Yuel had warned that they must not bring the elders directly to see Wen. Wen had clearly been deliberately concealing himself—if the elders failed to recognize him, and Wen realized they were onto him, he would only hide himself more carefully.
The Merfolk elders studied the recording with intense focus.
They examined not only the bubble-blowing pink fish but also each of the other pink fish swimming nearby.
Then, one by one, they shook their heads.
"No. That fish is not our king."
"Our king is dignified and aloof. He would never do something as childish as blowing bubbles."
"That's right. Our king would never behave in such an immature way."
"Absolutely not."
They were utterly convinced. Their king—Wen—would never stoop to blowing bubbles.
Vincent exhaled slowly.
Just as Yuel had predicted, the elders hadn't recognized him.
"It seems I was mistaken," Vincent said apologetically. "My apologies for troubling you. I will continue searching for your king."
