Why do I keep attracting Villainesses?

Chapter 60: THIRD POV.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. Her embrace was cold to the touch because of the water, but even then, he didn’t really feel the urge to resist.

It was comforting in a way, feeling awkward, he started to raise his arms to hug her back.

"Oww! What was that for?!" But he yelled shortly after when an unexpected pain shoot through his neck

Jacob quickly caught himself and lowered his voice to a harsh whisper out of fear of waking up Persephone who must be sleeping inside.

’Did she just bite me?!’ he rubbed his aching neck, feeling annoyed and confused. His fingers went to the spot right where his shoulder met his neck.

It stung like a wasp had got him. Fortunately, there was no blood when he pulled his hand away, even when he felt there should’ve been.

"Thanks for the lovely evening... I really enjoyed it," he heard Artria whisper.

Her head was lowered, her long blue hair hiding her face. For some reason, she seemed unwilling to meet his gaze.

She was shaking slightly, but he couldn’t tell if it was from leftover sadness or something else entirely.

"Goodnight," she said.

Before he could utter a single word or ask her why she had bitten him, she turned and swam quickly inside.

She disappeared into the light of the house, leaving him standing outside in the cold current, bewildered and confused. He stood there for a long time, rubbing his neck and staring at the doorway.

’Well, at least she’s ok now,’ he sighed, letting the tension go.

Even if she was acting weird, the fact that she was acting like herself, annoying, unpredictable, and a little bit aggressive, was a good sign.

It meant she wasn’t giving up. He felt that there was some good side to this at least.

Jacob took one last look at the dark village around him, that prickling feeling on his neck had long since faded away.

He was exhausted, his muscles were sore, and his neck hurt, but as he swam into the house to find a spot to sleep, he felt like the night had been a success.

He just hoped that tomorrow would be a little less complicated. He closed his eyes as soon as he hit the sea bed, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep before he could even settle in.

Jacob woke up with a long, slow blink. He felt the weight of sleep leaving his mind as he yawned and stretched his limbs, feeling refreshed.

It had been a long time since he had a nap as nice as the one he just had.

After the late-night trip to the surface with Artria and the emotional rollercoaster of the past few days, his body had finally demanded some real downtime.

He felt a bit of the soreness in his neck, right where Artria had bitten him, but even that felt like a reminder of a successful night.

"Huh?"

Jacob’s eyes darted around the room as he sat up.

He was surprised when Persephone and Artria were nowhere to be found.

Usually, when he woke up, he was the middle of a mermaid sandwich, or at least one of them was nearby, hovering or preparing something.

But today, the sea bed was empty, and the room was silent.

He got out of bed and swam around the nest, his movements a bit hurried now.

"Something’s not right," he said to the empty air.

He checked everywhere, yet there was no sign of either of them. The entire nest was completely still.

"They usually aren’t up this late," Jacob said, talking to himself as he paced, swimming in circles.

As strange as it sounded, since he had arrived, the two sisters usually only got up after he did.

"They usually don’t go out this early either," Jacob muttered, frowning a bit.

He looked at the entrance where the morning light was beginning to change into a brighter midday glow.

If they had been gone for a while, it meant they had left almost as soon as the sun had started to rise.

But then he recalled the night he had with Artria.

’Could she have called Persephone out to come to a truce or something?’ he thought to himself.

Maybe Artria had taken his words about the horse and the dog to heart.

And realized that fighting wasn’t the answer and wanted to talk to her sister in private, away from him, to fix things.

It was a nice thought, and it made him feel a bit better for a second.

But then again, why would they have to leave the nest for that? If they were going to make up, couldn’t they just do it right here? Perhaps they didn’t want to wake him up?

He knew he had been sleeping deeply, and maybe they wanted to give him his rest while they settled their family drama.

The more Jacob thought about it, the farther he grew from the answer itself.

Each idea he had seemed to lead to more questions.

If they were making up, why would they be gone so long? And if they weren’t making up... what else could they be doing?

That line of thought only made him more unsure and filled his stomach with a cold knot of worry.

He couldn’t just sit around and wait.

He left the nest and swam out into the village streets, his eyes scanning every passing face.

He needed to know if anyone had seen them.

He headed towards a familiar direction, hoping to find a familiar face.

Luckily for him, Garin was up and about on the village streets like an early bird.

"Oh, Jacob. You’re up early," Garin grinned on seeing him. He stopped swimming and gave a friendly wave. "Up for an early morning swim?" he asked, looking like he was in a great mood.

"No, not really," Jacob said, his voice tight.

He didn’t have the energy for small talk.

Garin noticed his uneasy look right away. The grin faded from his face, replaced by a look of concern. "Is something the matter? You don’t really look good today. You look like you’ve seen a sea ghost."