The Little Merman Demands Legs from the Sea Witch - Chapter 29
‘Could he be bored of me now?’
It made sense if he was no longer interested in being her lover, or even a friend, which would explain his lukewarm responses lately. Iko’s face turned pale with despair at the thought.
“Is the market in the village going to open five days from now?”
Kashmir asked, seemingly oblivious to Iko’s inner turmoil. When she confirmed, he casually remarked,
“Alright, I’ll go there then.”
Iko realized that her plan to keep him from leaving had completely failed. His mind was already set on leaving.
How could she possibly keep him here? After a brief moment of deliberation, Iko resorted to her last desperate measure.
“I’m out of ingredients, so I can’t make any more potions.”
For a witch, refusing a trade was the worst choice possible. At best, it would only buy her a little time, which wasn’t efficient. But Kashmir didn’t even allow her that small respite.
“If it’s about the potion, don’t worry about it,” he replied.
“Why not?” Iko asked.
“I still have some left.”
Kashmir answered indifferently, slightly pouting. To Iko, it was like a bolt of lightning on a clear day.
Kashmir, who usually downed the entire potion at once despite her telling him to save it, had apparently been conserving it recently. She had found it odd that he hadn’t asked for more lately, but the thought that he might have been rationing it never crossed her mind.
“Every time I see you, you have legs. How much of the potion do you have left?”
Iko’s last hope was crumbling before her eyes. She was left in complete darkness, with no means left to keep him.
“Quite a bit,” he replied.
Realizing her final attempt was futile, Iko’s vision darkened with despair. There was nothing left she could do to keep him.
“That’s not fair,” she muttered, feeling an overwhelming sense of frustration toward Kashmir.
He glanced back at her over his shoulder.
“Are you really that desperate for a merman’s scales?”
“It’s not about the scales…!”
Iko’s voice caught in her throat as she tried to speak the truth. But when she saw the lack of interest on Kashmir’s face, she stopped herself. He looked entirely indifferent, as if nothing she could say would interest him.
Feeling that it was pointless to say anything, Iko’s tongue felt heavy, as if she had lost her voice like the little mermaid in the fairy tale.
In the end, she said nothing and retreated into the house.
***
Since falling in love, Iko felt like the entire world was conspiring against her happiness. The calm weather, without even a single storm, seemed to mock her, as did the relentlessly ticking clock.
The day Kashmir was supposed to leave was tomorrow, yet Iko still couldn’t think of a plan to stop him.
‘No matter what I do, he’s going to leave.’
She was filled with despair, almost to the point of resignation. Even though she could still speak, the thought of telling him not to go never left her lips. She was too afraid of being rejected if she asked him to stay.
Though she had learned determination from Kashmir, Iko still lacked the resolve to see things through.
“Iko, I need to talk to you.”
“Later, I’m busy,” she quickly responded, avoiding him out of fear.
It wasn’t just the inability to speak that frightened her. Every time Kashmir hinted that he wanted to talk, she would freeze up in fear, certain that he was about to thank her and say goodbye. The idea that he had become polite enough to express his gratitude before leaving was terrifying.
For Iko, it was nothing short of a devastating farewell. She didn’t want to let him speak.
As a result, Kashmir ended up trying to talk to Iko during breakfast, lunch, and dinner, each time saying he had something important to tell her, but never getting to the point.
“I’m busy.”
“You can listen while you eat.”
Kashmir glanced at the nearly full bowl of soup in front of her. He smiled, saying it wouldn’t take long to finish. But Iko, finding his handsome smile annoying, remained firm.
“No.”
“Then when am I supposed to talk to you? It’s important.”
Iko abruptly stood up, leaving her mushroom soup half-eaten.
“Later.”
“Later, later.”
Kashmir mimicked her, clearly frustrated. His tone grated on Iko’s nerves, causing her to snap.
“When exactly is later? There’s no time left.”
“I’ve never had time! Unlike a certain foolish prince who only thinks about playing and having fun, a witch like me is always busy!”
She shouted, her voice sharp with frustration and sadness. Kashmir’s eyes widened in shock. She had said hurtful things before, but this one struck him deeply.
“I know you have a sharp tongue, but isn’t that going too far?”
Iko knew she had misspoken, but she didn’t feel like apologizing. Her feelings of hurt and disappointment were too overwhelming, making it seem as though Kashmir was entirely to blame.
