The Little Merman Demands Legs from the Sea Witch - Chapter 25

“I was going to go inside, but the door wouldn’t open. So I waited out here.”

Kashmir explained with a cheerful laugh, but then his smile slowly faded as he noticed Iko’s unusual silence.

Normally, the sharp-tongued witch would have made a snarky comment by now, but she said nothing.

“What’s with your face? Did something happen in the village?”

Kashmir asked, startled by her expression, which looked as if she might burst into tears.

He swam in circles around her, checking to see if she was hurt anywhere.

“If something happened, just tell me. Did a human spot you and almost capture you?”

Kashmir threatened to take revenge if that were the case. Iko took a deep breath and shook her head.

“The bag was just too heavy, so I got tired,” Iko replied, clutching the bag.

Kashmir, who had been seriously concerned, looked at the bag in her arms with a baffled expression. He let out a small chuckle and reached out to her.

“Give it to me,” he said, taking the bag from her and slinging it over his shoulder. “It is heavy. What’s in here that weighs so much?”

“…I don’t know,” Iko replied, though she knew exactly why it was so heavy.

Still, she played innocent, but she could no longer ignore her feelings for Kashmir.

The idea that she was breaking free from the curse had been a delusion. The curse had only paused briefly before returning even stronger. Now, just looking at Kashmir’s face made her heart race and her breath catch in her throat.

At this point, there were only two options left: endure until this feeling faded, whenever that might be, or make it happen between them.

“Kashmir.”

Iko called out as she entered her fishbowl home, watching as Kashmir placed the bag on the shore. Her serious tone made Kashmir look at her curiously.

Should she suppress this unfamiliar emotion with reason and carry on with her life, or should she embrace love and fight to win him over?

The old Iko wouldn’t have hesitated to choose the former. But just as her influence had given Kashmir a more structured life, he had also influenced her.

Iko had developed determination.

“You kissed me when you said you’d wait, and now that I’m back, nothing?”

Iko, for the first time, tried to seduce a man she loved.

Kashmir, surprised, looked at her with wide eyes from within the water.

Iko walked into the water until it reached her waist, looking directly at Kashmir as she repeated,

“Aren’t you going to do anything?”

“What?”

Kashmir couldn’t help but laugh. The first time he kissed her, Iko had frozen in place. She had been so dazed that she didn’t respond to anything he said all day. Kashmir had assumed she was so horrified by the kiss that she couldn’t even speak.

So, he had held back from kissing her again, even when she looked irresistibly cute. Today, he had only kissed the fishbowl, thinking she might not mind that much. He had even fled before she could scold him for it.

“Is it okay to do it?”

Kashmir asked, gently touching her fishbowl. Without a word, Iko took off the fishbowl from her head.

Seeing this, Kashmir’s lips curled into a smile, and he leaned in to kiss her forehead.

Chu—

As the sound of the kiss echoed, Iko’s cheeks turned a deep red. Seeing her shyly avoid his gaze, Kashmir found her even more adorable. He tilted her chin up so she would look at him.

With a soft sigh, Kashmir pressed his lips against Iko’s slightly parted ones. Iko’s hand rested on his chest.

Was she trying to push him away? Kashmir, feeling a bit desperate, bit her lip gently. But instead of pushing him away, Iko placed her hands over his chest, feeling his heartbeat matching her own.

“Open your mouth.”

Kashmir whispered, and Iko parted her lips. He playfully caught her tongue with his, as if trying to capture it.

The unfamiliar sensation caused Iko’s brows to furrow. But soon, the strange, tingling feeling began to take over her body, and she instinctively closed her eyes to enjoy it more deeply.

“Why are you so cute today?”

Kashmir asked, holding her face in his hands and looking into her eyes. Whether it was because she found it hard to answer or because she wanted more, Iko wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, offering her tongue again.

Kashmir smirked as he accepted her kiss. Her soft tongue tasted so sweet, he felt he could never get enough.

The kiss continued, long yet somehow still felt too short.