The Cursed Prince

Chapter 924: Rowena In The Merfolk Prison

***

"Do not think that this is where you will spend the rest of your days in." The shark Merman led Rowena into one of the cells and then locked her in.

"What? Does the king wish to kill me?" Rowena glared as she grabbed ahold of the coral bars. She tried to look for a key but there was none on his person.

"No. But he should." The guard told her with a low growl. "You've brought so much grief to our king by merely coming here, and not to mention the desecration you've done to our habitat. And yet, your sentence will come at a later time."

Without another word, the shark Merman swam away and left her alone.

Relatively alone.

The prison she was in was not what Rowena expected. The one at her father's was dark with barely a hint of fire or any light.

Back then, Julian was placed in a dungeon that was meant to tear down one's spirits because of its incredibly poor conditions. However, the prison she ended up in now was far more clean and well-lit despite the fact that she was underwater. She could also see other prisoners in their own cells.

The king of the mermaid realm did not isolate people or chose to give them a state of mental distress, instead, it seemed that this prison was more akin to a place to rehabilitate criminals.

It did not mean that Rowena liked it though. The prison was still a prison, whether it be a cold and dark dungeon or a beautiful tower that she was once trapped in at Ashland.

Rowena sank to the floor and stared down at the floor dully. She could have raged hard, and she did earlier—she destroyed the corals and even gave the old Mermaid some trouble before she was brought into the palace.

Rowena knew that she wouldn't stop until she returned back to Julian's side with a cure and yet now she was at a place where her wits and even lineage failed her.

There was no magical necklace that she'd be able to barter for a cure.

There was no key to steal in like how she freed Julian before.

There was no way to communicate with the king of the Merfolk realm without being seen as a liar. The guard that threw her into the prison was also aware of her and did not seem to be affected by her beauty, so she also could not sway him.

If there was any indication that the 'Water Guard' could open the prison cell she was in, then it was already a lost cause because the old man swam out of the prison.

Everything finally seemed to turn against her and she could do nothing about it.

Rowena's eyes stung hard as she clutched the bars and then turned away to ignore the stares of her fellow criminals.

"I shouldn't have asked him to stay for the party, if I listened to him then—"

"Why are you crying, girl?" &

nbsp;

Rowena raised her head and soon encountered a person, a merfolk from across her own prison cell.

This person's tail was far more different than that of those that resembled beautiful fishtails, or even a shark tail... instead, it was that of another type of fish. Strong and with an almost metallic sheen, it was a barracuda.

"My eyes are up here, sweetie." the Merfolk reminded her.

"O-oh, sorry." Rowena looked at them and had no idea if they were a man or woman. They had sharp teeth that tried to give her a comforting grin… but it only made them look scarier.

"So what did you get in here for?" another mermaid chimed in from another prison cell. There was a huge grin on her face. "I got caught here because I was causing some disturbances in the Blue Reef and created–"

"Stop talking about your accomplishments, Neria. We've heard it for the last hundredth time before." Another merfolk hissed and this time, this man was different from all of the others. He did not have a tail, instead, they were tentacles.

Rowena's eyes widened.

A sea witch?

If the legends Rowena heard were true then they were capable of great magic.

Hope quickly formed in Rowena's chest–which was slowly dashed in with the fact that these people were criminals.

If they could help Julian when the king of the realm could not, Rowena didn't mind asking for their help. She'd even make a deal with a demon as long as Julian was fine.

"Excuse me, how easy is it to escape from this prison?" Rowena asked them.

"We would have already escaped if it was easy, girl," Neria said.

"One moment you were crying and now you're asking to escape, that's pretty impressive." The first Merfolk chuckled.

"This prison is heavily guarded by magic. It's not something one can break in easily," The sea witch said.

"Oh, so it's not something that you can, what I believe to be a powerful sea witch to deal with?" Rowena asked with a careful smile.

It was enough to make it sound challenging without it being demeaning. The sea witch blinked and looked at her slightly affronted. But then his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Well, my dear… I could have easily gotten out of here if I knew these other idiots wouldn't have called in the guards."

"He's talented with magic but not good at combat," Neria explained. "Those Water Guards will eat him alive."

"Be careful with your words, Neria. You might hurt his feelings." The barracuda merfolk told them off.

"Shut up, Erille, it's better to keep your fish breath to yourself." The sea witch glared.

"Awww, come on, Ursula. Don't be like that."

"

Wait, you… that thing around your neck." The sea witch pointed out from his cell towards Rowena.

"This necklace?" Rowena touched the shell necklace in surprise. "What about it? The others said it wasn't special."

"Those bird-brained fishes don't know a single thing." The sea witch scoffed. "You can harness the pearl's magic… it will act as a nice catalyst. If you know how to use it."

Rowena pursed her lips and then made a smile. "How about we make a deal then?"

"Haven't we've already said that he's not strong enough—"

Rowena tilted her head. "Who said that he's the only one who'll be escaping?"