Romance with the Cursed Siren

CHAPTER 14. Cleaning Underwater

Crystal was terribly bored.

Staying trapped inside a bathtub was never enjoyable, especially in her siren form where she could barely move her tail properly. The large porcelain tub inside the yacht’s bathroom was already luxurious compared to the wooden barrels her father once used whenever they traveled, but to Crystal, it still felt like a prison.

She sighed dramatically and lazily splashed the water with the tip of her shimmering silver-and-green tail. Tiny droplets scattered across the tiled walls while the afternoon sunlight streaming through the small circular window reflected beautifully against her scales.

Outside, she could hear the distant noise of Creekwood Harbor—the muffled horns of ships, chatter from people, and the busy sounds of the city she had dreamed of seeing her entire life.

And yet there she was. Locked inside a bathroom.

Crystal pouted deeply and rested her chin on the edge of the tub.

It had already been almost a month since Gabriel left Caro Island.

Every sunrise felt emptier without him swimming beside her underwater. Every sunset reminded her of his kisses, his touch, and the promises he whispered against her skin.

She missed him terribly.

At least this time her mother had finally allowed her to travel with Christian to the city to visit her grandfather.

Crystal had nearly exploded with excitement during the voyage. Unfortunately, they arrived near sunrise.

And because of that, Aya immediately locked her inside the bathtub before she could even step outside the yacht.

Crystal groaned again.

“This is torture,” she complained to herself dramatically.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed outside.

“Aya?” Christian’s voice called from outside the yacht.

Crystal’s eyes immediately widened with excitement.

“Dada!” she squealed happily.

She quickly sat straighter in the tub, causing water to splash everywhere.

Christian entered hurriedly with a troubled expression on his face while Aya followed closely behind him.

“We’re going back,” Christian announced immediately.

Crystal blinked.

“…What?”

Her smile slowly disappeared.

“But… but I haven’t seen Grandpa yet,” she protested quickly. “And Gabriel too.”

Christian sighed heavily, already expecting her reaction.

He walked toward the bathroom entrance while Aya quietly remained behind him.

“Crystal,” he said patiently, “you don’t need to see them.”

“What?” Crystal cried in disbelief. “Why not?”

“Because it’s dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” she repeated. “Da, I only want to see Gabriel and Grandpa. What danger could there be?”

Christian closed his eyes briefly before speaking again.

“Crystal, you need to understand something.”

His voice became gentler.

“Gabriel is not coming back to the island.”

Crystal froze completely.

“He has responsibilities here,” Christian continued carefully. “His family… his company… his entire life belongs in the city. The waves only brought him to us accidentally.”

“That’s not true,” Crystal argued immediately.

Christian ignored her interruption.

“He cannot live the way we do. He belongs here, sweetheart. Not on an isolated island in the middle of the ocean.”

“But he promised me!” Crystal snapped emotionally.

Her eyes instantly welled with tears.

“He said he’d come back!”

Christian’s expression tightened.

“Promises are easy to say, Crystal.”

The words pierced her heart painfully.

Crystal quickly dipped half her body beneath the water again, hiding her trembling face.

“I don’t want to hear this,” she whispered shakily.

Aya immediately touched Christian’s arm gently.

“Let me talk to her.”

Christian sighed before nodding reluctantly and leaving the bathroom.

The moment he disappeared, Crystal slowly emerged from the water again.

Pearls began falling from her eyes one after another, bouncing softly against the tiled floor.

“Mom,” she whispered weakly, “why does Da always do this?”

Aya crouched beside the bathtub carefully.

“Do what, sweetheart?”

“Keep me away from everyone.”

Crystal hugged herself tightly.

“Gabriel already saw me in this form,” she continued tearfully. “But he didn’t hurt me. He didn’t fear me. Da always says humans will hurt me, but Gabriel didn’t.”

Aya’s heart ached hearing her daughter’s trembling voice.

She gently brushed Crystal’s damp hair away from her face.

“Crystal…” Aya whispered softly.

The siren looked up at her mother with desperate eyes.

“I don’t understand why Da keeps acting like I’m always in danger.”

Aya hesitated briefly before finally speaking.

“Gabriel is not for you, sweetheart.”

Crystal frowned immediately.

“What do you mean?”

Aya swallowed carefully.

“He’s already engaged to someone else.”

Silence filled the bathroom.

Crystal stared blankly at her mother.

“…What?”

Her lips parted slightly while her trembling hands gripped the edge of the bathtub.

“No,” she whispered. “That’s not true.”

Aya’s eyes softened sadly.

“It is.”

Crystal shook her head repeatedly.

“He would’ve told me.”

“Maybe he didn’t want to hurt you.”

“But he promised me!” Crystal cried emotionally. “He said he’d return!”

Aya sighed softly.

“Sometimes people make promises they cannot keep.”

Crystal’s chest tightened painfully.

Without another word, she submerged herself beneath the water completely.

Aya watched her silently for several moments before finally standing up.

“I’ll give you some time alone,” she whispered gently.

Crystal never responded.

Outside the bathroom, Christian immediately approached his wife.

“How is she?”

Aya only shook her head sadly.

“She’s heartbroken.”

Christian closed his eyes heavily.

For the meantime, they allowed Crystal to remain alone while the yacht slowly sailed away from Creekwood Harbor.

But not long after, Aya suddenly returned to check on her daughter again.

The moment she entered the bathroom, her blood ran cold.

The bathtub was empty.

“Aya?” Christian called worriedly after hearing her sharp gasp.

“She’s gone.”

Christian immediately stood up.

“What?”

“The bathtub is empty!”

Panic instantly spread through both of them.

“Crystal!” Aya shouted desperately while checking every corner of the yacht.

Nothing.

“She must’ve swum back to the city,” Christian muttered grimly.

