Chained in the underground dungeon, Eve was forced to eat like a dog, crouched on the floor. With her face pressed against the ground, she tore into a piece of bread, then looked up at me and scowled. She spat the bread out and snapped,
"What the hell? Did you come here just to see how a mermaid hybrid eats?"
She seemed furious about her treatment in the cell. I locked the dungeon door and silently slid open the bars. Startled by my sudden approach, Eve struggled, pulling her body back and eyeing me warily. Unlike her confident demeanor at sea, her eyes now held fear.
"What? What the hell do you want, you bitch? Speak up!"
Her words were harsh, but as I stepped closer, she slowly retreated. Just like a small, weak dog barks the loudest, she fit the description perfectly. I reached out to stroke her hair and asked,
"Have you ever thought about converting to the Grand Archangel Church?"
"What?"
Eve, trying to shake off my touch, froze and stared at me in shock. I took the opportunity to continue smoothing her hair. I'd expected it to feel like dried seaweed or a mop, but her hair was surprisingly soft. After a moment, Eve snapped out of it and pulled her head back. I clicked my tongue and continued,
"If I'm going to spare your life, you'll need to prove you're genuinely repentant and willing to live cleanly. If you convert to the Grand Archangel Church and become a devout follower, that'd be the perfect excuse..."
"So, if I convert, you'll let me go?"
"No, not let you go. You'll become a servant of the Grand Archangel Church, working alongside me in religious activities."
"Are you kidding me? You want me to be a religious zealot? You know those Grand Archangel Church nuts don't buy mermaids, right? They skin mermaids alive just to use their hides as Bible covers. They claim it's against their doctrine to keep mermaids alive, so they just strip the skin and kill them on the spot. Fuck that! Got it? I'm not becoming a zealot, so go screw yourself."
"Then there's no other choice but death..."
Eve flinched at that, then clenched her teeth and shouted again. It reminded me of an old saying: a cornered dog barks the loudest.
"Go ahead and kill me! Do it, you bitch! I'm already screwed, so just end it!"
I shook my head firmly. I couldn't actually kill her just because she asked. I had plans for Eve—specifically, a lot of sexual positions I wanted to try.
"No. Your mother begged me to spare you, offering herself in return."
"What? What did you say?"
"Your mother pleaded with me, offering her body, to spare you."
"What the fuck, you bastard? Repeat that! What did you do with my mom?"
"Your mom's amazing, by the way."
"You son of a bitch!"
Eve's face turned bright red as she hurled insults. Her mother seemed so open-minded—I couldn't understand how such a daughter came from her. After a long tirade, Eve panted, glaring at me.
"You think my mom would give herself to a piece of trash like you?"
"Why not? What can you do? You're stuck in there, unable to move, and you can't fight me even if you tried."
Mermaids were formidable in water but useless on land. Their fish tails made movement slow, their stats halved due to land debuffs, and prolonged time out of water caused dehydration.
Eve's stats were equally weakened, so she could only glare at me, unable to challenge me. She'd already been beaten down not long ago.
"The longer you stay here without repenting, the more time I'll spend with your mom. So, what'll it be? Convert to the Grand Archangel Church and study scripture with me, or just stay here and listen to me having sex with your mom?"
".....Fuck you. You'd screw anything with a hole, wouldn't you?"
Honestly, she was right. As long as it had a hole and a pretty face, I'd consider it, even if it had six legs. I nodded, scanning Eve's body.
"Yeah."
"Ugh, fuck... seriously..."
Eve was still hesitating: watch me with her mom or convert and live in the territory. It was a life-or-death decision for her.
"Or, you could marry me."
"What? What did you say?"
Eve stared at me, stunned. I hadn't expected her to react like this, so I paused. Her face flushed red as she shook her head, then glared and shouted,
"You're insane!"
"What's insane about it? If you marry me, you'll be the lord's wife—free to act, no slavery. And if you're my wife, I wouldn't touch your mom."
"But I'd have to serve you, you bastard!"
Eve screamed, her face bright red. I nodded, poking her cleavage through the chains.
"Think about it. Your mom's sacrificing herself for you. Will you just lie here comfortably? Or become my adopted daughter? Your mom's beautiful and perfect. I'll marry her, and you can be my daughter."
"Ugh... you piece of shit..."
"Choose. Be my wife or my daughter?"
"Fuck... fuck... you asshole..."
Eve cursed, head bowed. I waited for her decision. After a long pause, she looked up, huffing.
"If I'm your wife, you won't touch my mom, right?"
"Depends on how you behave."
"You're mocking me now, aren't you?"
"Clerics don't lie."
"Aaaah!"
Eve finally screamed in frustration. If not for the chains, she'd have ripped my head off. I kneaded her thighs and said,
"It depends on how cooperative you are during sex. If your partner just lies there like a mannequin, it's no fun, right?"
"Get your hands off me, you bastard, before I bite them off."
"So, you won't do it? Then I'll go to your mom."
"Ugh... wait. Why did you even suggest marriage? Honestly, you could've just forced yourself on me, and I couldn't have resisted."
Eve's frustration turned to confusion. From her perspective, my conditions were bizarre. I explained,
"Sellu told me to take care of you, to treat you well."
"Don't call my mom by her name."
"She'll be 'our' mom soon, so what's the problem?"
"Fuck! You're really pissing me off! Aaaah!"
Eve screamed, rolling on the floor. Her flushed cheeks and heavy breathing were oddly cute. I said,
"You're cute."
"Cute? I'm a fish from the knees down! I've got webbed feet and scales. What were you thinking, proposing to me? I'm a mermaid hybrid with ugly legs and sharp teeth. But just because my mom asked you to take care of me, you propose? Are you insane? Do you even jerk off to fish?"
"I wouldn't jerk off to fish. I have standards. If you don't meet them, I don't touch you."
Eve stared at me. I poked her cheek and said,
"You're cute, in my eyes."
"What? What the fuck? You're insane! Get out! Leave!"
Eve's face turned bright red as she threw dungeon debris at me. I dodged pots and stones, then locked the bars again. I waved and said,
"See you later, Eve."
"Pick one—respectful or casual speech, you bastard!"
"Yeah, see you later."
"Don't come back! Go die!"
Eve slumped in the corner, head bowed, looking confused. As I left, I shuddered, trying to calm myself. I locked the dungeon door, then screamed, scratching my skin.
"Aaaah! Fuck! 'You're cute, in my eyes'? Fuck! Fuck!"
In the original story, the protagonist's strategy to win over Eve had two key points: first, using exceptional technique for pleasure torture, and second, complimenting her appearance, which she was insecure about. I planned to shower her with cringe-worthy compliments and slowly have sex with her.
Marriage is usually for someone proper like Siri, but life is unpredictable. Polygamy is legal, after all.