Mermaid Trap - Chapter 30

She savored the bittersweet taste melting on her tongue.

This seemed like something she should savor slowly.

“Matildaaa. When are you coming?”

Vivianne wrapped herself in the bed sheet and burrowed back into the bed.

* * *

Knock knock. The door opened, and a welcome face entered the room.

She was carrying a tray with plates. The delicious aroma made Vivianne’s mouth water.

“Vivi is such a hopeless sleepyhead.”

Vivianne had worried Matilda might be dejected after yesterday’s events, but thankfully her voice was cheerful.

Though a bright face didn’t necessarily mean she wasn’t hurt inside.

Vivianne looked up at her with round eyes and asked carefully.

“…Matilda, are you okay?”

“About what?”

“About yesterday.”

Vivianne sat up, still wrapped in the blanket.

“Yesterday?”

“About Theo’s clothes. I’ll wash them properly for you. I’m sorry, Matilda.”

“What does Vivi have to be sorry about? It wasn’t your fault at all.”

Matilda waved her hand dismissively and gave a kind smile.

“It’s just… I feel like I’m causing you trouble.”

“It’s fine. Really. And I like Vivi, you know. So I do these things because I want to. Don’t worry about it.”

Matilda approached the bed and gently patted Vivianne’s head through the blanket.

“But Vivi, why are you in caterpillar mode again?”

“Caterpillar?”

What’s a caterpillar?

Vivianne tilted her head in confusion at the unfamiliar word.

“I mean, why are you all rolled up in the blanket like a caterpillar?”

“Ah, well, that’s because-“

She couldn’t bring herself to say it was because she was a mess from mating with Kian.

“I’ll draw you a bath. Just wait a bit.”

“…Here?”

“Yes. The master said you’d sleep in today, so he told me to do it here.”

Seeing how Matilda avoided eye contact, it was clear she was still upset about yesterday.

No, it would be stranger if she wasn’t upset.

Vivianne’s heart grew heavy, feeling somehow responsible for what had happened.

“And here’s a secret.”

“Yes?”

Matilda beckoned Vivianne closer as if to whisper something.

Vivianne quickly leaned in to listen.

“The master’s bathtub is huge. Big enough for two people. You’ll love it.”

“……”

Matilda had called it a secret, but Vivianne already knew.

She’d even fallen asleep in it last time, it was so big and comfortable.

“What’s wrong, why don’t you seem excited?”

“…I’ve used it before.”

“Oh my! Right! You were wearing that robe then, weren’t you!”

Growl—

Just then, a thunderous sound came from her stomach.

Vivianne’s face turned bright red.

“Oh my, what am I thinking? I should feed you first. I forgot you haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday.”

“Thank you, Matilda.”

“Now, say ah—”

Matilda scooped up a large piece of meat from the stew and held the spoon to Vivianne’s mouth.

“I can eat by myself. Give it to me.”

“Don’t be shy now.”

The spoon was pressed to her lips, and she found herself swallowing without thinking.

“The master said you’d be very hungry, so I should make sure you eat well. But I prepared something easy to digest since too much on an empty stomach might upset it.”

“Kian did?”

“Yes. So you have to finish all of this.”

She fed her another spoonful with motherly insistence.

Vivianne chewed contentedly like a baby bird, accepting each mouthful.

“You eat so well. How cute.”

A warm smile spread across Matilda’s face.

* * *

Bubble bubble. The soap bubbles felt nice against her skin. They smelled lovely and tickled pleasantly.

She had eaten until her belly was round from the meal Matilda had prepared. Now in the bathtub with a full stomach, she felt like she might fall asleep again.

“Does it feel nice, Vivi?”

Matilda asked kindly.

“Yes. But do I have to keep my hand up?”

“We need to keep the water out so it heals faster.”

“But when I hurt my ankle before, I could put it in the water.”

“This cut is deeper than your ankle injury. It’s not deep enough to need stitches, but we need to be more careful than last time.”

My arm is getting tired. And I want to play with the bubbles.

Vivianne pushed out her lower lip in a pout. She settled for playing with the soap bubbles with her left hand only.

Matilda dabbed a bit of foam on her round nose.

“Does Theo know?”

“What?”

“About what Kian did to Theo’s clothes.”

Matilda’s expression fell slightly.

