The Return Of The Exiled Villain

Slurp...

At his words, her lips, already swollen from his kiss, parted slightly.

Instead of answering, she took the thumb that was caressing her lip and slid it into her mouth.

The warm, wet heat of her mouth enveloped his thumb instantly.

”Hmn...”

Then, she began to suck on his thumb, her cheeks hollowing slightly with the pressure.

Her tongue, soft and agile, swirled around the tip of his thumb, tracing the nail and the pad in slow, sensitive circles.

”Slush...”

She started to move her head, her lips sliding up and down the length of his thumb.

Her tongue pressed against the sensitive skin beneath the knuckle, lapping at it as if it were the most delicious thing she had ever tasted.

”Suck~, slurp, mmph...”

However, his lack of reaction seemed to make her try even harder.

She wanted him to react in some kind of way.

Whether that was a small gasp, or him clenching his jaw... she just wanted him to show he wanted her, but he gave her none of those reactions.

It was like trying to start a fire with a wet match, and finally, after what felt like an eternity, she released his thumb from her mouth.

Pop~

It was glistening with her saliva, connected to her lips by a single, shining thread for a moment before it broke.

”Haagh... huu...” Her breathing was heavy, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

But as she stared up at his impassive face, a strange change began to occur. The frustration she felt was so intense it seemed to manifest physically.

Her eyes, which had been locked on his, began to change.

The whites stayed the same, but the irises started to change their natural color, the deep blue melting into a vibrant, almost neon pink.

”What do you think?!” she snapped at him.

Shine...

Suddenly, her skin began to change, and her human flesh was replaced by something else.

Tiny, iridescent scales started to blossom across her skin, spreading from her cheeks down her neck.

They were a mesmerizing blend of deep ocean blue and soft coral pink, not to mention that they were quite small and delicate, overlapping each other, and giving her an appearance that was both beautiful and utterly alien.

The most dramatic change came to her ears.

Her normal, rounded ears began to twitch and literally stretch!

The cartilage seemed to soften and reshape itself, pulling upwards and outwards. They elongated into elegant, pointed shapes, but with a strange, webbed structure.

Thin, almost translucent membranes of skin connected the back of her ears to the sides of her head, like the fins of some exotic deep-sea creature.

”Uhh...”

Gray was actually speechless as he didn’t expect Selene to suddenly transform into her mermaid form.

”Selene... you’re a mermaid?!” he instanly faked a surprised expression.

”Huh?!”

The instant she heard his words, she instantly reached out to touch her ears, and feeling that soft and elegant shape, she froze.

”D-D-Don’t look at me!!!”

Gaining a huge amount of strength, probably because of her transformation, she pushed Gray away and directly covered herself with the blankets.

”...Fuuu.”

Gray sighed as the blankets rustled in front of him.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes lowering for a moment.

”...Selene.”

”.....”

Rustle, rustle...

A wet, broken sound answered him.

”H-Hic...!”

Her voice burst out right after, sharp and shaking.

”You must think I am a monster!”

Her words rushed out faster, uneven, as if fear had torn open a dam inside her chest.

”I know you do,” she cried, words tumbling over each other.

”Everyone always does! The moment they see scales, the moment they hear the word mermaid, their eyes change!”

She curled tighter beneath the covers, her beautiful scales glowing faintly through the blankets.

”From the moment anyone hears the word mermaid, their thoughts go straight to sirens. Singing women pulling sailors into the sea. Smiling while men drown. Using beauty as bait, using voices as knives.”

Her hands clenched the blanket.

”Sniff... They say mermaids smile while killing. They say mermaids feel nothing. They say mermaids exist only to lure, only to destroy. No one ever cares about the truth.”

Gray remained silent.

Selene swallowed hard and kept going, her voice shaking more with each sentence.

”I grew up hearing stories about my own kind. Stories where mermaids dragged fathers away from families. Stories where sons never returned home. People never asked who wrote those stories. Never asked who survived to speak.”

She laughed weakly through tears.

”Humans saw sirens once. Once. And decided every mermaid carried the same sin. Same hunger and cruelty!”

Her shoulders shook violently.

