Mermaid's Song: A Forbidden Quadrangle Neflibata

Chapter 3 The Wicked Childe

Amidst the fervor, Andrei held Isabel's butt with a possessive grasp, his hands deliberately kneading her as she trembled beneath his touch. A torrent of heat surged uncontrollably between her legs at his caress, eliciting involuntary moans as she tried to close her legs.

Andrei caught the movement.

"Who gave you permission to close your legs?" he demanded sharply.

With swift dominance, he seized her ankle, lifting her leg and positioning his sturdy waist between her thighs.

"No..."

Isabel's body jerked upward in a mixture of shock and involuntary response.

Biting down on her chin to lift her face, Andrei then moved to her neck. His teeth grazed the pale skin, leaving her unable to suppress her moans.

With the shameful display witnessed by onlookers, all Isabel could do was avert her face.

She was unwilling to show the flushed expressions that Andrei's provocations wrung from her.

Andrei manipulated her like a mere plaything, marking her delicate neck with his teeth.

His gaze then shifted to the door, where the three onlookers stood frozen in shock.

Morley, the old maid, stared in dismay. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the erotic tableau.

The two men were visibly stirred, their arousal palpable in the air, sparked by Isabel's innocent yet provocative demeanor.

To Andrei's amusement, they still dared to linger.

"You three still dare to stand there, spoiling my pleasure?"

With one hand still clamped on Isabel's chin, he held her firmly against the bed, ensuring she had no means to escape.

With his free hand, he casually retrieved a gun from the dresser.

Before the trio at the door could react, Andrei fired a shot without warning.

"Oh!"

The nearest man instinctively recoiled as the bullet struck the floor, creating a small crater.

Marble shards flew through the air. One sliced across his eyebrow, mixing the blood it drew with the cold sweat on his face.

"Still not leaving?"

Andrei sneered, c*****g the gun.

The chilling sound of the gun being loaded echoed through the room, sending shivers down Isabel's spine and making the trio at the door tremble.

Andrei's icy tone seemed to freeze the blood in their veins. Morley grasped the gravity of the situation and quickly shut the door.

"We're leaving now!"

She urgently gestured to the other two, hastening their departure from the dreadful scene.

As their footsteps faded, Isabel beneath Andrei realized she now faced an even more daunting predicament.

She attempted to wriggle free from his iron grasp, but it proved futile. His arms were unyielding.

Andrei leaned down. His intense gaze scrutinized the woman trapped beneath him with calculating precision.

"You are not mute. So, why the pretense?"

Andrei's grip on Isabel's chin forced her gaze to meet his.

"Look at me," he commanded.

His eyes pierced hers with a dangerous scrutiny that seemed to see straight through to her soul.

Isabel felt the painful pressure on her chin, and her breath quickened. Her voice emerged raspy and strained as she answered, "Because... my voice is unpleasant."

Andrei had been fervently searching for a golden-haired woman rumored to enchant the deserted seashore with her singing.

Isabel knew it well because, sadly, she was that woman.

Tragically, upon her arrival at Howard Estate, Isabel had lost all memories prior to the age of twelve.

Apart from her name, her past was a blank slate.

Yet, she often hummed a tune involuntarily.

She couldn't recall its origin, but that tune invariably soothed her troubled spirit.

Stranger still, whenever she sang, peculiar phenomena ensued.

Like roses bloomed out of season and birds lingered near her. Even Duke Howard's bear seemed enchanted, drawing near her as she sang.

It was this very voice that had almost robbed her of the ability to speak.

After a close call with losing her voice, Isabel chose to remain silent around others to protect herself.

As time passed, everyone forgot about Isabel's once melodious voice, treating her as though she truly were mute.

Several nights ago, Isabel was jolted from her slumber by a disturbing dream. She wandered to the secluded seaside, where the restless waves mirrored her troubled spirit. There, amidst the roar of the sea, she began to sing the melody that had always brought her solace.

That same night, Andrei, who was plagued by a relentless headache, was drawn to the lonely shore.

It was there he encountered a singing that seemed to him the most ethereal he had ever heard.

The pain that had been gnawing at his very being and the dark, bloodthirsty urges swirling within him quieted as if lulled by the haunting song.

Andrei followed the sound to its source, where he saw a figure under the moonlight. She possessed a graceful silhouette, and her golden hair cascaded down her back, glistening in the silvery light.

Desperate to discover her identity, Andrei moved closer, but his hurried steps startled the nymph-like singer.

Like a mermaid from the myths, that woman dove into the sea and vanished.

The following morning, Isabel learned that Andrei had begun a search for the golden-haired woman whose song had graced the seaside.

Desiring no entanglements with the oldest heir of the Howard family, Isabel was relieved that her longstanding guise as a mute had kept her identity a mystery. Even with her striking golden locks, no one connected her to the singer Andrei sought.

Had it not been for the unforeseen assault of today, she would have continued to hide in plain sight.

Andrei, a man not easily swayed by trust, eyed her with a deep-seated suspicion.

As his probing gaze bore into her, Isabel felt a chill crawl up her spine, and a cold sweat began to seep through her skin.

With every ounce of her being, she fought to maintain composure, determined not to betray any hint of her true self.