165 Isabella's response

**Dylan's POV**

*

I continued to teach her to sing, but this time I seemed to have an inexhaustible amount of patience. I taught her how to remember each note, just like I would teach a small child. And, introduced her to what singing means to a merman.

"The sea is wide and deep. In most cases, Mermen live scattered. Mermen are cold-blooded animals, and our kind prey on each other. This determines that Mermen are lonely in most cases. Singing is our way of banishing loneliness. We express our inner feelings through song. Sometimes we use songs to communicate. So the expression of emotion is more important than the skill of singing."

"The frequency of each person's voice is unique. Mermen find their mates primarily through singing. We may be far apart or have never met, but once we fall in love with each other's unique singing voice, we see each other as mates regardless of race or gender. So, you have to learn to show the characteristics of your voice when you sing. You should use your voice to touch the other lonely soul."

I patiently taught Elizabeth for a day, and it was so rewarding that she already had a third of the melody memorized.

Sort of, not bad.

The next day, she asked me again to teach her the rest of the song.

I really wanted to tell her: you probably only have two days left in your life. Cherish your time and do something meaningful. Don't waste time on something you have no talent for.

Of course, I'm just thinking about it. I wouldn't say it out loud.

I won't say no to her request. I wouldn't mind teaching her to sing for three days.

Three days would be as short as three seconds for me in a long 10,000 years.

I'm generous.

While she was learning to sing, Elizabeth became interested in playing the harp again. She asked me to teach her.

Well, the difficulty escalated at once.

I grabbed her hands and taught her to pluck the strings.

Her hands are soft and warm, completely different from the cold hands of mermaids, the same as Isabella's hands.

Ten thousand years ago, Isabella taught me to play the harp hand by hand, and ten thousand years later, I taught Elizabeth to play the harp in the same way.

I had an amazing feeling. It was the first time I really felt the passage of time.

"Are you mermen born to be able to play the harp, too?"

"No."

"Did someone teach you?"

"Yes."

"Did you get it in a very short time?" Elizabeth asked.

"Of course. I'm very talented," I said proudly.

"You're so silly." Elizabeth, however, laughed at me.

I furrowed my brow and retorted, "Why say I'm silly? I'm not the type of guy who can't even figure out scales after learning an instrument for half a day."

"You're really silly. You shouldn't always show off your cleverness. You should pretend you can't learn so you can get her to teach you a little longer. Don't you wish she'd stayed with you longer?"

I was deep in thought. I seemed to realize something.

Looking down, I looked at Elizabeth in my arms.

In order to teach her to play the harp hand by hand, I took her in my arms.

"So, are you pretending that you can't learn?"

Her nails suddenly plucked the strings hard. The loud sound startled both of us.

"No, I didn't...I really can't learn...I have no musical talent. I'm not trying to stay with you longer. I won't fall in love with you." Elizabeth said a lot to negate my question.

"Got it. Just a joke."

"A boring joke," Elizabeth said.

I didn't doubt that she was lying. I couldn't see her face from my perspective, but I could see that both of her ears were all red.

When I grabbed her hands and placed them on the harp, I could feel her pulse beating fast. The temperature of her hands was also rising rapidly.

I suddenly felt a heat flow from her hand to mine.

Was she angry?

Or, shy?

By the third day, Elizabeth told me that she had forgotten everything she had learned in the first two days. She wanted me to teach her how to sing and play the harp from scratch.

And she made a point of saying, "I didn't mean to pretend I couldn't do it. I really forgot."

Well, if she hadn't explained, I would have believed her. But her explanation made it sound to me like she was trying to cover something up.

But it didn't matter what she was trying to cover up. Today is the last day. At twelve o'clock this evening, I will perform the ritual as planned.

"Never mind. Let's take our time."

Elizabeth smiled, "If you've been so gentle and patient since the first day I met you, then I must like you a lot."

Stupid girl, that's impossible. My gentleness and patience would only be for Isabella. If you weren't about to lose your life, I wouldn't be acting friendly to you.

But I can't help thinking about if Elizabeth didn't tell the truth when I first met her. She pretended she was Isabella. I would have believed her.

I wouldn't have the heart to question her or attack her. That way, maybe we would have lived happily ever after.

What a shame.

After another half day of learning, Elizabeth finally learned to sing, even though she was still messing up her harp playing.

It was a big improvement. I was so relieved.

