<Episode 74>

Eveline shuddered as his breath tickled her ear, then moved to gently nip at her earlobe. The sensation sent a wave of shivers down her spine.

“Ah…”

“Elkais…”

His voice, so close to her ear, felt like it was coursing through her veins, directly into her heart, each word like a small needle pricking at her consciousness. It left her entire body tingling.

“Even your ears are so beautiful.”

He whispered this before biting her ear again, the wet sound of his lips pressing against her skin filling the air. Her back arched involuntarily as his touch sent jolts through her body, causing her to bend forward.

The strange mix of ticklishness and the rising warmth in her made her let out a breathy sigh.

“I want to bite you.”

“Not on the neck… ah… no.”

Ignoring her protest, he trailed his lips down from her ear to her neck, burying his face against her skin. He kissed her there, leaving wet imprints, each sound of his lips sending vibrations through her.

Her own heartbeat pounded in her chest, almost deafeningly, as it mixed with the powerful thumping from his chest behind her.

And there was also that other sensation pressing against her thigh—one that definitely wasn’t a fish.

“Then why don’t you bite me instead, Eveline?”

He loosened the grip of his arms around her waist, giving her the chance to do as she wished.

Eveline’s thoughts were clouded, sinking into a haze of sensation and desire.

“But we’re supposed to be washing first…”

“I want to dirty you. I want to leave my mark all over your body.”

“Is that what you call getting dirty?”

“No, I suppose it’s more like making you mine.”

Eveline knew that Elkais wasn’t thinking clearly, either.

She hesitated, her lips parting as if to speak, then finally said, “You’re too intimidating, Elkais, I don’t think I can bite you.”

“What would make me seem less intimidating?”

“Get that thing down.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not? You haven’t even tried.”

“I can’t when you look at me like that… Alright, I’ll try.”

He sighed, closing his eyes. He thought maybe it would be easier if he couldn’t see her. But even with his eyes shut, her image remained vivid behind his eyelids.

He couldn’t forget the sight of her, wet and breathtakingly beautiful, with those piercing blue eyes and fiery red hair. Her pheromone scent, which made him feel so alive.

And despite her attempts to distance herself using the excuse of pheromones, her eyes kept following his every move, almost as if she were holding the leash that bound him.

“I can’t do it,” he admitted.

“Sorry,” he whispered with another deep sigh, opening his eyes again.

He felt like he might be ensnared by her again, bewitched by her radiant beauty and the tenderness that lingered even in her casual words and the way she watched him.

“If I were to bite you, my feet would hurt too much from standing,” Eveline remarked playfully.

“Thank you for giving me permission.”

He couldn’t suppress the smile that spread across his face, genuinely delighted by her words. She lowered her gaze shyly at his reaction.

He gently caressed her chest with his palm.

“What are you doing?”

“Is this not allowed?”

“No, it’s not that, just… ah…”

His hand slid from her chest down to her waist, then he lifted her effortlessly, cradling her against him.

With her legs dangling, Eveline wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself.

“Is this better?”

“Do you really want to be bitten that badly?”

“Yes. I want you to dirty me, Eveline.”

He spoke with sincerity, longing for the sensation of her even, neat bite marks to remain on his firm skin.

Eveline sighed softly and pressed her lips to his shoulder. When her lips brushed his skin, he tried to maintain his composure, but his body trembled slightly, creating ripples in the lake water.

She watched as her wet hair trailed down his back, then she leaned in and sank her teeth into his shoulder.

“Harder,” he whispered.

As he let out a sigh, Eveline clenched her jaw, sinking her teeth into the side of his neck.

Despite his muscular body, she found his neck annoyingly unyielding. She had known he was as solid as a rubber boat, but she didn’t expect even his neck to be so firm.

The stubbornness of his resistance only fueled her determination, and she bit down harder, pressing her teeth into his skin.

Whenever her jaw grew tired and her grip weakened, her tongue would brush against his skin, eliciting deep sighs from him.

Finally, she pulled back, leaving faint bite marks behind.

“Haha.”

Eveline couldn’t help but laugh when she saw the faint impression of her teeth left on his neck.

“This mark will fade by afternoon. Bite me harder, Eveline.”

“My jaw will dislocate if I do.”

“Fair enough.”

His voice carried a hint of disappointment, and Eveline reached out to caress his neck before leaning in for another bite. He inhaled sharply as her teeth sank into his skin again.

This time, she bit down even harder, her jaw trembling with the effort until her teeth ached, and only then did she let go.

