Surviving Little Mermaid

Chapter 3: The First Meal

Under the deep ocean, day and night was almost the same. One of the few ways to tell day from night was the food served, for dinner was nothing but a light meal and snacks.

Natalie, better known as Sora, sat at the dinner table with her family. To think that she slept for a whole day after fainting during the meeting with God. The conversation left her with a lot to process, and she was lost in her own thoughts.

"How was your day, Sora?" A voice broke the quiet atmosphere at the dining table.

It was Empress Linotti, the ruler of Rishte and the mother of Sora. At the age of 352, she had been ruling the undersea for over two centuries and was regarded as one of the wisest empress in Rishte.

"It was good." Natalie replied. With the help of the book, Natalie was able to hide the fact that she was another soul residing in the gray-tailed mermaid. However, there wasn't a single clue in the memory about what the story that started the world was. How she wish she had the story to analyze, page by page and line by line!

"I heard you received the oracle today." Tampa, the second princess spoke. She asked the question that everyone was thinking about. "What did it say?"

Well, it was more of a conversation than oracle, and referring to God as "it" seemed a little blasphemous. The thoughts ran through Natalie's mind but she decided to keep her mouth shut. Blue was such a calming color, yet Tampa who had blue eyes and matching sky blue tail was the most hot-headed out of all the princesses. It was better to keep the opinions to herself.

"God blessed the land of Rishte, and we shall receive a fine harvest this year." Even when giving an answer full of lies, Natalie spoke as sincerely as giving the truth.

Hearing this, Empress Linotti nodded slightly. It was always nice to hear good things, even though it may be a lie. Rishte had been in a poor condition, and the merfolks barely had enough to eat.

"Liar!" Tampa yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Natalie. "If that was the oracle, why would it be passed to you?"

"Who do you think it should be passed to?" Natalie asked calmly.

"Of course it was me! Who else would be worthy of this!?"

"Oh, is that so?" Natalie raised an eyebrow at the situation. Tampa was too caught up in her rage to notice that her words had offended almost everyone at the dinner table.

Empress Linotti frowned. It has been two century since an oracle was sent by God, and the last oracle spoke of the unity of the whole world. Her rise to power didn't begin until she received the oracle, after which the previous empress passed down the throne to her. Knowing this, many continued doubted her ability to lead. There were talks about how other candidates, if given the chance, would have accomplished much greater feats than her.

Of course, it didn't last long. After people who spoke against Empress Linotti started disappearing, so did the whispers on the streets. And thus, the validity of the oracle was never publicly questioned again.

"Tampa, Sora, let's eat." The fourth princess, Elda, tried to end the conversation, knowing that it wouldn't end well for the fourth princess who offended the empress.

"No, Elda, can't you see she is lying?" Tampa yelled. "She must've bribed the messengers and faked everything!"

"Tampa..." Looking at the empress who was suppressing her anger, Elda wanted to stop her sister right then and there.

"Elda, let her speak." Empress Linotti ordered, her voice cold as ice. "Tampa, did you just question the oracle?"

Only then did Tampa realized what she had said.

"No, I mean, it couldn't have been Sora who was chosen by God," her faced turned pale as she fumbled for words, blue tail swishing around nervously. "She was the youngest and the weakest!"

"Is that so?" The empress asked, her frown disappearing.

Tampa nodded quickly, hoping that the empress was willing to let this go lightly. How could she have forgotten about the one thing to never mention in front of the empress?

"Let's eat." said Empress Linotti. With that, the tension dispersed and everyone went back to their meal, pretending nothing ever happened.

Natalie looked at the food placed in front of her, hesitating to take a bite out of the green colored meat. Oozing black liquid with specks of white sprinkled on top, it was something straight out of an alien sci-fi movie that Natalie had seen in her own world.

Fine. A little piece of meat won't kill me.

With determination even stronger than when she quit her first job, she took a small bite from the piece of meat. To her surprise, this was nothing like her expectations. She had never tasted something like this ever before!

If she was to describe it accurately, it would be a meat, with the texture of tofu and the taste of fruit wine, almost like an alcoholic version of jelly. The meat melted on her tongue, coating every single taste bud with fireworks of tropical fruits. Passion fruit, mango, orange, papaya, and what she imagined pineapple and kiwi to taste like.

This was the first time that she felt happiness ever since she came to the world. Waking up in a completely new place without knowing anything, brought to chat with a God that gave her a super vague answer to her problem, being confronted by an angry older sibling... It was a crappy day for her.

It's alright, she thought to herself, it's just day one and it's normal to be unaccustomed to stuff. With a little bit more time everything would be fine. Just a little more time alone, she could figure out what the story was, and come up with a plan to make it work.

As the servants cleared the plates after the dinner, everyone proceeded to leave the dining table. On her way back, Natalie felt something tucked into her palm as the third princess, Umi, passed by her.

Judging by the feel, it was most likely a note. Discreetly, Natalie stuffed it inside her clothes and only took it out once she was alone in her room. She unfolded the note, which read:

"To stay alive. Meet me in my room at 12."