”Because of that, my whole race went instinct! Do you know how many times I hid my ears? How many times have I wrapped bandages around my neck? How many times have I prayed nobody would hear my voice for too long?”

She pressed her face into the pillow.

”I learned to whisper. Learned to speak softly. Learned to smile less. Learned to shrink. All because people see scales and stop seeing a heart.”

Her breath hitched slighly, as if remembering some bad memories.

Her voice cracked completely.

”I did nothing wrong,” she whispered. ”I never hurt anyone. I never sang to anyone. I only wanted to live quietly.”

”H-hic!”

A soft sob escaped her again.

”But the moment someone sees this, everything changes,” she gestured under the blanket,

Ignoring her words, Gray slowly grabbed the blankets, and almost instantly, Selene pulled the blankets away in a flinch.

”Do not look,” she cried weakly.

”Please... do not look at me like that.”

”Selene.”

She shook her head.

”You must hate me. Or fear me. Or think I am dangerous.”

Her breath stuttered.

”Say it. I know you think it.”

At her words, Gray reached out and gently pulled the blanket down just enough for her face to show.

Drip... drip...

Tears streamed freely now, sliding across iridescent scales, soaking into the fabric beneath her.

He looked at her for a long moment.

”I love you, Selene.”

The sentence fell softly, without force.

Her entire body locked.

Her pupils trembled as her breath stopped halfway through her chest, then shattered all at once.

”...W-What?” Her voice came out thin, almost lost.

Gray did not repeat himself.

Instead, he slid an arm around her waist and drew her toward him.

Her body folded into his lap as if her strength had been drained. His fingers brushed along the scales at her side, slow and careful, tracing patterns without pressure.

She flinched at first, and then her shoulders sagged.

”I’m not saying this to calm you down,” he said.

”I’m saying this because it’s true.”

Her lips trembled.

”I really like the way you talk too much when you’re deeply interested in something,” he went on.

”The way you’re very assertive with the things you want to do. The way you worry about every single small injury I have.”

Her eyes filled again.

”I did not fall for what you are,” he said simply.

”I fell for who you are.”

Her hands curled into his shirt.

”You’re extremely stubborn and assertive. You like to try and seduce me in every kind of situation, even if we’re in the middle of the forest,” he added lightly.

”That’s you.”

Her chest hitched.

”N-no...! I h-hate myself!” I hate this body! I hate what people think when they see me in this state!”

Tears spilled faster.

”They look at me like I’m dangerous!” she cried. ”Like I’ll hurt them. Like I’m some song waiting to kill them!”

Her shoulders started shaking hard now.

”I never wanted that!” she sobbed.

”I never chose this!”

Gray wrapped both arms around her and pulled her tight. One hand rested between her shoulders, moving up and down slowly.

”You did nothing wrong.”

She broke.

”H-hic... uwaaagh...!”

A loud, broken cry tore out of her as she buried her face into his chest. Her whole body shook, sobs coming one after another without pause.

”I was so scared,” she cried.

”I thought if you knew, you’d leave.”

”I’m still here.”

Her fingers clenched hard, almost painfully, as if she were afraid to let go. Her cries grew messy and loud, her breath coming out in gaps, as her words fell apart.

”I didn’t want to be alone again,” she whimpered.

Gray held her steady, his hand patting her back again and again, calm and patient as she practically wet his clothes.

”You’re not alone. I’m still here.”

She hugged him tighter, crying openly now, no effort to hide it anymore.

”Snifff... uwuwuuuuuuu!”

However, as Gray gently patted her back in a doting way, his lips suddenly curved slighly, and a cold glint passed right through his eyes.

’Tool one acquired,’ he thought.

[Mhm...that was quick.]

Jasmine hummed lightly.

[I did not expect this to work so cleanly.]

’There was no other path,’ Gray replied inwardly.

’Her mother stays pretty much unreachable without this.’

[Well... that woman, the Northern Duchess, showed no hints of lust even though she’s a full-fledged mermaid.]

’I noticed.’

[That is very strange.]

’Not a problem.’

His eyes darkened as Selene clung to him, crying like he was the only thing holding her together.

Now... she had become a little dependent on him.

’...That little spiritual powder really came in handy.’