared and disappeared...

It's a little strange.

Still...

Looking at the girl before him, with her crystal-clear innocence and her face still as red as an apple, his doubts instantly faded.

This girl...

Every thought is written on her face, and her eyes couldn't be any clearer. How could she possibly be playing any tricks?

It's probably her first time being this close to a human, and she's a little uncomfortable.

Forget it. All that matters is that it went back to its rightful owner.

Lin Ye stopped dwelling on it.

Liya, however, pressed the backs of her hands to her cheeks, trying hard to cool her burning face.

Only after quite a while did she feel her heartbeat slow.

Then she once again gathered the courage to raise her head and look at the human boy who had helped her so much.

"Um... my benefactor... could you tell me your name?"

She wanted to know his name.

"Lin Ye."

"Lin Ye..." Liya repeated softly.

"Lin... Ye..." she murmured once more.

She had to remember it, remember it forever. This was the name of her destined partner. She couldn't forget it.

"I'll remember it! Lin Ye!" She nodded, then gave him a radiant, innocent smile.

"Thank you for helping me get it back! I'll definitely repay you!" Liya said earnestly.

Lin Ye said, "There's no need to repay me. It was nothing."

"How could I not? Mother said I must repay kindness. You helped me recover something so important. Once I've gone home, I'll bring back some treasures to thank you!" Liya's eyes sparkled, filled with the determination to keep her word.

"There's really no need..."

Yet...

Just as Lin Ye was about to tell her they would soon be leaving Vast Sea City, a whoosh! rang out, and Liya had already turned into a swift blue blur.

Like a nimble fish, she leaped lightly through the open window and vanished into the sea-breeze-swept night in the blink of an eye.

Lin Ye's outstretched hand froze in midair.

He stared at the empty window.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"That silly girl..."