A trail of saliva marked the spot where she had bitten him.

“Ah…”

Eveline froze, startled by the sight of him smiling at her, a look of pure joy on his face.

“D-don’t look at me like that.”

“Eveline…”

His gaze made her uncomfortable, so she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer. Mimicking his earlier actions, she gently bit his ear.

As she nipped at his earlobe and then released it, he tightened his arms around her.

“If you keep going, this could get dangerous.”

“Your ears are sensitive, aren’t they?”

“I’m sensitive to everything when it comes to you. Whatever you do, you weaken me.”

She released his ear at his words, then lightly tapped his arms, signaling for him to put her down.

He complied, lowering her back into the water.

“Let’s stop playing around and finish washing.”

“Yes…”

He sighed, covering himself modestly with his hands.

“What are you doing?”

“You said I was intimidating, didn’t you?”

“Haha!”

Eveline couldn’t help but laugh as she watched him. She observed him as he reached for the yucca leaves again, rubbing them into a lather before applying the suds to her hair.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you turned around?” he asked.

“Why? Is it uncomfortable to keep looking at me?”

“No… It’s because I like it too much. I can’t think straight.”

His words brought a blush to his cheeks, and he gently worked the bubbles into her hair, making it look like fluffy wool.

Just as he was about to rinse the lather from her head, Eveline ducked under the water, disappearing for a moment before resurfacing.

“Now, I’ll wash your hair, Elkais.”

“…Alright.”

Elkais watched as she, much like he had earlier, gathered yucca leaves and rubbed them into foam. There was something mesmerizing about the way she moved, reminding him of a mermaid tending to her treasures.

“In the stories of the Croppers Empire, mermaids find their treasures and then abandon their men.”

The legend went that a mermaid, rescued by a young man, left him as soon as she found her pearl—her treasure—despite all the care he had shown her.

The story’s moral was to cherish those close to you, rather than offering kindness to strangers.

“I’d do that too. That’s the kind of person I am,” Eveline said playfully.

But Elkais recognized the reverse meaning in her words.

He knew with certainty that Eveline was the exact opposite of the mermaids in those stories.

“And I wouldn’t mind. Even if you left me behind and made me miserable, I’d accept it.”

“Sure. It’s all because of the pheromones, anyway.”

Her continued use of sarcasm made him smile. Despite her fears, she didn’t truly push him away.

If that was the case, just as he had acknowledged his feelings, she would soon acknowledge hers.

Elkais let out a contented sigh as the thought settled in his mind.

“Bend down so I can reach your head…”

Splash.

Before she knew it, he had lifted her again, cradling her against his chest while holding her thighs.

Eveline’s protests fell silent as she focused on washing his hair. The soap bubbles clung to his dark hair, making it look like a crown of clouds.

“What are you doing?”

“Just checking if you’re washing thoroughly.”

He buried his nose against her chest, inhaling deeply. Eveline jumped in surprise, shouting at him.

“What kind of checking is that…?”

“Wash me, Eveline.”

She tried to focus on lathering up his hair, but it was hard to concentrate when she felt his lips brushing against her skin.

And the way he held her so conveniently at that height…

“Did you hold me like this on purpose?” she asked, her voice wavering.

“No. But holding you like this gives me a better view of your chest.”

“Then that ‘is’ on purpose… Ah… don’t bite me!”

Eveline grabbed a fistful of his hair, trying to stop him. But he continued to nibble on her skin, undeterred.

Despite her determination not to let him get the better of her, her body shivered as she continued to rub soap into his hair.

“If you keep biting, I won’t wash you.”

She warned him sternly, and he finally paused, looking up at her.

She ignored the intensity of his crimson gaze as she focused on scrubbing his hair. She tried to disregard the feeling of something snaking around her calves in the water.

Washing him, especially with the way he looked at her—like a predator barely restraining itself—was proving difficult.

Once his hair was thoroughly soaped up, she wanted to be set down.

“Put me down now.”

He smiled at her request, but his voice came out shaky and unsteady.

“I’m not done yet. I think you missed a spot.”

“I washed it perfectly. You just need to rinse now.”

“No, my head still feels heavy. It’s not done yet.”

“Are you planning to bite again?”

“Yes.”

His bold confession left her at a loss for words, unable to respond.

“Keep washing, Eveline.”

She sighed and put her hands back on his hair.

And once more, he pressed his mouth to her skin, nibbling gently.

“Ah…”

Eveline’s heightened sensitivity made her arch her back involuntarily, unable to control her reactions.