Lust Knight

As an aquatic race, Mermaids literally live in the water, but unlike Nagas who prefer deep and dark waters, Mermaids also enjoy light and fresh air.

Having the best of both worlds, Nea's castle contains a significant number of pools with various types and styles to suit all tastes.

So when Donna asks for a hot water pool, Nea is unsure which one to take the group to.

"Do you prefer individual pools, or..." Nea looks at Lucien and wonders how intimate his relationship is with his sisters.

She knows that Sophia and Amelia have a deep romantic relationship with him, but she is not sure about the others. And although it's not usual, she doesn't see a problem with it.

"Just one." Lucien speaks. "We need to stay together now and plan our next steps."

"Yes, one pool will suffice." Eve remarks.

"A really big one, please." Donna requests.

She has accepted that being intimate with Lucien will be part of her life, but she still doesn't feel comfortable displaying how intimate their relationship is in front of others, especially near Eve.

"Of course." Nea smiles and then flies upstairs. "Follow me."

Mira and Lucien's sisters follow Nea with expectant expressions on their faces; they all long for a nice, hot bath.

But now that the battle is over and Lucien is less tense, he can't help but notice how Nea seems to be swaying her tail in the air in a more expressive manner.

Unlike Nagas who can easily slide their snake tails on solid surfaces, Mermaids feel quite awkward when trying to do the same with their fish tails. So most of the Mermaids who venture out of the water are those who have already crossed the Sky Realm or are mages who can float in the air even if their tails are touching the ground.

Still, Mermaids don't constantly fly, and when they do, their tails sway as if they were swimming in water.

Nea had been avoiding doing it in front of Lucien, but now her body and mind are very tired, and she doesn't realize it, a scene that Lucien doesn't miss.

Lust may be resting inside his soul, but she is paying attention to everything around Lucien and notices that too.

Lucien's fixation on Nea's dancing tail makes Lust jealous, and she quickly complains in his mind. "Are you enjoying the show?"

"What?" Lucien takes a while to understand that Lust is referring to Nea's tail. "Wait, is she really swaying more than usual?"

"Of course she is!" Lust responds in an upset tone.

"I thought it was just in my head..." Lucien simply can't take his eyes off Nea's tail due to how gracefully it swings.

"You idiot!" Lust can't help but feel jealous of Lucien, a feeling that only increases as she loves him more and more.

He knows that Lust is not angry with him just because of Nea's tail, but rather venting some of the frustrations and fears that plagued her during the battle.

Lust always supports Lucien, but she also asks him to be less impulsive because whenever he is in danger, she feels a lot of fear of losing him.

"It's okay if you get angry with me, Lust..." He speaks to her mentally in a loving tone. "I will still love you so much."

"You really are a complete idiot! Arrogant and stupid!!" Lust lets out all her frustration, and then her tone becomes tender. "I hate loving you so much!"

"I can't say I'm sorry for that." He quickly responds.

Lust remains silent for a few seconds to calm herself, then she advises him again. "We should be at home, helping your girls recover faster."

"They need some mental rest, some time to really rest." He responds and then looks at his sisters. "Also, I need to focus on helping them recover so that the other Sins can generate demonic energy quickly."

"Hmm..." Lust feels jealous of all the women around Lucien, but that feeling is more intense when it comes to the other Sins, especially Pride now.

Lucien understands that, but he also understands that having all the Sins by his side is something he needs as much as his arms.

So his eyes return to focus on Nea's dancing tail as they advance through the long corridors of the castle.

Lucien can't help but smile as he speaks to Lust mentally. "That tail is making me much more powerful too, so you could try not to pick on it so much."

"Damn Mermaid Queen!" Lust complains in his mind. "Why can't she be as smart as Mira? I just wish she wasn't so arrogant with you."

"It's fine, I'll put her in her place soon, just give me some more time." Lucien responds in a confident yet loving tone.