“No. I thought it would be better if he didn’t know, so I didn’t mention that part. I just told him not to go out after sunset, that he came back too late. That the master had been waiting, so he should be more careful.”

She forced a smile and spoke in a measured tone.

“If you think about it, it’s my fault. The temperature difference between day and night is big these days, so I should have made sure you took a shawl to cover your shoulders. I wasn’t thorough enough.”

“It’s not your fault, Matilda. And it’s not Theo’s fault either.”

Vivianne looked straight into Matilda’s eyes and said firmly.

“Kian went too far.”

“……”

Matilda was silent for a moment.

Then she continued with a somewhat complicated expression.

“The master… he’s still a good person. It’s thanks to him that Theo and I have been able to stay at Larson. And he trusts us with the mansion’s affairs.”

While the words about him being a good person were somewhat reassuring, they also raised doubts. Since arriving at the mansion, there had been many moments that stung when she thought about his testing attitude and sharp words toward her.

“Though he can be harsh sometimes… I understand because everyone has different boundaries.”

“Boundaries?”

“Yes. Things that make them uncomfortable when someone crosses them.”

Things that make them uncomfortable when crossed.

Vivianne pondered Matilda’s words carefully.

She remembered Kian suffering on that rainy day.

Vivianne had broken down the locked door to get in.

“That day, you were really worried about the master, weren’t you, Vivi?”

As if reading her thoughts, Matilda brought up the same topic.

“How did you know?”

“The master told me. That you came that night.”

So she had been called by Kian about that incident after all. Somehow it felt like everything was her fault, and she could only feel sorry.

“Did I make things difficult for you by interfering, Matilda?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Matilda smiled faintly as she poured bath water over Vivianne’s shoulder.

“You must have been very startled. I should have at least given you a hint about it. I was careless thinking the locked door would be enough. I’m sorry.”

“No, Matilda.”

“When it rains very heavily, it might happen again. But he gets better after a while, so I hope you won’t be too shocked.”

It could happen again?

She couldn’t help but worry, remembering how serious Kian’s condition had seemed that day.

“Shall we use some oil?”

Matilda naturally changed the subject.

“Oil?”

“It would be good to massage these reddish areas. Ah, let me show you.”

Matilda took out something like a vial from the bathroom cabinet.

Pop— she opened the lid and poured some onto Vivianne’s left hand.

As the viscous liquid pooled in her palm, a strong floral scent tickled her nose.

“Smells nice, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s fragrant.”

“Now, if you apply this and rub it in, it feels wonderfully cool.”

Matilda took Vivianne’s left hand in both of hers and skillfully began to massage up her arm with practiced movements.

“Ow. That hurts, Matilda.”

“Bear with the pain a little. It’ll feel cool soon.”

As she continued massaging, the tension released and a dull “ugh” of satisfaction escaped Vivianne’s lips.

“See? Feels nice, right?”

She couldn’t help but agree.

Addicted to the soothing touch, Vivianne forgot to speak and just kept nodding.

“By the way, I was shocked when I saw your body earlier. What happened last night to leave you covered in marks like this? Vivi?”

“……”

It was a direct hit of a question. Matilda smiled mischievously.

What should she do? Should she be honest with Matilda?

Since she was ignorant about human mating, it might be good to open up and get some advice. Vivianne swallowed hard, making up her mind.

“…Say, Matilda. Is it normal to do it that much, continuously?”

“Do what?”

“Mating.”

“What??”

Matilda asked back with an odd expression. Vivianne looked at her in confusion, not understanding her reaction.

“What’s wrong?”

“How should I put this… Vivi uses such interesting expressions.”

“Isn’t it mating?”

“Well, it’s not wrong, but… saying ‘mating’ makes it sound like something barbaric that animals do.”

Isn’t it though?

She had never seen a more barbaric male than Kian.

Tireless as he drove into her deepest parts, thrusting wildly like a madman, biting and sucking without pause until she could barely think straight.

“Anyway, it’s different for everyone. How much did you do to end up like this?”

“……”

Vivianne started counting on her fingers but stopped and fell silent.

She couldn’t count exactly how many times.

“I get it. You don’t have to tell me. The master must really like you.”

Must be in the heat of passion.

Matilda thought she should massage Vivianne more thoroughly.

“Really? Do you think Kian likes me?”