The Little Merman Demands Legs from the Sea Witch - Chapter 39
Anyway, since they had sold everything, Kashmir only had to enjoy himself now. He grabbed Iko’s hand, pulling her along, saying there was something he wanted to try.
As they were walking, someone bumped into Kashmir’s shoulder. The path wasn’t narrow enough to cause such a collision, so it was clearly intentional.
The man who bumped into him flashed a nasty grin, revealing a gold tooth. Realizing that the man had underestimated him, Kashmir turned, ready to throw him aside. But then, he suddenly remembered that he was holding Iko’s hand.
‘Prince, if you cause trouble, you might reveal your true identity. You have to stay calm.’
Iko had warned him before they entered Kokoya Village.
‘And I’d rather not get exposed as a witch along with you.’
When he asked who she was really worried about, Iko had avoided his gaze and changed the subject.
Kashmir glanced at Iko. Letting an incident like this slide wasn’t in his nature, but since he was with Iko, it seemed best to avoid unnecessary trouble.
He twisted his body to look at Iko, who seemed slightly tense, worried about what he might do next.
“I remember my promise to stay calm,” Kashmir said, reassuring her that he wouldn’t cause any trouble. He held onto Iko’s hand and headed toward their original destination.
It was a food stall grilling meat skewers right on the spot. The air was thick with the pungent aroma of spices, so strong that it pricked their noses even from a distance.
“Are you really going to eat this?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure?”
“…Well, if you want to eat it, go ahead. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”
Kashmir found Iko’s slightly odd reaction curious but bought a meat skewer anyway. He soon regretted it.
“My… my tongue feels like it’s on fire—what is this?”
Kashmir shuddered, overwhelmed by the spicy meat. Iko, who had known exactly what would happen but said nothing, burst into laughter at his intense reaction.
“Don’t just, ugh, laugh. H-Help me out here.”
Kashmir stuck out his tongue, looking at Iko with desperate eyes. She handed him some water, and he gulped it down, not caring that it spilled down his throat.
“Is my tongue okay? Something’s wrong, right?”
Kashmir stuck out his tongue for Iko to check. He had thought he could eat anything, but now Iko found it adorable that he couldn’t handle spicy food.
“There’s nothing wrong.”
“Look again. I swear it hurts.”
Even though she reassured him that he’d feel better soon, he remained suspicious. He was shocked that such terrible food was sold for money, and even more shocked that Iko hadn’t warned him.
“Does a witch have no sense of loyalty?”
Kashmir glared at Iko with eyes full of betrayal.
“You’re such a baby. I feel bad for your future wife.”
The man selling the spicy skewers clicked his tongue. Kashmir glared at him, still sticking out his tongue. Feeling sulky, he finally let go of Iko’s hand, which he had clung to even while complaining about the spiciness.
“I didn’t know you couldn’t handle spicy food. Want a coconut drink?”
Iko offered, but Kashmir just turned his head away. Who knew if that coconut was spicy too?
He had come to Kokoya Village intending to eat and drink to his heart’s content, but the spicy meat skewer had completely killed his appetite. Instead of searching for new food, Kashmir started watching the people around him.
There were all kinds of people—babies nursing in their mothers’ arms, elderly people walking slowly with canes. But what caught Kashmir’s eye were the young women.
“There are a lot of women here with larger chests than yours, walking around with them on display.”
Kashmir mumbled, noticing how many young women wore revealing clothing. Iko, following his gaze, looked up at him in surprise. His eyes were fixed on a large-chested woman selling fruit, her low-cut top showing off her cleavage.
“Nice. She’s pretty.”
Iko’s jaw dropped at his casual comment. It was the first time she had heard him say someone was pretty, and it was about another woman.
As if his comment wasn’t shocking enough, Kashmir walked right up to the woman and started talking to her. His finger pointed to her chest, and the two continued chatting cheerfully. He even went so far as to stroke the woman’s hair.
“What on earth is he doing?!”
Overwhelmed by a surge of jealousy, Iko froze in place, her fists trembling. Even though she was glaring at him with burning eyes, Kashmir didn’t seem to notice her at all. It was as if he had forgotten she even existed.
She wanted to call him back to her side, but only her head and eyes burned with anger, and her voice refused to come out.
All she could do was watch as Kashmir laughed and chatted with the woman, wondering what could be so amusing.
