Chapter 149
Aviel turned toward the source of the voice, his gaze sharpening slightly.
Why is that old fox here?
Then his eyes flicked to Finch beside him—and everything clicked.
So Finch is the young master of Jade Fox City.
Taru, meanwhile, had already noticed the tiny golden dragon perched on Nina’s shoulder. In an instant, he understood why Aviel was here.
And that merfolk male… he, too, clearly wasn’t ordinary.
Taru sighed inwardly.
Nina’s cubs… their fathers are all extraordinary beings.
But then another thought crossed his mind—even the mighty City Lord of Flying Dragon City hadn’t secured a position as a guardian beast.
Suddenly, Taru felt a little better about his own son’s lack of progress.
Ming’s eyes widened in shock.
City Lord of Flying Dragon City?
If he remembered correctly… that was also one of Nina’s former fiancés.
As far as he knew, aside from Lynx City, every other city had already broken off their engagements.
He glanced around again.
One… two… three p>
There were actually three of Nina’s former fiancés here.
Then his gaze shifted toward Kith and Lex.
Wait… White Tiger City… and Sea Blue City p>
Could it be… He edged a little closer to Kith and lowered his voice.
“You’re the City Lord of White Tiger City, aren’t you p>
Kith didn’t quite understand why Ming was asking, but he had no reason to hide it. He gave a slight nod.
“Yes p>
A glint flashed through Ming’s eyes.
So it’s true.
He turned toward Lex, curiosity blazing.
If this one was too… The fire of gossip burned brightly in his eyes.
Mino looked at his father, utterly confused.
Why does Father suddenly look so… scheming?
Nina’s expression shifted.
“You’re the City Lord of Flying Dragon City p>
Aviel noticed the change in her expression, a faint unease stirring in his chest—but he still answered honestly.
“Yes. Nina… is something wrong p>
Nina pursed her lips.
Not again… another former fiancé?
She withdrew her hand.
“You can keep the fruit. Eat it yourself p>
Aviel froze, completely baffled.
What just happened?
Why did it feel like she had suddenly become upset?
Does Nina… not like my identity?
He had instinctively felt earlier that it might be better not to reveal it.
And now, it seemed he had been right.
The little bit of goodwill he had managed to earn… felt like it had vanished in an instant.
Aviel shot Taru a sharp glare.
This is all that old fox’s fault. Why did he have to expose me? Showing off how many people he knows?
Taru, receiving that glare, felt rather wronged.
What did I even do? I just asked a question!
Nina turned her gaze toward Lex.
He wouldn’t also be one of them… right? It can’t be that ridiculous p>
Still, she asked cautiously,
“Which city are you from p>
Lex’s eyes lit up the moment she spoke to him.
“I am the City Lord of Sea Blue City—the ruler of the merfolk royal clan p>
He straightened slightly.
That should count as a plus, right?
After all, he was a city lord. Most females preferred males of high status.
If Nina liked that… he could even send word back home—he’d continue ruling Sea Blue City.
Nina felt a headache coming on.
Of course. Another one.
What kind of cursed fate is this? Why are they all my former fiancés p>
Her mood instantly soured.
“Take your things back. I don’t want them,” she said bluntly. “And leave. Now p>
She didn’t want to see him at all.
Clutching the cubs, she turned and went back inside without another glance.
Ming’s eyes lit up.
So the fish really is one too!
Hahaha—this just got interesting.
All these males had broken off their engagements with Nina.
Naturally, she was angry—she might not accept any of them at all.
Which meant his son’s competition had just dropped dramatically.
Ming’s heart swelled with satisfaction.
Back then, choosing not to break off the engagement was truly a stroke of genius.
If only his foolish son worked a little harder, he might be holding grandchildren soon.
Mino looked at Ming, puzzled.
“Father… why are you suddenly so happy p>
Ming pulled him aside and whispered everything.
Mino’s eyes widened in shock.
“Father… is all that true p>
He had always known Nina had more than one fiancé—but he had never gone out of his way to learn who they were.
Ming, however, had been involved in arranging those engagements. He knew quite a bit.
“Of course it’s true,” Ming said smugly. “Those males won’t have an easy time winning Nina over. You’d better step up—win her heart quickly and become her official mate p>
He added with pride, “If it weren’t for your father’s foresight, you’d be just like them. No—worse p>
After all p>
At least those males had cubs.
And Mino?
Didn’t even have that.
Ming cast Mino a sidelong glance. “You’d better be grateful to your father, you little brat p>
Mino lowered his head slightly, a trace of guilt in his expression. “I know p>
He truly did
He hadn’t expected that all those males were Nina’s former fiancés.
That meant… his chances were indeed much higher.
His resolve hardened.
He would have to try even harder—win Nina’s heart as soon as possible, and earn his place as her mate.
With that, Mino followed Ming back into the house, the two of them already deep in discussion about how to secure his “promotion” as quickly as possible.
Outside, Aviel stood watching Nina’s retreating figure, confusion and dejection mingling in his eyes.
A quiet sigh slipped from his lips.
How am I supposed to coax her now?
The worst part was—he didn’t even know what she was angry about.
But regardless of the reason, he was certain of one thing:
It had to be his fault.
He would have to reflect carefully… figure out where he had gone wrong.
Not far away, Lex wore a deeply troubled expression.
How did I upset her again p>
He had come to apologize, only to make things worse.
Now Nina seemed to dislike him even more.
With heavy hearts, he and the merfolk males turned to leave, sighing as they went.
One of them glanced at the seafood that had been returned.
“Your Majesty… what should we do with all this p>
“Eat it yourselves,” Lex said irritably.
But even as he spoke, his gaze drifted back toward Nina’s house, his thoughts tangled with frustration and longing.
How can I make her forgive me p>
Far away, in Sea Blue City, a stunningly beautiful female listened as Bjarn relayed the news.
The next instant, her fury erupted.
Rosen kicked away the male who had been massaging her, sending him stumbling, and smashed the cup in her hand onto the ground.
“That wretched brat Lex actually said he’s not coming back—and doesn’t even want to be city lord anymore p>
“Female Lord, please calm down,” Lani hurriedly soothed. “Lex must have spoken in a moment of confusion. I’ll send someone to bring him back immediately p>
Rosen’s expression darkened, her brows knitting together.
“Why would he suddenly say something like that? There must be a reason p>
Lani hesitated. I don’t know p>
That brat… what nonsense is he spouting?
If he abandoned his position, what would happen to Sea Blue City?
It had taken so much effort to push that burden onto him.
“A male refusing to come back—what other reason could there be?” Shael sneered, fanning the flames. “Obviously, it’s because of some wild female out there p>
He had never liked Lani.
Just because that man was a little better-looking, he had managed to monopolize the female lord’s favor.
Even in a race as reproductively scarce as the merfolk royalty, Lani had managed to give her two offspring.
The resentment in Shael’s heart had long since taken root—and now, it twisted into something sharp and eager to provoke.