How Could I Not Love Her? [Season 1 End]
"It's okay, Elma. Everything's okay now."
"Hweeeeng! Darling...! Darliiiing...!"
Elma wailed like a wild beast, burying her face in my chest. Her nails dug into my collar, piercing my skin.
"It's all over. I'm right here. So everything's fine."
I stroked her back. But she wouldn't calm down. The complex she'd suppressed for so long... They'd ripped open that wound from the very bottom. Of course she couldn't settle.
"Hweee! Sniff, hic, heek...!"
Then, Elma's breathing changed. It started to tangle up.
"Heek-! Hic...! Hweek...!"
A metallic rasp. Elma shoved my chest away and clutched at her throat. Her face drained to a ghostly white.
"Elma?!"
Hyperventilation. She'd cried so hard she couldn't breathe.
"Hic, hic...! Darling...! C-can't... breathe...!"
"Calm down! Look here! Look at me!"
I frantically cupped her cheeks. Her face was ashen. Her lips turning blue. My vision blurred with tears. But I bit my lip hard. I had to hold it in. If I cried, Elma would panic even more. Right now, I needed to save this little woman.
"Hey! Tin Can! Water, now!"
I yelled at the golem and scooped Elma up, laying her on the sofa. That gothic dress choking her airway. I tried to peel it off. My fingers kept slipping. Rip—! I just tore it away.
"Heek! Hweek...! Hweek...!"
"Elma. It's okay. Look in my eyes. Purse your lips. Slowly."
I let her hear my breathing. "Hoo—. Haa—. Follow me."
Elma's gaze wandered, unfocused. I took her tiny hand and placed it on my cheek. So she could feel me.
"I'm right here. Your darling's right here."
"Hic...! Hoo, hweek...."
"I'm not leaving you, Elma. So breathe slowly."
The golem brought the water glass. I held it to her lips. "Just a little sip first."
Gulp. She barely swallowed. I kept stroking her back, matching her breaths. Another sip. Then two. Her ragged breathing slowly steadied.
I brushed back the sweat from her forehead. Her rigid little shoulders. I kneaded them relentlessly.
How much time passed? "Hoo... Haa...."
Her breathing evened out. Color returned to her face bit by bit.
"Better? Can you breathe now?"
"Yeah.... Hweek...."
Elma nodded, wiping her tears. I let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Thank God.... I thought we were in real trouble."
I rubbed my chest and pulled her into another embrace. Her heart, nestled against me, still raced.
"Why'd you hold back like that? If I'd let you go, you could've given those geezers an earful."
I gently scolded her. "You could've at least cursed them out. If they complain later, just say some crazy grad student lost it."
"......"
"Well, no sane person would act like a grad student anyway."
My little joke, laced with a chuckle to lighten the mood. But Elma didn't laugh. Instead, she looked up at me. With those almond eyes brimming with sorrow.
"...You might get caught."
"Huh?"
"Your face, darling."
A tiny hand reached out. It softly traced my cheek.
"What if your face goes viral...."
"My face going viral? That's nothing compared to you hearing that crap."
"It is something...."
Her voice grew thick with tears.
"Someone like you... so normal and fine...."
"Elma."
"Being seen with a freak dwarf like me."
Tears welled up again.
"You'd be humiliated...."
Thud. My heart sank.
That was why she'd held me back. Not because of the ore. Not to hide our marriage. She didn't want me mocked for being tied to her. She'd endured all that vile abuse alone. To protect my honor.
Foolish self-loathing. Desperate devotion.
"God."
The dam I'd held back broke. My vision blurred.
"Elma...."
"D-Darling...?"
Tears fell in drops. Elma's eyes widened round.
"Wh-why are you crying...? Don't cry...."
"I'm so sorry. I didn't know. Sniff... And I couldn't even step in for you...."
"No, no. It's my fault for being worthless. You're not to blame."
Elma panicked, reaching with her tiny hands to wipe my tears. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her tight into my arms.
"Hwaaaang— Darling....!!"
"Elma... I'm sorry. Elma...!"
"Don't cryyy—! Darling…! Sniff, hweeeeng!"
"Y-you're crying too... Hweeeeng!"
In the end, Elma burst into sobs again. We cried like that for a long while. Clinging to each other. Sharing the grief.
How much time had passed? The tears finally stopped. We lay tangled on Neukdori.
"Sniff... Snurf..."
Elma, buried in my arms, kept sniffling snot. Her eyes were puffy. Her nose tip bright red. Still in the clothes I'd torn off—her true form, just shy of 90cm. Right now, Elma was naked.
"Hey, Elma."
"Yeah, darling."
"Do you know how pretty you are?"
"...Liar."
"It's true. The prettiest in the world."
I kissed her forehead. Smack.
"This forehead's pretty."
Smack.
"Your eyes are cute too."
Elma shyly averted her gaze. Her lips quivered, then curved into a grin.
"Your freckles are pretty like stars."
Smack. Smack. Smack. I peppered kisses along her nose bridge. Elma let out a drowsy hum.
