Mermaid Trap

The early dawn light cast a strange glow in the room. Kian was unusually irritable and rough, acting as if he needed immediate answers to previous questions and physical closeness.

Vivianne couldn’t refuse him, sensing a deep, anxious need in him. She remembered the night she had suffered from the potion’s side effects and woke up in Kian’s room. Back then, he had been sitting by the bed, watching her quietly. This time, something was off.

His dark eyes and long lashes followed her every movement, trembling slightly. His desperation made her uneasy.

The time when the moon and the sun crossed paths, when the sky turned from black to dark blue, was a time when it was hard to distinguish between light and dark, between gentleness and threat.

As the sun began to push away the night, Kian’s strange demeanor started to fade. Although she couldn’t understand his heart, one thing was clear: she desperately wanted to rest.

Vivianne finally managed to get some sleep as the darkness fully lifted.

* * *

“Do you know? She’s not sick. It’s a side effect of overdosing on contraceptives.”

One of the maids, dusting the shelves in Duke Larsson’s bedroom, whispered to her companion.

“What?”

“Her. Over there.”

She pointed towards the bed with a slight nod.

The woman lying in the bed had her back curled into a ball, buried under the covers, motionless.

“How do you know that?”

“My friend was sent on an urgent errand to fetch herbs the day she collapsed. It turns out it was an antidote.”

“Really? That’s insane.”

The maid next to her gasped, joining in the astonishment.

“I still can’t understand… Did she hate the idea that much?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean getting pregnant. I just can’t get my head around it.”

“Shh, what if someone hears us like last time?”

The other maid gritted her teeth and lowered her voice.

“Who’s going to hear us? She’s been like a corpse for days.”

Despite her words, the whispering became quieter.

“Yeah. What if she doesn’t make it?”

“You’re right. She was annoying, but now she seems pitiful.”

“Well, she brought it upon herself. She aimed too high in the first place. Who can she blame?”

“Still, seeing her lying there like that is sad.”

The maids clicked their tongues and sighed.

“Honestly, if it were me, I’d have Duke Larsson’s child and make sure I secured my place. She’s too timid.”

“You think that’s easy? For maids like us, getting pregnant is a burden. We’re lucky if we aren’t cast out. The Duke knows that better than anyone.”

They couldn’t help but bring up the Duke’s background as the child of a maid.

“She’s been given a room and a place here. Technically, she’s not a maid. A mistress is different.”

The maid sweeping the floor set her broom down and joined in.

“It could have been a mistake. I heard that sometimes people mistake it for chocolate.”

“I knew she was a bit dense, but to mistake that?”

“Well, it was made to look like chocolate.”

“Honestly, nobles are so sly in their speech and actions. They act all refined and roundabout. Just say you want to sleep with her but don’t want a kid. Why all the pretense? It’s ridiculous.”

“Shh, really.”

The nearby maid smacked her back and put a finger to her lips.

“Ugh. Anyway, it’s sad.”

“Yeah, she seems so young. It’s tragic.”

“Hurry up and let’s get out of here.”

The maids finished up and left.

As soon as the door closed, Vivianne quietly opened her eyes.

* * *

Vivianne had known from the moment she entered Larsson that people enjoyed making sharp remarks in front of their targets, thinking their whispers were inaudible when they were much louder than they realized. When she woke up in the morning, she put on the negligee that had been cast aside next to her bed.

And she pretended to sleep. To the maids, she must have appeared still unconscious.

As before, they spoke carelessly, thinking she couldn’t hear.

This uncharacteristic act of pretending proved to be very useful, bringing her valuable information.

“……”

Upon hearing this information, her mind felt blank, as if she’d been hit.

It was hard to comprehend all at once.

The word “contraceptive” confused her because she didn’t know what it meant.

Vivianne recalled the maids’ conversation.

“Did she hate it that much? The idea of getting pregnant.”

She had never felt that way. She had always wanted and longed to bear Kian’s child.

**The reality of the situation struck Vivianne as she recalled the maids’ whispered conversation.**

“Sometimes people mistake it for chocolate,” the maid had said.

It wasn’t exactly a mistake. Kian had given it to her, calling it chocolate. But it wasn’t just chocolate; it was something with a clear purpose—a drug.

“Nobles are sly. They say they want to sleep with you but don’t want a child. They should just say it outright.”

This was the part Vivianne found hardest to understand. For her, mating was to have children. The idea of coupling without wanting children was incomprehensible to her.

“I… want to have a child.”

In the carriage, she had openly expressed her desire to bear Kian’s child.

“Then let’s do it, Vivi.”

Kian hadn’t shown any sign of refusal then. Did he not want a child after all? If so, why hadn’t he just said so?

Even earlier that morning, he had held her, but he hadn’t given her the “chocolate.”

“Don’t take any more medicine for a while.”

Why? She remembered the doctor’s words from when she was half-awake.

What should she do about their contract?

If Kian didn’t want a child, should she force herself to have one?

Her head felt like it was going to explode.

She almost wished she hadn’t woken up, preferring the oblivion.

Vivianne buried her face in the pillow, wanting to escape.

* * *

After the doctor’s visit, Matilda was massaging Vivianne’s body, tending to her tenderly.

“…Matilda,” Vivianne spoke hesitantly, glancing up.

“Yes, Vivi?” Matilda paused, meeting her gaze. She was as kind and gentle as ever, always smiling, always warm—the person Vivianne relied on most in the house.

“Matilda, you’ve said I remind you of Sophie sometimes.”

Matilda’s eyes widened a bit at the unexpected comment.

“Yes, why do you ask, Vivi?”

“I’ve often thought that if I had a mother, she’d be like you. I don’t have memories of her, but I’m sure she’d be like you. I’ve thought about it a lot.”

“Oh, Vivi.”

Vivianne gave her a faint smile.

“Thank you for always treating me like a daughter and taking such good care of me.”

“You don’t need to thank me.”

Matilda’s face grew more complex with the sudden gratitude. She grasped Vivianne’s small hand with her own.

“You’re a comfort to me too, Vivianne. And seeing you sick makes me feel guilty for not taking better care of you. Treating you like a daughter, I’ve become very attached to you.”

Vivianne’s heart felt heavy with the delicate matter she needed to address, but there was no one else she could turn to.

Vivianne licked her lips nervously and swallowed hard.

“Matilda, I know you’re loyal to Kian. But the only people I can trust in this house are you and Theo.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Please answer me honestly from now on.”

Vivianne tightened her grip on Matilda’s hand and met her eyes directly.

“Don’t hide the truth or try to comfort me. Just be straightforward.”

“Okay, Vivi. What is it you need to know?”

Vivianne took a deep breath and asked.

“The chocolate I ate… it wasn’t real chocolate, was it?”

“…What?”

“I heard some of what you and the doctor said. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I was awake enough to catch some of it. So please, tell me the truth.”

Vivianne steeled herself and asked again.

“Does Kian not want me to have his child?”