Chapter 2

I bit my lip and looked down at the wooden tub, uneasy.

That was a lot of water.

Kicking it over would probably hurt…

After thinking it over, I came up with another idea.

I gingerly lowered one foot into the tub to test the water.

Warmth wrapped around my foot. It felt so good that I let out a quiet sigh.

Then I looked regretfully at the tub, steeled myself, and kicked water up with my foot.

In a syrupy voice, I said,

“You miserable merfolk. Wash my feet!”

Water splashed out of the tub and soaked the clothes he’d just changed into.

He paused for a moment.

Then he laughed.

“All right.”

4

His slender hands moved over my ankle as carefully as if he were handling a work of art. He really was washing my feet.

I stared at him, astonished.

In the original story, the merfolk was kind—but only in comparison with the other two. He’d never done anything like this for me.

And yet here he was.

Kneeling before me, silver hair spilling down his back, long lashes lowered. A few drops of water clung to his cheek, lending his already exquisite features a fragile, almost heartbreaking beauty.

The clothes I’d soaked clung to him, nearly transparent.

My face grew hotter. I had no idea where to look.

He didn’t seem to mind. He lifted my foot with reverent care, then slowly worked his way up to my calf and began to massage it.

The pressure was just right—tender, but pleasantly sore.

A few soft sounds escaped me before I clamped my mouth shut and turned my head away.

He chuckled.

“Does that feel good, Master?”

I froze.

“W-What did you call me?”

His eyes glimmered with amusement.

“The Bureau sent you to rule us. Of course I should call you Master.”

The system was aghast.

【Seriously, man? You’re enjoying this?

【Which one of you is supposed to be pampering the other here?】

5

And so I stayed at the merfolk’s home.

To my surprise, he was an excellent cook. I cleaned my plate every time.

But tonight, there was only one serving. I asked, confused,

“Aren’t you eating?”

He was wearing a red robe today. His gaze drifted over me, bewitching—more alluring than even the spirit fox.

Resting his chin in his hand, he smiled.

“Master, I’ll have something else later.”

“Oh.”

I slowly ate my vegetable pancake and didn’t ask what he meant.

The smile in his eyes deepened. He pushed a glass of milk toward me.

“Have some milk.”

I obediently took a sip, then remembered something.

“Oh, right. My name is Li Zitong. Could you… stop calling me Master from now on?”

No one knew that every time he called me “Master,” this wretched body shivered.

The thought made my face burn.

He suddenly leaned closer and brushed my cheek with his fingers. His gaze grew even more intense.

“Zitong.”

They were only two ordinary syllables. In his mouth, they sounded achingly intimate.

His voice turned husky.

“You’re so warm.”

I silently covered my face.

For some reason, I couldn’t help thinking the merfolk’s power to bewitch people was every bit as strong as the spirit fox’s.

Whenever I met his eyes, my head grew hazy.

Dinner ended in a daze. Then the merfolk suddenly said,

“Would you like me to sing for you?”

The merfolk’s song was famous for its enchantment.

His voice was cool and seductive.

And as the melody rose and fell, I drifted off to sleep again.

But this time, it wasn’t a peaceful sleep.

In my dream, some tailed creature wrapped itself tightly around me. I couldn’t make out his face; all I could do was let him move me as he pleased.

I struggled to open my eyes. The face from my dream came into focus: the merfolk’s.

He held me on the rooftop of the highest tower, the night mist dampening his clothes.

His eyes were rimmed with red, his silver hair loose and tousled.

With desire in his gaze, he looked like a celestial being who’d fallen into the mortal world.

He reached out and hooked a finger around mine, making no effort to hide his bewitching stare.

“Master, help me.”

“Please…”

His ragged breathing echoed beside my ear. My whole body trembled; my legs were too weak to hold me up.

When I started to fall backward, he caught me and pulled me against him, arms tightening around my waist to hold me firmly in place.

When it was over, he rested lazily against my neck and fixed his deep blue eyes on me.

“Master, you belong to me alone, don’t you?”

“If you don’t… I’ll have to punish you.”

6

The night was stifling. When I woke, my clothes were soaked through.

I panted softly and looked around. I was alone.

I touched my lips. For some reason, they were a little sore.

Thinking about that absurd, bizarre dream made my face heat up. I raised a hand to cover it, but even my wrist felt limp.

Then I noticed something new on it.

A thin red cord.

I lifted my wrist to the light and narrowed my eyes. Tiny flecks of silver shimmered inside the red thread like a miniature galaxy.

For some reason, the merfolk was gone all day. He didn’t return until evening.

Before I could ask where he’d been, he explained on his own.

He gave me a helpless smile.

“They wanted me to put a chain on you. I didn’t want to… So I made this red cord myself to fool them. If you don’t like it, you can throw it away.”

By the end, his eyes seemed veiled with mist. He looked like a puppy trying to act tough while quietly nursing a hurt—so fragile he might shatter at any moment.

I immediately felt as if turning him down would make me a terrible person.

So I hurried to say,

“I love it!”

A happy smile spread through his eyes.

“Then you’ll keep wearing it, right?”

Embarrassed, I nodded and pressed my lips together in a smile.

“Of course.”

Of course. Of course I wouldn’t.