Chapter 389
Nina looked at Lex and nodded. “Okay p>
She followed him back to his room.
His room was also ocean-themed, filled with many trinkets and decorations that Nina adored. His style was a bit different from Dian’s; while Dian preferred vibrant, multi-colored setups, Lex’s taste was more minimalist, using a simpler palette centered around blue and white.
But today, he had gone out of his way to meticulously decorate the space just for her.
The room was adorned with luminous beads of various colors for ambient lighting, and surrounding the area were transparent aquariums filled with beautiful marine plants and little fish. The entire room looked incredibly beautiful and dreamlike.
The moment Nina stepped inside, she gasped in admiration. “Lex, your room is so beautiful p>
Lex led her in by the hand. “Nina, I decorated this specifically for you p>
He wasn’t usually one for such extravagant displays, but if Nina liked it, he was more than willing to keep it decorated this way from now on.
Nina walked over to one of the aquariums, which held a beautiful glowing plant. “Huh? Isn’t this the flower we saw on the seabed last time? How did you manage to get it here p>
In truth, she didn’t really know if it officially counted as a flower, but it certainly looked like one.
“You mentioned before that you liked it and wanted to keep one, so I tried bringing them up to cultivate. I brought up everything you said you liked, though some of them didn’t survive,” Lex said, looking a bit apologetic.
“Are they hard to take care of?” Nina asked.
“It’s not too bad. They just take a bit of effort to keep alive.” Lex gazed at her tenderly. “As long as it makes you happy, I’m willing to raise them no matter how difficult it is p>
The corners of Nina’s lips curled up. She glanced at the other aquariums; every single one contained something she had once praised or expressed fondness for. She hadn’t expected him to remember every little detail.
She suddenly recalled how, when they had set out, Lex had made the other merman males carry so many large bags and bundles. So this was what they were carrying.
Turning around, Nina wrapped her arms around Lex. “Thank you. But if they’re too hard to keep alive, don’t force it. I don’t want you to exhaust yourself p>
Lex wrapped his arms around her waist. “Mm, I understand p>
But since Nina liked them, he would still do his absolute best to keep them thriving.
After sharing a tender moment, Lex gently released her. “Nina, look around for a bit. I… I’m going to go change my outfit p>
“Oh, okay p>
Nina was a bit curious. What kind of outfit was he changing into?
Could it be… Remembering the bizarre “outfits” her beast husbands usually wore, her cheeks flushed slightly.
Before long, Lex emerged.
He had shed his usual sheer robes and replaced them with a furry beast-skin skirt. On his head sat a pair of white cat ears, and a faux tail was attached to his lower back.
Nina stared at him in surprise. Why had Lex dressed himself up as a cat?
It wasn’t that he looked bad, but there was a distinct, slightly comical sense of incongruity to it.
Lex looked at her nervously. “Nina, do… do you like this look? Besides the cat tribe, I also have outfits for the tiger tribe, the wolf tribe, and many others. I can wear whichever one you want to see p>
He had always envied the furred males who could use their fluffy ears and tails to attract Nina’s attention. Since he didn’t have any, he had made some faux ones that looked realistic.
Even though it felt a bit awkward to wear, it was worth it as long as Nina liked it.
Nina offered a helpless, gentle laugh and stepped forward to take his hands. “You look handsome like this, too, but you don’t need to mimic the other males. Just be yourself. Fluffy ears and tails are cute, but your ear-fins and your own tail are gorgeous p>
“Really? But… don’t you prefer those fluffy beast forms?” Lex asked, a trace of insecurity in his voice.
“Of course it’s true. They have their charms, and you have yours—I love them all,” Nina said. “So from now on, just show me your own beast form. You don’t need to dress up as anything else p>
Lex’s eyes lit up, brimming with tenderness. “Okay p>
So Nina liked his beast form too.
