Chapter 185: The Shell-Shocked Groom?
Chapter 185: The Shell-Shocked Groom?
The Inner Sea was a geographical marvel, its surface a blinding expanse of transparent turquoise that bled into a profound, forbidden ink-blue at its uncharted depths. Though penned in by continental landmasses, the sea defied the stagnant nature of a typical landlocked body of water; permanent, ancient portals torn open to the elemental Plane of Water continuously fed the basin, giving it the restless energy and salinity of a true, calm ocean.
It was a realm of sharp ecological contrasts. While the far northern reaches remained crisp, chilled, and heavily guarded by the Elves to insulate their sacred ancestral home and the roots of the World Tree, the lower three-quarters of the sea basked in an eternal tropical summer. Further south, the waters surrounding the Amazon Isles boiled with the volatile energy of hyperactive undersea magma vents. These three distinct microclimates birthed a sprawling, alien abyss—a vibrant oceanic ecosystem that surface-dwelling races could scarcely fathom, let alone survive.
Lady May West, ever the shrewd and calculating stateswoman, smoothly released my hands. She stepped back, giving me space as I stood frozen on the deck, utterly overwhelmed by the staggering mass of Bubbles. Even with the titanic beast merely skimming the surface, the sheer scale of the creature defied reason.
As the behemoth glided toward the massive wooden docks, my eyes locked onto a figure waiting ashore. It was my eighth wife—or rather, the woman the world knew as Loki Sky’s wife—Opal Blue. She stood at the edge of the pier, her hand gently tracing the soft, curved contour of her nearly five-month-old baby bump. At the sight of her, a fierce, protective swell of pride surged through my chest. Opal was fiercely pragmatic, a woman of sharp logic, yet she possessed a brilliant splash of spontaneous fun buried deep within a complex, layered character that was anything but shallow.
But the warmth in my chest instantly evaporated, replaced by a sudden, violent skip of my heartbeat, when I noticed Ariel standing beside her.
Ariel was holding King Owen’s three-month-old infant.
A cold sweat broke out across my back. The dangerous farce I was pulling off was no longer a petty game; it was a geopolitical powder keg. It was one thing for a monarch to employ a body double within his own borders, or to send a proxy to explore a treacherous Secret Realm. It was an entirely different matter—a catastrophic international insult—to impersonate a reigning sovereign on an official diplomatic mission. If the Mermaid Queen, Atlantis Blue, caught wind that the man standing before her was not Owen Balder, but the disguised rogue Loki Sky, the backlash would be apocalyptic.
The Mermaids would either wage a bloody war against us within the Inner Sea, or worse, form an alliance with the powerful factions that already despised my existence, such as the Amazon and Elven nations.
Unaware of the existential dread clawing at my throat, Ariel pointed a delicate finger in my direction. A dazzling, radiant smile lit up her face as she whispered down to the infant in her arms. She carefully pivoted the baby toward the incoming whale, waving at me with the unbridled, lovesick enthusiasm of a bubbly Mermaid mother. She was, in every sense, exactly that.
To maintain my cover and mask the sinking sensation that this diplomatic voyage was about to ruin me, my kingdom, and hopefully that otaku bastard Owen, I raised my hand. I waved back with the exaggerated, brain-dead devotion of a simp utterly entranced by the greatest beauty in existence.
The moment the giant whale ground to a halt beside the sprawling timber docks, Opal and Ariel executed a synchronized Blink Teleport. In a flash of displaced light, they materialized at the furthest edge of the submerged, slick wooden ramp—a strategic choice, as the lapping tides ensured their water-bound, supernatural Swift Knight abilities remained fully active.
Owen’s beautiful, pink-haired wife didn't hesitate. She bolted down the wet planks, her bare feet slapping against the wood, holding the baby securely in one arm as she cried out with raw, unvarnished affection.
"Owe-kins! I missed you~!"
