Die Melusine - Chapter 40 (M)

“Isn’t it fascinating, My Lady Mermaid? I heard this villa has been in use since the reign of the previous Empress—no, even long before that. And yet, this bedroom, the adjoining parlor… The wallpaper and furniture all look brand new!”

Anne appeared before Melusine, who had been left alone in the room, finishing her meal. Though it had only been a few days since they last saw each other, they were so overjoyed that they hugged and spun around in excitement.

“Isn’t it beautiful? It feels like a flower garden.”

“Oh! It truly does!”

The difference between Triton’s main castle, which was decorated solely with marble, oak wood, and ivory in a minimalistic fashion, and this villa was night and day. Here, intricate and lavish patterns adorned the wallpaper and curtains, while bold-colored velvet and silk decorated not just the rooms but even the corridors.

The same applied to the bathroom. From jewel-encrusted faucets to gilded wall tiles and an enormous bathtub with elaborate gold carvings—it was luxury beyond imagination.

Anne, a newly appointed maid, couldn’t stop glancing at the delicate, exquisite items she had never seen or touched before. Though the room wasn’t large, it exuded a refined elegance, perfect for a future duchess.

“My Lady Mermaid… That night at the masquerade…”

“Hmm?”

Anne gently combed through Melusine’s hair as she took another look around the unfamiliar room. She tried her best to ignore the marks scattered across the lady’s pale skin—on her nape, shoulders, and collarbone, like seals stamped upon her.

“…No, never mind.”

Rumors had it that the Triton masquerade ball, held after many years, had ended anticlimactically, leaving everyone disappointed. That was because the stars of the night—the Duke and Lady Hesnal—had both failed to appear.

The people of Triton believed the Duke’s sudden absence was due to an urgent summons from the Emperor. But Anne knew that the true reason lay in the disappearance of her lady without a trace. Of course, she had told no one.

Amidst it all, she had been summoned by the butler to come here. When she heard that the Lady Mermaid had been asking for her repeatedly, she couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.

Though Melusine, who was already delicate, seemed even thinner than before, her face was flushed and radiant, somehow more beautiful than ever.

Perhaps it was because she had finally reunited with the man she had been waiting for so desperately.

“My Lady Mermaid, I’ve prepared your bath. Once I finish combing your hair, you should—”

“You needn’t be so meticulous with it.”

“Gasp!”

Anne let out a startled cry, dropping the comb, as a deep voice came from behind, revealing the Duke’s reflection in the large mirror. He had approached without a sound.

“Kieron?”

At the sound of his voice, Melusine sprang to her feet. The shadow over her face vanished in an instant, replaced by a bright, sunlit glow.

Seeing the sun dipping below the horizon outside the window, Melusine had begun to feel a twinge of disappointment, thinking he might not come after all. But when she finally saw him return to her, her heart leaped with joy.

As she ran toward him without hesitation, Kieron lifted her effortlessly. Holding her up by the calves with one arm, he made her small frame seem even taller than him.

“Ah! This is too high! Put me down!”

Startled by how high she was, she instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around Kieron’s head. Though in reality, she was the one clinging to him, from another angle, it almost looked as if he was the one being embraced.

Anne, who had accidentally caught a glimpse of her master’s face, could have sworn there was the faintest trace of a smile there—an impossibility, yet the illusion lingered.

Silently, she stepped out of the bedroom, thinking to herself that she was glad she had taken the time to prepare a bath with floating petals.

***

Steam filled the bathroom, turning the air thick and hazy.

Exhausted, Melusine lay slumped against Kieron’s chest, her body spent. The moment they had stepped into the bath, he had pushed her to the brink once more, leaving her unable to do anything but let the waves of sensation consume her.

“…Does your tail only appear in seawater?”

Kieron’s voice was low as his hand skimmed down her submerged leg. Beneath his fingers, her slender calf—so delicate compared to his wrist—quivered involuntarily. The movement sent gentle ripples through the water, lapping faintly against his skin.

“Mmh… I think so…”

From what he had observed so far, that seemed to be the case.

She didn’t transform just by being submerged in any kind of water.

And that realization sparked a question in his mind—one he had been turning over for days.

How could he make sure she never grew fins again?

It wasn’t that he found her mermaid form unsettling.

No, it was something else.

Her tail, that inhuman part of her, was her greatest weapon—the very thing that could let her escape, let her swim away to any sea, any ocean, and disappear forever.

And that was what he couldn’t tolerate.

Whether she stayed or not should be his decision alone.

Perhaps it would be easier to simply lock her away—to never let her leave this room at all.

His hardened cock pressed deliberately against her lower back and the curve of her rear, rubbing against her with slow insistence. Melusine’s small shoulders trembled, and she curled further into Kieron’s embrace, tucking herself in like a frightened little animal.

The way she whimpered, like a helpless creature seeking refuge, only made his desire grow.

“What’s wrong?” he murmured, his voice edged with amusement. “You acted like you’d spread yourself open for me as much as I wanted.”

Melusine, struggling to lift her heavy eyelids, flinched at his words, turning her head just slightly.

“You… you really want to go again? Seriously?”

