Becoming the Keeper of an Alluring Merfolk - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Wedding Under the Waning Moon

Under the waning moon, Song Xiu and Shui Se, dressed in white satin wedding gowns, held hands and stood on the sand beside the azure lake.

The night wind tousled Shui Se’s pink hair, making her look incredibly beautiful under the moonlight.

“It’s so beautiful, Song Xiu. This is the first time I’ve seen scenery like this. Why are you only looking at me and not at the surroundings?” Shui Se gazed mesmerized at the shimmering water.

“My Shui Se is far more beautiful than this lake and the desert.” Song Xiu stared intently at Shui Se’s exquisite profile.

Shui Se turned her head, meeting Song Xiu’s gaze: “Then… do you want to see me swim?”

Song Xiu chuckled. For some reason, she felt like crying: “Of course, wife. I’ll help you take off your dress.”

“Okay, then I’ll swim for you!”

“Good girl.”

The moment Song Xiu looked down to reach for her, Shui Se seemed to notice the tears glistening in her eyes. She didn’t point it out, standing obediently and waiting for her action.

At this hour, the surrounding area for miles was uninhabited wilderness, so they didn’t have to worry about being seen by anyone else.

Song Xiu’s fingers gently untied the laces at the back of the wedding dress. The soft satin slipped down Shui Se’s smooth skin, pooling on the sand at her feet.

The moonlight poured down unreservedly on her exquisite body.

Shui Se’s face flushed slightly, yet she stood straight, displaying complete trust in Song Xiu.

“Go on, wife. I’ll hold your hand.”

The cold lake water enveloped Shui Se. The next moment, a soft glow emanated from the water, and a huge cyan fish tail, shimmering with an ethereal luster, broke the surface. It slowly swayed once, shattering the moonlight spread across the lake.

She turned around in the center of the lake, her damp pink hair clinging to her cheeks and neck. She reached out her hand to Song Xiu on the shore, her smile brighter than the moonlight.

Song Xiu stood on the bank, utterly captivated. This was truly her bride. These past few months had been extraordinary.

Song Xiu sat on the bank with Shui Se’s dress, admiring Shui Se’s free and joyful movements in the lake.

Shui Se genuinely liked this place. There were no underlying dangers of the ocean, and it was much wider and freer than the Jiao-people pool and bathtub at the institute. She even managed to casually retrieve Jian Xu’s phone.

Song Xiu stayed with Shui Se until she was tired and came ashore to rest. Afraid of getting sand on her, Song Xiu simply carried her to the passenger seat. Song Xiu stood outside the car, wrapping Shui Se’s body tightly in a bath towel, helping her dry her hair and body.

This time, Shui Se was not very cooperative or still. She kept trying to kiss Song Xiu while she was drying her hair.

“Be good. The water was so cold, and the wind is strong. What if you get sick?”

“This temperature is fine for us Jiao-people. It really doesn’t matter.”

“Then one kiss, and then you cooperate and let me dry you. We can kiss as much as you want when we get back to the inn.”

“Fine.”

Since it was only a quick kiss, Shui Se was naturally a little upset. Song Xiu knew she was annoyed, but there was a more important event coming up.

After thoroughly drying her body, Shui Se put the satin wedding dress back on. Song Xiu got into the driver’s seat, turned on the interior light and the humidifier, and adjusted the air conditioning to a comfortable temperature.

From a distance, the car with its soft, amber light parked on the sand dune looked incredibly cozy.

“Shui Se, close your eyes.”

“Close my eyes? Okay!” Shui Se turned to face Song Xiu and closed her eyes.

She could feel Song Xiu taking her left hand. A cold object was slipped onto her ring finger, followed by a warm kiss on the back of her hand.

Shui Se couldn’t help but open her eyes. In the light, under the moonlight, the diamond ring was dazzling. The silver band was engraved with a rose pattern.

“Do you like it, wife?”

“I love it~”

“This is mine. Do you want to put it on me?” Song Xiu placed the identical ring in her palm.

“Yes!”

The moment Shui Se placed the ring on Song Xiu’s finger, Song Xiu grasped her neck and kissed her deeply. Shui Se finally and completely belonged to her.

Although she didn’t want to objectify her partner, it was human nature, and only she could feel the extent of her satisfaction at this moment.

On the way back, Song Xiu deliberately took a detour to the place where she had excavated dinosaur bones, taking Shui Se to see what the huge bones she was so curious about looked like.

Shui Se had mentally prepared herself, but when she actually saw them, she was still shocked. These were completely different from a fish’s skeleton. Although she had seen leviathans like blue whales in the deep sea, she found it hard to imagine such enormous creatures once existed deep on land.

Song Xiu could feel that Shui Se was a little scared. She hadn’t dared to approach since getting out of the car. Song Xiu simply lifted her up by the waist, carrying her to stand in front of the enormous leg bone.

“Don’t be afraid, wife. Reach out and touch it.”

“Can I… can I really?” Shui Se suddenly couldn’t even look, although it was right in front of her.

“No one will see us. Hurry and touch it, or we’ll have to go back. It’s almost midnight, and we need to sleep.”

After struggling a few times in Song Xiu’s arms, Shui Se finally extended her hand and made contact, albeit with Song Xiu guiding her wrist. After this, she felt much less afraid.

