The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 144

“Did you put the veil tree’s leaf here?”

“Ah, you haven’t seen it yet? I wrapped it in a handkerchief and covered it with a book, but it dried completely in just one day. That tree—there’s nothing wrong with it, is there?”

The purple leaf had dried so stiffly that you could believe it was a painted metal bookmark. The curious thing was that even though the moisture had disappeared, unlike other tree leaves, the edges didn’t crumble easily and remained solid. When she picked up what she had placed on top of another book cover to show him, he smiled.

“If you’re curious, why don’t you go see it? The veil tree will always be in that spot at the sacred site.”

“I’m fine.”

‘Has she become afraid to go alone? Well, trouble did happen in front of it, so it wouldn’t be strange if that were the case.’

He sighed inwardly and grasped her earlobe with his fingers, rubbing it gently. Her pretty ear, which would look lovely decorated with any small flower, trembled and rose slightly. Cassis, who had been watching absentmindedly, became pleased and found himself asking without thinking:

“Have you also gained the ability to move your ears?”

“What?”

“Never mind.”

That was just an illusion, merely the scene of fine hairs standing up in surprise at his touch appearing exaggerated and misperceived. To be seeing things when the sun hadn’t even set yet. Cassis remained silent for a moment, then shifted his gaze to where her fingers were fidgeting.

She was carefully running her fingertips over the practice sheet he had just written on to check if the ink had dried. Rather than quickly covering it up, she seemed to want to tear out the page. Seeing her repeatedly scraping the inside of the paper with her fingernail, he felt like interfering for some reason and spoke up.

“So, about that spring picnic—we’ll depart tomorrow. I’ve set the duration for three days for now, but if circumstances arise, we may have to return midway.”

“Tomorrow?!”

“Mmm. I’d like to leave earlier than when you usually open your eyes, but it would be difficult to put a nodding-off nymph on a horse, so I’ll wait. Can you be up by noon?”

The laziness in his words, delivered with a chuckle, was actually something he had brought upon himself. The cause of her late mornings and afternoons was entirely due to Cassis. Even though the very culprit who had dragged her stamina to rock bottom was acting shamelessly, Evelyn didn’t dare even dream of blaming him.

“I’m confident I can wake up early. Please set the time however is convenient for you, okay?”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

The blue eyes looking at her took on a mysterious light for a moment. The hand that had been resting on the table moved up to her shoulder, caressing it stickily and busily interfering. Always, just as when he held her.

Why is he doing this in the middle of a normal conversation? Evelyn swallowed and waited for what he would say.

“But there’s one problem, you see.”

“What kind?”

“It would be difficult for you to comfortably receive my energy outdoors, so I was thinking we could leisurely fill you up today before we go. What do you think?”

“Th-that’s…!”

Both were good. Because it was with Cassis. However, if she had to choose one of the two, since it was the long-awaited spring picnic, she didn’t want to ruin its start with endlessly dragging oversleeping. She also instinctively had a premonition that if she was held now, tomorrow morning couldn’t be guaranteed.

“Let’s postpone it. I’m doing really well right now. Um, umm… Since you said three days, if it becomes really difficult, could I ask for it then?”

“You’re postponing me… Is that okay?”

He brought his face close to hers, examining her complexion as if searching every inch. It was a mischievous act of trying to clearly see whether her face, which had looked like a white moon, would flush red or not. Though he had witnessed it many times already, it was a scene he never tired of seeing, so with time to spare, he wanted to see it again. Then Evelyn rarely turned her head away sharply and replied:

“Yes! I think I’ll be fine.”

How dare you refuse me?

His fingers lightly tapped here and there on her body like playing the lyre that Nike handled whenever she had a spare moment. There was no reason heavenly melodies would be heard just from touching a beautiful nymph, but somehow it felt like he could hear them in his ears.

Meanwhile, Evelyn was caught in the crisis of melting away under his familiar and affectionate touch.

She wanted to whisper just for him to hear, pleading to be held. She knew well that just like the brazen words she had spouted in front of him, she could surrender and be embraced with the cunning sound of asking him to quickly take her.

But… the spring picnic is more important. Even if the season that should be called early summer has approached because the full spring blossoms have all fallen and disappeared, it doesn’t matter. Since he called it a spring picnic, that day will return to being spring for just the two of them!