Mermaid Trap - Chapter 29

“Wait.”

Kian pulled out a palm-sized box from the nightstand.

He took out a round object and held it up to Vivianne’s lips.

As she widened her eyes in surprise, he seized the opportunity to pop it into her mouth.

Sweetness flooded her senses. The intense, almost shocking, sweetness made Vivianne curl her toes involuntarily.

“You like it?”

She could only nod, savoring the lingering sweetness that coated her tongue.

She hadn’t realized how hungry she was.

The treat instantly satisfied her hunger and lifted her mood.

“…I’ve never tasted anything like this before. What is it?”

“Chocolate.”

Kian picked up another chocolate from the box and offered it to her. As soon as it melted on her tongue, his lips covered hers.

Ah, so this is the wonder of chocolate.

It was enough to erase all traces of her lingering hunger.

Their tongues met, saliva and chocolate mingling in a decadent dance.

She couldn’t distinguish between Kian and the chocolate anymore, her head spinning with delight.

* * *

Vivianne’s long eyelashes fluttered as sunlight streamed through the window.

She heard hushed whispers coming from somewhere behind her.

She cautiously opened her eyes, emerging from the plush bedding.

Kian was gone.

“Living the dream, isn’t she?”

“You said it. Sleeping in while the sun’s already high.”

“Some of us are stuck cleaning, while she’s busy getting her….”

Vivianne remembered that the maids came in to clean every morning.

Although she was under the covers, she could see her bare shoulder peeking out.

Kian’s bite marks were clearly visible on her skin.

“Shh, you guys. She might hear us.”

As two of them continued their gossiping, a third voice chimed in, sounding alarmed.

“So what if she hears? It’s not like we’re lying.”

“You wanna get fired like Eliza?”

“I’d rather be fired than see that every day.”

They even brought up Eliza, who had been dismissed for her blunder with the tea.

It wasn’t Vivianne’s fault, but she couldn’t deny it had earned her the maids’ resentment. Feeling a pang of guilt, Vivianne held her breath and remained still.

“No wonder he brought her here. He was planning to have his way with her all along.”

Had Kian really intended to do that from the start?

But if that was his plan, why bother testing her in the first place?

She couldn’t understand.

“Still, she’s got some nerve. She’s supposed to leave the bedroom after attending to him.”

“Well, it seems he kept her busy all night.”

How did they know?

Vivianne barely managed to stifle a gasp.

“If I were her, I’d be lying n*ked on the beach too.”

“Who would even pick her up?”

“True. She’d be lucky if the seagulls didn’t get to her first.”

Their laughter grated on her nerves.

Vivianne slowly blinked, then shut her eyes tightly.

“I guess the master is having too much fun with his new toy.”

A toy picked up from the beach.

It was obvious they were talking about her.

“Do you think his marriage to Lady Steward will be postponed again?”

“She must be getting anxious. She’s not getting any younger, and it’s already been delayed because of his extended service.”

“Honey, marriage and pleasure are two different things for people like them. Don’t compare us to them.”

“Still, I wouldn’t be able to go through with it if I were her.”

“Well, it’s an aristocratic marriage. It’s not easy to break off.”

Vivianne’s heart sank with each whispered word.

“They say the engagement was decided when the previous Lady was pregnant with the eldest son. It’s the master’s engagement now.”

The previous Lady? The eldest son?

Were they talking about Kian’s mother and brother?

She couldn’t quite follow their conversation.

“Anyway, it must be tough on Matilda, having to look after her at her age.”

They even brought up Matilda.

“That’s what I’m saying! Now she has to take care of the master’s plaything too.”

“I’m not gonna be stuck doing this degrading work when I’m her age. I’m gonna find myself a handsome knight.”

“How about the Knight Captain? Have you seen his thighs? He’d be amazing in bed.”

…Vivianne tried to ignore their crude remarks.

But when they dragged Matilda and Theodore’s names into their gossip, she couldn’t hold back her anger any longer.

‘Right, I’m not a maid anymore.’

Vivianne let out a soft sigh and slowly sat up in bed, clutching the blanket to her chest.

“Excuse me.”

The three maids turned around and froze as if they had seen a ghost.

“I’m hungry,” Vivianne said, raising an eyebrow. “I suppose all that… activity has worked up an appetite.”

“Please get Matilda.”

* * *

The maids scrambled out of the room, their cleaning unfinished.

It seemed they wouldn’t be gossiping so freely for a while.

Vivianne tried to get out of bed to pick up her clothes, but her body refused to cooperate.

“Ugh…”

A groan escaped her lips.

Her hips ached terribly, making it difficult to even walk.

Giving up, Vivianne flopped back onto the bed.

She supposed her muscles were sore from all the unfamiliar activity. Her legs, already weak, felt like jelly.

She used to be so confident in her physical abilities, back when she was a mermaid. She had been a graceful dancer with endless energy.

Perhaps she had overestimated herself, thinking her human form would be just as capable.

She missed her tail, which had allowed her to move effortlessly through the water.

She needed to get dressed, but she couldn’t muster the energy.

‘Well, Kian did rip them off last night.’

Come to think of it, there was no point in trying to salvage them.

Wearing ripped clothes would only make her look disheveled.

‘But Matilda will be here soon. What should I do?’

She had to get up.

She really did.

But she had absolutely no energy.

Maybe Matilda would understand if she explained?

Today, Vivianne just wanted to be babied by her old friend.

Matilda had even helped her bathe before, so being seen n*ked wasn’t a big deal. But today was different. Her body was covered in marks from Kian’s passionate affections.

The thought of how humans mated so intensely was baffling, but then she remembered that those were Kian’s marks on her skin. And somehow, that made them seem beautiful, like rose petals scattered on a bed.

‘It would have been nice if he had woken me up before leaving.’

He had left her uncovered like this. Was he putting on a show for the maids?

The thought stung, a wave of sadness washing over her.

But maybe she was overthinking things. Kian had barely slept last night either.

She had blacked out before him, but she was certain he had stayed up even later.

‘He has work to do this morning. He must have been in a rush.’

That thought brought her some comfort.

Her emotions were a rollercoaster, soaring with hope one moment and plummeting into despair the next.

‘What about Theo’s clothes?’

She had boldly demanded Matilda’s presence, but now she felt embarrassed at the thought of facing her.

She had stepped on someone else’s clothes with her dirty shoes.

And speaking of clothes, she couldn’t even leave the room because hers were ruined.

Why was Kian so rough with her things?

Did he have some kind of vendetta against fabric?

She had never been particularly fond of clothes herself.

They were constricting, and they seemed to be a constant source of trouble for her.

Especially that ridiculous incident on the beach. Would they ever stop talking about it?

It wasn’t like she had planned to be found n*ked.

‘Well, I’ll wash them properly and return them. Matilda must be upset.’

At least her time at the laundry wasn’t a complete waste. She knew how to wash clothes properly.

‘Come to think of it, I woke up in Kian’s bed again.’

The memories of last night flooded back, and she looked around the bed.

Had Kian done this?

A pretty ribbon was tied to the bedpost.

“You like ribbons, Vivi.”

“Make sure it never comes undone.”

Tying her wrists had been scary, but then she remembered the way he had lavished attention on her with his tongue… A warmth spread through her, and she felt a flicker of desire. She wanted to experience that again.

She spotted the chocolate box on the nightstand.

Opening it, she saw the round chocolates nestled inside.

Two of the six compartments were empty, leaving four chocolates remaining.

The memory of that sweet treat at dawn made her mouth water.

As if in a trance, she picked one up and popped it into her mouth.