Despite Owen’s political failure to secure their daughter's eligibility for the title of Crown Princess, Ariel was far from a fool. Her bubbly, hyperactive demeanor was a calculated armor; she knew precisely how to manipulate her husband’s affections, ensuring she held a tighter grip on his heart than the cow-tits Elven woman she so deeply despised.
Opal, however, was standing perfectly still, her eyes narrowed with sharp suspicion. She scanned my posture, visibly tearing herself apart trying to deduce if I was the real, bumbling Owen or her own husband, Loki, wrapped in a masterclass disguise.
Hoping to avert an immediate domestic disaster, I stepped off the beast and opened my arms wide to receive Ariel and the infant. Simultaneously, I pushed a concentrated, one-way telepathic transmission directly into Opal’s mind.
[My 8th wife Opal, I love and miss you. The hug and affection I give to your cousin as Owen is what I want to give you right now. I missed you so much.]
Before the telepathic echo could even fade, the stunning five-foot-eleven-inch vision crashed into me. With her long, vibrant pink hair flowing behind her, her piercing blue eyes wide with desire, and her voluptuous, shapely D-cup breasts pressing firmly against my chest, she threw a tight, commanding arm around my neck. She thrust the baby forward as a shield, and in the next millisecond, she claimed my lips.
Mwah~!
The kiss hit me like a physical shockwave. Because of her impressive height, her face was perfectly level with mine, eliminating any awkward angle. Her passion was immediate, striking with the sudden, predatory slickness of an aggressive sea snake. Before I could even register the intrusion, her plump lips parted, and her wet tongue slithered into my mouth, tangling with mine in a deep, rhythmic French kiss that carried a level of sheer, unadulterated lust I couldn't comprehend.
To my left, Opal stiffened, her jaw dropping in absolute shock. I was equally paralyzed. This shouldn't have been possible. The biological laws of the undersea races were absolute: when a man impregnates a Mermaid, his very soul is branded with a supernatural curse. That curse acts as an intense, localized metaphysical repellent; any other Mermaid who attempts to touch that marked man is instantly hit with a wave of profound, stomach-churning disgust.
Opal had already made me her mate. I could still feel that distinct, icy, protective brand lingering deep within my nether regions when I filled her back then. By all accounts of oceanic lore, Ariel should have been vomiting at the mere scent of my flesh. Yet, here she was, her tongue swirling against mine, kissing me as if I were her true, exclusive husband.
Terrified that her reckless, single-handed embrace would cause the baby to slip from her grip, I instinctively threw my arms around Ariel’s slender waist, hauling her flush against me to secure the tiny Mermaid infant trapped between our bodies.
For one agonizing, suffocatingly erotic minute, I drowned in the intoxicating depth of Ariel's kiss. When she finally broke the seal for air, a breathless, musical giggle escaped her lips.
"Wow Owe-kins, that was nice, I guess you really missed me, haha?! Look at our baby, Husband! Because you won't recognize her for the throne, I am giving her the last name of Blue, humph, but I want you to name her! I waited till I saw you to name our child?"
Beneath the fabric of my robes, Opal’s fingers snaked around my flank. Finding a patch of exposed skin where the watching crowd couldn't see, she delivered a vicious, agonizing pinch to my side, whispering through cracked teeth.
"Bastard! Why is my cousin kissing you? I can tell your my Loki now that I touched you, so why?"
Struggling to keep my face neutral while the baby was thrust directly into my arms, I frantically fired a telepathic reply back to Opal.
[Opal, I really don't know what is wrong? I had told Owen to send news to her that I was Loki, but she just kissed me anyway, so I don't know what is up? Um, I don't know what to do with this baby, am I supposed to let her name be Blue? Am I supposed to name her without Owen knowing?!]
I looked down at the tiny bundle of warmth resting in my arms. Looking at her innocent, fragile face, my mind briefly flashed to the dark memory of my father-striking Layla, and then to the fierce, protective love I felt for my adorable Werewolf child, Nari. This little Mermaid girl was undeniably precious. As I locked eyes with her striking, brilliant irises, my brain short-circuited, and my mouth went on chaotic autopilot.
