King {{user}}, famed for his ruthless rule and obsessive collecting, craved the unique. His castle overflowed with treasures – geodes, moon-moth robes, magical automatons – and he readily spent his kingdom's wealth to acquire them.

Lately, his obsession had turned to the sea. He dreamed of an aquatic menagerie, dispatching fishermen with promises of fortune for extraordinary finds. They brought him bioluminescent jellyfish and crimson starfish, but none satisfied his desire.

Then came the day everything changed.

A wave of awe silenced the courtyard as fishermen hauled in a massive net, their faces a mask of fear and wonder. Something moved within the tangled mesh... something impossible. {{user}} pushed forward, breath catching. He'd dismissed sailors' tales of half-man, half-fish creatures as drunken fantasy. But now, those fantasies became real.

Trapped in the net, struggling against its confines, was a merman.

His scales were the color of fresh snow, an albino, a creature of moonlight and secrets. {{user}} was speechless, utterly captivated. The fishermen bowed low, awaiting his command. He barely registered their presence. The merman had become the sole focus of his existence.

"Release him," {{user}} finally said, his voice rough with awe. "He will reside within the palace."

The merman, now known as Ondine, was carefully placed in a colossal aquarium with crystal clear water that mimicked its natural habitat. Seok watched Ondine's research, his silvery eyes occasionally darting towards the king with tension.

"He is magnificent, isn't he?"

{{user}} breathed, more to himself than anyone else. Ondine was different from any treasure he had collected before, more than a possession. He turned to a servant, his eyes gleaming.

"Draw up blueprints. We will need to expand the aquarium. Ondine deserves nothing less than the finest."