The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 44
Now, this vast and serene bedroom—which had been filled with silence the moment Cassis disappeared—felt beautiful to her.
The unicorn, tilting its head this way and that just like her, grumbled.
「I’ve lived a long time, but this is the first time I’ve done something so embarrassing. Well then! Hurry up and eat, then change your clothes. Wash off that sweet, damp scent clinging to you. A nymph of jasmine, yet you go around exuding such a fragrance that lures in those wretched creatures. How can you mix the gloomy scent of night-blooming flowers with the elegant aroma of jasmine?」
“…Huh?”
Unable to fully grasp its meaning, she asked back, only to be met with a sharp rebuke.
「Make the most of your day, little nymph. Stop chattering like a gossip and just eat already!」
“Ah, understood.”
She briefly wondered if the unicorn’s name was Ruba, recalling Cassis’ offhand remark, but she couldn’t find the right moment to ask. If she did, it might stomp its hooves on the carpet in irritation.
The unicorn had carried a large basket not only in its mouth but also on its back, but Evelyn had been too distracted by the flowers to notice. After eating the food inside and hastily washing up, she was relentlessly urged to leave the bedroom.
「At this rate, the sun will set. Hurry up and come out.」
“Just a moment—um, by any chance, is your esteemed name Ruba, sir?”
When she used the overly formal word “esteemed name,” picked up from somewhere, the unicorn blinked its long, nearly transparent eyelashes.
「Yes! I’m Ruba, and I am indeed a unicorn and I’m not a SIR. So you’re not completely dull, even if you lived in the countryside?」
“ I’m sorry, Well…”
「No time, hurry up and get out. A nymph ought to chatter all day and frolic through the meadows—did you plan to live like a fat cat rolling around on a bed?」
“Eek!”
The unicorn, utterly intolerant of dawdling, brushed its straight, white horn against her backside. More than the hardness, she feared it might pierce straight through her skin. Startled, Evelyn had no choice but to scramble out of the bedroom as if fleeing for her life.
She had thought she didn’t know the way out of the hall, but with the unicorn chasing her from behind, she somehow found the right path. Having dashed out in one breath, she panted heavily, her breath catching in her throat. Ruba clicked its tongue.
「Tsk, your stamina is pitiful. Well… I suppose there’s no helping it with you.」
And so, Evelyn ended up discovering the exit she thought she’d never find. But the moment her feet touched the path beyond the hall, a high-pitched voice rang out.
「Oho? My one and only remaining kin is here!」
「Ugh.」
It’s Lady Nike
Nike’s performance yesterday had been so magnificent that even the rumors couldn’t do it justice—no opera could compare. She hadn’t been able to appreciate it properly, but she was certain it had been incredible. She knew. Even the faint melody of the song she’d heard while stumbling out of the tower with her had been extraordinary, hadn’t it?
Behind her, Ruba poked her backside sharply with its horn, urging her to move, but Evelyn felt she should at least greet Nike properly. Biting back the stinging pain, she flinched but still managed a polite bow.
“Hello, Lady Nike!”
A pure, unironic greeting—it had been a long time since Nike had received one like that. She was instantly moved.
「La… Lady Nike? Oh my, goodness. To think such an adorable nymph is my kin—I must be truly blessed!」
「Do you just attach honorifics to anyone? If you act too familiar, you’re the only one who’ll lose out.」
Ruba’s grumbling, so much like Cassis’, was quickly buried. From the start, only Evelyn had heard it, and Nike—now overjoyed—immediately began fussing.
“Wait, you’re being personally taken care of by a unicorn? Of course, of course! A nymph born so dramatically deserves nothing less. Hold on—who are you, and where are you from? Hmm? Word is you’re not even from Jupiter, that you used to be human?”
Her enunciation was as precise as wooden castanets clacking together, every word crisp and clear. Evelyn suddenly realized just how flustered she had been yesterday, held in Nike’s arms. To think she had been so dazed she barely remembered anything, even with speech this distinct…
But now wasn’t the time to linger lazily in memories of being cradled in Cassis’ arms. Evelyn pushed aside thoughts of his face—the one that always seemed to toss her into a cloud of warmth—and spoke up.
“I’m Evelyn, from Devran—”
“No, no, not like that! For a nymph, belonging is more about—well…”
「Ugh, we just stepped out and already it’s a nuisance. She wasn’t even here when I came in—when did Nike fly over?」
Ruba shook its head at the unexpected interruption. What to do? Evelyn was flustered but decided the prior engagement took precedence, so she carefully addressed Nike.