"Beautiful sky-blue." I muttered under my breath, completely mesmerized.
Ariel, who was still draped affectionately over my waist from the side, blinked her large, sea-blue eyes. A look of profound, ecstatic delight washed over her features as she interpreted my stray comment as an official declaration.
"Wow Owe-kins, that is so perfect! Then from this day on, she is known as Princess Sky Blue! Maids, pack up the gifts my husband brought for the kingdom, haha~!"
Ariel gently scooped Sky Blue out of my rigid arms, turning on her heel to direct the small army of Nereids and Sirens. The aquatic attendants immediately began hoisting the massive, reinforced wooden crates my guards and maids had brought down from the surface, preparing to secure them onto the back of the undersea transport.
While the logistics team scrambled to load the goods onto the immense platform anchored to Bubbles' massive frame, I took a tentative step toward Opal. Lowering myself onto one knee on the damp wood of the dock, I reached out, gently resting my palm against the firm, rounded swell of her stomach.
Trying to play the part of a distant, supportive king, I offered a warm, practiced smile. "Wow Opal, you really are pregnant, I bet Loki Sky is thrilled and wishes he could be here."
Across the harbor, the surrounding contingents of undersea warriors, guards, and diplomatic officials paused, turning their heads collectively to watch King Owen attempting to touch the famously sharp, aggressive Opal Blue. A synchronized, pitying shake of their heads rippled through the crowd.
SLAP~!
The sound cracked across the open water like a thunderclap.
I sat frozen, utterly shell-shocked. My beautiful, sweet, loving Opal had just unleashed the full, unbridled fury of her palm, bitchslapping the ever-living fuck out of my left cheek. For a split second, I legitimately thought I saw cartoon starfishes orbiting my vision.
She tilted her elegant, aristocratic chin upward, casting a frigid, venomous sneer down at my prone form. Her voice cut through the damp air like an icicle.
"Only my handsome, loveing, and caring husband, Loki Sky, may touch me, not some perverted old man like you, disgusting pervert! Go find your other wife Ariel and sleep with her, and don't touch me, disgusting!"
My mouth hung open, gasping silently like a landed fish suffocating on dry air. The left side of my face throbbed with white-hot heat, where a brilliant, glowing red handprint had materialized perfectly beneath the edge of my silk black eyepatch. Mentally, my mind was screaming an entirely different script.
[W... What the hell, Opal?! W... Why did you bitchslap me?! That actually hurt, I want to cry now.]
I allowed a few genuine, pathetic crocodile tears to well up at the corners of my eyes. The sight of my utterly defeated, tearful act caused Opal’s icy facade to waver for a fraction of a second.
Leaning down slightly under the guise of glaring at me, she let out an incredibly faint, amused whisper. "Sorry, that is always how I greet the King, plus it is muscle memory to slap that face, haha."
Before I could process her twisted sense of humor, Lady May West materialized at my side. Her movements were fluid and elegant as she wrapped her slender, warm hands around my trembling shoulders, hauled me closer to her body, and raised her right hand. A vibrant, intricate blue magic circle manifested in the air before us.
"Princess, the King is our guest, you are too heavy handed. Small Heal!"
A soothing, emerald-green light bled out from the water-magic matrix, washing over my bruised jaw. As the refreshing energy faded, the angry red handprint dissolved into nothingness. May West gently pulled me to my feet, but as she guided my hands, her thumb deliberately, slow-movingly rubbed against the center of my palm in a hidden, deeply suggestive caress.
"King Owen, this is why I said I was coming along, so you won't feel in pain during your stay with us. Hmm? I think it needs a bit more healing, here..."
Mwah~!
Without a shred of hesitation, she leaned in, pressing her lush, full lips directly against the patch of skin where Opal’s slap had landed. She lingered for a heartbeat before pulling back, standing straight as the coastal breeze caught the stray, brilliant strands of her crimson hair. She offered a soft, knowing smile.
"There, now how do you feel, better?"