Without hesitation, he rushed toward the control panel.

“We need to turn back immediately.”

Meanwhile, far from the yacht, Crystal had already arrived near the seawall of Creekwood Harbor.

Thankfully, the area wasn’t crowded.

She carefully tossed her waterproof bag onto a dry rock before remaining hidden underwater while waiting for sunset.

The city’s ocean felt completely different from Caro Island.

The water wasn’t as clear, trash floated everywhere, plastic bags tangled among seaweed, broken bottles rested on the ocean floor and discarded cans drifted between corals.

Crystal frowned sadly.

“How could they do this?” she whispered underwater.

A tiny fish struggled nearby after getting trapped inside a plastic ring.

Crystal quickly swam toward it and gently freed the frightened creature.

“There,” she whispered softly.

The fish immediately darted away.

Crystal continued swimming deeper, collecting every piece of garbage she found.

She carried bottles, wrappers, and plastic scraps toward the shore one by one before tossing them onto dry land where the waves couldn’t drag them back.

As she rose from the water again carrying another pile of trash, she suddenly froze.

Two children were staring at her.

A little girl around seven years old and a slightly older boy stood nearby with widened eyes.

Crystal blinked awkwardly.

“…Hi,” she greeted nervously while still holding garbage in both hands.

The little girl tilted her head curiously.

“What are you doing?”

“Uh…” Crystal hesitated. “Cleaning the water?”

The boy looked around at the scattered trash she had piled onshore.

“You cleaned the ocean but made the shore messy.”

Crystal winced slightly.

“I was planning to clean that later.”

“Why not now?” the boy asked suspiciously.

Before Crystal could answer, the little girl suddenly gasped dramatically.

“She can’t!”

The boy looked confused.

“I saw her earlier,” the girl announced excitedly. “She was swimming with a fishtail!”

Crystal’s heart skipped nervously.

But after realizing sunset was already approaching, she relaxed slightly.

“Yes,” she admitted softly before lifting the tip of her tail slightly from the water.

Both children’s eyes widened instantly.

“That looks real!” the boy exclaimed.

Crystal laughed softly.

“It is real.”

The little girl crouched closer excitedly.

“How can you swim like that?”

Crystal smiled.

“You can do many things if you practice enough.”

The little girl nodded seriously.

“That makes sense.”

Crystal nearly laughed.

“What’s your name?” the girl asked eagerly.

“Crystal. And yours?”

“I’m Roxanne!”

“And I’m Dave,” the boy added proudly.

“It’s nice meeting you both.”

Roxanne suddenly pointed toward the floating trash.

“So why are you cleaning the ocean dressed like a mermaid?”

Crystal thought quickly.

“Because… fish trust me more this way.”

Dave blinked.

“…That actually makes sense too.”

Crystal grinned proudly.

“Do you want help?” Dave suddenly offered.

“Oh no, it’s alright—”

But before she could finish, the trash she had tossed carelessly rolled everywhere again because of the wind.

Dave crossed his arms.

“You definitely need help.”

Crystal burst into laughter.

Soon, the three of them worked together cleaning the shore while chatting happily.

For the first time since arriving in the city, Crystal felt strangely happy again.

As sunset finally approached, Crystal quietly slipped deeper underwater.

Moments later, the painful transformation began.

Even underwater, she trembled violently as her tail painfully split apart.

She bit her lip hard to suppress her cries.

When the transformation finally ended, Crystal swam upward shakily before crawling onto the shore while gasping heavily.

“Crystal!” Roxanne rushed toward her immediately.

“Are you okay?”

Crystal nodded weakly while trying to breathe properly.

“Y-Yes…”

Roxanne blinked.

“Where’s your tail?”

Crystal glanced toward the water dramatically.

“It floated away.”

Dave raised an eyebrow suspiciously but said nothing.

Instead, he lifted her waterproof bag.

“Looking for this?”

Crystal smiled gratefully.

“Yes! Thank you.”

Roxanne immediately grabbed her hand.

“There’s a public restroom nearby where you can change!”

The children guided her through the shore while helping carry the collected garbage.

As they walked, many people stared openly at Crystal.

Some admired her beauty. Others looked confused by her unfamiliar appearance.

Crystal noticed the stares nervously but continued following the children.

Finally, they stopped in front of a small public restroom.

“Here!” Roxanne announced proudly.

Crystal blinked.

“…This?”

“Yes,” Dave replied bluntly. “Where else would you change?”

Crystal laughed softly before entering one of the stalls.

Inside, she carefully changed into dry clothes—a simple floral blouse, handkerchief skirt, and ankle boots her father once bought for her.

She combed through her damp curls using only her fingers before suddenly noticing the golden bracelet Gabriel had given her.

Her smile slowly faded.

“He must be really happy now,” she whispered sadly.

Quietly, she removed the bracelet from her wrist and placed it inside her bag.

When she exited the restroom, Roxanne gasped dramatically.

“You’re so pretty!”

Crystal blushed slightly.

“Thank you.”

The little girl grinned widely.

“You look like a princess.”

Crystal laughed softly.

“By the way,” she said gently, “shouldn’t you both go home already? Your parents might worry.”

“We waited for you,” Dave answered casually.

Crystal’s chest warmed.

“Thank you for helping me clean the shore.”

“Our parents are part of an organization that protects the ocean too,” Dave explained proudly.

Crystal’s eyes brightened instantly.

“Really?”

Dave nodded.

“They always tell us the ocean needs help.”

Crystal smiled warmly.

“I wish more humans thought like your family.”

Without warning, she kissed both children on their cheeks affectionately.

“Thank you for today.”

Then, carrying her bag carefully, Crystal finally turned toward the glowing city lights ahead of her.

For the first time in her life—

The cursed siren began exploring the city alone.