Ririko wrapped her arms around Arthur's thick neck, leaning her upper body against his warm chest, her cheek pressed to the skin of his neck-
This wild man from beneath the sea really did run a little warmer than an ordinary person, radiating a pleasant heat like a rock beside a hot spring.
She relaxed a little and let him carry her for a while.
Curious, she asked, "Why does your brother want to steal your throne? Aren't you supposed to inherit it?"
Arthur walked for a while before answering her question about his somewhat complicated family situation:
"I'm actually half Atlantean and half human. My mother is the queen of Atlantis. When she was young, she came to the surface and met my father. They fell in love, and then they had me.
But she was the queen, and Atlantis needed her to return. Later, she married Orm's father and had Orm.
So in terms of birthright, Orm is the one who should inherit the throne."
Leaning against his chest, Ririko disagreed with his willingness to yield:
"You can't put it that way. There's only one throne, and it belongs to whoever's capable. Of course the strongest person should sit on it."
She patted his solid chest. "My money's on you."
The corners of Arthur's mouth lifted slightly. "Since you put it that way, I won't go easy on him."
He told her what was really at stake. "Actually, Orm hates humans. If he really gets the trident, he might start a war between the seven undersea tribes and humanity, wiping out everyone on land."
After hearing that, Ririko tightened her arms around him:
"Then that settles it. Once you're on the throne, you have to send me a hundred chests of undersea gold coins and treasure. No, a