The fact that Nea is so independent and proud is a bonus for him because it makes getting her affection a pleasurable and rewarding challenge.

Of course, he won't forget the times she looked down on him, but he knows how to get revenge in a way that will make her feel pleasure and frustration at the same time.

The important thing is that he can sense how loyal she is to him, even now that she doesn't think she's in love with him, so she will certainly be one of his most loyal wives when she realizes there's no avoiding that.

While thinking of ways to put the Mermaid Queen in her new place, Lucien follows that tail until the group arrives in front of large doors made of dark blue crystal.

Most of Nea's castle walls are made of transparent crystals, but the intimate rooms and halls are made of dark blue crystal to provide privacy for the Mermaids inside.

"We've arrived," Nea comments as she places her hands on the large doors of dark blue crystal.

There is a grand emblem on each door depicting a Mermaid pouring water from a beautiful jug.

When Nea opens those doors, everyone can see a large tiled room with a huge pool in the center.

On the sides of the pool, there are several statues of Mermaids with jugs like those on the door, and the water flowing from those jugs is so crystal clear and shimmering, magical and beautiful.

"Incredible!" Amelia exclaims upon seeing how beautiful the grand bathroom is.

"Indeed," Claire smiles. She had already bathed in that pool with Saria and takes pride in it. "I missed this place, the water is fucking hot."

Claire's words cause a blush to appear on Donna's face, and she looks at Lucien with a hesitant expression.

Lucien can see through Donna's concerns and quickly speaks to her in her mind. "Don't worry, I won't eat you now..."

"..." Donna can't say anything due to embarrassment, so she turns back to face forward.

But Lucien doesn't miss a chance to tease her. "Unless you can't wait any longer for it."

"..." Donna tries to give him an annoyed look, but she only ends up looking even cuter.

While the girls are enjoying the view of the incredible bathroom, Nea flies towards the pool, still swaying her tail unknowingly.

"Make yourselves at home, after all..." She tries to appear as friendly as possible, but when she looks at Lucien, she remembers how all the Mermaids already see him as their King.

"After all, this castle also belongs to Lucien and Eve now?" Naomi speaks her thoughts openly.

And in reality, everyone in that room thinks the same way, including Nea. However, she doesn't know how to make it feel more natural.

Before Nea can respond, Lucien reaches Naomi and gives her a nice slap on the butt.

*PAH!*

The sound echoes throughout the bathroom, making it clear that the slap wasn't light, although it clearly doesn't cause any pain to Naomi; on the contrary, it makes her blush deeply.

"Now is not the time for your childish provocations," he speaks in a neutral tone, but her naughty and endearing look turns him on as much as Nea's graceful tail.

The atmosphere becomes strangely tense, especially because Sophia, Amelia, and Donna also want butt slaps now, and even Claire can't help but feel jealous of her sister, while Eve thinks she could die of embarrassment.

"It's okay, Lucien..." Nea doesn't feel bad for Naomi as she can hear how much the little naughty girl enjoyed that.

Nea tries to ignore that weird scene and smiles at Lucien and his sisters. "She's right about that, this castle doesn't belong to me but to the ruler of the Mermaid Kingdom, and now... well, I don't have to bear the crown alone anymore."

Lucien is happy to see that Nea is so willing to accept the new reality. They had already agreed to lead the Mermaid Race together when they made the soul contract, but now she is making it clear that she wants that wholeheartedly.

Before he can fully enjoy the moment with Nea, Naomi's face appears in front of his eyes. She is floating in the air and staring at him with a fake annoyed expression.

"Did you hear her? I was right!" Naomi exclaims.

"I never said your words were false." He responds.

Naomi pouts. "That doesn't matter, you slapped me, and now you have to make it up to me."

"Oh?" Lucien smiles. "And how do you expect me to do that?"

Naomi also smiles, but her expression is a mix of naughtiness and shyness. "How about you help me with the bath?"