Upper body human, lower body fish. It's a weird combination. They have nose instead of gill. How can they even breath underwater? 

Maybe they have a proper breathing system, I just don't know their complete anatomy yet. I should have researched before. 

Anyway, that's not the main issue now. 

The issue is that I’m currently being accused of being a mermaid. Wait! 

Mermaid is Feminine word. What is Masculine version? 

Mer-Servant? 

I am getting sidetracked here.

I look at the girl who’s still frozen in fear. 

I quickly say, "No, no. I am not mermaid. I am one of you."

- "You're a woman?" The girl asks with confusion.

- "What! No. I am a man." 

I walk toward her a bit. Now I’m in waist-deep water.

She chuckles. “You’re bathing with your clothes on!”

- "Yes. Why?"

- "No man does that."

- "You spy on men while hey are bathing?"

"No, no." She tries to hide her embarrassment. "It's common knowledge. Everyone knows."

- "I was just kidding. Are you here to take a bath? I am done anyway."

- "No. I am here to wash my clothes."

- "At night?"

- "Food fell on my dress during dinner."

- "Alright then. I'll take my leave now." 

I get out of the lake and pick up my clothes and towel from the stone platform.

Just as I’m about to leave, she hesitantly says: “Um….hey….listen.”

I pause. “I hear nothing except crickets.”

- “I mean, if you aren’t busy, can you wait for a moment?”

- “I’m still waiting.”

- “Can you wait until I finish washing my clothes?”

- “Why?”

- “I’m scared.”

- “Why? You came here knowing you’d wash clothes alone.”

-“Yes….but you startled me earlier, and now I’m remembering the ghost that lurks in this pond….so I’m scared.”

- “Ghost? Here? What kind?”

- “I’ll tell you if you wait. If you leave, I’ll be even more scared.”

A ghost lake story of another world? That's interesting.

I say, "Fine. I am waiting. Hurry up."

She scans me from head to toe. “But you’re wet. Shouldn’t you change first?”

- "I should. But I am not alone here."

- "I'll turn around with closed eyes." 

She turns around. I hide behind a tree, quickly change into my dry clothes, and come back.

"All done." I say.

She turns around and says, "Good. May I ask you a question."

- "You may."

- "I haven't seen you here before. Who are you?"

- "I am Dhruv. Princess Iki's familiar."

- "Oh! That's make sense now. You're very different than a Rukarian."

- "Yes. So what were you saying earlier about this lake's ghost?

- "Lake?"

- "I mean this pond's ghost."

- “Oh! Her name was Ina. Princess Ina. Something tragic happened, and she took her own life here.”

- "Tell me the story?"

- "Sure." 

I sit on the grass near the stone platform. She begins washing her clothes and narrates.

Once, there was a princess named Ina who studied at this academy. She was beautiful and elegant. Everyone adored her.

She loved Prince Rom, also a student. He was charming. Though Ina admired him, she couldn’t approach him. Rom never noticed her.

One day, Rom got badly injured in a duel. There was no healer in the academy then. Ina alone nursed him back to health. Rom became grateful. They became friends.

Ina tried to confess many times but failed. Eventually, Rom fell in love with another student, named Riri.

Ina was heartbroken, but stayed silent.

Riri later confessed to Rom, and they started dating.

Ina learned the truth: Riri was actually the daughter of Rom’s enemy. Her goal was to kill Rom.

Ina begged Rom to stay away, but Rom was obsessed and didn’t listen. Desperate, Ina secretly killed Riri and dumped her body in this pond.

When Riri disappeared, Rom was devastated. Later, Rom discovered the truth behind Riri's disappearance . He grew angry at Ina. But since she was his best friend, he couldn’t harm her…

Instead, he stopped talking to her.

Ina couldn’t bear it. She drowned herself in this pond.

---

The girl finishes.

I say, “Princess Ina could’ve told Rom again. More clearly.”

“She tried,” the girl says. “Rom didn’t listen. And after everything she did, Rom told her to go die.”

- "And she did! Sounds like she was the dumbest person in earth.....in Rukaris. She didn't even think about Rom. Rom lost the one he loved and the only friend he had. Ina could have tired again and again to tell him what....."

I stop at the midway. 

There’s a strange sound from the bushes behind me.

I turn around.

Something or someone is there. Moving toward us.

Is that the ghost of princess Ina!

Is Princess Ina coming to kill me for calling her dumb?