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Chapter 4
The room was utterly dark, illuminated only by the sliver of light filtering through the door I’d opened. As my eyes slowly adjusted to the gloom, a thought surfaced: ‘Where… where could he be?’
“…Ugh.”
I froze, a small gasp escaping my lips. Slowly, I turned my stiff neck. There, on the bed, was a massive form. It was Denok, curled tightly.
“Haa… Ugh…”
A low groan mingled with his suppressed breathing. His veins protruded, and his hands savagely clutched the sheets, his taut back muscles trembling as if struck by a current.
‘Ah.’
The realization of his movements sent a flush of heat to my face. His hips were slowly, rhythmically moving. Each deliberate thrust against the sheets crumpled and distorted the white fabric. With every push, his groans deepened.
Instinctively, I took a step back. If I approached him now, the original scene from the novel would undoubtedly unfold—the moment where I conceived his child, the very beginning of all our misfortunes.
‘Ugh. Stop…!’
‘Haa… Ugh.’
The dangling white calves between the man’s writhing body. The beast-like movements, stifling screams with his hand, pouring out only his desires…
But…
‘If I retreat here…’
I bit my lip. Father would find a way to force us together again, no matter what. Perhaps I’d even be forced to feign affection while pregnant with a child whose father I barely knew. That path was clearly far more difficult.
I steadied my trembling legs and took a step forward. At the same time, I removed the pearl earring from my ear, separating the pearl and clenching it in my hand. A moment later, the soft click of the lock made the figure on the bed flinch.
Simultaneously, a bestial glow in his eyes slowly turned towards me—eyes devoid of reason, filled only with primal desire. They glinted, having found their prey.
I tightened my trembling hand, feigning composure as best I could, and spoke. “I came to help you.”
“…”
“I mean no harm. Please don’t misunderstand.”
Hoping he would listen, I slowly approached him. Just then, an overwhelming pressure, difficult even to breathe under, bore down on me from head to toe. It felt as if an invisible, colossal hand was pressing me down. His magic was aimed directly at me. My vision blurred, my knees weakened, making it hard to stand.
The man was not in a state to listen to reason.
‘Ugh, but… I have to go.’
He was in danger too, his magic surging as if on the verge of exploding. Though my head reeled with dizziness, I forced myself forward, step by arduous step, towards him.
But at that very moment…
Whoosh.
A sudden, strong grip on my wrist, and my vision instantly spun. Darkness enveloped me, along with the fierce, animalistic glint in his eyes. His massive body pinned me down, like a predator pouncing on its prey.
“Who are you…? Who sent you?” His rough, grating voice scraped against my eardrums.
“Wa-wait…! Just listen to me.” In my panic, I reached out to push him away.
It was a mistake.
As my hand made contact, the man’s body felt intensely real. A searing heat emanated from his skin. And beneath, I felt the unmistakable, firm undulations of his body.
“…!”
Heat rushed to my face. There was no mistaking what was pressing against my thigh. Simultaneously, he seized my wrist, pinning me entirely to the bed, increasing the pressure.
“Speak. Unless you wish to die here.” Through his sweat-drenched, dishevelled hair, his piercing violet eyes glared at me.
“How dare you pull such a trick… Cough.”
He couldn’t finish his sentence, instead bowing his head. His breathing was ragged, and he was clearly struggling to suppress something, clenching his teeth. The pressure on my wrist slowly lessened. Instead, his body, pressed against mine, was burning with feverish heat.
This, then, meant…
I blinked. A red warning light flashed in my mind. His reason was reaching its limit.
“…Ah.”
The moment his unfocused eyes finally settled on me, I wasted no time. I shook off his hand and pushed the pearl into my mouth. I felt the cold sphere slide smoothly across my tongue.
“…”
“…”
I pressed my lips against his, exhaling a wet breath. I held his face in my hands, kissing him desperately.
‘Please… swallow it.’
A heavy scent brushed my nose, and his lips were burning hot. He froze for a moment, then pulled me closer by the waist, deepening the kiss. His tongue roughly invaded, entangling our breaths even further. The pearl, however, travelled over his tongue. Contrary to my intention for him to swallow it, he instead pushed it deeper into my mouth. Each time the pearl moved across my tongue, a wet friction sound echoed in the room. A chill ran down my spine.
‘No…!’
I squeezed my eyes shut and, with my last strength, pressed my lips more deeply against his.
At that moment…
His throat slowly moved.
…He swallowed.
Success.
However, there was one more thing to do while the medicine took effect: to quell his raging magic, which was on the verge of explosion. With our lips still pressed together, I took a long breath.
A secret I knew from the original story. It was my hidden ability.
A tickling sensation, like downy feathers, began at my toes and slowly enveloped my entire body. It felt as if the scent of the sea was wafting through the air. I didn’t resist the watery fragrance, embracing it with my entire being. And following that scent, I unleashed my power onto his magic, which was on the verge of exploding.
A ripple, like waves, spread through his magic. I could feel his turbulent magic, which had been thrashing throughout the room, gradually calming down, like a tamed beast. His body, stiff with tension, slowly relaxed, and his feverish temperature gradually subsided.
I slowly pulled my lips away and opened my eyes.
“Haa…”
His bestial appearance was gone. The Denok before me now wore a face tangled with confusion and fury. But that lasted only a moment before his handsome face turned chillingly cold, as if he faced an assassin.
“…Who are you?” His voice, just freed from the heat, scraped sharply against my ears.
“How did you… my…”
“The Mermaid’s Breath.”
“…!”
Denok’s eyes widened.
“It’s the most powerful antidote in the world, one that His Highness just consumed.”
And then, “It’s also my mother’s keepsake.”
Without even thinking to wipe away the saliva on my lips, I barely managed to swallow my ragged breaths and spoke. “…Grand Duke, let’s make a deal.”
“…”
“I’ll ensure your nights are peaceful.”
