00:00Pass down the order, draw the nets closed. I shall make him realize that without me,
00:05he is less than dust. I concluded my tour of the territory early and returned to my castle.
00:10My husband Arthur recently acquired a pink ornamental goopy. He treasured it as dearly
00:15as his own eyes. For its sake, he even let the servants to construct a 30-foot crystal water
00:19vault right in the great hall. He would dive into the water every single day, spending hours
00:22swimming alongside that fish. I had always assumed this was merely some eccentricity of his as a
00:26commoner mage. Though I did not understand it, I refrained from interfering. Until today,
00:30I pushed open the heavy doors of the great hall only to find Arthur nowhere to be soon.
00:34Yet within that massive crystal vault, there was suddenly a black fish. At this very moment,
00:38that black fish and the pink goopy were wildly entwined, mating in a frenzy among the water
00:41weeds. Just as I was wondering from whence this foul black fish had emerged, a voice suddenly
00:45echoed within my mind. Serena is truly a fool. She has not even realized that I am this black fish.
00:50It is because she is the high and mighty daughter of the king. You had no choice but to suffer
00:53the
00:53indignity of transforming into a beast. Fret not, Arthur. At this pace, I shall soon spawn a litter
00:57of little ones. I stared fixedly at the two thrashing fish in the crystal tank, trembling
01:02with absolute fury. I turned my head toward the steward standing nearby. My voice is cold as ice.
01:07Go. Instruct the royal head chef to set a boiling cauldron right here in the hall. Today,
01:11I am dragging you two faithless wretches out and boiling you into a seafood stew. My mind rang
01:14with the panicked thoughts of Arthur and his mistress. Has Serena gone mad? I explicitly told her
01:18this fish is my most prized possession. What shall we do, Arthur? We cannot possibly defend ourselves
01:22in this form. I nearly laughed out of sheer malice. I brought half the wealth of the Orlando
01:26Empire to my marriage with Arthur, elevating him from a lowly commoner mage to a rising lord. He
01:31even utilized some forbidden transfigure spell to turn himself into a black fish, diving in daily to
01:34cup with her. Had I not mysteriously awakened the gift of mind reading today, I would never have
01:38known this disgusting situation. I glared at the pitch black fish in the water, my stomach churning
01:42with disgust. Bring the cauldron, now.
01:48Your highness, those are Lord Arthur's most precious fish. Should he find out-
01:52This is my castle. Since when does a commoner leeching off my coin rule this house? When I
01:56command you to go, you go. Summon the head chef and the sous chef and have them bring a full
01:59set
01:59of carving knives. Terrified, the steward scrambled frantically toward the kitchen. Nearby, the thoughts
02:03of the two fish echoed once more. She must be insane. What does she intend to do? Arthur, we are
02:09in
02:09the form of fish. If we are thrown into that pot, we shall die. Fear not. I do not believe
02:14she would
02:14truly dare touch my fish. The black fish violently whipped its tail, shielding the pink guppy beneath
02:18its body. Two pairs of bulging eyes stared at me in terror. It began to thrash wildly in the water,
02:22ramming to desperately against the glass walls and kicking up violent splashes. You dared to carry on
02:26this filthy deceit right beneath my eyes. Do not think you can escape now. Send word to the royal
02:31palace. Invite the king and queen to the castle. Tell them there is an extra course for lunch.
02:34Premium seafood stew and sliced fish. As my words fell, two royal chefs hurried in, carrying a massive
02:38landing net and several freshly honed carving knives. Just as the net was about to reach the water's surface,
02:43the heavy doors burst open. Halt! Who dared touch my son's fish? My mother-in-law, Madam Martha,
02:49who usually carried herself with the haunted airs of a noble dower, she clung fiercely to the crystal
02:52basin, using her stout body to block the chef's net. Serena, have you lost your mind? If you dare
02:58harm these fish, I shall fight you to the death! Madam Martha shreeming hysterically, her eyes burning
03:02with pure madness. Keeping my arms crossed, I looked down upon this uncooked woman and raised an eyebrow
03:08in feigned confusion. Madam Martha, they are but two fish. Why such agitation? I merely wished
03:14to use them to brew a broth. Martha's eyes darted in panic, desperately avoiding my gaze as she
03:18stammered out a lie. These are Arthur's favorite fish. They are his very life. If you consume them,
03:23Arthur will fly into a terrible rage upon his return. He will demand an annulment! I let out a
03:27scoff, my gaze suddenly turning so sharp it could pierce her very soul. An annulment? Madam Martha,
03:31have you taken leave of your senses? A low commoner mage who only climbed to his current stages by
03:36clinging to my resources, and now he has the gall to threaten me with a separation? What does Arthur
03:40think he is? Today, not only shall I slaughter these fish, but I will have their flesh carved,
03:47and I shall consume them bite by bite. The inner voices of the two fish erupted instantly.
03:53Arthur, tell your mother to stop her! I am just an ordinary fish right now! If I am netted, I
03:57am doomed!
03:58She is utterly deranged. She forced my hand in marriage, relying on her status as princess,
04:02and now she hinders me from finding my true love.
