We, the Merfolk, only choose our gender at the age of three hundred. My childhood friend fell for a human girl and chose to become a man. Because I loved him, I chose to become a woman. He laughed at me. "I became a man to marry a wife. You became a woman to marry whom? Surely not me?" I stayed silent, quietly preparing to become the Queen of the Seven Seas. 1 I’ve known Lucian for three hundred years. Finally, we reached the age where we could choose our gender. I swam over to him, excited to discuss choosing our genders together and becoming mates, as we had always planned. But when I found him, he was chatting with a group of friends. "I've fallen for a human girl. I've decided to become a man." Lucian sounded happy, his voice full of laughter. "She collects seashells on the beach every day. She's the most beautiful human I've ever seen, completely different from us merfolk. I'm going to go on land and be with her." His friends sounded shocked. "You're going to marry a human? What about Luna? Didn't you two promise to be together since you were fry?" "Don't you like Luna anymore?" "We were just kids back then. Who takes childhood promises seriously?" Lucian waved his hand dismissively. "I finally understand what love is. Those promises were just childish games." I froze, hiding behind a coral reef. Our promise, a childish game? One friend pressed him, "Are you sure about this? You've known Luna for so long. Are you really going to just abandon her?" Lucian was silent for a moment, then said seriously, "Humans only live a few decades. Merfolk live for a thousand years. I can wait for the human girl to die, then come back and be with Luna. You guys are my friends; don't tell her." "That's messed up, man." "Don't call me your friend!" one mermaid spat, clearly disgusted. Lucian ignored them. "Just tell her I went on a long journey. I'll be back in fifty, sixty years. We'll pretend this never happened. Luna loves me so much; she won't suspect a thing." "You're going to regret this!" Even his friends were turning their backs on him. I felt like a knife had been twisted in my heart. I was shaking. I didn't confront him. I just turned and swam away in silence. Three hundred years, and I never really knew Lucian. How pathetic. 2 I hid in my grotto for days, depressed. Two pieces of news reached me. First, the Royal Sea King Clan was holding a Selection for their new King’s Queen. They sent out enchanted conch shells inviting eligible mermaids from all clans to participate. Second, Lucian had chosen to be male. He had gone ashore to pursue the seashell girl. Several merfolk came to check on me, whispering about Lucian's betrayal, warning me not to be fooled if he came back. They said Lucian made a dashing human man, and the girl was cute. Visually, they were a perfect match. Clinging to a sliver of hope, I swam to the shore near the village where Lucian had gone. From the waves, I saw them walking hand in hand on the beach. Lucian was tall and handsome, standing out among the humans. The girl was petite and lovely. They looked... perfect together. Even though I expected it, seeing it shattered me. The pain was unbearable. I didn't dare call out to him. I was afraid to hear his voice. I truly didn't understand. Three hundred years of companionship, a promise to be mates... how could it change so suddenly? Even through the pain, I still loved him. Not long after returning home, in my grief and humiliation, I made my choice. I became a woman. Merfolk gender is determined by the heart. You can't lie to your own soul. 3 News of my transformation spread quickly. Merfolk are naturally beautiful, androgynous until the change. After the change, the men are striking, and the women are breathtaking. Before the change, I was already considered a beauty. Now, as a woman, I was easily the most beautiful mermaid in our clan. Many clan members looked at me with pity. They all knew Lucian and I were a pair. Now that he had chosen someone else, some took the opportunity to shoot their shot. "Luna, if you're willing to be with me, I'll treat you like a queen forever." "Luna, don't be sad. You're so beautiful; Lucian is definitely going to regret this." "We live for a millennium; that human girl only has a few decades. When he's had his fun, he'll come crawling back." "Yeah, you're the jewel of our clan. If he doesn't want you, I do!" "Lucian is blind. You're way prettier than any human." "Luna, the Sea King is looking for a Queen. You should go! Forget that scumbag Lucian!" Some flirted, some comforted. I didn't listen to any of it. Loving Lucian for three centuries... how could I just let it go? But I also knew that the day he fell for that human, "us" was over. His betrayal was agony. I needed time to heal. 4 I spent a month swimming wild with my girlfriends. We explored new reefs, hunted fish, collected rare shells. At night, we floated on the surface, watching the moon. I strung the shells into necklaces and wore them proudly. Thoughts of Lucian came less and less. I was starting to forget him. The Royal Sea King Clan sent a third invitation. They really wanted me at the Selection. Maybe they heard about my beauty? After thinking it over, I decided to accept. I also decided to see Lucian one last time. To kill that last bit of hope. Before leaving for the Royal City, I went to Lucian's fishing village. I sang a low, haunting melody, a signal only merfolk can hear. Lucian heard it. He looked towards the ocean, shocked. He said goodbye to the girl and dove into the water. "Luna! How did you find me? Who told you?" He was surprised, but quickly composed himself, smiling. "Luna, you became a woman! You're stunning!" He moved to hug me. I dodged him, smiling silently. "What's wrong? Mad I left without saying goodbye? I came here to negotiate trade routes with the humans. I'll come back as soon as I'm done." Lucian swam circles around me, grinning, making up excuses. He didn't know I knew his entire plan. "Luna, I became a man to find a wife. You became a woman... to marry whom? Surely not me?" His words were needles in my heart. He knew I loved him. He was twisting the knife on purpose. Lucian didn't notice my mood. He kept smiling. "Be a good girl and wait for me at home. I'll be back. Don't listen to gossip. I'm just here for business." Still lying. I sneered internally. If he wants to play innocent, I'll play along. "I know. I'll wait for you. Come back when you're done with work." I forced a smile. Lucian beamed, trying to hug me again. I side-stepped. "I'm going back now. Come home soon." I turned away, holding back tears, severing the last thread of affection for this dead relationship. Lucian laughed loudly. "Luna, be good and wait! I'll be back to marry you soon!" I didn't respond. I dove deep. This shameless, ignorant man was not the Lucian I knew. My sisters were waiting for me. Seeing me return, they swarmed around to comfort me. "Luna, don't waste tears on that scum. He's changed." "Exactly. Forget him. Let's go to the Royal City. There are plenty of powerful merfolk there." "Anyone is better than him. He'll be sorry!" I knew they meant well. I smiled brightly. "Just saying goodbye. We knew each other for three hundred years, after all. From now on, we walk different paths. Let's go to the Royal City!"
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