I Thought It Was a Fairy Tale but the Genre Is Strange

The Little Mermaid and Captain Hook (2)

When I looked at Ariel in shock, she frantically mouthed words with her voice-less mouth, her wet hair flying.

[Protest! That witch was a fraud! An evil witch!]

“Fraud?”

When I looked at Captain Hook in confusion, he had a mischievous smile.

“Tsuhahaha! Do you think she killed the witch for no reason? I heard the witch was going to curse Ariel with misfortune. A curse that would turn her into sea foam if her love with the prince didn’t come true!”

[That’s right! She didn’t mention it beforehand! Fraud witch! If I hadn’t killed her quickly, I would have been cursed!]

“Tsuhahaha! But still, to kill her and turn her into octopus skewers.”

[Still, she deserved it! Trash witch!]

Ariel, recalling that moment, had a terrifying expression, but when she saw my frightened face, she quickly returned to her shy girl look.

I’m a bit confused about what’s real. But at least she’s not a completely insane maniac like Alice, who could go off in any direction. She had a valid reason for her actions. In the fairy tale, the witch gave some practical advice, so she didn’t seem that evil, but here she was definitely a villain.

As I listened to their story, a question arose.

“But since the witch is dead, shouldn’t the contract be nullified, and Ariel shouldn’t have lost her voice or gained legs?”

[Excellent question. As expected of my prince. But no]

“Hmm, I thought so too, but they said the contract was fulfilled. Incompletely, though. So even though she lost her voice, she got those legs. When she goes into the water, she has a mermaid’s tail, and when she comes out, she has human legs covered in fish scales.”

Isn’t it okay that she lost her voice? Ariel wanted to come out of the water, so she can freely walk around on land and swim in the sea.

“She even lost her gills, so even with a mermaid’s tail, she can only dive for a few minutes. And she couldn’t completely block the curse.”

“What? Didn’t the curse get lifted by killing the witch?”

[Sob. Upset. Sadness. Should have killed her sooner]

Ariel lowered her head with a sorrowful expression. The fact that she said they should have killed her sooner so nonchalantly was chilling.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t stop it completely. We avoided the worst, turning into sea foam, but she was cursed to never regain her voice unless she fell in love with the prince. Normally, an incomplete contract wouldn’t last long after the witch’s death, but the remnants of the curse are forcibly maintaining the contract. That’s why she needs the prince.”

Captain Hook patted my shoulder as he spoke.

“Someone just like you.”

“No, I’m not a prince in the first place.”

“Tsuhahaha! If you’re a prince in Ariel’s eyes, then you’re a prince. What’s so grand about that? Even in the distant Ice Kingdom, a penguin is a prince!”

[That’s right. Siyu. You are my prince]

Ariel shyly approached me and gently bumped her shoulder against mine. Her cute gesture made my heart race, but there was still a question that hadn’t been answered.

I glanced sideways at Ariel, who was looking up at me with cat-like, affectionate eyes, too embarrassed to meet her gaze directly.

“Ahem, but didn’t you say there was a prince you fell for at first?”

At my question, Ariel’s pupils quaked.

[Ah. That. That is. Well. That]

“Tsuhahahahaha! Tsuhahahaha! Ah~ It’s a very amusing story!”

[Don’t do it! Don’t do it!!]

Captain Hook, like an excited child, started preparing to tell the story, while Ariel desperately tried to stop him, pleading earnestly.

“Tsuhahaha! Siyu, you’re right. Yes, the reason Ariel tried to make a contract with the witch was because of that handsome prince. The prince whose life was saved thanks to Ariel didn’t actually care about her at all. Do you want to know why?”

Unconsciously, I nodded, and Captain Hook grinned with satisfaction.

[aaah! Warning! Warning! Forbidden words! Stupid Captain Hook! Creepy old man! Stop! Stop!]

“This greasy old man has no intention of stopping~ In the prince’s heart, there was already someone~”

Captain Hook suddenly started singing. But this is a familiar story. The prince was already in love with a princess from another country, so the Little Mermaid’s love ends in failure. Even though the Little Mermaid’s sisters offered their hair to the witch and obtained a knife to stab the prince’s heart and stain her legs with blood to return to her mermaid life, the Little Mermaid couldn’t bring herself to do it.

This isn’t such an embarrassing story, is it? Rather, it’s a bitter love story of giving up everything for the one you love.

