There was no response from Whisney. Had she been kicked out again by Zeran’s energy?
["No, I’m not. It’s just his presence makes too lazy to think or speak. What do you an by that?"]
’Uhm... can’t you feel it? This feeling... when Zeran carries like this, it has the sa vibe as when we were on the dance floor in that mory. When we got too close to that man and almost kissed.’
Lethia heard Whisney hiss as a response.
The faster Zeran walked, the tighter she clung to his neck.
She buried her face in the crook of his neck, and his musky scent was all she could breathe.
And God, she had the urge to bite the veins in his neck. Like she wanted to mark him so no one else could ever sll this scent the way she did.
But did Zeran feel the sa? Did he want to mark her under the red moonlight, because he didn’t want anyone else to co near her? Then how about Caelum and Renar?
["Do you an these possessive, cheesy feelings clinging to your arousal and heat, that make you want to jump on him?"]
Whisney’s snarky, mocking disgust shattered her trance.
Well, of course, she wouldn’t feel sothing like that. And Lethia was already bracing herself for the ridicule.
’Um... Yeah... I an—’
["How does that connect to the mory? Are you planning sothing?"]
Whisney’s curious tone made Lethia freeze.
’Do you feel it too? My feelings now and the feelings in that mory flash, don’t you agree they’re similar?’
["Yeah... yeah... those cringe feelings... what about it?"]
Lethia smiled faintly at Whisney’s response. She knew it was hard for her to admit such soft feelings.
Co to think of it, Whisney was always cynical, never once showing her soft spot.
’It ans loved. You are loved.’
Silence wrapped around Lethia’s thoughts, broken only by the heavy sound of Zeran’s footsteps and his breath.
She knew Whisney was turning her words over, and she herself was thinking too.
She never truly knew what it ant to be loved, and she startled at the weight of her own words.
However, what she felt now, in Zeran’s arms, the tight grip of his strong hands, his pounding heartbeat crashing against hers, and the furrow of his brow revealing his worry, all of it made Lethia feel loved.
A feeling she never once experienced, even when others had said they loved her straight to her face.
No matter if Zeran really loved her or not, her body simply surrendered to the rhythm of her heartbeat, declaring it so. Sothing she knew words could never capture.
"Ah, there she is." Chasey’s shout snapped her attention, and she realized they had arrived back at the sea urchin farm.
Zeran set her down, making her reluctant to release her hold.
"Thank you," Lethia whispered softly, her voice tender.
But Zeran gave her a strange look.
"What happened to your voice? Are you sick?"
Lethia blinked rapidly when the back of Zeran’s hand brushed her forehead.
"Wh–why do you say that?" she stamred, flustered.
"Your voice sounded so soft and quiet. I thought you’d been possessed by a ghost from that haunted house." He smirked, pulling his hand back. "Turns out you have that soft side too."
Lethia could feel the red cherry blooming on her cheeks. She bit her lower lip and turned her gaze away from Zeran.
"I–I just said thank you. Should I yell the thank you instead?"
"Yelling or whispering, I’m glad you’re showing this side of yours."
Zeran flicked her nose before walking off toward the owner’s office, since Derreck was already waving impatiently, calling him over.
That left Lethia with an unsteady, hamring heartbeat. She patted her cheeks slowly.
Chasey rushed to her and pulled her into a hug.
"Queen... why did you disappear like that? I almost lost my heart." She tightened her embrace as if she never wanted to let go. She couldn’t bear another unfortunate event like Lethia’s kidnapping again.
Lethia patted Chasey’s back and smiled. "I just went for a short walk, Chasey."
"Then you should have taken with you. Why were you walking in this strange place all alone? What if sothing happened?" She released the hug, her eyes wide with worry. "Are you really alright? Why was Mr. Tuffin carrying you? Were you hurt?"
Lethia smiled softly. In the past, she would have felt uneasy with such overflowing concern. But right now...
’Ah, Whisney! This! if you can’t accept my feelings for Zeran, then feel this one instead. This too is the feeling of being loved, isn’t it? The sa as the feeling in that mory.’
Whisney didn’t answer right away, but from her low hiss and the clearing of her throat, Lethia knew she was still thinking. And she let her be.
Her hand then slipped around Chasey’s shoulder while Chasey was still fussing dramatically, checking her body as if searching for cuts or bruises.
"Chasey... co on. I’m fine... I’m just tired, and Zeran didn’t want his baby worn out. That’s why he carried ."
"Really? Glad to hear that. Please refrain yourself from making people worry, Queen. We’re here to relax, not to be anxious."
"I know... I know... sorry for that. Now, can we eat this purple sea urchin already? Where is it?"
"Um... we can’t eat that... yet."
They stopped. "What do you an?"
"The owner said it’s not the season for purple sea urchins. So, the ones in their aquarium are just the ordinary kind."
"So we ca all the way here for nothing?" Lethia spoke anxiously, her eyes flicking toward Zeran and Derreck, who were still caught in discussion at the pier.
"Not really. Because the owner was kind enough to let us catch the rare purple sea urchins ourselves."
Lethia frowned. "What do you an by that?"
"There’s no diver available right now. So, if we want to eat them today, we’ve got to dive for them ourselves. The best he can do for us right now is to lend us the gear and leave us to go down and capture them ourselves."
Lethia scoffed in disbelief, her brows knitting tighter as she watched Zeran and Derreck examining the diving gear the owner had laid out for them.
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