"Ehh?!"I froze the mont I registered what Zarah had just said.
She wanted to join ?
Before I could respond, she stepped closer—silent, steady—and reached for the leather ties of her chest wrap.
My brain stalled. She wasn’t actually...
But yes, she was. With calm, unhurried movents, she began loosening the bindings.
I stood there like an idiot, paralyzed.
What the hell was happening?
As the wrap ca undone, my trance finally shattered.
"Wait...don’t!"
Too late.
She peeled the garnt off and let it fall to the grass with a soft thud.
I spun around so fast I nearly lost my footing and fell straight into the pond, just to avoid seeing her bare chest.
I heard the soft rustle of fabric behind —the unmistakable sound of her untying the sash at her waist.
I muttered without turning, voice low and awkward,"Uh... Zarah, you don’t have to..."
A loud splash cut off.
She’d jumped into the water.
The sudden sound startled , and I flinched, splashing a bit of water as I tensed.
I stood still, muscles locked.
Then I felt the gentle movent of water behind . She was swimming. Closer.
The realization hit like a brick to the chest.
Zarah was in the pond. Naked. Right behind .
I tried to breathe, but my lungs forgot how.
"Chief... do you need help?" she asked, her voice soft and genuinely concerned.
I didn’t even think. I just blurted, way too loud:"NO!"
The echo bounced off the trees, loud enough to startle a bird from a nearby branch.
Maybe... maybe a little too loud.
Zarah spoke again, her voice softer this ti."Do you not want here?"
I let out a slow sigh. That wasn’t it, not at all.
The last thing I wanted was for her to feel unwanted or rejected. But I also didn’t want her to misunderstand.
She was a goblin. Nudity probably wasn’t a big deal in her culture. But for ?
It was different. Complicated.
Because I wasn’t just flustered. I was attracted to her.
And that made everything worse.
She was a goblin. So was I now, technically. But ntally? Emotionally? I was still adjusting. My mind and values—how I viewed intimacy, privacy, attraction—were still very much human.
Before I could figure out how to explain any of that, she said quietly,"I’ll leave then."
I heard her shift in the water, the sound of movent against the surface as she began to swim toward the edge.
She probably thought I disliked her. Or worse, that I was disgusted by her.
I didn’t want her to think that.
So I turned toward her, forcing the words out."Wait... that’s not what I ant."
She paused mid-step in the water, then slowly turned back to face .
I imdiately averted my gaze.Gods...she was completely naked.
The instinct to glance, just a quick look, was strong. Too strong.
But I clenched my jaw and kept my eyes fixed on the tree line beyond the pond. I wasn’t going to be that guy.
Zarah stood there, watching in silence. The water lapped gently around her knees.
I knew I needed to say sothing, anything, before the mont slipped away and turned sour.
It had taken ti, effort, and more than a few risks to get this close to her, to build trust. I didn’t want to ruin that just because I didn’t know how to handle a vulnerable mont.
I felt my ears grow hot as I started to explain, stumbling over my words.
"It’s not that I don’t want you in here. It’s just... I’d rather you be covered. Like ."
Zarah tilted her head slightly."Why?"
I blinked, caught off guard.She wasn’t being defensive—just genuinely curious.
I raised my head to look at her, then imdiately looked away again.Why?What kind of question was that?
Had other guys seen her like this before?
I clenched my jaw, rage surging through .
I’ll kill them all.
But then I caught myself.
Easy, Eli. Breathe.
They’re not human. You’re not, either—not anymore. Goblins don’t follow the sa social rules. Modesty, nudity, personal space... it’s different for them.
To her, this wasn’t a big deal.
But to ?
It was.
"Does it make you uncomfortable?" she asked.
I hesitated, then nodded."Yeah... but it’s not because of you. It’s because of where I’m from."
She tilted her head again."Where you’re from?"
I groaned and sank a little deeper into the pond, the cool water helping hide the heat creeping up my neck.
How was I supposed to explain this?
Hey, Zarah, I’m actually a human from another world. Got hit by a truck, woke up as a goblin in your forest, and now I’m trying to make sense of goblin social norms while trying not to stare at your chest.
Yeah. No way she’d buy that.
Worse, she might think I was making excuses to push her away. That I wasn’t interested. And that... that might shut her down entirely.
So I tried a gentler route.
"I’m... not a typical goblin," I said slowly. "I’m a bit different. Because I’m from another world."
She was quiet for a mont, watching . Then she nodded slightly.
"Is that so..." she murmured, gliding a little closer in the water.
I forced my eyes to stay level, locked onto hers.
It was getting harder not to glance down.
"And where you’re from," she said, voice calm and curious, "you don’t bathe together without clothes?"
She took another step through the water, closing the distance between us.
She was only a couple of steps away now, so I locked my eyes on hers, focused and steady.
"Yes... and no."
"Huh..." she said with a small, amused tilt of her head, stepping even closer.
I flinched slightly, my body instinctively tensing.
Just focus on her eyes. Just her eyes.
"Where I’m from," I explained, trying to keep my voice even, "you don’t bathe together unless you’re lovers. Or... unless both people are completely okay with it."
Her brow creased in curiosity.
"Lovers? What is that?" she asked, her gaze dropping slightly, now staring at my lips.
My heart thudded in my chest like a war drum.
She moved in again. Her face was now just inches from mine—close enough that I could feel her breath on my skin. Warm, soft, and far too distracting.
"Lovers are..." I started, then faltered.
My brain short-circuited under the intensity of her gaze.
"Lovers is... the word we use for two people who... love each other."
I took a half-step back, the pond rippling underfoot.
But she gently placed a hand on my cheek, stopping .
Her voice was quiet, but firm.
"Don’t...
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