The Mermaid's Secret Morning
This could only be a mirage born of longing and wind. The man in front of her had no reason to be here at this ungodly hour.
“Where are you going?”
There was no way. This was no ordinary illusion.
Kian.
Kian von Larson stood right before her, his presence unmistakable.
“How did you get here?”
“I came because I feared you might leave me. Tomorrow morning, you…”
Kian stopped mid-sentence. She saw the faint rise and fall of his chest as he drew in a deep breath.
“…to make sure you wouldn’t come to me.”
The low, quiet voice that left his lips. Even hearing it, she couldn’t quite believe the words.
“Because you’re the one I’m most reluctant to lose. I came to keep you with me.”
She had always thought he was a man with nothing to regret, yet what he confessed was a thick, fog-like unease. It felt exactly like a dream she was afraid to wake from.
His gaze moved slowly from the shoe box clutched in her arms to her bare, unpainted feet. The sight made him smile bitterly, as if he had already read the answer.
“We’ll hear the reply in the morning.”
Without warning, he lifted her straight into his arms. The sudden motion startled Vivienne. Her face turned completely pale as she struggled in his grip.
“P-put me down!”
“Stop making such a fuss. If you don’t want the maids spreading rumors about this.”
“……”
“If you have something to say, come to my room.”
Her body pressed against his chest. Their hearts were touching—were they even truly one heart right now? Her mind was blank. She couldn’t even tell whose heartbeat was hammering so wildly.
***
Kian only set her down once they reached the bedroom. The room was dark.
On the table sat a tea set instead of glasses, scattered wildly. A sharp, sweet scent rose from the red liquid.
He swallowed convulsively, as if his throat was on fire, then poured the rest straight onto Vivienne’s maid uniform.
“……!”
“Ah, my mistake.”
The pungent smell of liquor filled the air. She accused him brazenly, yet anyone could see the deliberate intent. Panic drained the color from her face.
“It wasn’t a mistake, was it?”
Kian, who had been perfectly clear, looked embarrassed and let out an awkward chuckle.
There was no fault on her part. Her heart pounded so hard she could barely breathe. Since the words had already been spoken, she wanted to set everything straight.
“You must have done it on purpose. Why are you treating me so cruelly?”
She couldn’t understand his motives. Just moments ago he had been trying to stop her from leaving, yet now he was doing this again. No matter the reason, his rudeness was on an unbearable level.
“You said you’d do anything I asked.”
“What?”
“Well, since everything is already at your mercy, seeing you in that maid uniform makes me burn with jealousy.”
What on earth was he saying?
The answer had twisted in a direction she never could have imagined.
It was absurd. She had been so worked up over nothing. Surely she had given him the choice. Yet now he claimed he had simply done as he pleased?
Kian looked like he had committed a serious offense and was only smiling lazily, as if he felt no remorse whatsoever. He seemed slightly off-kilter.
“But I don’t have anything else to wear….”
There were no clothes at all.
The second half of her sentence died in her throat.
It was too humiliating.
She was certain he knew. He must know. She had no idea why he was pushing so hard.
She hadn’t wanted soft words of sympathy in the first place. She had only wanted to make him understand that she was in a difficult spot because of him.
“Of course you do.”
Yet it felt like a misunderstanding. Kian watched her discomfort and seemed to enjoy it even more.
“There’s a bath ready in the bathroom. Wash up and come out.”
“Here?”
“Yes. Matilda said you liked bathing in a tub. I’ll call it a reward for your special duties.”
He had brought her here saying he had something to say, then done something shameful to her uniform, and now offered her a bath on the spot. Had he planned everything from the very beginning?
She felt a twinge of suspicion. Reasonable doubt began to creep in.
“That’s… difficult.”
“Why?”
“There’s also your fiancée. I’d feel like I was cheating on her.”
Her pride, already battered, was breaking. This was the only way she could feel less pitiful. She clung desperately to the small line she had tried to keep.
“It’s just a bath, Vivi. I never said I’d take you.”
She hadn’t expected him to say something so blatant. Upon second thought, Kian was right. She had only guessed; he had never actually said he would take her.
Vivienne’s face flushed bright red.
“…No.”
“If you don’t want to be bathed, then leave on your own.”
