The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 36
Come to think of it, there was only one chair behind this groove. In her naivety, Evelyn had assumed that, as the king, he would sit alone, and she flustered in protest.
“W-wait a minute! I-I can just stand—”
“I can’t.”
“Ehk…!”
Despite her weak plea to be let go, he remained unmoved. In the end, she had no choice but to sit pressed against him as the performance outside the watchtower began. Evelyn did her best to focus on the show.
True to Cassis’s words, the distance between the watchtower and the Agora was quite close. Soon, Nike—who had slightly unfolded her wings—raised her voice in song.
“It’s been a while, everyone! Ah, the beautiful citadel of Jupiter… Long ago, oh, in the quiet depths of the forest, which to you may feel like only yesterday…”
“……”
But alas, her efforts were in vain.
She couldn’t remember the theme or content of the performance at all. Nike’s voice was so powerful that she could only catch fragments of words—forest, towering trees, bitter and astringent fruit, and what else…?
“…And so, the promised victory shall forever blanket the skies of Jupiter!”
Clap clap clap!
A thunderous applause erupted following the rousing conclusion. Ever since she had come to live in the citadel of Jupiter, Nike’s performances had always been like this.
Is it… finally over?
Evelyn barely managed to rest her hand against the arm locked around her waist like an unyielding belt. That touch—that brief confinement—left her utterly paralyzed. Her eyes were open, her ears unblocked, yet she saw nothing, heard nothing. And all she had done was sit there.
It wasn’t that she felt hollow over missing what should have been a rare performance for a country girl like her. No, what frightened her now was the situation itself. Back when she had first stepped onto this unfamiliar land, knowing no one, she had been terrified of death. But this feeling was different.
‘Lord Cassis…’
It no longer mattered whether the so-called “love potion” given to her by that nameless old wanderer had really been plum juice or not.
In just a matter of days, Cassis had seized hold of her entirely. The vague fear of stepping into a new life—one she had never lived before—was nothing compared to the overwhelming presence of the man behind her.
The Elven King. Guardian of the World Tree. The great elf revered by all his kind. Was it really alright for her to selfishly steal his precious time like this…?
She had naively assumed that if she met the elves, they might take pity on her as a nymph and let her live. Never had she imagined she would end up in this unexpected life, her body so frequently entwined with someone she had come to… care for.
What will happen from now on? Her vision blurred, as if countless black raven feathers had clouded her sight.
And yet, it was him who swiftly pulled her out of that suffocating moment.
“Did you enjoy it?”
Cassis’s voice, except in those rare moments when haste was necessary, was always gentle and unhurried. Slow enough to understand, soft enough to send a shiver down her spine. She loved that about him—except when he was gone, and the loneliness that followed grew sharper and more abrupt than before. Snapped out of her thoughts, she answered in a small voice.
“Yes…”
The tension in his arm, which had been holding her captive, eased in an instant.
“Did I hold you too tightly? Are you tired?”
His words were light, but the way his fingers lingered against her waist betrayed something deeper—something neither of them dared to name. Evelyn swallowed, her pulse fluttering like a trapped bird.
What am I supposed to do now?
The future stretched before her, dark and uncertain, but one thing was clear there was no going back. Not when every touch, every glance, every unspoken word between them pulled her deeper into him.
And worst of all—she wasn’t sure she wanted to resist.
His voice resonated through the wide watchtower, filling every corner. Not wanting to be misunderstood, she shook her head.
“No.”
Ah—she should have kept the back of her head still. The leaf tangled in her hair might tickle him now, and it was too late to do anything about it. Evelyn pouted, frustrated with her own delayed realization.
Just then, as the applause died down, Nike’s powerful voice rang out once more.
“Now, for all you lovely elf lords and ladies, I shall gift you a little song! Listen well, sylphs! Do you know the wrath of the undines dancing in clear, pristine waters—”
Cassis let out a short laugh.
“Ah, of course. No matter how quickly she sings it, that song takes at least fifteen minutes per verse.”
“I see.”
The arm that had nearly released her tightened again. He stroked her thigh soothingly as he spoke.
“Shall we head back? I can’t guarantee when that song will end. Nike loves repeating the chorus over and over.”
Suddenly, from somewhere deep inside, she mustered unexpected courage.
“I… I’d like to stay a little longer.”
“Very well.”
Was it because of the singing drifting in from the darkened world outside? A vague, restless unease gnawed at Evelyn. Cassis was the Elven King, the Guardian of the World Tree—every elf must know him, revere him.
‘His Majesty, the revered King.’
If Cassis stood where Nike had been, the cheers would be endless. Everyone would be looking at him—only at him. Would she ever be able to stand there, whole and unshaken, and meet their gaze?
“Haa…”
Evelyn didn’t understand what this tight, fluttering breath meant. Even if she did, there was nothing she could do about it. The man who had effortlessly unlocked her body and heart—now burning with a terrifying longing—held the key to everything.
She was too inexperienced to recognize the color of her own heart. Too naive to name the emotion tightening her chest.
And by the time she realized—
It would already be far too late.