My brain completely stalled. I subconsciously nodded, totally entranced by her fiercely protective, radiant expression. For a brief moment, I completely forgot that my actual wife and my proxy-wife were standing less than five feet away, watching in profound, jaw-dropping shock as the historically cold, unapproachable Lord of West Palm Island acted so incredibly... nice.
To the side, Frigg stood with her majestic, alabaster Valkyrie wings folded neatly against her back. She let out a soft, amused hum. Watching me get absolutely battered and overwhelmed by the wildly conflicting treatment Owen usually received was pure entertainment. My strained, panicked facial expressions perfectly mirrored Owen’s awkward, nerdy otaku persona, meaning she didn't have to step in to preserve our cover. Plus, watching me suffer through a barrage of emotional and physical slaps brought a small, wicked sense of joy to her heart. Her lips curled into a sharp, playful smirk.
"Owe-kins, come with me, we are all packed and ready to go down, haha."
The protocol was strict. The two maids and twelve elite surface knights who had escorted me down to the coast would remain behind, quartered at the ultra-luxurious, highly secure VIP north beach resort. Only Frigg and I would be permitted to cross the threshold into the deepest trenches of the Mermaid Kingdom. The inner workings of the aquatic civilization were a heavily guarded, top-secret mystery to surface-dwellers; Owen was one of a microscopic handful of outsiders—and the only surface man—to ever set foot within the mystical, sunken capital.
To be completely honest, beneath the crippling terror of my cover being blown, a spark of genuine, raw excitement flared within me. I was actually going to see the fabled city of Atlantis—a place that had been nothing more than an ancient, unattainable myth back on Earth.
Turning back toward the second-level balcony of the blended, mythological resort structure, I offered a casual wave down to Meiling and Elizabeth. To my side, Opal was already issuing a silent, telepathic command to her summoned beasts, dismissing them back into the deep blue.
One of the attending Mermaid maids had already whisked baby Sky Blue away to the lower quarters of the vessel, leaving Ariel entirely unencumbered.
She latched onto my torso like a vice, her arms wrapping completely around my waist. The sheer force of her embrace pressed her supple, sea-shell-covered chest firmly against my ribs.
I bit the inside of my cheek. Either Owen had completely botched his instructions and forgotten to tell Ariel about my true identity, or she was an actress of terrifying, Oscar-level caliber. If the soul-curse was functioning properly, my skin should have felt like it was coated with shit to her touch.
The colossal, thousand-foot-long Demonic Beast Whale executed a flawless, silent turn. Utilizing its innate Gravity Aura, Bubbles manipulated the water density around its massive flank, carving through the tides with impossible agility as it began its steep descent into the crystal-clear depths.
As the light of the sun began to refract and dim through the shifting surface currents, Ariel leaned in close, her breath warm against my ear.
"Tonight husband, we can play any game you want in our bedchambers, hehe... I am very happy my Owe-kins came to see me, haha~!"
To emphasize her point, her soft, delicate hand slid downward, her fingers slowly tracing the contours of my thigh before deliberately rubbing against the outside of my crotch. The intense, targeted friction shot a bolt of panic straight to my spine, my mind racing at a frantic million miles an hour as I desperately tried to formulate a bulletproof, medical excuse to bar her from the bedroom tonight.
Mwah~!
Before a single thought could solidify, Ariel seized my face. She crashed her lips against mine once more, her wet tongue forcefully invading my mouth, claiming my senses in another deep, dominant French kiss.
Trapped in her suffocatingly tight embrace, I shot a wild, desperate, telepathic distress signal directly at Opal, who was standing mere inches away.
[Quick honey, slap me again to get Ariel off me, please!]
Opal didn't move a muscle. Her lips twitched upward into a silent, deeply amused smirk. Her brilliant blue eyes locked onto mine, watching with wicked satisfaction as I was violently, sensually ravaged by her cousin on the back of a plunging sea leviathan.
As the dark, crushing shadows of the deep ocean closed in around us, her eyes radiated a single, hilarious thought I could understand...
[Nobody can hear your screams at the bottom of the sea...]