The merman, my man

Chapter 210

My heart was pounding as my breathing turned ragged, but I worked hard to calm myself. “Hey, Dicken

—why don’t we talk about it? I want to know what I mean to you… Am I just a container for your genes

to propagate your bloodline?“

My heart clenched unwittingly even as I said those words, as if I was forcing myself to face a cruel

truth. The smile was gone from Dicken’s face too, and he took a long look at my eyes, as if seriously

considering the question.

Dicken had been the king of the merfolk for a long time, and had lived through countless battles and

slaughters in his long life. Still, I didn’t think that such a simple question would stump him.

Sentiment, love, bonds —those were all emotions unique to humans, but would merfolk be able to feel

the same as humans?

Even if I had been with him before, I cannot use the rationale of a biologist to decide on such cross-

species relationships. Moreover, my EQ was not at all high and I used to be a nerd who only knew

about her own research, having no experience in love and unable to make heads or tails of relationship

matters.

I simply had no idea whether Dicken’s desire for me was an instinct to continue his bloodline, or to put

it in another way—would he find it acceptable if it wasn’t me?

And did Dicken even understand my question? Or did he perhaps find that he was under no obligation

to answer the question of a childish, insignificant progeny?

Naturally, I wished for an answer for him, and had been apprehensive —even insecure over it, and my

heart felt as if I was walking a tightrope. Without knowing it, tears were welling in my eyes, and it took

me so much effort to raise my gaze to stare fixedly at him, waiting nervously for his response.

I could see my own face in Dicken’s eyes, and I looked just like a miserable, abandoned kitten.

Unwilling to let him see how vulnerable I was, I straightened my bangs, blinked, and feigned

nonchalance as I smiled, ”It’s nothing —it’s just a stupid question. Just pretend you never heard it from

me, and it’s not like I really wanted to know anyway.”

With those words, I shrank into myself so that I breached the surface, but he caught me in the next

instant, holding my waist as he dragged me back into the water. Pressed against the door again, he

pressed his hand over my shoulder and slowly stroked my skin, reaching up to my neck with his coarse

leather glove.

Then, he rubbed the tip of his nose against my lips, and moved up to my forehead. Then, he raised my

bangs, holding my head in place a little firmly to kiss my neck. There was weight in his lips, and I could

feel a stream of warmth flowing across my entire body from where he kissed me, setting my body and

soul ablaze and I was unable to help shuddering.

My body flinched in the water, and I opened my mouth to ask a question, but ultimately failed.

”Linda, I didn’t know… ” Moving away from my neck, Dicken lowered his gaze upon me. I could feel the

depths of desire that seemed to be hidden behind his gaze, but I just couldn’t understand or be certain

of what he was feeling.

”I did consider you a progeny when you were younger, grooming and protecting you so that you slowly

became dependent on me. I watched in delight as you changed, until the day of your grandfather’s

accident, and your parents took you away from my side.”

His wet breath seemed to swirl around me, and he would lick my ear from time to time as he

whispered, ”It was too sudden, and I had to let go of you. I only began to search for you later at every

sea that I could reach, but I failed even after over a decade, and could only reach you through dreams.

As you grew, you would unwittingly yearn for me in your dreams, but lose all recollection of me once

you wake up, which left me in pain, and I had even thought about changing into human form to find

you, but I couldn’t do it at the time. Even so, I didn’t lose hope, because I knew that I was there —and

that it would guide you towards me endlessly.”

Dicken had put his hand over my chest, and it heaved as I breathed. I looked up then, meeting his

entrancing gaze as if walking with him to his distant memories.

”But one day, I sensed you, and could tell that you were definitely looking for me. I couldn’t wait and ran

towards you, wanting to see what the tiny tot that belonged to me had become, only to find you

constantly hanging out with that man named Gary… I could see the admiration in your eyes, and you

were reliant on him as you were towards me in your childhood, although you don’ t remember me at all

now.”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.