Ariel, her face as red as a ripe tomato, tried to catch Captain Hook, but he easily evaded her pursuit with agile movements. Then, with a hearty laugh, he continued his song.

“Tsuhahahaha! The person in the prince’s heart was neither the princess from another country nor Ariel~ So who could it be~ The person closest to him~ The one who only looked at him~ The one who always assisted the prince by his side~”

Something felt off. Not the princess from another country, not Ariel, but someone always by his side? I’ve never heard such a story before. Someone who assists the prince? Could it be a maid?

[Stop! Stop! Stop! This is a rightful warning! Shameless Captain Hook. I strongly demand you shut your mouth!]

“The one who shot the arrow of love into the prince’s heart was~ his butler~!!”

“What?”

A butler? Were there female butlers in this era? No, if it’s a butler, isn’t there an age difference? The butler I imagine is a middle-aged man with experience managing the household with dignity.

As I stood there with a dumbfounded look, Captain Hook kindly explained again.

“Tsuhahahaha! The prince Ariel fell in love with didn’t like women. He was in love with his butler! Ariel, who got legs and tried to sneak into the prince’s room, even witnessed the prince and the butler making love! Tsuhahahaha!”

[Shame! Anger! Embarrassment! Mortification! Forget it. My prince!]

Ariel was fidgeting like a dog needing to pee, and I felt a sense of dizziness.

“Uh, um… So, the prince likes men?”

“Tsuhahahaha! Yes. It’s something that happens sometimes. But I never imagined he would like someone 30 years older.”

[Waaah! I don’t know! Embarrassment! Shame! Upset!]

I scratched my cheek awkwardly, feeling sorry for Ariel who was so mortified. She had come up for the prince, risking everything for love like in a fairy tale, only to find out he loved not a princess from another country, but a man, and even witnessed them… doing that.

“Um, Ariel must have been really shocked and hurt.”

At my words, Ariel’s wet red hair lifted, her jewel-like eyes widened, and a smile spread across her face.

[Warmth! Kindness! Gentleness! My prince! Truly my prince!]

She suddenly ran towards me, throwing herself into my arms and rubbing her face against me. Her uniform was still damp, making mine wet too, but I didn’t mind. No, my heart felt like it was going to burst. It was hard to believe that such a beautiful creature was leaning on me.

“Tsuhahahaha! This is fun~ Love always feels ticklish and good.”

“Ugh, th-that’s not it!”

“Tsuhaha~ So shy. But it’s a relief. This time, I didn’t lose.”

“Lose what?”

Captain Hook, who had been smiling cheerfully, looked up at the sky with a bitter expression. His eyes seemed to be looking at something beyond the clouds.

“Peter Pan. That damned kidnapper.”

I had momentarily forgotten, distracted by Ariel’s story. Captain Hook was Peter Pan’s nemesis. If Captain Hook was here, it meant Peter Pan was lurking nearby.

“Peter Pan is a kidnapper? What happened before?”

“Yes, it happened.”

He fiddled with his hook hand, lost in a terrible memory. Ariel also frowned, as if recalling a bad memory.

[That damned trash. Peter Pan is a kidnapper. The princes I saved. He took them all. Ah! But don’t misunderstand. To me, the only prince is Siyu.]

No, even if I’m not a prince.

“He’s the king of Neverland. A foolish brat who created a kingdom just for children. He kidnapped my daughter, Wendy. And even though Ariel saved young boys who fell into the sea to find a new prince, Peter Pan appeared and forcibly took them too.”

His daughter’s name is Wendy? The Wendy that Peter Pan coaxed to go to Neverland? My goodness, I never imagined Captain Hook was Wendy’s father.

“Do you know the sorrow of losing a cherished daughter, Siyu? Living is not living, and the burning flame in your chest feels like it’s scorching your insides. I’ve been waiting for a chance to catch that damned kid and rescue Wendy, but for 20 years, I’ve failed. I even lost my hand in the process.”

He slammed his hook hand onto the wooden box next to him. In Captain Hook’s eyes, there was a burning hatred and a sense of loss that I couldn’t even begin to fathom. The coldness of his unresolved grudge over 20 years seeped out, chilling me to the bone.

[So we formed an alliance. I to find a prince. The old man to catch Peter Pan. We decided to help each other. But there was no progress.]

“Yes. But today was different. Peter Pan and that pesky Tinker Bell, who would immediately kidnap any children who appeared, were nowhere to be seen. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen a boy dressed as uniquely as you. Who are you, and how did you get here?”