Shellia sat on the edge of her bed, fingers tangled in the soft fabric of her skirt, her thoughts spinning in tangled knots she couldn't undo. Allen's words still echoed in her chest—I want to officiate our marriage soon. It hadn't even been a request. It had been a declaration spoken with certainty, with devotion, with the kind of honesty she had once dreamed of.
And that was exactly why she didn't know what to do.
A soft ripple of mana shimmered in the corner of the room. A moment later, a tiny merman floated gently into the air, his small blue tail swaying like it was carried by an invisible current. His hair, eyes, and scales all matched the tranquil shade of the open sea.
"Shelliaaa…" Lyren waved his tiny hands dramatically as he drifted closer. "I am tiny because your mana storage is tiny. Maintaining my big, majestic, mighty form would drain you instantly."
He puffed out his small chest proudly, though in this size the gesture looked comically adorable.
