Mermaid Trap

The night, full as the full moon, had passed. Vivianne had regained her strength.

She had spent several nights in Kian’s bed without any further incidents. Every time she closed her eyes and reopened them, the moon had waned a bit more. Each time, Kian was awake.

She worried that her presence was keeping him from sleeping, but still, she wanted to use her illness as an excuse to be a bit more spoiled.

“Vivi, you’re feeling alright now, aren’t you?”

Even though the doctor had visited daily, Matilda still seemed anxious and kept checking on her.

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine now.”

Vivianne nodded enthusiastically, feeling genuinely better.

“That’s a relief. So, how about going outside today?”

“Outside?”

“Yes, you’ve been cooped up in the bedroom for days. You must be feeling suffocated.”

Matilda’s eyes were full of concern.

That’s right. I had used the excuse of feeling suffocated to justify going into the sea that night.

Having been ill for several days, Matilda must have been worried. It seemed she was taking precautions to prevent another mishap.

“Where are we going outside?”

“To the tailor.”

“The tailor?”

“Yes, the master instructed to get you some new clothes.”

“But I already have plenty of clothes…”

“You only have a few outfits that were hastily put together. He must have noticed you were wearing similar clothes all the time.”

There were enough clothes hanging in her wardrobe. As a mermaid, she hadn’t needed clothes, so having a selection felt more than enough.

But perhaps Kian thought differently?

“He just wants to give you prettier clothes. There’s no need to feel bad. Just accept them gratefully.”

“…Okay.”

Vivianne answered, still a bit dazed.

Maybe because she had already received so many gifts? Strangely, she didn’t feel as happy as she had before.

“How do we get to the tailor?”

“It’s a bit far, so we’ll take the carriage.”

“The carriage? The one Kian uses?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“So, is Kian coming with us? It’s Kian’s carriage!”

She had only ever looked at the carriage from the window, waiting for Kian. Now she would actually be riding it.

Unlike her earlier lack of enthusiasm, her heart started to race.

“No, the master has other appointments.”

“…I see.”

Matilda’s face softened with a gentle smile as she noticed Vivianne’s disappointment.

“But it’s a famous tailor, so you’ll get to pick out many beautiful clothes. When you show the master your new outfits, he’ll be delighted.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Matilda nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

* * *

Vivianne clung to the carriage window, watching the passing scenery.

The carriage she used to resent now felt like a whole new world.

“Do you like it, Vivi?”

“Yes!”

As the carriage moved, it seemed like the trees were walking backward. The people passing by quickly turned into dots, and she couldn’t take her eyes off them.

There were so many fascinating things to see, but she didn’t want to talk too much and risk revealing she wasn’t from around here. So she bit her lower lip, trying to calm her excitement and took her eyes off the window.

“I’m glad to be out in the fresh air too. It would be nice if we could do this more often.”

“Yes, I’d like that!”

She smiled and agreed, but Theodore, sitting across from her, seemed expressionless.

Did something bad happen?

Vivianne kept silent, watching Theodore carefully.

Suddenly, she remembered how Kian had threatened to punish Matilda or Theodore if anything happened to her. Maybe she had been too insensitive, getting excited by herself. She felt a bit subdued.

“…I’m sorry. I think I caused trouble by going out that night.”

“Yes, Vivi, you did. We were so worried and scared.”

Matilda scolded her with a smile, but Theodore remained silent.

“Theo.”

“…”

He didn’t respond, seeming lost in thought.

“Hey, Theo. Vivi is talking to you.”

“Oh, yes?”

He looked startled and apologized to Vivianne.

“Sorry, I must have been daydreaming.”

He seemed a bit out of it.

When the carriage stopped in front of a building, Matilda got out first to check the appointment at the tailor. Now, Theodore and Vivianne were alone in the carriage.

An awkward silence filled the space.

“Theo. I’m really sorry. Did Kian give you a hard time because of me?”

“If you ever feel like swimming again…”

He paused and looked Vivianne in the eyes.

“It’s dangerous to go alone, so please let me know in advance. I’m your guard.”

* * *

The tailor’s shop was like another world. The variety of dresses was overwhelming. Trying on all the recommended dresses made Vivianne’s head spin.

Each time she emerged in a new dress, Matilda clapped her hands, exclaiming how beautiful she looked. Theodore, however, remained silent, glancing at her and then quickly looking away. It bothered her.

She understood. The person most troubled by her late-night escapade was undoubtedly her guard.

Should she be honest next time something like this happened?

But she couldn’t reveal her secret about being a mermaid.

Her mind was in turmoil.

“I’ll prepare the next dress. Please wait a moment.”

The designer spoke politely to Vivianne, who was sitting exhausted in a chair in the fitting room.

As she sat in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection, an unexpected figure appeared behind her.

“Long time no see. How have you been?”

It was Kian’s fiancée, Penelope Stewart, whom she had seen at the rose greenhouse. She never imagined meeting her in such a place.

Vivianne’s face turned pale.

“Oh, hello.”

“Did I startle you by suddenly showing up? I apologize if I was rude.”

Penelope apologized casually and sat down in the chair next to her. Vivianne’s shoulders stiffened at the unexpected intrusion.

“I came to get a dress fitted for fun and was told someone I knew was here. I was happy to see you, so I stopped by to say hello. Your name was Vivi, right?”

“…Yes.”

Kian said his goal was to break off the engagement, but that didn’t lessen the guilt she felt towards his fiancée.

Seeing the person she had tried so hard to avoid made her feel guilty and unable to meet her eyes.

“Why can’t you look me in the eye? Are you afraid I’ll find out?”

“……”

“No need to hide it so naively. I already know everything.”

Vivianne’s eyes widened slightly. Confirming the confusion on her face, Penelope laughed and added,

“I knew from the first day I saw you. That you would become Kian’s woman.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s obvious. You may not realize it, but nobles don’t usually reveal their true feelings so easily.”

“……”

Vivianne couldn’t raise her head because she didn’t feel innocent.

“You were wearing shoes that were too extravagant for your outfit. You were clumsy at serving tea. Why did he bring you in front of me? There was only one answer.”

Penelope had seen it all from the beginning. Was she too naive? She had agonized over whether to return the shoes when she heard about the fiancée.

“Do you know how Kian looked to me that day? Like a child showing off a new toy.”

Penelope casually grabbed Vivianne’s chin, lifting it. Her clear green eyes met Vivianne’s, making her lips freeze.

“He seemed to be announcing, ‘I’m going to play with this from now on.’”

While Vivianne kept lowering her gaze, Penelope didn’t blink.

She said exactly what the maids who cleaned the room had whispered about while mocking her.

“I think I know what Kian might have said to you. He probably said he’d break off the engagement, didn’t he?”

It wasn’t wrong. Kian had mentioned breaking the engagement, which allowed her to ignore the pangs of conscience she had felt.

It was cowardly, but it gave her the courage to be so.

“He probably told you, unlike his fiancée, he was physically attracted to you.”

This, too, was true. She couldn’t understand how Penelope could say such self-deprecating things so casually. It didn’t seem normal.

She wondered what the purpose of these words was.

Feeling it would be impolite to ask, she bit her lip and remained silent. Penelope gave a hollow laugh.

“You must be wondering why I’m saying this. It’s because a woman like you can’t threaten this position anyway.”

A woman like you.

The words, especially emphasized, weighed heavily on her heart.