"Whenever I hear old chronicles of love, its age-old pain,

Its ancient tale of being apart or together.

As I stare on and on into the past, in the end you emerge,

Clad in the light of a pole-star piercing the darkness of time:

You become an image of what is remembered forever."

I froze as I listened to her sing a familiar melody but with unfamiliar lyrics.

"What are you singing?" I don't remember teaching her such lyrics.

"I wrote the lyrics myself. I can't learn Merman's words, it's too complicated. So I filled in lyrics of my own. Does it fit?"

Elizabeth giggled, then continued singing the lyrics she had written herself.

"You and I have floated here on the stream that brings from the fount.

At the heart of time, love of one for another.

We have played alongside millions of lovers, shared in the same

Shy sweetness of meeting, the same distressful tears of farewell-

Old love but in shapes that renew and renew forever."

As I listened, my eyes moistened. It was as if I heard Isabella's response to me.

I had been singing the love song for 10,000 years, and this was the first time I had heard someone else sing to me.

Elizabeth's unique singing voice reached my ears like an electric current that made my whole body tingle and tickle.

I purposely let out a laugh to hide my almost tearful emotion.

"It's rude to make fun of someone singing off-key. I'm very serious about singing. Bastard!"

Elizabeth punched me in the chest in shame. It didn't hurt, but she made my heart pound hard.

**Elizabeth's POV**

*

The orange-tailed merman told me that singing has an irresistible allure for mermen. If I could learn to sing, maybe I could get Dylan to fall in love with me and then reveal the protective scale on his chest as he relaxed his defenses.

Well, I tried. But apparently, I have no musical talent.

I studied for three days. After I thought I had learned to sing, Dylan was not impressed by my singing voice but was amused by my off-key singing.

I spent the entire three days with Dylan, but I never saw him drink. Obviously, getting him drunk was not an option.

What about trying another method?

I believe most males would never refuse a woman to give them a hand job. If he were a werewolf or a male human, I would just reach directly for his cock. I would conquer him with my skill.

But the problem is, he's a merman, and the sexual organs of a merman are hidden.

He won't open his dick's defenses until I get him to remove his inner defenses. So, I still need to get him to fall in love with me.

Is there any way to make him fall in love with me and get an erection for me within three days?

Sounds like a daydream. He hasn't forgotten Isabella in 10,000 years, how can he fall in love with me in three days?

I was learning to play the harp and pondering, if I pissed him off, would he force me to do blowjob for him again?

This approach seemed a bit risky.

Dylan must not have known that I appeared to be calm, but in fact, my mind was filled with ideas on how to seduce him and make him cum.

I couldn't concentrate on learning to play the harp because my mind was constantly thinking about these things. I was worried that Dylan would completely lose his patience and not want to teach me, but surprisingly, he didn't.

Today was the last day. I had to remove the protective scale from his chest. I had to try every single method.

"Can you give me a glass of wine?" I said to a maid.

"No. Pregnant women can't drink." Dylan objected.

"I won't drink. I'll just take a sniff. I haven't had a drink in a long time. I swear, I'll just sniff. Please."

Dylan didn't object again; he just said, "Alcoholism is not a good habit."

"Don't you ever drink?"

"I used to drink. But Isabella didn't like a drinker man. So I quit drinking."

Oh, damn it, it's Isabella again.

A short time later, the maid returned with a glass of wine. She put it down and left.

My eyes kept glued to the wine. I wondered if Dylan would get drunk if I forced this drink down his throat.

He hasn't had any alcohol for many years. One glass of wine is enough to get him drunk, right?

With less and less time left, I decided to take a chance. If I failed, I would say I was joking.

I reached for the glass. To my surprise, Dylan immediately snatched the glass from my hand.

I was terrified. Had he sensed my intention to get him to drink?

"You have so little self-control. Alcoholic." Dylan suddenly drained the glass and put the empty glass in front of my nose, "You said you were just going to smell it. Don't try t sneak a drink."

I hadn't expected him to drink up voluntarily. It was an unexpected pleasure. But I watched for a moment, and he didn't look drunk.

Should I let him have another drink? Or a bottle?

I called out to the maid at the door, "Give me another bottle of wine, please."

"No, don't bring in any wine." Dylan had totally ruined my plan.

I was anxious. There wasn't much time left for me.

Seeing the remaining wine on Dylan's lips, I pressed my lips to it.

---

*Lyrics quoted from Tagore's poem Unending Love