JGMH | Chapter 10

Levis bit into the meat that Penny and Dan had tossed her. They were drawing closer to the lake, glancing around briefly, but they failed to notice Levis surfacing from the water. Instead, they lingered on one side of the lake flirting carelessly.

Since it was rare for anyone to come directly to the lake, Levis decided to finish her meal before approaching them.

It would be nice if I could escape before the queen finds me. With the help of the servants who often pass through here, I might manage to slip away freely.

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Dan and Penny were so absorbed in each other that they didn’t notice Levis gradually moving toward them. Watching their heated kiss, Levis wrinkled her nose in mild irritation.

Could they even be of any help? Ignoring the rising doubts, she planted her hands on the ground and rose from the lake. At that moment, her gaze met the eyes of the woman trapped between the man’s arms. Penny’s pupils contracted in terror, her face pale with shock. Before she could utter a single word, she let out an ear-piercing scream that seemed to tear through the air.

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Was it a mistake to try to speak with them first? Levis sighed bitterly, realizing she’d grown too accustomed to the acceptance she experienced with Eisenstein.

If I wanted to take the easy way out, I could simply devour them and rely on my own strength to escape. Nobody here knows what I’m capable of, so there would be no suspicions.

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Dan flinched at Penny’s scream, stumbling awkwardly to his feet. When his eyes landed on Levis, he recoiled in sheer horror, stepping backward without any sense of direction. Instead of moving away from the lake, he staggered along its slippery, moss-covered edge.

“Excuse me.” 

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Levis called out, attempting to address Penny, who trembled uncontrollably, clutching her clothing to her chest. But before she could speak further, a dull thud echoed across the lake—Dan had slipped and fallen, hitting his head on the rocky ground.

Seeing Dan collapse, Penny’s face turned ghostly white. Without a word, she bolted into the shadows, disappearing into the darkness. Startled, Levis could only stare blankly at the woman fleeing on her perfectly functional legs.

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How could things turn out this way when I haven’t even done anything? Levis approached the fallen man on the other side of the lake.

Dan’s breaths came in short, ragged gasps. While his body was too weak to move, his eyes darted around frantically, filled with fear. As Levis pulled herself entirely out of the water and settled beside him, his gaze was glued to the ethereal blue figure nearing him. She extended her hand toward his injured head, her fingers brushing the wound.

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I’d thought of lightly biting him to draw blood and healing him afterward. But to think he’d end up like this before I even had the chance.

“Ugh!” 

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Dan whimpered, his voice trembling with sobs as Levis’s fingers pressed into his injury. Blood trickled from his mouth, likely from biting his tongue during the fall. She carefully wiped away the blood from the corner of his lips with her other hand. When she licked the blood off her fingers, Dan let out a guttural wail, his fear escalating further.

Through her abilities, the bleeding from his wounds ceased, and the fractured skull began to mend. The excruciating pain that had wracked his body subsided, and his hysterical cries gradually grew quieter.

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When she removed her hand, satisfied that his injuries had healed, her palm was stained crimson. Without hesitation, she licked the blood away.

“Mon, mon, monster!” 

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Dan gasped, recoiling from her. With a sudden burst of strength, he shoved her away. His eyes widened in even greater terror as he noticed her legs—human yet unsettlingly strange. Without a second thought, he bolted, glancing back repeatedly to ensure she wasn’t chasing him. His fully healed body allowed him to flee with ease, and Levis couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity.

Left behind in their wake was Penny’s discarded outer garment. Draping it over her head, Levis began walking barefoot through the forest. From within the lake, the forest’s vastness hadn’t been apparent, but now, her slow steps made it clear—this journey could take days.

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As she wandered, following faint traces of human presence, the sound of footsteps began to overlap with her own. Though she didn’t turn around, she instinctively knew someone was following her. When she tried to run, powerful arms wrapped around her waist.

“Stop.” 

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It wasn’t Rosander.

“What business do you have walking through the forest?” 

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The man, polite yet unyielding, stepped in front of her and repeated his question.

“Are you a maid from the queen’s palace?” 

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His gaze lingered on her bare feet, prompting Levis to pull her garment tighter around herself. When she remained silent, the man gripped her arm firmly.

“I am Sir Hayden, captain of the royal guard. Who are you? If you don’t answer, I cannot let you go.”

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His grip tightened. Levis tried to pull away, clutching her garment to her chest protectively.

“Sir Hayden, Her Majesty has arrived.”

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The sudden flare of torchlight illuminated the scene, revealing the tense figures rushing toward her. In the glaring brightness, Levis saw Sir Hayden at the forefront, followed closely by the queen’s retinue of guards.

Instinctively, her eyes shut against the light, but the nearing presence of those who approached was undeniable.

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“You found her first, Sir Hayden.” 

Just hearing it made Levis tense, her body stiff with apprehension. Her heart raced, pounding with fear.

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For the queen to discover this so swiftly—it had seemed, at first, that her curse would take at least two weeks to uncover. But the power of the one who cast it was more formidable than expected.

“What do you mean, Your Majesty?” 

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Hayden asked, confused. Instead of answering, the queen let out a low, chilling laugh. The sound sent a shiver down Levis’s spine. Was I too careless?

The queen had given her a chance to escape, but she must have been confident that Levis wouldn’t succeed. After all, even with her seemingly intact legs, it was impossible to travel far enough in a single day.

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“Seize that woman.” 

The queen ordered sharply, her voice piercing Levis’s ears. Without someone to aid her, reaching the sea—let alone escaping the palace grounds—seemed like a distant dream.

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Overwhelmed with helplessness, Levis allowed herself to be restrained by the guards.

“Wake up.”

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Dragged around and doused in cold water, Levis finally regained her senses. The queen had brought her not to the expansive lake but to a smaller, confined pond.

