Breeding Season - Chapter 36
“Oh, that’s right. A small, family-based tribe of non-humans. They sing beautiful songs at sea, luring sailors to jump overboard before they suck their blood dry.”
“…Their blood?”
“To them, human blood is like an elixir.”
I really am a monster. Her true form in water was identical to that of the statue.
Siren found herself at a loss for words, unable to say anything.
Overwhelmed by despair, all she could do was let out a silent breath.
“…But they’re not evil creatures. They just have their own way of surviving. That doesn’t make them wrong.”
“They’re monsters.”
“Monsters? You’re going to offend the Siren race talking like that. They were born this way. They simply live as they were shaped to be—what’s wrong with that?”
Each quiet word Yasamin spoke felt like comfort. He probably wasn’t saying it for her sake, yet it felt as though he was.
She had spat out the word monster, but in the end, it was no different from driving a knife into herself. Because that was all she had ever heard since birth.
But Yasamin’s expression hardened.
“Humans are just another species caught in the cycle of survival of the fittest. There are even beings that exist outside that cycle. Gods, or those who belong to them. Spirits, too.”
“……”
“In any case, being a Siren isn’t wrong.”
The Siren’s nature wasn’t a mistake. It wasn’t something incorrect.
Even if, by human standards, it was monstrous.
Siren repeated Yasamin’s words in her mind, over and over again. After that, she continued exploring, but nothing seemed to catch her eye anymore.
Probably because her thoughts were already filled with everything about the Siren race.
“Have the Sirens always lived in the sea? Since when?”
“Who knows? Since the distant age of myths, maybe?”
“When did their relationship with humans turn bad?”
“Probably from the moment they first drank human blood.”
Even after they had returned from underground, she couldn’t stop asking questions. Surprisingly, Yasamin didn’t seem annoyed and answered them all.
“Is the song of the Sirens really that beautiful? Have you heard it yourself?”
“I’ve heard it quite often. It doesn’t affect me, though.”
“……!”
“It’s pleasant enough to listen to… but for the record, only Sirens can learn their songs. It’s passed down through the maternal line.”
But my mother was a complete human.
Then why was I… why was I born like this?
Could there have been a Siren somewhere in my ancestors’ lineage?
She had considered the possibility, but then—that kind of act between a Siren and a human?
She couldn’t imagine it at all.
Eventually, as they arrived at her bedroom door, she looked at Yasamin’s back and carefully spoke.
“Then… have you ever seen a hybrid between a human and a Siren?”
This was probably the most composed question she had asked so far.
She knew full well that her fixation on the Sirens was strange. A normal person wouldn’t be like this.
It was the kind of question that might raise suspicion, but she was certain Yasamin wouldn’t pry and ask why she was asking. Because he was oddly indifferent like that.
And yet, at the same time, he was strangely sincere.
If he knew the answer, he would definitely tell her.
“I’ve never seen one. Humans and Sirens can’t crossbreed.”
“Oh.”
“You’re quite interested in Sirens, aren’t you?”
“I-I was just curious.”
Then what exactly was she?
Siren once again revisited the question of her origins—a question she had agonized over her entire life. No answer would come of it, and yet, for some reason, she couldn’t stop longing for one.
With a quiet sigh, she pushed open the door, only for Yasamin to wrap his arms around her waist from behind.
“I’m bored. I played with you, so now it’s your turn to play with me.”
“…Is there even anything to do?”
“That’s for you to figure out. I put thought into entertaining you, didn’t I?”
It was unreasonable. But since she had, in fact, enjoyed herself, Siren didn’t argue.
She had seen relics no one else in the world would ever lay eyes on.
What this man wants is…
Tilting her head back to look at him, she saw Yasamin grinning mischievously.
It was already written all over his face. What a man desires.
And Siren was more than willing to grant it.
The first time had been difficult, but the second would be easy.
Besides… to be honest, it felt good.
She had thought she would be afraid, but that wasn’t entirely the case.
Yasamin had been gentle, never forceful. The spine-tingling thrill had been intoxicating, and if not for the overwhelming embarrassment, she wouldn’t have minded indulging in it again and again.
“Then shall we move to the bed, my wife?”
