Ivy glared at the mermaids. "You all, let go of him," she repeated herself, her hand shifting to the mermaids and her finger pointing.
One of the mermaids, more bustier, walked out of the water, with her tail transforming with a slight light that shone. "Huh, who is she?" the mermaid asked, whispering to one of her mermaid sisters, her eyes trailing to Ivy, giving her a threatening look. The mermaids were totally not happy that Ivy had stopped them from gawking at a handsome dragon.
Another mermaid, totally lacking with her bust but with a pretty face, frowned. "Who are you, stopping us from admiring this great dragon?" She asked, standing as if she would get into a fight at any moment.
For some reason, mermaids were not very much the patient type.
The mermaids echoed together, "You are just looking for problems with us. You wanna fight us for this handsome man?"
"You can't take him away from us!"
Ivy saw that the mermaids wanted to fight with her. They were acting so unreasonable; she just wanted to stop them from pestering Lucien.
"I said he's my husband, don't you get it? You guys are crazy," Ivy said, with her hand placed on her waist. She didn't want to talk to these mermaids. She was feeling uncomfortable right now.
The bustier mermaid took action. From where Ivy could not see, she muttered something under her breath, summoning her magic and making large waves rise from the sea. The large waters came rushing toward Ivy.
Ivy gasped when she saw the mermaid's attack coming at her.
"Coral Zephyria!" she yelled, waving her hand, and a wind-like coral appeared, forming a shield around her, the spiral sending the tide of the mermaids away. Ivy's heart raced like it was about to leave her chest, her eyes focused on the mermaid. She was not smiling.
In her heart, she screamed, stupid fish!
They were so unreasonable and wanted to kill her just because she made a simple request. Lucien was her husband, not their husband, but yet the mermaids were aggressive like protective mates.
"Crushing current!" One of the mermaids recited her magic, and another crushing current from the ocean left the ocean, appearing beside her.
Ivy saw this and thought the mermaid wanted to drown her to death. But when the current was coming at her, she muttered the spells under her breath, her wind magic turning into a hurricane, swallowing the waters that came her way.
The mermaid gritted her teeth, her eyes glaring at Ivy. She did not stop attacking. Throwing her hand up, she summoned another hurricane.
Ivy's eyes widened seeing the second wave coming. Her body felt weak at the thought of the waters coming at her.
She felt she couldn't stop it.
But not giving up, a spell came to her mind.
"Mona Windla!" she called, and windy auras instantly surrounded her, the twirling wind swallowing the tide and taking the mermaids with it altogether, their master and her magic defeated together.
"Bubble tide!" A mermaid summoned, attacking Ivy from behind. Ivy leaped, her body avoiding the large bubbles that seemed harmless but could melt her into liquid.
"You mermaids are shameless, fighting with me for my husband. And besides, it's one against many," Ivy roared, sending her wind magic, hitting the mermaid hard on her face. The mermaid went flying, crashing on a rock nearby, but no bloody disaster happened.
"Let's fight one on one," Ivy had enough and said. Her eyes met the mermaids', her gaze showing that she was clearly provoked.
The mermaid, who was the bustier of them, chuckled as she heard what Ivy had said.
"Okay, little rabbit. I'll fight you."
The mermaid's tone was mocking, looking down on Ivy.
"How did she see my form?" Ivy couldn't help but wonder when she heard what the mermaid said.
But this wasn't the moment for thoughts.
Ivy smiled. "Alright. Ready."
She was sure since she could defeat the other mermaids, she could defeat this one too.
"Sea shell turn!" The mermaid roared, and Ivy's soul almost left her body. A thousand sea shells—no, more than a thousand sea shells—came out from the ocean.
The sea shells sped to the mermaid, and when they reached her side, they projected like spears, rushing toward Ivy.
Ivy gasped. "Ahhh. God, is this my end?" There was nowhere to use her magic. The sea shells were coming too fast.
"Enough of this!"
At that moment, when everything felt like time had stopped, the sea shells all reversed, going back to the mermaids.
Ivy closed her eyes. Flames were everywhere, and she felt herself in someone's arms.
"Ah. The dragon is awake, but he's furious," the mermaids exclaimed, trying to protect themselves and find a place to flee. The fire was roasting their skin.
What could they do? They were just fishes.
The fire was too hot for them.
"Let's run away, sisters!" one of the mermaids alarmed, and her sisters, listening to her, all swam into the ocean, hiding in different places.
"Lucien, you saved me," Ivy said in a soft moan as she opened her eyes, their gaze locking together.
Lucien's eyes were cold. "How did you get here?" he asked, his tone serious, his eyes peering at her.
Ivy gulped, taking in a load of empty air.
[System grade 16.0: New system update]
One minute left till the mission is complete!!
The system in her heart sounded unexpectedly in the situation. Its notification made Ivy panic.
There was little time.
"Honey, back to where we were. Let's bathe," Ivy clung to Lucien with a sweet smile on her face as she spoke.
"I said no. I'm not bathing with you!" Lucien said, his eyes shifting with indifference, looking somewhere else.
What was Ivy up to now?
Why was she acting so persistent in getting him to bathe with her?
She was super weird these days, and the mystery remained unresolved, leaving him enduring her improper and unpredictable acts.
Ivy smiled. "Then sorry, honey," she said. Before Lucien could see it coming, her pull on his shoulders sent them both falling into the water, the water splashing around the vast space.
