Breeding Season - Chapter 35
It hadn’t even been that long since they finished their meal. In truth, Jin and Siren had been talking for less than an hour.
Yet, unable to wait even that long, he came over and started picking a fight. Siren had no idea what she was supposed to do in response.
Jin quietly smiled and slipped away.
“I’ll bring the books to your room.”
“Ah, th-thank you.”
“Enjoy your time together, you two.”
Like smoke, Jin vanished without a trace. Now, only the two of them remained.
As Siren hesitated, Yasamin suddenly asked her a question. A completely random one.
“What’s your favorite color?”
“Uh… crimson, green… and white.”
“There’s no consistency.”
Why ask if he was just going to criticize her answer?
As she wondered about it, Yasamin threw another question her way.
“Between sour and sweet, which do you prefer?”
“I like sweet things more.”
“Is that so?”
“…?”
Now that lacked consistency. It felt like he was just asking whatever came to mind.
‘Is he just bored? Or… should I ask him back?’
Tilting her head, she followed behind him as he walked and asked the same question.
“What’s your favorite color?”
“Blue. Black.”
That’s the color of my hair and eyes.
He probably said it without meaning anything by it, but for some reason, she found herself absentmindedly touching her hair.
“Then what about sour versus sweet?”
“Sour. More than sweet.”
“We’re different.”
“So it seems.”
A leisurely conversation with no hidden meanings. Was there even an end to this aimless walk?
What had this man come here to do? Or rather, had he come here not to do anything at all?
In any case, she had been so focused on staying alert that she noticed he had stopped in front of a staircase a step too late.
“Ah!”
“Oh dear.”
Her nose crashed into his rock-solid back, making her eyes sting with tears. As she rubbed the sore spot, her vision finally cleared.
“This… where does this staircase lead?”
“To the underground museum.”
“Oh, I see… Wait, what?”
“I thought I’d give you a tour.”
She couldn’t make sense of this man at all. But she couldn’t deny it—her curiosity flared up like wildfire.
What secrets lay hidden beneath the mansion, frozen in time for a thousand years?
Curious about what secrets lay hidden, she had no choice but to follow.
“There are precious artifacts down here that I’ve gathered over the years. Things people call relics.”
“Over the years?”
“Yeah. I’ve categorized them by era… I figured if you like reading, you might like this too.”
With each step he took, the torches along the walls ignited on their own. As the dim corridor brightened, she was finally able to make out her surroundings.
‘We’re going quite deep.’
They spiraled downward for quite a while before a massive iron door finally came into view.
A sudden chill made her shiver, and he instinctively reached out, pulling her into his arms.
“Are you cold?”
“A little.”
“I keep the temperature low to prevent deterioration.”
Since when has physical contact between them become so natural?
In truth, they hadn’t known each other for long, yet she nestled into Yasamin’s embrace as if it had always been this way.
‘But… it’s warm.’
Swallowing the excuse forming in her mind, she waited for the door to open—until, at last, her eyes widened.
“My goodness.”
Glowing night pearls were embedded in the ceiling and floor, casting an ethereal light over the space. Glass-covered walls housed sturdy shelves, upon which countless artifacts were meticulously arranged. Golden gemstones, a diamond-encrusted coffin, what looked like a mummified hand. There were also stone tablets, masks, and even taxidermied animals.
“Papyrus? Is this papyrus?”
“Oh, you recognize it.”
“And next to it… a scarab!”
The scarab was an invaluable ancient relic, symbolizing fertility and prosperity. It was shaped like a beetle, crafted entirely from gold, and adorned with emeralds that shimmered so brilliantly they seemed to steal her breath away.
“When… when is this artifact from?”
“The inscription says about 500 years ago.”
“Wow…”
“Amazing, isn’t it? You’re the first person I’ve shown all this to—besides Jin and Pamilla.”
The relics she had only ever read about in history books were now right before her eyes. It felt as though an entire era had been sliced out of time and placed in this room.
Engrossed in exploring the artifacts, Siren suddenly stopped in front of a particular statue.
Two legs covered in scales. A long, reptilian tail. Narrow, slit-like pupils. It was a familiar sight.
A group of ‘Siren’ sprawled lazily atop a rock.
“The name of a species and a name of existence… So this is the Siren race?”
