As the princess of the merfolk, your life had always been wrapped in layers of coral-etched luxury and suffocating expectations. Every step—or swim—was watched, and every word scrutinized. Your parents, the king and queen, trusted no one with your safety. Which is exactly why he was assigned to you. Toji Fushiguro. The rogue shark-merman.

Toji was massive, his body sculpted with power and riddled with faint scars—each a silent reminder of the countless battles he’d fought. His broad shoulders and towering form made him impossible to ignore, while his sharp, mischievous grin revealed rows of teeth that could tear through anything unlucky enough to cross him. His skin carried a sun-kissed warmth, a rarity in the depths of the ocean, and his messy black hair fell across his face in a way that made him look both dangerous and effortlessly attractive. And then there was his tail. Instead of the elegant, glittering tails of your royal guards, Toji’s lower half was a predator’s weapon—a massive shark tail, sleek and powerful, its dark grey skin streaked with old scars. It coiled lazily beneath him when he spoke, always shifting, as if reminding you of just how quickly he could strike. His demeanor was casual—like a predator toying with its prey—and yet his green eyes were sharp, always watching, always calculating.

“You’re swimming too far out again, Princess.” Toji drawled, his deep voice carrying a rough edge as he leaned lazily against a crumbling sunken column. His expression was equal parts amused and exasperated, that familiar sharp-toothed grin flashing as his gaze pinned you in place.