"What have you done!" Lucien said, his face grumbling. His gaze was like thorns, and it made Ivy's beating heart almost skip. She bit her lips, looking at him, her eyes screaming fear.
Her actions were decisive, and she regretted them!
[Mission completed]
You were lucky, Host. Just close, and you might have kissed Hades.
The system's good news came, cheering her up. Although it was a death trap action, it was an action done with a cause.
So splashing in the water also serves as bathing. Ivy nodded in her head with understanding. The system was a dirty bird and did not know the proper way of bathing.
Ivy gnashed her teeth. The system had really turned into a devil. It was stuck in her head, and she couldn't see its appearance. It was the cause of this.
"If you want to bathe with me, we do it well since you are so desperate for something," Lucien leaned in, his voice sending shivers down her spine.
His large hands were on her tiny shoulders. His eyes darkened. "You just don't bathe with clothes, Duchess—it needs to be taken off."
"Lucien... what are you doing?" She muttered, her voice trembling.
"What am I doing, Ivy? Don't you know what I'm doing?" Lucien asked, his body leaning closer. His breath filled the space between them.
Their noses touched, their lips brushed slightly. Ivy's face couldn't stop burning with embarrassment. Her eyes were closed, refusing to meet his gaze.
"Open your eyes. Let's bathe. I'll bathe you," Lucien chuckled and said, his hand holding her chin, bringing it forward.
"What!!!" Ivy screamed, snapping her eyes open and looking at him, disbelief clear in her expression. It was as if her ears were playing tricks on her.
"No, Lucien," she said. Lucien had taken her clothes off—they just disappeared from her body, and Ivy didn't know how he had done it.
Lucien's hands under the water were being the devil. Ivy couldn't stop burning with shame, nor could her weak words of protest emerge clearly. He bathed her as if she were a child!
The mermaids, who had caused a ruckus earlier and gone into hiding, came out, enjoying the scene from afar.
"Oh gosh, look at the way he holds her," one mermaid giggled, her heart racing as she watched Ivy's bashful reaction.
"Sisters, is he touching her the way I'm thinking?" The more innocent and curious mermaid held her sister and asked.
"Don't you think he's so romantic?" another concluded, nodding her head.
Ivy would have rolled her eyes if she'd heard what they said because Lucien was pinching her under the water.
"Duke, stop! You're being ridiculous right now," she yelled, trying to run away from him, but he held her firmly, leaving no way for her to escape.
Lucien, playing dumb, said, "Oh, have you had enough of me?" His fingers continued to pinch her under the water without a care in the world.
She should be like this—all messed up by him. Her reaction and everything she did, he wanted to see it.
He enjoyed it all.
"Give me back my clothes. I want to go out," Ivy muffled into his chest, her voice sounding exhausted.
But Lucien laughed instead. "Your clothes? I'm not giving them to you."
He had a cool smirk on his face, and the cool smirk made Ivy secretly curse.
"Give it to me," she said, demanding, her eyes clashing with his.
She did not know that she looked like an amusement in his eyes. Lucien couldn't stop his lips from twitching slightly.
"Then I'll go out like this, then."
Ivy declared, attempting to get out of the water, but an arm pulled her back.
"Impudent. Stop."
Lucien said, and swiftly, he gave her back her clothes just the same way he had taken them away from her.
"Fair enough," Ivy said, smiling and giving him a smug look. Lucien just ignored her, keeping his thoughts in his heart.
To all, he cupped her up, taking both of them out of the water. Ivy held him tightly, not letting go. She wouldn't refuse his efforts if he had decided to stress himself.
Now, out of the water and standing on solid ground, Ivy turned to Lucien fiercely and said,
"Um. So now you need to explain to me what those mermaids were doing around you!"
Yes, she was acting. She hadn't forgotten her new role as a wife who repeatedly told her husband that she loved him and not another man.
Seeing other women around her husband, she needed to act jealous.
"Oh. And since when am I to tell you my details?" Lucien said nonchalantly, folding his arms and looking at her with a raised brow.
"Since the day I became your wife, Duke. Look at you..." Ivy paused, without shame, her face looking aggrieved like she had been hurt.
"I what?" Lucien cupped her face, urging her to continue her words. What had she wanted to say?
"You were letting them touch your muscles. You allowed them to feel you." Ivy complained, ignoring that her face was very close to his, almost as if they were breathing the same air. She was so immersed in her acting.
"Oh. Then do you want to feel me?" Lucien held her hand, placing it on his chest, his tone teasing.
"No, I don't," Ivy flushed and said, her eyes diverting from his.
"Come, don't shy away. Feel me. My muscles," Lucien guided her hand, rubbing it on his bare chest. The heat on Ivy's face couldn't increase further.
"You can even take a bite," he teased in her ear. Ivy was already a mess, blushing too much and full of too much embarrassment.
"I think that's enough, Duke. Here, your Majesty sent this for you," finding her courage, she told him, trying to separate their bodies and keep the proximity at a distance.
"Why is that?" Lucien raised his brow, taking the invite and looking inside it.
"I don't know. I'm not going," he said. Without hesitation, he crumpled the invite and threw it into the sea, all his actions performed with no hesitation.
"If he doesn't want to go, then I won't force him. Anything connected to the king... if Lucien gets close, he will blacken more, and it's me that will suffer," Ivy silently thought in her heart, smiling on the outside.
[New mission update]
Host, make the villain accept the king's invite to the event.
The system message arrived, making Ivy stop for a moment.
How was she to make the villain go to an event that he didn't want to attend?
What could she offer him?