Beatrix startled when she realized she had accidentally strayed into the mermaid's territory while zoning out. It would be a bit of an issue if anyone saw her here.
Before she could turn away to leave, however, a mermaid with long light brown hair and a blue tail swam away from the area; it was Emea.
While Emea wasn't much of a threat to Beatrix right now, she could be very easily.
And she couldn't resist her curiosity.
Beatrix followed Emea silently, making sure to stay out of sight.
Emea was swimming towards some nearby boats.
Beatrix didn't understand why, but it soon didn't matter.
She recognized one of the boats as the boat Dominic used to conduct his research. No doubt he was there right now. And Emea swam straight for it.
The two leads could not meet, no matter what. It's very likely that them getting to know each other would cause a butterfly effect, leading to the weapons that would eradicate the sirens being made. The weapons were made using the mermaid's power, which acts as the antithesis to the siren's abilities. So if Dominic got access to a mermaid, it's almost certain that the weapons would get made.
And as Beatrix neared the boat, she became more assured of what she had to do.
He was on the boat, she was sure of it. The one she had to kill. Again.
Yet again, she felt that unique presence that sent shivers down her spine. But this time all she felt was sorrow and guilt. She didn't feel intimidated or fearful of his dominating presence. She knew he was just as vulnerable as anyone else. And she had taken advantage of that.
But as with all of her emotions, she pushed it away. Dominic being the soul shard she had to destroy complicated some things. If he gained access to the anti-siren weapons he made in the book then it would be nearly impossible to kill him. So she had even more reason to prevent Emea from meeting him.
Just as Emea was about to reach the boat, Beatrix approached her from behind and silently knocked her out with a heavy hit on the head.
Normally, the attack would be insufficient to knock someone out, but a siren's strength was truly impressive.
On the way back, Beatrix couldn't help but be amazed at how easy it was. On dry land, it would have been much harder to drag a body around.
Risa was shocked when Beatrix brought in the unconscious Emea, but she eventually just retreated into her room, obviously conflicted. She loves her sister and would support her, but Risa's virtuous nature was internally screaming, and she usually advocates when she sees injustice. It looked like she didn't quite know how to approach this situation.
There was a spare room in the cave that Beatrix found surprisingly easy to transform into a cell. It wouldn't work long term, but she wasn't planning on keeping Emea forever. Hopefully, she'd figure out some other way to prevent the main lead's meeting.
"...Who are you?" Just as Beatrix was worried she'd accidentally killed the girl, she heard Emea's voice from behind her.
Beatrix felt guilt poke at her heart. Emea didn't deserve this, she hadn't done anything wrong. Probably. Beatrix still couldn't help but wonder why Emea approached those boats.
"Narcissa." Beatrix considered not telling her, but she'd find out eventually. Especially because Beatrix had no intention of keeping her here forever. It had sort of been a last-minute decision to kidnap her, so she needed to think through her next steps.
"Why am I here… Did you kidnap me?!" Emea was starting to collect herself, getting up and angrily swimming towards Beatrix.
Beatrix stared at her, considering what she should say. She wanted to know why Emea was out there, by the boats, but she wasn't exactly experienced with interrogations.
"My parents won't give you money, y'know." Emea tried to act calm, but her tense stance revealed her fear. She obviously didn't want her parents involved in this situation.
"I know." Beatrix replied.
Emea knew very well that her parents would give up the whole kingdom to save her, and so did Beatrix. But Beatrix decided to play along anyway.
"Okay, so what are you doing?" Not being held for ransom actually made Emea more nervous. She had no idea if her life was in danger.
"... What were you doing out there?" Beatrix quietly asked.
"Why do you care?"
Beatrix didn't answer. The kidnapping part had gone fine, but the post-kidnapping conversation was going a bit rough.
"Great." Emea mumbled under her breath. It was no wonder she got into so much trouble in the book, seeing how callous she was with her own life. A usual person would not act like this as a hostage.
"Are you a siren?" Emea decided to change the subject.
"Yeah. It's my personal business, though. I'm not trying to start a war or anything." While Beatrix didn't think Emea would start a war over this, she couldn't help but still be a bit worried.
"I figured. You seem a bit amateur." Emea gestured to the cell.
Beatrix began leaving the room. This conversation was pointless.
"Wait!" Emea called after her.
"You know you won't get away with this, right?" Emea asked with spite.
Beatrix knew very well. Emea was not the type to let a slight go unpunished. But without the male leads to help her, she wasn't that much of a threat.
"You'd do best to keep this to yourself. Nothing you organize can defy my power." Beatrix bluffed. This was a bit unnatural for her, acting so arrogant.
"Oh, Please. You underestimate me." Emea seemed a bit cowed, but she more so seemed angrier.
"Try if you like. But just remember, I'm the one who kidnapped you, no one else. If you have a problem, come to me." Emea wasn't the type to resort to underhanded tactics, but Beatrix still worried for Risa a bit.