 

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It wasn’t until she was hauled to the edge of icy waters and dropped into the frigid depths that the haze clouding her thoughts began to clear. The queen had not brought her to the vast lake she had dreamed of escaping to, but instead to a confined, murky pond.

“How clever you thought you were.”

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Levis opened her mouth to negotiate—to propose new terms to their deal—but the murderous glint in the queen’s eyes swallowed her words.

“And yet you resorted to a deception that wouldn’t last a matter of days?”

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Her arms were bound tightly above her head, making it impossible to cut through the ropes as she had done before. With a single gesture, the queen dismissed her guards and attendants, leaving only the two of them within the cold, oppressive space.

“Did you truly think you could get away with deceiving me?”

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The queen’s voice was icy and venomous, harsher than it had been when Levis had first faced her. She couldn’t bear to meet those eyes directly and instead lowered her gaze, weighed down by shame and fear.

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She had never truly believed she wouldn’t be caught. That was why she had been so desperate to escape quickly.

“You… never intended to let me go from the start.” 

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Levis finally managed to say but her words were met with a sudden, brutal slap, the force of it snapping her head to the side. Her cheek burned, the sting intensifying as the queen disdainfully wiped her hand with a silk handkerchief, letting out a derisive chuckle.

“I gave you the means to escape; running was your responsibility.”

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Though the queen’s amulet remained around her neck, Levis could sense something sinister shifting. The artifact’s power was waning, and it wouldn’t be long before the curse it masked revealed itself for all to see.

“You won’t be able to hide that curse forever.” 

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Levis answered, her voice trembling despite her effort to steady it.

“Oh, but if you remain by my side for the rest of your life, I won’t have to.” 

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The queen replied sweetly, her words dripping with malice. She tilted her head, an unsettling smile creeping across her lips. 

“Or perhaps, if I devour you, I might inherit your abilities as well.”

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Levis’s stomach twisted as the queen uttered the one response she had most feared.

“Your little escapade, injuring my servants and running off, only made things easier for me.”

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The queen’s words dripped with cold satisfaction. As long as the king was aware of the mermaid’s existence, a fabricated death would be necessary to fully obscure the truth and conceal Levis even further from the world.

“When I tire of you, I’ll ensure it’s by my hand that you die.”

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And yet, Levis herself had unwittingly provided the queen with that very opportunity. Watching the trembling mermaid before her, the queen let her fury cool into mockery. She would fix this insolent creature, but not enough to break her completely—just enough to keep her in line.

 

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***

 

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The Princess Eisentein noticed the unusual silence of the maids moving in and out of her quarters.

Even for the most reserved of attendants, such a tense atmosphere was rare. Unless something had occurred—something her mother wished to conceal from her—there was no reason for them to be this cautious in her presence.

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A creeping suspicion stirred within her. It must have to do with Levis.

As her maid, Beth, extinguished the candle and departed, Eisentein abruptly rose from her bed and approached the window.

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If she landed on the right tree branch, she could drop down without making much noise and quietly dash toward the lakeside.

Changing into simple outdoor attire, she lowered the curtain over the window and tied it securely to use as a makeshift rope. Slowly descending, her feet brushed against a sturdy branch.

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Carefully maneuvering along the tree’s center, she felt the limb beneath her begin to crack. Before she could regain balance, it gave way under her weight, sending her plummeting.

Branches snapped and splintered with each fall, her cloak catching and tearing against the jagged limbs.

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Thud!

“Ugh…”

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She hit the ground, rolling onto her side with a low groan. Though she ached all over, she wasn’t gravely injured—nothing that couldn’t be excused as a harmless tumble from playing.

The place Rosander often stored game was the shed across from the cabin. She’d stop there first before heading to the lake.

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Levis was surely starving, and she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him without something to eat. Her sharp night vision quickly led her through the darkness.

When she opened the shed door, a faint, musty odor wafted out, causing her to wrinkle her nose. Normally, she wouldn’t even consider stepping inside this space, but tonight was an exception.

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“No, It’ll be fine.” 

Moments later, Eisentein emerged with an armful of dried rabbit meat. 

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She stuffed the meat into an old pouch until it was heavy, the weight tugging at her arm as she stepped outside. The clouds parted slightly, allowing pale moonlight to filter through and softly illuminate the forest.

This light would be enough to guide her to the lake. If she wanted to return before dawn, she had to hurry. She sprinted through the woods, clutching the pouch tightly.

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The bag jostled as she moved, its contents shifting with each hurried step.

“Lev!”

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The stillness of the lake mirrored the quiet night. Its surface was eerily calm. Sitting by the shore, Eisentein called out repeatedly to the mermaid, her voice echoing across the water, but no answer came.

Just as she prepared to give up and retrace her steps, her gaze caught movement in the shadows of the forest. It was a patrol. Dropping into a crouch, she carefully slipped away, keeping herself out of sight.

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The dense woods, though dark, had faint paths marked by trampled undergrowth. She followed these trails cautiously, ensuring she wouldn’t trip over hidden roots or rocks.

Eventually, she reached an open area where the trees thinned. There, a large puddle glistened faintly under the moonlight.

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Something wasn’t right. She must’ve taken a wrong turn. As her eyes darted around, searching for familiar landmarks, they landed on a horrifying sight near the edge of the water.

Levis’s  hands were bound, her upper body slumped over the ground. She shouldn’t have been out of the water for so long—it was dangerous for her. And sure enough, her skin, once shimmering, now looked parched and cracked, as though she’d been left to dry for hours. As Eisentein drew closer,she saw her torso was covered in whip marks and bruises.

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“Le… Levis…”

“…Your Highness.”

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The pouch of food slipped from her grasp, hitting the ground with a dull thud. Worrying about feeding her now seemed utterly meaningless.