The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 14
The staggering truth—this was something the village chief, who had left with such ease, would never know. No matter how dire the situation, embarrassment was still embarrassment. And to think, all this had happened after just a single day of knowing each other. What on earth was this?
But had nymphs and elves always been like this in the past? The stories the chief had told didn’t seem to include such things. Yet, it wasn’t something I could bring myself to ask Cassis, the very person involved.
Well, what else can I do? For now, I’ll just have to endure it until I find a way to save my saplings. If anything, I should be grateful. Because of me, Cassis has more work to do.
After emerging from the pond, Cassis stripped off his wet clothes and hung them on a bush to dry. I thought he’d let them bake in the sun, but in the blink of an eye, they were dry, carrying the soft scent of sunlight. Was this another ability of the elves, the guardians of the forest? It was fascinating. The guard I’d briefly been with hadn’t shown any special abilities beyond wielding a bow and arrow.
But now, Cassis stood there, completely bare, not a single thread of clothing on him. His reasoning was that if Evelyn got cold while sleeping, he needed to be ready to protect her. Apparently, being unclothed meant he could hold her closer, sharing his warmth.
And so, there I was, still in the shabby clothes I’d brought from the village, nestled against him. The mere thought of him being undressed made my legs restless.
Huu…
Good thoughts, good thoughts.
It was a relief Cassis was behind me. If we were face-to-face, I don’t think I could have held back…
“Evelyn?”
“Yes?”
“Have you ever slept in the forest before?”
I was about to shake my head, but worried the leaf in my hair might tickle his perfect nose, so I answered verbally instead.
“No. I grew up in the same house as Faye, the village chief’s daughter, who raised me. When I was little, it didn’t matter, but after I grew older, during the warmer seasons, they’d clear out the barn and let me sleep there.”
Growing up in the countryside was one thing, but sleeping outdoors was entirely different. The chief had never allowed it, not even for a single day, saying it would make me sick.
Living in the barn had only been bearable because she enjoyed it, and it was only during late spring, summer, and early autumn before the cold set in. Having her own space and fewer prying eyes made it tolerable.
He declared, as if making a proclamation, “You are a nymph now.”
“Yes…”
“Nymphs thrive when they are immersed in nature, circling the natural elements that symbolize them. It’s vastly different from human life. There’s no need to rush, but you must strive to grow accustomed to it. Think of the bushes you’re lying on now, and the trees growing around us.”
Huh, huu…!
As he spoke, Cassis’s arm reached out and gently wrapped around her. It was strange. Though it felt as though she was being firmly held, unable to escape, being in his embrace was oddly comforting.
His arm, firmer than any tree, pulled her closer, and a mesmerizing scent seemed to waft toward her. It wasn’t like the fleeting fragrances of ebony or sandalwood she had caught in the garden, nor the shimmering leaves or the precious flowers she had admired. None of them resembled his natural scent.
Cassis’s scent…
Around her was the dark forest, and behind her was the warm, enveloping heat of his body. With him near, she felt no fear, only comfort, and her mind grew hazy, her eyelids heavy.
“Accept this new world that has been given to you, and accept me as part of it.”
“Yes…”
“Get used to my touch. If you startle every time, you’ll only tire yourself out.”
Having declared this, he shifted slightly, moving closer to her, his hands reaching for her exposed ankle beneath her skirt. His fingers began to massage it gently, moving at a steady pace until they reached the delicate curve near her anklebone.
His five fingers briefly grasped it before moving on, tenderly caressing the arch of her foot. Like a servant attending to his lady, he lifted her small foot, exposing the top, and without hesitation, his lips pressed against it.
She had been holding her breath the entire time, but now she resisted. The sensation rising from the gentle slope of her foot felt like it might burst forth at any moment.
“T-There…!”
She protested, but then a memory surfaced—something she had read in a book with Faye. Kissing the top of the foot was something even lovers rarely did.
“If my lips are to save you, there is no place they cannot reach. No matter where I touch you, you must accept it quietly.”
Cassis firmly dismissed her concerns, pressing his cheek against the spot where his lips had just been. He seemed pleased with the faint damp trace he had left behind. After exhaling warm breaths a few times, making her foot tremble involuntarily, he returned to his original position, wrapping his arms around her from behind and lying down as before.
“……”
“You understand what this means, don’t you? You can sleep now.”
“Yes…”
Without realizing it, she responded softly and closed her eyes.
The physical excitement she had felt earlier subsided as if it had never existed, like a sea that had lost its wind and calmed. The astonishing sensation of a man’s lips touching the top of her foot for the first time, along with her wildly beating heart, also settled. Was it because her body was utterly exhausted? She wasn’t sure. But for the first time since drinking the strange potion from the old woman, she was able to fall into a peaceful sleep.
