The Crazy Killer Whale’s Favourite Penguin

Episode 77: The Ties That Bind (VI)

As I spit out the words, the thought ‘Well, there it goes’ crossed my mind.

Just as expected.

Upon hearing my unconventional proposal, Suradel’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Belly… fat? Really?”

With a face full of anticipation, his gaze moved to my belly. Then appearing at a loss for what to do.

Trembling, I hurriedly covered my stomach with both hands and shouted.

“Where are you looking at?! Of course, not when I’m human, but when I turn into a penguin later, I’ll let you touch it a little bit!”

However, as if it was rather good, he finally closed his mouth, looking very moved.

“I… How dare I, the belly of a penguin…?”

‘Why are you acting like it’s your lifelong dream to touch a penguin’s belly.’

I impulsively said the wrong thing but he liked it so much, so it became a situation where I couldn’t do anything to fix it.

‘Ah, my precious belly fat, like this…’

Suradel’s face, then he audibly exhaled as if to calm his agitated mind.

“Ha… . You don’t know how much I envied Lord Reynos everytime when you were in his arms.”

Why…?

“You wouldn’t know because you were being hugged, but Lord Reynos smirked at me as he touched your belly.”

They must have had all sorts of childish fights without my knowledge.

Suradel muttered with a very sad expression, probably recalling the memory of that time.

“Cowardly using the position of a father to get a belly fat pass…!”

Oh, I had never given anything like that.

I let out a small sigh and tried to clarify the standard.

“Only once. Next time I go back to a penguin, I’ll let you.”

“Oh, a day like this is coming. I can’t believe it…”

He was still tapping his feet in disbelief, but at one point his eyes sparkled and he urged me on.

“Lia. When are you going back to your penguin form?”

I let out a deep sigh.

Suradel looked like he was going crazy from wanting to touch my belly.

“You know that I can’t freely animalize. Be patient.”

“But you’ve succeeded once in the Weil family estate.”

“If I go back to being an animal, then what about humanization?”

“…By kissing me?”

Nonsense.

Narrowing my eyes, I looked at him disapprovingly.

“If you keep pushing me like that…”

“What if I rush you?”

“When I become a penguin, I will be held by Lord Primo and Madam Bella the whole time.”

Suradel would only be able to watch them caress me.

If it’s Primo and Bella, they would be able to make fun of Suradel effectively.

They have been wanting to see me as a penguin for a long time, so I thought it wouldn’t be too bad to really go to them at that time.

As if envisioning that future, Suradel trembled with a shocked face.

“What? Lia, how can you think such cruel thoughts…!”

I just wanted to tease him a little, but it’s cruel… To that extent?

It was absurd, but I thought that it might be so to Suradel.

“So wait until I turn into a penguin on my own.”

“Huh…”

Quickly calming down, Suradel blinked and grinned.

“Lia gave me a surprise gift, so I want to repay it. What do you want?”

“It’s okay. It’s full and overflowing, what I’ve received so far.”

“Come to think of it… The stone nest in Lia’s room.”

Heuk.

With trembling eyes, I looked at Suradel.

No way…?

‘Are you trying to catch me?’

Suradel batted his eyelashes like he was tempting me, and offered an irresistible gift.

“It would be pretty if I turned them into jewels.”

How…?

But I refused that offer, suppressing my tears.

“…It’s okay.”

Then Suradel asked, softly, with slight surprise.

“I am surprised. I thought you couldn’t refuse this time.”

“Su. Do you know why I haven’t accepted your gift of stones?”

“Why is that?”

“Male adélie penguins present stones to females they like.”

‘Of course, Suradel is not an Adélie penguin, but…’

Since I was an Adélie penguin, it was safe to say it was courtship.

“During the mating season, they arrive earlier than the females and make a pretty nest of stones in a good place to attract the females.”

In other words…

“What you did is no different than a marriage proposal.”

Silent, Suradel stared at me, then replied with a relaxed smile.

“What about it?”

“Huh…?”

