The Ugly Duckling Of The Tiger Tribe-Chapter 306: Thalor Tastes Grilled Meat For The First Time

Chapter 306: Thalor Tastes Grilled Meat For The First Time

"It is a mark of absolute protection."

I looked at the shimmering blue lines. "Protection? From what—besides you making my hand a literal lighthouse?"

It was glowing, literally a beacon, as he said.

Thalor’s expression turned solemn.

"The well wasn’t just deep, Arinya. Something beneath this land is trying to choke it so it does not stay clean for long."

That...after all of this? It’s going to get dirty again?

"But because you are my anchor, you can now sense the water’s health. If the well gets filthy again, you will feel it. If the sea is in pain, your wrist will turn cold."

He looked at Noah and Fenric, his tanned face pale but determined.

"I know you think I have stolen a piece of her. But in the sea, the anchor is the one with the power. I have not bound her to me; I have bound my life, my magic, and my very breath to her command. If she wishes me to perish, the mark will carry the order to my heart."

Ah, so he succeeded in offering me his life regardless of my wish. How the world works.

Noah’s thumb continued to rub over the crest. He wasn’t glaring anymore, but he wasn’t happy either.

"So it’s a leash," Noah murmured, his eyes flicking to Thalor. "One that works both ways."

"A leash?" I repeated, looking from the merman to Noah. "Gosh, I just wanted clean water, not a magical noose to the ocean floor!"

Damar glided closer, his emerald eyes tracing the glow of the mark. He reached out a long, cool finger and touched the center of the coral crown. "It pulses," Damar noted, his voice a low vibration.

"Damar, is that a bad thing?" I asked, but Damar shook his head. "No, Ari. It’s fine."

He looked at Thalor with a strange gaze. He wasn’t acknowledging him, but he wasn’t showing much hostility either.

"You were telling the truth... this time."

Wait, does that mean there were times he wasn’t telling the truth?

How can Damar tell?

Thalor bowed his head again.

"I am ashamed. I sought to show my strength, and instead, I showed my fragility. Arinya... if you wish to strike me for this, I will not defend myself."

I looked at him—this powerful, beautiful prince who looked like a kicked puppy in a leather skirt. My anger had already subsided before I even knew it, so I held nothing against him.

As long as this wasn’t a mark he placed on me through deceit, I guess it was fine. And it wasn’t even a mating mark, so no biggie.

"Just get up, you dramatic fish," I sighed, pulling my hand back. The mark stayed, glowing softly against my skin. "I’m not going to strike you. Just... next time you decide to reach for the ’roots of the land,’ maybe give a girl a heads-up? And maybe try not to do anything too dangerous while you’re at it."

"I am ashamed."

"Cheer up," I said. "I’ll consider this to be inevitable. After all, that one guy said, if you want peace, prepare for war. So this is the war we had to face to get clean water."

"Who said it?" Noah said, and I clicked my tongue.

"Some Roman guy named Publius. You won’t know him."

"But what does war and peace have to do with purifying the water?" Fenric asked, and I flailed my hands in the air.

"Oh, just forget I said anything. Sheesh."

I breathed, and they laughed, as if I was making some sort of show.

And Thalor, who had been feeling down, finally let a smile sit on his pretty lips.

I saw this and felt a little gladness fill me.

Just admitting he was wrong and taking corrections should be enough. He shouldn’t beat himself too much because of it.

"Now that this is over, shall we think of how to make proper preparations, so you don’t go under when trying to purify a water source from now on?" I asked Thalor, and he nodded.

Noah let out a short, huffed laugh, pulling me into his side.

"She’s right." He said, "To prevent future accidents, let us make sure to get the preparations ready."

"Wait, why are you the one saying that?" I asked, pushing my hand over his face, but my strength couldn’t even get him away. "Don’t you have kingly duties to fulfill?"

"It’s all boring formalities," Noah said. "I’d rather be by your side because that’s where all the fun happens."

"Boohoo, you’re a king, so act like one," I said, but he wrapped his arms firmly around me and grinned.