"Mmm.... Tickles...."
"Those geezer bastards must be blind. To not see how pretty you are."
I lifted her small arm. The one they'd mocked as "hands that can't even swing a hammer."
Smack. I kissed her tiny palm. Callused and rough. Yet endlessly soft to me. I licked and sucked each knuckle tenderly.
"Darling... Tickles...."
"You know how adorable your hands are? These hands made me all that delicious food."
"Heehee.... Cooking's kinda my thing."
Elma chuckled softly. Still misty-eyed. My lips trailed from her hand up her arm. I buried my face in the tender skin of her underarm. Damp forest scent. Nutty aroma. Her sleepy body odor enveloped me.
"Haa... Ha! Tickles!"
I flicked my tongue over the soft flesh. Elma twisted and giggled. I flipped onto my back and pulled her feet to me. Small, sturdy feet.
Smack. I kissed the top. Nibbled her toes.
"Ahh...! Darling! F-feet are dirty!"
"Where's the dirt? They're like jelly, so tasty."
"Pervert... You're such a beast, darling."
She said that, but didn't pull away. Instead, she rubbed against my thigh teasingly. A baptism of kisses. Over every inch, every wounded spot. Leaving traces of deep affection. This body they'd insulted. Confirming it was more precious to me than anything.
"Darling...."
Elma breathed heavily, calling me. Her cheeks flushed pink. Those almond eyes moist again. A small, sturdy finger pointed to her collarbone.
"I... Sniff, it hurts here too."
'Hurts.' Her way of voicing her emotional wounds.
"O-okay. I'll make it better."
I kissed her collarbone deeply. Sucked gently, infusing warmth.
"Hut... Yeah."
"Where else hurts?"
"H-here too... Sniff… Hurts so much...."
Now she pointed to her chest. Breasts swollen beyond her tiny frame. The ones she'd called deformed.
"These are pretty too. They fill my hand just right—feels amazing."
I buried my face in that weighty softness. Smack—sucked her areola noisily. Licked between the supple, chewy flesh. Kneaded and soothed with my hands.
"Hng... Ahh...."
Her waist trembled finely. Tiny hands dug into my hair.
"D-Darling.... Darlinggg...."
Her breaths grew ragged. Her hand slid down to her lower belly. She parted her legs slightly. Between her plump, short thighs. That cherry-blossom pink.
"I... Sniff, hweek...."
Elma sniffled, pointing there.
"Here too... Hurts so bad… Like I'm dying...."
The place she'd blamed herself for, even her lover couldn't accept. The root of her deep inferiority.
I wordlessly lowered my face between her legs. Gripped her thighs and spread them wide.
"Elma. Everything's pretty. This is too."
And I buried my face there.
"It's all mine, so don't badmouth it."
"…!!"
My lips touched. Hot nectar welcomed me. Woman's scent mixed with sweet milky aroma. I extended my tongue, gently lapping the tender mucosa.
"Eut...! Hyaaah...!! Mmm...!"
Her head tilted back. Her small body jolted.
"Okay? Elma."
"Yeah… So… Sniff.. Keep going… Still hurts so much…"
Slurp, smack. As gently as possible. More comfort than stimulation. Lips over not just her clit, but the soft labia too. Embracing it all. Soothing, stroking, licking.
"D-Darling...! Hng, ah! Good… So gooood…!"
She whimpered through her pleasure. Relief. Happiness. Overwhelming joy at her shame being loved.
"Sniff, hweek... Ahh, darling... I'm weird... So weeeird....!"
Elma's skin quivered. Her thighs clamped my cheeks. Hot fluids gushed.
"Haut... Ahh...!"
Elma climaxed, sobbing uncontrollably. Pure bliss. Her little body melted limply.
"Hoo..."
I wiped my mouth and rose. Over her slack form, I collapsed and hugged tight.
"Ugh... Hweek...."
Even in the afterglow, Elma wrapped around my neck. Still crying? She buried her face in my shoulder, sniffling nonstop.
"Doesn't hurt anymore?"
"Yeah... Sniff... All better...."
She rubbed her cheek against mine. Like a coquettish cat.
"Your touch fixed everything."
"Good. Tell me anytime it hurts."
"Hehe.... I picked a heck of a husband."
Elma beamed through puffy eyes. I pulled the blanket over us.
"Darling."
"Yeah."
"I feel a lot better now."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Hurt like hell when those geezers were trash-talking."
Elma kissed my nape.
"But your essence made me forget it all. Guess I can't live without you."
"Then stick to me forever."
"Duh. Run away and I'll snap your legs."
Such a mismatched threat. But her voice was fluffy as cotton candy.
"Sleepy?"
"Yeah. Crying wore me out…"
Her eyelids drooped. I patted her back. My small, sturdy, most precious professor in the world.
"Sleep. I'm not going anywhere—I'll hold you."
"Mmm... Love you, darling...."
Slow, even breaths. I smiled unwittingly. This wounded woman. Yet so resilient. How could I not love her?