Eventually she was almost shoved into the bathroom. The tub was already filled with smooth steam. Next to it sat neatly arranged white soaps.
“So he prepared this for me…”
She was still dazed.
“Why is he suddenly being so kind?”
Of course he had poured something on her earlier, but from the moment he had come, spoken of wanting to keep her, and prepared the bath—everything felt unbelievable. She couldn’t read his true intentions behind the steam-filled, hazy bathroom.
“It’s been a long time…”
She swallowed hard. Honestly, she wanted to sink into the water.
Looking back, the very first thing Matilda had taught her after learning Kian’s name was how to take a proper bath.
During her week as a maid, all she had been allowed was a quick shower; bathing in a tub had been a dream. If she hadn’t tried it, she might not know how wonderful it felt, but she did.
“Well… it might be my last time.”
Even while rationalizing, her heart kept weakening. When she reached that thought, she decided, honestly, to go with the flow.
Vivienne carefully undressed and stepped into the tub. The water was neither too hot nor lukewarm—just the perfect, soothing warmth.
The heat stung her heels, but soon even that tiny pain faded as her body melted into a deep, heavy relaxation. The throbbing in her wrist seemed to ease slightly.
When she rubbed the soap between her palms, thick bubbles formed. The ticklish sensation on her skin was still addictively pleasurable.
“Ah… it’s warm. It really is wonderful.”
She missed this gentle warmth, this fragrant heat, this loosening tension. She hadn’t been able to sleep properly for days, tormented by worry. Sitting in the tub, her eyes began to grow heavy.
***
How much time had passed?
The blinding morning sunlight suddenly jolted her awake.
“I’m completely ruined!”
The first thought that struck her was this. Vivienne shot upright in panic. She must have fallen asleep without realizing.
“What do I do!”
She would have been in despair even if she had woken in the tub. But she hadn’t even been in the tub. How helpless. She was buried deep under the soft blankets.
Her hands were gone. No—her sleeves were empty. It took her a long time to realize. She was wearing a massive bathrobe that didn’t even reach her knees.
Vivienne remembered the large slippers she had been forced to wear before and suddenly thought of them with a pang of guilt.
They were probably Kian’s as well.
Yes… Kian!
The moment the thought reached her, her blood ran cold. She checked the clock and her whole body stiffened. The time was already heading toward noon.
“……”
First, she needed to organize the situation.
She had fallen asleep in the bath, woken by Kian, been wrapped in a robe, and then shamelessly slept the day away in his bed?
Oh no! She barely managed to swallow the scream building in her throat. This was a complete disaster.
Vivienne first opened the robe and inspected every inch of herself. Nothing seemed different. No bruises or pain she didn’t recognize—except for the bandages on her ankle. The sight made her face burn even hotter.
“I’ve seen myself naked, haven’t I?”
Embarrassed beyond words, she quickly closed the robe and buried her face in her hands. She couldn’t lift her head in shame.
He had called her saying he had something to say. She had foolishly fallen asleep in the tub and then caused him trouble in nothing but her skin.
“…Where did Kian go?”
She searched the room, but he was nowhere to be seen. The vast bedroom was completely empty. No trace of his tea or shoes remained.
Of course. It was her job to take care of such things.
She glanced toward the bathroom. The maid uniform and even the undergarments were gone. Everything had been washed and neatly folded, as if he had never been here at all.
“How am I supposed to leave without clothes?”
When she had been a mermaid, she had never worried about clothes. Now, as a human, she had no clothes and no shoes—only endless troubles.
Vivienne shuffled out of the bathroom and back to the bed, too dazed to stand straight.
There were no clothes, but the shoe box she had brought was sitting on the bedside table.
Then—knock, knock.
“What should I do!”
Vivienne startled and dove back under the blankets in a panic.
At least let it be Kian.
Of course it would be embarrassing to meet him like this, but facing someone else was worse.
No—would Kian even knock when he entered his own room? It had to be someone else.
Whoever it was, she just wanted them to leave. She wished she could disappear in the blink of an eye.
“…Vivi?”
The familiar, gentle voice.
Vivienne opened her tightly shut eyes. She slowly lifted the blanket and peeked out. The face she had been hoping to see was there.
“Matilda!”
Tears welled up in her eyes at the warm, welcoming voice.