In the deepest, bluest part of the sea lived the Sea King and his six young daughters.

The youngest was the most beautiful of them all.

Her skin was as soft as rose petals, and her eyes held the color of the deep ocean itself. Yet like every mermaid, she had no human legs，only a long silver tail that shimmered beneath the sea.

Unlike her sisters, she cared little for underwater festivals or dancing halls.

She preferred to sit alone in her garden, watching the faint light filtering down from the surface above, imagining the world beyond the sea.

Her favorite treasure was a marble statue of a young boy, lost long ago from a sunken ship.

She would often sit beside it, listening to her grandmother speak of the human world.

There were birds that sang, forests that bloomed, fires that burned warmly through the night...

And there were humans， who would one day grow old and die, yet possessed souls that could live forever. “When humans die,” her grandmother said softly, “their souls rise into the sky.”

“But ours do not.”

The little mermaid said nothing for a long time.

From that day on, she longed for the world above the sea more than ever.

And at last, on the night of her fifteenth birthday, she was finally allowed to rise to the surface for the very first time.

The sea was calm that evening.

Far above the dark water floated a magnificent ship, glowing with lantern light, music, laughter, and the distant shimmer of fireworks.

Drawn by the music and light, the little mermaid quietly swam closer.

Through the glass of the cabin window, she saw a young prince.

He was the most beautiful human she had ever seen.

But before the night could end, a terrible storm rose across the sea.

Thunder tore through the sky. Waves crashed against the ship like mountains in the dark.

The prince’s vessel began to sink.

And then， she saw him fall into the black water below.

She held the unconscious prince above the waves, guiding him through the raging storm, all the way to the distant shore.

At dawn, she gently laid him upon the sand.

Far away, church bells began to ring.

A group of young girls approached along the coastline.

Frightened of being seen, the little mermaid hid herself behind the sea rocks.

From there, she watched as one of the girls discovered the prince.

And when he finally awoke, he believed it was that girl who had saved him.

The little mermaid said nothing. She only watched in silence.

And for the very first time, her heart began to ache.

From that day on, she would often rise quietly to the surface, watching the prince’s palace from afar.

The more she saw of the human world, the more deeply she loved it.

And the more she longed for something impossible — a human soul.

So at last, she went to seek the Sea Witch.

The witch listened quietly before saying:

“I can give you human legs.”

“But every step you take will feel as though you are walking upon sharpened knives.”

“And in return, you must give me your most beautiful voice.”

The Sea Witch’s eyes darkened. “And if the prince chooses another over you...” “Then, on the morning after his wedding, your heart will break into sea foam.”

The little mermaid lowered her eyes. For a long time, she did not speak.

Then softly, almost like a whisper carried by the sea, she nodded.

“I am willing.”

And the Sea Witch took away her voice.

Holding the potion close to her heart, the little mermaid swam alone toward the surface.

Before dawn, she sat quietly upon the shore and drank it.

At once, a sharp pain tore through her body — as though a blade had split her in two.

She collapsed beside the sea.

And when she opened her eyes again, she no longer had a tail. In its place was a pair of human legs.

Standing before her was the prince.

He carried her gently back to the palace.

Everyone who saw her was struck by her beauty.

She could no longer speak, yet her eyes seemed to hold more feeling than words ever could.

The prince grew deeply fond of her.

He took her riding through the countryside, traveling across distant lands, and dancing beneath glittering chandeliers.

But with every step she took, pain pierced through her feet like hidden knives beneath the skin.

Late at night, when the palace had fallen silent, she would sit alone upon the cold marble stairs, letting the seawater wash over her bleeding feet.

She missed her home.

Her sisters.

The quiet blue world beneath the sea.

And yet, whenever the prince smiled at her, every wound seemed worth enduring.

Still, he never knew the truth. He never knew that it was she who had saved him from the storm.

n his heart, he believed it had been the young girl from the temple.

Then one day, a princess from a neighboring kingdom arrived at the palace.

The moment the prince saw her, his face lit with joy.

“So it was you...” he whispered. “You were the one who saved me.”

Only then did the little mermaid understand.

He had mistaken another for her.

Not long afterward, the prince announced that he would marry the princess.

On the day of the wedding, the palace overflowed with music, laughter, and celebration.

Only the little mermaid knew what the coming dawn would bring.

When the sun rose the next morning, she would become nothing more than sea foam upon the waves.

That night,

her sisters rose from the ocean.

Their long hair had been cut away. In exchange, the Sea Witch had given them a knife.

“If you kill the prince before sunrise,” they said, “and let his blood fall upon your feet, you will become a mermaid once again.”

“Otherwise... you will die.”

The little mermaid held the knife tightly and walked slowly toward the prince’s chamber.

He lay sleeping peacefully beside his bride.

Then quietly, she leaned down and kissed his forehead.

For the first time, tears slipped from her eyes.

At last, she threw the knife far into the sea.

She would rather disappear herself...

than bring harm to the one she loved.

As dawn began to rise,

the little mermaid stepped into the ocean.

She felt her body slowly dissolving, becoming lighter, softer, more transparent with every passing moment.

And yet， she did not vanish.

Above her, she saw countless luminous spirits drifting upward through the morning sky.

“Welcome,” one of them whispered gently,

“among the daughters of the air.”

“With love, patience, and kindness, your soul has grown pure.”

“And one day, you too shall gain an eternal soul.”

The little mermaid lifted her eyes.

Morning light passed through her transparent form.

Far away, the sea shimmered softly with golden light.

---

✨ Love was never about keeping someone.

Only about not hurting them.

The complete edition includes the full story, illustrations, and EverBook’s editorial notes.