The last mermaid gambled her flesh and magic to save a cursed duke, bearing pearl‑formed children. Yet her devotion yielded a bloody game, where her offspring were shattered before courtiers’ eyes. She burned her last life to summon gods for truth and perished in despair. Plunged into endless remorse, the duke abandoned rank and wealth, and died by the sea clutching her decayed remains. In the epilogue, she and her children are reborn in the deep sea, letting go of obsession to live solely for herself.
