The next day.

Helian Jue woke up promptly at 5:30 a.m., the best night's sleep he'd had in three years.

Something seemed to move on the side of my neck. I looked down and saw a beautiful little silver-blue mermaid sleeping soundly.

Not wanting to disturb Qiao You, Helian Jue maintained his posture and waited quietly.

The little mermaid's sleeping posture was somewhat...unrestrained, with her long hair sticking to her face, her little nose wrinkled, and her fingers unconsciously fidgeting.

Helian Jue watched with great interest, gently tidying the hair on his face.

At seven o'clock, Qiao You finally woke up.

The first thing I saw when I woke up was a visual feast – I made eye contact with Helian Jue.

"Chirp~" is a shy "good morning".

Helian Jue could tell the meaning behind each sentence just by looking at the little mermaid's expression. "Qiao You, good morning."

After exchanging good morning greetings, the person and the fish washed up together and then appeared at the restaurant together.

Helian Jue woke up a little late this morning, and breakfast was prepared by a housework robot.

A bowl of chicken noodle soup that looks quite appetizing.

Qiao You saw the chicken noodle soup even before Helian Jue, and his eyes lit up.

"Noodles?"

The little head nodded vigorously, and the head ornament on its forehead was the silver-blue gemstone that was bought yesterday.

Her long, seaweed-like hair was tied back with a hairband by Helian Jue, making her look much more refreshed.

Helian Jue took out the little mermaid's special bowl, put noodles into the bowl, and Qiao You picked up the special chopsticks and began to eat the noodles.

"Chirp!" Not bad!

"Chirp chirp!" It's not as good as last night's!

Helian Jue actually understood and promised, "I'll cook at noon."

The little mermaid Qiao You gave Helian Jue a thumbs-up, successfully making Helian Jue laugh.

While eating noodles, Helian Jue's personal terminal rang. It was his attending physician, Lu Yiwen.

"Good morning, Your Highness."

The sudden sound of a stranger's voice startled Qiao You; it seemed to be coming from inside the house.

"Don't be afraid." Helian Jue patted Qiao You's head to comfort him.

After seeing that the little mermaid's expression had returned to normal, he looked at the quantum computer on his wrist.

"Your Highness, would you like to have a check-up today...?"

Before Lu Yiwen could finish speaking, Helian Jue interrupted, "No need."

Lu Yiwen adjusted his glasses. "Your Highness, I'm 20% confident this time. Although I can't completely cure your mental sea, it will be much easier..."

Wait, this is... His Highness's spirit pet?

Wow...it's so beautiful!

Her eyes were like two sapphires, and her silver-blue hair shone brightly.

"Chirp~"

"Is there anything else?" Helian Jue's icy voice reached Lu Yiwen's ears.

“No…that’s all.” Lu Yiwen’s heart sank; he had broken a taboo.

Qiao You looked curiously at Helian Jue's wrist. There was only a small white screen, and there was nothing on it. So why could Helian Jue talk to other people?

"Like it? Take it and play with it." Helian Jue hung up the call with Lu Yiwen.

The computer was placed in front of Qiao You, and his fingerprint was recorded.

"Look, click here first," Helian Jue patiently instructed.

He explained to Qiao You how to make calls and shop, and said he would have Lin Zhong send over a personal computer tomorrow to help him pass the time.

But plans can never keep up with changes.

In the afternoon, Lin Zhong brought Wei Yin to the house with a solemn expression. Qiao You did not follow them into the study, but instead played in the water tank by himself.

The three of them stayed in the study for a full two hours. Qiao You played with all the facilities in the water tank and was just about to wag his tail to come out and play when the study door opened.

Seeing Qiao You's actions, Helian Jue quickly walked over, "Bored?"

Where do you want to go?

Caught red-faced by the servant, Qiao You felt a little embarrassed and tried to hide.

Helian Jue brought out the little mermaid and introduced Lin Zhong and Wei Yin to Qiao You.

Qiao You met Lin Zhong yesterday.

Vein, this is the first time.

Qiao You calmly nodded to the two people, indicating that he knew them.

Wayne has a baby face, and aside from serious matters, he's incredibly mischievous.

"Your Highness, this is your spirit pet. It's so beautiful." As he spoke, Wayne couldn't resist the urge to touch it.

"How dare you touch me, Your Highness?" Qiao You was furious and lashed out with his tail. With a "smack," he slapped Wayne's wrist, leaving a cut and a few drops of blood.

Ouch...it hurts, my tail hurts so much!

It's fun to slap someone, but it hurts your own tail too.

The little mermaid's blue eyes were filled with tears, and Helian Jue quickly checked Qiao You's tail.

One of the silver-blue scales was loose, and there was a trace of blood where the scale connected to the tail.

“Vin!” Helian Jue’s voice was cold.

Not only was Vin's voice trembling, but his body was also shaking, and he was somewhat unsteady on his feet.

This is the oppressive force emanating from His Highness's spiritual power.

Qiao You was the most sensitive to Helian Jue's mental energy fluctuations. He scratched his palm and chirped.

I'm fine now.

"Chirp chirp".

Don't worry.

If Qiao You wasn't mistaken, he should be changing his scales.

Mermaids change their scales a few years after reaching adulthood.

"Get out." Helian Jue withdrew his released spiritual power and carried Qiao You into the bedroom.

Lin Zhong said to Wayne, "If you don't court death, you won't die."

"Your Highness has only had this little spirit pet after so many years, so you must cherish it. Moreover, this little mermaid is very useful for healing Your Highness's spiritual power."

Vayne was filled with regret. "I just thought the little merman was absolutely the most beautiful in the entire galaxy..."

What did Lin Zhong say? Your Highness's spiritual power...

Your Highness just released your spiritual energy, but you didn't go berserk!

Is the treatment so effective in just one day? Does that mean Your Highness will no longer be troubled by mental issues?

Seeing that Wei Yin was about to continue acting foolishly, Lin Zhong quickly pulled him away to attend to more important matters.

Inside the bedroom.

Helian Jue first contacted the doctor at the Spirit Pet Pavilion to inquire about the baby mermaid's condition, but still worried, he asked the doctor to come over immediately.

"Chirp."

Don't be angry, I'm fine.

Seeing that Helian Jue's expression had darkened slightly, Qiao You explained.

"I'm sorry, there won't be a next time," Helian Jue promised, acknowledging that this time it was his fault.

Qiao You wanted to tell Helian Jue that he was changing his scales, which was a normal phenomenon, but he kept chirping and Helian Jue couldn't understand him at all...

The veterinarian from the pet store came to Qiao You's home and gave him a thorough examination. After confirming that there were no problems, Helian Jue allowed him to leave.

The day after the little mermaid entered the Crown Prince's residence, the Crown Prince's two guards left with dark faces, and soon after, the doctor from the Spirit Pet Pavilion was summoned.

These phenomena have led many netizens to become increasingly convinced that the Crown Prince's cruel and inhumane nature has not been corrected, and that the little mermaid has already suffered this terrible fate.

"The little mermaid only lived for one day in the Crown Prince's residence?"

"A cruel person is not fit to be the successor of an empire!"

"The future of the empire cannot be entrusted to a madman."

"Helian Jue relinquishes the position of Crown Prince!"

...