The Little Merman Demands Legs from the Sea Witch - Chapter 23
She glanced at him nervously, afraid he might pick up on her intentions. Kashmir narrowed his eyes, then sighed lightly as he looked at her.
“You’re always trying to push me away whenever you get the chance. Am I really such a burden to have around?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
Caught off guard by his reaction, Iko frantically shook her head and waved her hands.
“It’s just that you’ve been here for a while without returning, so I was wondering… What if the Sea King is searching the all the waters for you? I’m just a bit worried.”
Iko tried to remain calm, but the more she spoke, the more long-winded her explanation became. To make matters worse, Kashmir stared at her intently, as if trying to see right through her. Embarrassed, Iko couldn’t help but avert her eyes.
Kashmir was initially annoyed by her blatant avoidance, but when he noticed her ears turning bright red, he felt an unexpected urge to forgive her. However, he assumed her embarrassment was due to being caught in a lie, not because she had feelings for him.
“I’m the kind of son who rarely returns home, so no news is good news in my case. They’re probably not even looking for me.”
Kashmir spoke nonchalantly, explaining that there were many times when he hadn’t returned for months.
“If you don’t go back, where do you stay?”
“I wander around looking for something fun to do.”
Kashmir noticed that Iko was genuinely interested in his story. Unlike before, when she would listen with a bored expression, this time she seemed fully engaged. Her interest pleased him.
“I’m a wanderer who can’t stay in one place for long. I can’t stand staying anywhere for more than three days. It’s too boring.”
Hearing the word “wanderer,” Iko nodded, but she couldn’t help feeling that something was off. He had been staying here for over three months, not just three days.
If she asked him if this place was full of exciting things and never boring, well… He did complain about being bored almost every day.
“Staying here this long is strange, even for me. Maybe it’s another one of your miracles.”
Noticing her confusion, Kashmir continued,
“Whenever I start to feel bored, just seeing your face makes everything interesting again.”
“…Are you saying my face is funny?”
Iko glared at Kashmir as she asked. She had started to feel good, thinking he was saying he enjoyed being with her, but her mood quickly soured.
“Sorry if my ugly face entertains you.”
“No need to apologize. It’s thanks to your ugly face that I’m having fun.”
Glad that he found it amusing, Iko smirked bitterly and started to walk away. But as she turned, Kashmir smiled and called after her.
“Just kidding. You’re cute.”
Her heart began to race again, just like the day before, after another one of his unexpected comments.
“Why do you keep…?”
Why do you keep doing this? Iko bit her lip to swallow the rest of her words and tried to gauge what’s exactly’s going on in Kashmir’s pretty head. Unlike her, who was flustered and unsure how to react, he was smiling effortlessly.
It didn’t seem like there was any hidden agenda behind his words. Realizing this, Iko suddenly snapped back to reality.
What will happen if this curse continues?
Iko would start paying attention to everything he said, hanging onto every word, hoping for something that would never happen.
Meanwhile, what about Kashmir? The moment he could finally walk, he would happily leave for the human village without a second thought about her feelings. Even if he knew how she felt, he probably wouldn’t care.
The future she envisioned was unbearably bleak.
Once again, Iko reminded herself that “love” was a terrible curse. And when cursed, you shouldn’t just let it fester—you had to work to break it.
“Thanks, but the prince is ugly.”
Iko forced herself to say something she didn’t mean, hoping that if she said it enough times, her brain would eventually believe it.
“Are you serious?”
Kashmir touched his face, looking both incredulous and offended, as if he couldn’t believe she had called him ugly.
“What else would I say about someone who’s ugly?”
“Liar. You’re always lying whenever you open your mouth.”
Kashmir scoffed, clearly not believing her. But still, he couldn’t help checking his reflection in the water, turning his head from side to side to examine his face.
“Hmph. All I see is a handsome face.”
Iko turned her back on him and went back inside the house. She steeled herself, determined to break this curse before she was left alone and drowning in sadness.
Fortunately, it hadn’t been long since she started feeling this way about him. Since her feelings weren’t deep yet, she hoped she could break the curse quickly. Iko clung to that hope.