He pulled her into his arms, resting his forehead against hers, his eyes shimmering with emotion. “Nina, will you stay with me tonight p>
Nina hugged him back and teased with a smile, “So you called me to your room just to get me to stay p>
“Mm.” Lex gave her lips a soft, lingering kiss, looking a little aggrieved. “Nina, please spend some time with me too. You’re always in their rooms. Even though I’m not your beast husband yet, I still miss you terribly p>
Nina leaned up to plant a kiss on his lips. “Okay p>
She gazed into his beautiful eyes. “Lex, why don’t we bond tonight p>
They had been together for a while now, and she felt the time was finally right.
Lex’s pupils dilated as a wave of overwhelming joy erupted in his eyes. “Nina, w-what did you say? I… I didn’t hear you wrong, did I p>
“You didn’t. I said, let’s bond tonight!” Nina said, amused by his reaction.
Lex pulled her into a tight, emotional embrace, his voice thick with unshed tears. “Nina, I’m finally going to be your beast husband p>
He had waited so long for this day.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he panicked slightly. “B-but I haven’t prepared anything for the bonding ceremony, and I haven’t even dressed up properly p>
He had only hoped to take things a step further with Nina tonight; he never expected her to suddenly agree to bond with him. While he had decorated the room, it wasn’t grand enough for an official bonding, and he wasn’t dressed in his finest attire.
“Then how about we wait a few more days? Give you some time to prepare?” Nina teased.
Lex hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “No, I want to bond with you tonight p>
He didn’t want to wait anymore—not even for a single second.
Looking at her apologetically, he said, “I’m so sorry, Nina. Would you mind settling for less just for tonight p>
Nina pinched his cheek gently. “I’m not settling at all. Look how beautifully you’ve decorated this room! I absolutely love it p>
Hearing her words, Lex finally relaxed. He said excitedly, “Then let’s go find Odian right now to get our bond branded p>
He took her hand and was about to head out when Nina pulled him back. “You’re going out looking like that? Take off the ears and tail first p>
If he went out like this, the other males would never let him hear the end of it—he was a merman, after all.
“Oh, right! I’ll take them off right away p>
Blushing with embarrassment, Lex quickly removed the faux ears and tail. He had been so swept up in his excitement that he completely forgot.
Once he was ready, he eagerly dragged Nina along to find Odian.
As soon as the bond was branded, he hurriedly scooped Nina up in his arms and rushed back to the room.
He placed her gently onto the bed. “Nina, wait for me for a bit. I’m going to change into another outfit p>
Nina blinked in surprise. Another outfit change?
After a short wait, Lex emerged.
This time, he wore an incredibly exquisite sheer robe adorned with various intricate accessories, making him look breathtakingly beautiful and regal.
He knelt on one knee before Nina. “Nina, would you like to see my beast form p>
“Mm.” Nina nodded.
Lex sat down beside her, and his legs transformed into a magnificent, shimmering fish tail.
The gorgeous tail and the brilliant sheer robe perfectly complemented his strikingly beautiful face. He was utterly mesmerizing, radiating an ethereal, captivating beauty.
There was no denying that Lex’s beast form was extraordinarily stunning.
Nina gently stroked his magnificent tail and praised, “Lex, your tail is so beautiful p>
A crimson flush crept up Lex’s handsome face. He leaned his head gently against her shoulder and whispered, “I’m just glad you like it p>
He had been terrified that his beast form wouldn’t appeal to her, but now, his fears were entirely gone.
As she continued to stroke his tail, Lex’s breathing gradually grew heavier.
He turned his head to press light kisses against her neck, panting softly, “Nina, c-can we start? I… I want you p>
With her touching him like that, he was reaching his limit.
Nina let out a soft laugh, turning over to pin him beneath her. “We can p>
She captured his lips. Lex closed his eyes, wrapping his arms tightly around her as his tail instantly transformed back into legs p>
The reflections of the luminous beads swayed gently in the room. It felt as though a fish had finally returned to the sea, swimming freely and without restraint p>
The night was still very long p>
The next morning, a thoroughly satisfied Lex carried Nina out to have breakfast.
Soon, another day passed.
Nina was now ready to leave the City of Blazing Flames.