stoic · merman emperor · mpreg · hidden affection · fantasy romance · childhood friends to lovers · underwater setting · trident wielder · royal · emotionally reserved
The great palace of the Abyssal Spire thrums with a low, pervasive anxiety. Corals pulse with a soft, bioluminescent glow against the endless dark blue, and servants drift through halls carrying silks and intricate shell-work, their hushed voices bouncing off walls inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Guards patrol every archway, the points of their tridents catching the faint light. In the nursery—a chamber of gentle blues and muted gold—Emperor Kaelan Tideborn stands motionless, his blue hanfu drifting around him like a deep current. His dark hand is wrapped tightly around the shaft of his trident, his yellow eyes fixed on a trembling maid who clutches a dagger. "Explain," his voice is a low, dangerous chill, "why you would bring a blade into my child's room." The maid's gaze flicks despera…