Suradel reached out and tucked a few strands of my hair behind my ear. My senses of touch were sharpened by the sudden skinship.

“I think I’ve confessed my love many times. Isn’t it time to accept it?”

I slowly tilted my head.

“Su, do you want me to give you a nest of jewels?”

“Yes.”

“Then what do you want to do with me?”

“…Huh?”

Looking at the flustered Suuradel, I calmly continued.

“If the female sits on the stone nest prepared by the male, it means that she will accept the marriage proposal.”

“Yes…?”

“And soon, they will… mmph!”

“Stop!”

Suradel, with a greatly embarrassed face, hurriedly covered my mouth and protested.

“I didn’t mean that impurely, Lia.”

What a quick reaction rate.

I rolled my eyes and tapped his hand.

It meant, ‘I know, so put this down’. Then Suradel slowly relaxed his hands.

‘You get really shy at times like this.’

‘Though you don’t seem to be shy when you approach first.’

Suradel swiftly managed his expression and said something that sounded like an excuse.

“Although I’m making a jewel nest for Lia, it’s okay if you don’t think there is a deep meaning…”

He lowered his head and whispered in my ear in a soft, laughing voice.

“Actually, I like jewels too.”

“…Is there anyone who doesn’t like jewels?”

Suradel rolled his eyes and smiled mischievously.

“Hmm. That’s true, but I especially like it.”

I found it quite surprising.

Although I had seen Suradel show curiosity in things that looked interesting sometimes, he didn’t seem particularly interested in jewels.

“…You have the same taste as me.”

“We must be a match made in heaven. right?”

As Suradel said that, his eyes curved prettily as usual.

It was a meaningful smile.

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“What? You made such a promise to Sir Suradel?”

“…It was a mistake.”

“Hmm…”

Iprus stared at me with a vague expression and pursed her lips.

“Lady Lia. This is what I think.”

“What are you thinking?”

“It seems that only you and Sir Suradel are unaware you are dating…”

“What do you mean by that? What kind of love is there that only the people concerned don’t know about?”

“But you’re allowing him to touch your belly fat when you’re not even dating? This is hard for even me, an open-minded person, to accept.”

She shook her head like it was impossible.

“I gave permission for when I am a penguin, not when I am a human.”

And.

“Honestly, it’s not another animal, he just can’t stand the belly of a penguin, right?”

“That… Yes.”

Perhaps I said something that could not be denied. Iprus nodded slightly.

It was fortunate that the recognition was quick.

“My lady, actually, I thought it didn’t matter if it’s either Sir Suradel or Sir Theodore.”

“As for that, I care.”

Iprus, clearly not listening to me, continued seriously.

“But as I kept watching, I got it. The lady is happy when she is with Sir Suradel.”

“…Me?”

“Of course, it would be fun to see a love triangle. But I want you to be happy.”

Iprus uttered words that were both horrifying and touching, and took my hand tightly.

“So, I, Iprus, have decided to support Sir Suradel.”

“Huh?”

It seemed Iprus took my reaction as a prompt. As I blinked and stared, she explained, step by step.

“The lady who is an Adélie penguin needs freedom, and Sir Suradel is someone who can understand that. But, not Sir Theodore.”

“…What do you know about Theodore?”

“I don’t know about Sir Theodore, but I know about the imprint.”

The imprint… 

“It’s said that the one who imprints shows symptoms of obsession close to mental illness. When the imprinted is not by his side, he gets anxious. Like someone will take her away, or she will get hurt… he always suffers from trepidation.”

Put it in the arms, and wrap it around.

It was the image of an obsessed male lead in a typical novel.

Come to think of it… 

Suradel never once asked me what I was doing after I entered Weil.

He just cared about safety.

He also allowed me to roam freely.

It was the exact opposite of how many times I had inquired into Suradel’s identity.

There must have been one or two suspicious things.

But he really didn’t ask me anything.

Even when I was looking at Hangul, he asked how I knew the characters, but he didn’t force an answer.