“Why were you scared?”

“Because in the ocean, once a creature dies, schools of fish swarm in following the scent of blood until the body is completely eaten. I witnessed it many times when I was little. Small fish are fine, but a large skeleton like this really reminds me of that scene.”

“I’m sorry, sweetie~”

“It’s okay. I’ve been trying to find a way to make myself, how do you say that word…”

“Desensitized?”

“Yes. To get desensitized and stop having nightmares, I started following sunfish. These fish are very large, swim slowly, and don’t seem to feel much pain. Even if other fish take a big bite out of them, they keep moving slowly as if nothing happened.”

Song Xiu laughed, tapped Shui Se’s nose, and lifted her Jiao-person up with one arm: “Let’s go back to sleep, or we’ll definitely be late for the wedding tomorrow.”

Shui Se held onto Song Xiu’s neck, burying her face in her shoulder, and mumbled, “Mhm.”

Song Xiu carried her back to the car, carefully placing her in the passenger seat and buckling her in. She went around to the driver’s seat and started the engine.

On the way back, Shui Se was quiet, seemingly still immersed in the awe inspired by touching the massive bones. Song Xiu kept one hand on the steering wheel and reached over with the other, gently gripping the hand with the ring, her fingertip tracing the new silver band.

“Are you still afraid?” Song Xiu asked.

Shui Se shook her head, lacing their fingers together: “Not when you’re here. I just find it amazing. There was such immense life on land, and there is me in the deep sea, and now, we are together.”

Song Xiu was inwardly thrilled; her wife was too adorable.

Back in the inn room, the bathtub was already filled with water at a comfortable temperature. Song Xiu helped Shui Se remove her wedding dress, carefully checking her for any stray sand particles.

Shui Se slipped into the warm water, sighing contentedly. Her fish tail unconsciously swished gently, creating small splashes. The cyan scales glowed softly in the light.

Song Xiu, who had taken a shower on the other side, sat on the edge of the tub wrapped in a towel, gently wiping Shui Se’s arms and back with a wet towel.

Shui Se happily thrashed her tail, splashing Song Xiu’s face with water.

Song Xiu brought the hairdryer and meticulously dried Shui Se’s pink long hair. Amidst the buzzing of the hairdryer, Shui Se comfortably narrowed her eyes, like a sleepy kitten.

By the time everything was tidied up and they were tucked into the soft duvet, it was deep into the night. Shui Se instinctively snuggled into Song Xiu’s arms, finding the most comfortable position.

Song Xiu hugged her, gently patting her smooth back: “Sleep now. Tomorrow is a big day.”

Shui Se rubbed against her in her arms, settling into a comfortable position, and whispered, “I was incredibly, incredibly happy today.”

“Me too.”

“Good night…” Shui Se’s voice was already heavy with sleep.

“Good night, Shui Se.” Song Xiu kissed the top of her head, listening to the increasingly even breathing of the person in her arms, and closed her eyes.

Shui Se had a dream where she resolved to pluck her scale for Song Xiu.

The next morning, the two of them were a little sleepy. Fearing that something might have happened to Jian Xu, and since she wasn’t replying to messages, they went to knock on her door with their toothbrushes hanging from their mouths.

Jian Xu, woken up by the noise, was naturally very annoyed. But thinking that the two of them were genuinely worried about her, she composed herself, forced a smile, and opened the door.

“It’s your wedding, not mine. Why wake me up so early?”

“If my Shui Se wasn’t worried about you, I wouldn’t bother checking if you were alive or not.” Song Xiu was finally completely relieved to see Jian Xu was fine, but she couldn’t help but snipe at her.

“Well, I thank Shui Se, but not you. I’m not going to the wedding today. I’ve already seen the scenery yesterday. I’m just going to lie in bed all day. You two go and enjoy yourselves; don’t worry about me.”

“Wait up. Don’t you want your phone back? What if it can be fixed?” Song Xiu pulled out the fatal lure from her pocket.

This genuinely swayed Jian Xu. She remembered that she had met Xiao Hen shortly after getting this phone. It had been with her from their first encounter until the end.

“Song Xiu, are you trying to say you’ll only give me the phone if I attend your wedding?”

“Exactly. You finally understand my game.”

“Fine. Can I wear my pajamas?”

Song Xiu raised an eyebrow: “As long as you go, and don’t stay here making us worry, you can wear anything.”

“Fine, I’ll go.”

Jian Xu turned, grabbed a jacket to put over her pajamas, and skipped past them to get breakfast without even washing her face.

Song Xiu and Shui Se were relieved and went back to prepare. Unexpectedly, when they were actually about to leave, Jian Xu, who was already by the car door, suddenly changed her mind, not wanting to go. Her reason was that the phone couldn’t possibly be fixed anyway.

Song Xiu didn’t humor her: “Go or don’t go! You brought this state upon yourself; you completely made it happen! Stop acting all emotional. The stab Xiao Hen gave you was too light. Who do you think you are!”

“Alright, Song Xiu, we have to go. Our friends are waiting for us.” Shui Se pulled Song Xiu’s arm. She felt that arguing at this moment was bad no matter what, and it wasn’t worth wasting time on Jian Xu.