04:04Listening to their thoughts, the revulgent in my eyes nearly overflowed. Just then,
04:09the clinking of heavy armor echoed from beyond the doors. My parents, the king and queen of the
04:14Orlando Empire, had arrived. The king strode into the hole, frowned at the chaos, and spoke.
04:20It is merely a fish. If Serena wishes to eat it, let her. If Arthur grieves for it,
04:26I shall grant him a hundred rarer enchanted fish later.
04:29The queen scoffed as well, her eyes filled with disdain.
04:32Excuse me? Must the most exalted princess of the Orlando Empire cater to the whims of a commoner?
04:38No! You cannot eat them!
04:39The moment Martha beheld my parents, her face turning pale instantly, she gazed at the black
04:43fish frantically blowing bubbles in the vault, her eyes brimming with the terror of a mother
04:47watching her son face imminent death. Witnessing her display, I trembled with fury.
04:52No wonder Arthur used a border mission as a pretext to vanish completely these past two weeks.
04:57No wonder Martha came to my castle every single day, lingering from dawn to dusk.
05:01She had been acting as a shield for this pair, carrying on their affair disguised as beasts.
05:07I recalled that rainy night years ago, when Arthur knelt in the mile to beg for my hand,
05:12swearing by the heavens that he would love only me, and never betray his vows.
05:16And now, not only does he keep a mistress, but he brought her into my own keep,
05:20carrying on in this sickening manner right beneath my eyes.
05:23I was profoundly disillusioned. Without sparing Martha another glass, my voice turned cold.
05:29Chef, proceed. Net these two fish at once. Carve the flesh raw. Sever the heads for...
05:33At once, your highness.
05:34The two chefs moved swiftly, plunging the massive net into the water.
05:38The black fish thrashed for its life, splashing water across the floor,
05:41but against absolute force, it was utterly defenseless.
05:44Along with the pink gumpy, he was hurled violently onto the cold chopping block.
05:50The black fish tail slapped crantically against the wood, emitting thuns of despair.
05:55While the pink guppy was so terrified, it immediately turned belly up.
05:59My mind was flooded with their wailing.
06:01Am I truly to perish like this?
06:03Arthur, I don't wish to die. Save me, quickly.
06:07Arthur!
06:09Her fingers curled like talons as she lunged madly for my face.
06:12You witch! If you dare kill my son, I shall tear you apart!
06:17Before I could even raise a hand, a royal knight at the queen's side stepped forward and delivered a slap.
06:22Insolent peasant, how dare you assault her highness!
06:25The queen looked down upon her, her gaze frosty.
06:28To raise a hand against my daughter, you seek death.
06:31Guards, pin her down!
06:33Several heavily knights rushed in immediately,
06:36forcing the wildly thrashing Martha firmly to the floor.
06:40Madam Martha pinned to the ground, still cried.
06:42I should never have allowed my son to marry!
06:45I stared at the black fish on the block.
06:47Do it. They are but two fish. What is there to fear?
06:50The chefs dared not hesitate any longer.
06:53One on the left, one on the right.
06:54They held the fish firmly in place.
06:56The blade hovered over the pink guppy, which seemed paralyzed by terror,
06:59her gills barely fluttering.
07:01A cold glint of steel flashed, and the chef's hand fell.
07:04The pink fish's body convulsed violently.
07:08Lily!
07:09Serena, you actually let them strike! How dare you!
07:13It seems today's broth shall be most flavorful.
07:16Chop that black fish as well.
07:18The chef's blade rose high and fell once more.
07:21The black fish's head went flying,
07:24landing on the marble floor with a smack.
07:26The next moment, she completely passed out.
07:28The weird voices within my mind were finally silenced.
07:31The hall was terrifyingly silent,
07:34save for the bubbling of the cauldron over the hearth.
07:37I lowered my eyes to the two severed fish heads on the floor and spoke evenly.
07:41Why do you stand there? Clean up this mess.
07:43Just as the head chef reached to lift the fish's body,
07:46the black fish head on the floor suddenly opened its eyes.
07:50Its fish eyes fix on me, unblinking.
07:52Its jaws open and close,
07:54and to my shock, faint human words spill forth.
07:58Serena.
08:00The king's expression shifted drastically,
08:02and the queen drew a sharp breath.
08:04I stared at the fish head as it continued to mouth words,
08:07seamlessly snatched a knife,
08:09and hurled it with tremendous force.
08:12With a heavy thud,
08:13the tip of the blade drove precisely into the fish's head,
08:16pinning it to the floorboards.
08:18Quit playing dead,
08:19but this time,
08:19before the chef could land their hands on them,
08:21the two fish bodies erupted in a blinding flash of light
08:23right before everyone's eyes.
08:25When the brilliance faded,
08:27two figures had appeared in the hall.
08:28Arthur was half kneeling on the ground,
08:30deathly pale,
08:31a bloody gash marking his throat.
08:33Beside him was Lily,
08:34her hair disheveled,
08:35curling upon the floor and shivering uncontrollably.
08:38Arthur lifted his head.
08:40When his gaze fell upon me,
08:42his eyes have filled with irrepressible fury
08:45and malice.
08:48Serena.
08:50You seek death.
