The merman, my man novel Chapter 208

“It’s very unstable, Linda. It’s turning back into a tail again—I need a place to hide.“ Dicken watched me, even as he spoke quietly in Mermish that I could understand perfectly.

I did a double take as I watched him. Those were the first words I had heard from him after so many years. At once familiar and unknown, his voice left my whole body trembling.

Dicken patted my hand with his leather-gloved hand then, and it soon slithered down to my nose and then my lips as he spoke raspily, “Do you still fear me now?“

Nonetheless, I said nothing and simply grabbed his mask, firmly tearing off his face. It did not change despite his transfiguration: pale, handsome, and with pronounced facial bones. However, the upper tip of his ears resembled plant shoots slowly

growing out of the ground, and while such an appearance could be a little frightening to other humans, I found it absolutely adorable, even funny.

I couldn’t help giggling then, and tugged at his ears as if playing with a big dog. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist as if in punishment, and pointedly bit me on the chin. Sensitive, I promptly shrunk my neck just as loud footsteps echoed above us—this was obviously not the place for a tryst, and I glanced at the complex sewers before asking, “ Dicken, do you know where we can go?“

Dicken did not respond, but he had to be familiar with the sewers of Venice.

After all, even as he kept his back to me, we were swiftly walking through the maze -like sewers. He did not hesitate to step through each turn and junction, as if he was born there.

And judging from that alone, he must have been moving around this place. In fact, this might well be his secret base that kept his unstable human form hidden.