Did all humans have this kind of stamina? Kieron, once he started, truly seemed unstoppable.

She loved the way he pushed her until she blacked out—but if she said it wasn’t overwhelming, that would be a lie.

Kieron’s dark brows arched lazily at her hesitant question. Droplets of water slid from his damp bangs, tracing a slow path down the sharp bridge of his nose.

He’s too handsome…

Just that single expression was enough to make her heart melt all over again.

Half of her was afraid he would disappear if she refused. The other half… just wanted to see his golden eyes darken as he sank inside her once more.

“…O-Okay,” she whispered, cheeks burning. “Then… I guess…”

Melusine turned her body to face him.

She had already been straddling his lap, but this time, she lifted her hips, shifting until she was fully aligned with him.

Her small hands fumbled for his rigid cock, guiding it beneath her, pulling him toward where she needed him most.

A sharp breath escaped Kieron, his restrained exhale brushing warmly against her forehead.

The heat was overwhelming. Whether from the steaming bathwater or the tension coiling between them, Melusine felt as though she was burning up.

She whimpered softly, struggling to position herself properly, but all she managed was a series of splashes as the water sloshed around them.

“Hhic…!”

Before Melusine could fumble any further, Kieron took control.

With a sharp thrust of his hips, he forced his way past her already-soaked vagina, his thick cock stretching her open.

Gripping her waist firmly, he pressed her down onto him, seating her fully with an unforgiving motion.

“Hnn… ah… ahh…!”

With a wet, lewd sound, their bodies joined completely.

The way he filled her—stretching her deep, pressing firmly against every trembling inch inside—was dizzying. Overwhelmed, Melusine collapsed against his broad chest, her hands splaying across the hard muscles for support.

She braced herself, knowing the relentless pace he was capable of, anticipating the waves of pleasure that would soon crash over her.

But… he didn’t move.

Though his thick length pulsed inside her, swelling as her walls tensed around him, Kieron remained completely still.

“You’re… ngh, not moving?” she whispered, her voice laced with confusion.

“That’s right.”

Melusine lifted her gaze, searching his face with uncertain eyes.

Sometimes, she thought she understood him—but in moments like this, she realized she didn’t know him at all.

“…Why?”

Kieron smirked, unreadable as always.

“Who knows?”

Kieron idly twisted a strand of her hair around his finger, then let it slip free. It had grown longer.

The deep blue of her eyes—darker than before—locked onto his.

He felt parched.

Maybe from being in the hot water too long.

Or maybe because, despite having had his fill of her, he still wanted more—wanted to take her again, and again, until there was nothing left of her but the way she molded to him.

And yet, at this moment, he had no intention of moving.

A strange, almost suffocating urge settled in his chest—the desire to preserve her like this, frozen in time, with his length buried inside her, never letting her go.

“Sing Versace for me,” he murmured.

“Now?”

“Or I could fuck you again.”

“Ah—n-no… I’ll do it.”

Even the slightest movement from him sent a sharp sensation spearing through her core.

And so, Melusine slowly began to sing.

Her voice, thick with the humidity that clung to their skin, wove through the air like silk, wrapping around their entwined bodies.

Kieron closed his eyes, holding her against him. The scent of the sea, the distant hum of her lullaby, the searing heat of the body keeping him captive—it was like sailing into the eye of a storm, where everything was eerily calm before the chaos.

Time blurred.

At some point, both of them had drifted into a hazy daze when Melusine murmured, her voice laced with uncertainty.

“…But there’s a strange smell in here.”

“A strange smell?”

Kieron pressed his nose against the nape of her neck, inhaling deeply. All he could scent was her—his scent, clinging to her skin.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s… spicy,” she mumbled, shifting restlessly. “It makes my throat hurt.”

“…Ah.”

A scent unfamiliar to a mermaid—one she could never have known, having been born and raised in the sea.

But Kieron knew exactly what it was.

Even after all this time, did the walls of this place still carry the acrid remnants of that day?

Bringing her here, to this place he had abandoned for so long, had been an impulsive decision. Or perhaps… an instinctual one.

“…Fire.”

“Fiiire? Fire?”

“Yes. I was, what… five? This villa nearly burned to the ground.”

Melusine had seen small embers before, once, while walking with Anne.

The servants tending the garden would sometimes gather fallen branches and leaves into piles, setting them alight in a vivid burst of red. Anne had told her it was called fire.

The way the flames flickered and swayed in the wind, burning brighter than even the summer sun, had mesmerized her.

She would stand there for long moments, watching as they crackled, shifting shape with every breath of air.

“You saw it, Kieron? The fire? Was it big?”

How massive must a fire be to consume a place this grand?

But then again, no matter how big, wouldn’t a single crashing wave be enough to snuff it out?

That was the first thought that came to her mind.

“…Yeah.”

“How do you know? Where were you—ah…!”

Before she could finish, Kieron pushed her down, sinking deeper inside her.

She gasped, her teeth clamping down on her lower lip in surprise.

He brushed his thumb over her parted lips, coaxing them open.

His face slowly descended toward hers.

“Here,” he murmured, voice low. “In this room.”

And just like below, where they were already joined as one—his lips finally claimed hers, sealing them together once more.