"Don’t wanna."

Tsk. Just look at this guy. And this is supposed to be the wolf who has the entire West Way in the palm of his paw.

The West Way is doomed, I tell you.

It wasn’t when I wasn’t here, but now that I am, it is. Ask me why. It’s because this guy would rather be busy searching under my skirt and trying to rearrange my insides with his cock than oversee one more construction.

"Then, shall we have a feast tonight?" Fenric suggested, one arm on his waist and the other holding Raiden.

"Ah, a feast sounds nice," I said. "And since we’re close to the sea, I can process more salt, so it works well."

And so, we began to prepare for a feast. It was already getting late, so much more than I had realized.

I fed the cubs their own feast before focusing on the salt production.

I noticed the folks of West Way didn’t exactly use salt. They were just letting the massive sea next to them sit still with no purpose.

Well, at least the sheep knew to use seawater to boil their veggies to make them much more delicious.

They didn’t know how to make salt, but they knew the salt in the sea went well with cooking.

And so, that night, we ate barbecue. Lots of it, and I even offered some to Thalor.

At first, he was skeptical, but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse what I had given him.

So he decided to take a bite, his face contorting as if he was about to eat poison, but as soon as the grilled meat touched his tongue, his eyes blew wide open, and he gobbled it up like someone who hadn’t eaten in decades.

We all watched him in shock. He lost his gracefulness right away just to gobble up a piece of meat.

As soon as he saw us watching, he wiped his lips with the back of his palm and looked away, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

"It... it was good."

Good was not the way to explain it, given how he had just gobbled it up in one bite, as if I’d take it from him the moment it touched his mouth.

Then, he let out a little burp and shyly said,

"I... I would like another... please."

I laughed, and so did the rest, except for Damar, who kept his frown the whole time.

"Careful, it’s hot," I said, handing him a bowl filled with grilled meat, and he stared at it, the steam reaching his nose.

I could see the Adam’s apple in his throat rolling as he gulped down his saliva.

"By the way, what do you mer-folks eat?" I asked him.

He looked up at me with his stuffed face, and I almost didn’t recognize him. He must’ve been very hungry, but didn’t speak a word about it since he didn’t want to upset me.

"Eat slowly so you don’t choke," I said, and he tried his best to swallow, but it was too much, and he began to cough.

I took the water pouch and handed it to him.

"I told you to eat slowly." I scolded him, gently patting his back to ease his cough while he drank the water, and the others narrowed their eyes.

This situation, to them, was the fish man’s tactic to get me worried about him, and even to try to comfort him.

Since dinner began, I’ve been paying attention to him, and they found it a bit... annoying.

They would rather I pay attention to them, but they could not voice their thoughts. So instead, they wondered.

The fish man will go back to the sea this night, right?

He can’t sleep in our tent, so maybe.

I don’t like the fish. Let him leave.

You can almost guess which thought belongs to whom. It was written all over their faces.

"Thank you, Arinya." He said, and I sat back, huffing softly. Thankful that he did not choke on land, if not, it would have created chaos.

If that even happens, I’ll deny it happened during dinner and say he choked on air. That’s believable, right?

I mean, a fish choking on air should be more believable than saying he choked on a piece of meat, even if it was more than just one piece, haha.

"What do you mean?" Thalor asked, and I froze. He didn’t read my thoughts, did he?

"It’s not what it looks like," I quickly defended, and he tilted his head.

"You asked what we met folks eat. What did you mean by that?"

I paused, blinked, and then smiled awkwardly.

"Oh," I didn’t get caught. Phew. "Well, you know. You’re similar to a fish, and there’s only fish in the water. So, what do you eat?"

"We eat fish," he said, and my brows tilted up.

"Huh? But... aren’t you also a fish? How can you eat your kind?"

Thalor did not answer immediately. He looked around, as if looking for something, and then landed his gaze on the meat grilling on the stone grill.

"I see it as no different from what you land dwellers do," he said. "You catch animals that move on four legs. But they are still beasts... just like you. So, does that not make it similar to us?"

He... he has a point.