Mermaid Trap

“Answer me, Vivi. Who did it?”

Before she could even process her complicated thoughts, Kian demanded repeatedly, almost pressuring her.

Although she was angry about what happened with his fiancée, she thought it was something she couldn’t help.

Even if Kian planned to break off the engagement, that woman was still his fiancée in name, so it was natural for her to be upset. Vivianne thought she should endure it to some extent if it was her outburst.

“Is it someone you can’t talk about?”

He asked again. Suddenly, Kian’s question about whether she went with Theodore flashed through her mind, bringing an ominous feeling.

If she kept silent, she feared Theodore, who was innocent, might get into trouble.

“…In the lounge.”

Vivianne answered a bit urgently.

“It was Kian’s fiancée.”

As soon as she finished speaking, his face hardened terrifyingly.

“Let me see.”

Kian thoroughly examined her cheeks and front, as if checking for any injuries. While doing so, she could sense him suppressing something violent, making her even more scared.

Even though she wasn’t the one who had done wrong, her whole body trembled.

“I’m not hurt. It’s just… my clothes.”

“How should I handle this?”

His eyes were not ordinary. However, something felt off.

“Speak. I’ll pay back as you wish.”

Her heart ached not just because of the way she was treated by his fiancée. No, that wasn’t the important part.

“Honestly, I don’t care what happens to your fiancée. She’s not that important to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Kian, you…”

Of course, what had just happened was absurd and upsetting. But she knew that retaliating wouldn’t solve the fundamental problem. Because she wasn’t actually angry at the fiancée.

What felt so unfair right now was Kian’s attitude.

As she tried to speak, tears flowed down her face out of sorrow.

“You keep telling me to trust you, but your actions are ambiguous.”

Kian, perhaps not expecting such a reaction, was silent for a moment before letting out a long breath.

Then, he began to wipe Vivianne’s tears with his long fingers.

“Vivi, I won’t go there anymore.”

“Hic, hic. Even the dress… Kian, you chose it, hic.”

“Yes, I did. I wanted to show you.”

Kian admitted calmly without any denial.

“The performance has started, and I’m right beside you. If I sit next to that woman first, think of it as me temporarily leaving my seat. She’ll probably wait endlessly, with you.”

As her vision cleared, his face got closer. He placed a light kiss on her trembling lips.

“While watching this.”

“……”

“I only do this with you.”

As his face got closer again, Vivianne turned her head to the side.

She knew. Kian’s kisses were like the chocolate she had grown tired of.

They might temporarily satisfy her hunger, but soon enough, the emptiness would come rushing back.

Kian grabbed her trembling chin and fixed it in front of him. He looked into her bewildered blue eyes, as if trying to capture them.

Just when she thought he was going to kiss her again, he wiped her tears once more when their eyes met.

“Don’t cry.”

Suddenly, she recalled his words when they first met, saying he hated crying women. Because of her hiccups, she couldn’t speak properly. Embarrassed by her own foolishness, more tears welled up.

Regardless, Kian wiped each tear with his fingers. That touch provided a bit of comfort, and soon, her blurry vision cleared, and her sobbing stopped.

“Look. That woman over there.”

Feeling that she had calmed down a bit, he wrapped his large hand around her trembling shoulders and pointed to a nearby booth.

“Do you see? She’s not watching the performance, but looking this way.”

Her eyes met Penelope Stewart’s. The disdain in her gaze had deepened even more since before.

“She probably wants to die. Because she’s become less than the doll she claimed to be.”

Somehow, Kian seemed more determined to get back at her than for the actual victim, himself.

“This is my revenge, Vivi.”

A strange reassurance and lingering suspicion intertwined in her mind, making her head spin.

“When a person pulls someone down, it’s because they’re already in the mud and want to drag someone down with them. They don’t want to be unhappy alone.”

“…Even so.”

“Sending you the dress was not just an insult to you, but to me as well. Making you wear it was my way of paying her back in the way that would humiliate her the most. Do you want something else?”

“……”

“If there’s anything you want, I’ll gladly cooperate.”

His low voice piercing her ears felt unsettling.

There couldn’t be. She didn’t even have time to think about that.

As she said earlier, the fiancée wasn’t that important to Vivianne.

But the thought that the dress incident was also an insult to Kian was something she hadn’t considered.

He had shown her endless kindness, but she couldn’t be sure of his true feelings because of his mysterious nature.

“You must have been anxious because of the news in the papers. Just thinking about others knowing it must have driven you mad.”

While she couldn’t grasp his feelings, Kian had seen through hers completely. He understood exactly what was tormenting Vivianne.

“But do you know what’s faster than the newspapers among people? Rumors. That kind of article can be dismissed as if it never existed.”

“…Rumors?”

“You’re worried I might marry another woman. So, we’ll show everyone. That it’s not her, but you by my side.”

And what he desired the most. From the beginning, it was like he had strategically aimed at a weak spot.

“Yes?”

When Kian asked back, her teary blue eyes wavered.

Even though she hadn’t answered, he cupped her wet cheeks with his hands and kissed her again.

A touch. This time, the kiss was a bit longer and more intimate than before. As their lips parted slightly, Vivianne let out the breath she had been holding.

“You choose, Vivi. Everyone’s watching.”

Although the performance had started, Penelope’s gaze was fixed on them. Looking around, all the nobles in the booths were the same.

Moreover, this was the first time Vivianne had seen Kian speak so much.

Vivianne knew. When people become talkative, it means they’re desperate and urgently… seeking validation. That very point shook her heart.

Yes. She had decided to let go of her ridiculous sense of guilt.

She glanced down at her torn dress. If his fiancée hadn’t gone this far, she might not have, but a bit of defiance was building up.

Vivianne closed her eyes tightly and pressed her lips firmly against Kian’s. A chuckle escaped at the clumsy kiss.

“Do you think something childish like that will be enough?”

“…Then?”

“Open up.”

Instinctively, she slightly opened her mouth at his command. His lips met hers, and a wet tongue slid inside.

Kian’s tongue pressed gently against her stiff one, delving deeper.

Her head felt fuzzy, and the heat in her mouth grew. Her tongue relaxed languidly. Just as she thought their tongues were entwining like a snake, he sucked on it. He was so desperate that even the saliva pressed from her glands was swallowed before it could pool.

Though she tried to resist, her small lips were already completely devoured by his mouth.

Their bodies weren’t even pressed together. It was just a kiss, yet perhaps because of the wicked pleasure of being watched by others, her ears tingled, and she felt a tightness in her lower abdomen.

The kiss was so intense that Vivianne forgot to breathe again. When she was dizzy from the lack of oxygen, he pulled away with a wet sound.

…Haa, haa.

Their parted lips let out heavy breaths simultaneously. The air between their lips felt scorchingly hot.

When she opened her blurry eyes, his sharp nose was still touching her rounded nose tip.

Kian, looking dazed as if drunk, bit his lower lip as if suppressing something.

She felt his gaze drop slightly and then lift again.

“…Damn.”

He exhaled a boiling breath and suddenly took off his jacket.

He draped it over Vivianne’s shoulders and fastened three buttons. The torn front was covered, and she wore the jacket like a cape.

Maybe because there were so many people, the hall felt stifling. Having just finished the kiss, Vivianne also felt hot, possibly from her heated body.

“…This is uncomfortable, Kian.”

“Bear with it.”

“It’s hot.”

As Vivianne wriggled to take off the jacket, he grabbed her hand tightly, not letting go. He squeezed so hard her knuckles throbbed.

“It hurts.”

She called out desperately, but he remained silent.

“Hey? Please let go of my hand.”

“Don’t you understand the situation yet?”