"You brought a Man?" The eldest sister, Medusa, spoke.
"Come on, like you haven't brought men with you, too?" Ebo bit back.
"You know better than anyone that they are nothing but decorations," Medusa replied. She just wouldn't allow a man in their house. Let alone gods.
Hey, hey, woman, you just said something very frightening, Hyun-woo thought, but couldn't say it out loud. He was quite overwhelmed.
"Then he is my decoration," Ebonara said and hugged Hyun-woo tightly.
All three sisters froze at the same time.
They stared at Ebonara's face—her eyes were burning with something fierce, almost feverish. This wasn't the cold, bored scorpion they knew. This was… different. Way too different.
"Ebonara, you fucking bitch, are you under some kind of spell?" Stheno asked. She was the middle sister, and she was getting restless. If what she was thinking was true, then this situation might be a trap.
Hearing this, Ebonara looked at Stheno with a terrifying gaze, all eight gem-like eyes flashing dangerously. "Shut the fuck up, you hissing bitch," she growled. "Do I look like someone who can be controlled?"
A tick mark appeared on Stheno's forehead. She never could control her temper like her big sister.
"You shut the fuck up, you loose pussy!" Stheno shouted back. "At least we don't drag every random man home just to fuck them!"
The second those words left her mouth, Ebonara went stiff. Shock hit her hard.
She hadn't wanted Hyun-woo to hear about her past like this—not thrown out in anger. If he ever asked, she would've told him herself. But now? That bitch Stheno just spilled it without a care.
On the other side, Hyun-woo was just thinking how lucky he was to get a sex class. She would have really eaten him by now if not for his class. Lucky, lucky, very lucky.
But still, that snake woman had really upset Ebo.
"You wanna die, you bitch?" Ebonara's voice dropped low and deadly. The pressure got heavier, her tail rising like she was ready to strike.
But before she could do anything drastic, the third one spoke up. Euryale, the youngest of them all, intervened.
"That's enough," she said, and everyone calmed down.
Stheno blinked, annoyed. "You used your authority, Euryale?"
Even Ebonara and Medusa were looking at Euryale, while Hyun-woo just watched all of this with a confused look.
"Sister Ebo, why don't you tell us... why is this thing even alive? If you don't mind me asking," Euryale said with a cold voice, her snake features showing on her face, her slit green eyes looking at Hyun-woo with a dagger-filled gaze. She ignored her sister's question. But for good reason—how could she ask him about her authority with an outsider present? Stupid elder sister.
Ebonara took a deep, shaky breath, her eight eyes flicking toward the youngest sister. Out of all three gorgons, Euryale was the scariest
Ebonara know why Euryale had asked her, but she just wanted to be done with this matter. "Well, you can check with a spell. if I'm under some kind of spell?"
Euryale tilted her head, her slit-pupil green eyes narrowing as she studied Ebonara's face. Without a word, she gave a subtle nod to her big sister. Because she was the most powerful of the three.
Medusa slithered forward Her snake hair slithered softly, like a living crown, and her golden eyes locked onto Ebonara's eight glittering ones.
Up close, Medusa eyes weren't just legendary for turning anyone into stone—they pierced straight into the weave of magic itself, unraveling spells like threads from a tapestry. Hyun-woo held his breath; even he could feel the weight of her gaze, like the world was holding still.
That was why she could tell. "She is not under any spell."
She got back to her spot with her sisters. "She really is just... infatuated? With that thing?"
Hyun-woo was speechless. How could they call him a "thing"? He was a human being, alright.
Stheno voiced it first, her voice dripping with disbelief. "What the actual fuck?" She knew Ebonara inside and out—better than her own blood, sometimes. She remembered the scorpion's old hunger, that endless, gnawing void that drove her to fuck and feed without mercy. It wasn't love; it was survival, raw and brutal. And now? This black-shelled bitch was head-over-heels for a squishy little human? A man, of all things? It didn't compute. "You're telling me you're catching feelings for... him?"
"This is interesting." On the other hand, Euryale was curious. She found the whole situation interesting.
For the first time, all three sisters really looked at the "thing" clinging to Ebonara's side. Not as a threat or a meal, but as... him.
Damn, they all thought at once. He's adorable.
Big brown eyes that sparkled with nervous warmth, messy black hair that fell just right, a soft face that screamed "fragile" without trying. He wasn't some chiseled warrior or smug godling—he was plain, sweet, like a lost puppy you'd want to scoop up and protect. Or pet. Or... more.
Cute, their minds echoed in unison. Too cute.
Euryale's eyes narrowed sharper. Wait, wait, wait, is he using charm? She tried to look at him with her authority—a subtle pulse of power that could detect lies, illusions, or hidden influences. She scanned him head to toe. and he was Clean. There was nothing.
How the hell was she feeling this pull? Toward a man? It didn't make sense. Her sisters were just as baffled, exchanging quick, confused glances—Stheno scratching at her snake-tangled hair, Medusa tilting her head like she'd spotted a glitch in reality.
Ebonara caught the looks and grinned, all teeth and triumph. "See? Now you three huskies keep your claws off my cutie pie." Before anyone could blink, she yanked Hyun-woo's face right into her massive F-cup breasts, smooshing him against their soft, warm curves like a human shield. She wasn't risking it—not a single spark of interest from her so-called friends. Hell, not even a crush. He was hers.
"I will kill you if you do," she said, and a terrifyingly beautiful smile bloomed on her face. Her gem-eyes swirling with blazing yellow.
Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale's eyes went wide as saucers. They stared, jaws slack. How the fuck did this high-and-mighty slut get so goddamn smitten? Ebonara? The untouchable scorpion queen? Over a pretty boy?
Then their gazes snapped back to Hyun-woo, with the greatest of interest.
But before they could grill him, Ebonara cut in sharp. "Hey, enough gawking. Who's heading to the council meeting? We're already late as fuck." Ebonara reminded them. These three were always eccentric and always late to the meeting.
All three jerked their heads toward her, annoyed at the interruption. But one question still hung heavy, unanswered.
It was Euryale who spoke this time. "I'll go this time. But seriously, Sister Ebo—why are you here?"
It was a fair point. Say what you want about the scorpion bitch, but Ebonara was the most dutiful guardian in the outer territories. She never missed a meeting, never slacked on her watch. So what the hell was she doing, playing house with a human?
"Well, you see, I am here to reclaim my favor," Ebonara said.
Medusa's golden eyes narrowed instantly. She already hated where this was going. "What exactly do you want, Ebonara?"
Ebonara grabbed Hyun-woo by the shoulders and shoved him forward like she was presenting a prize. "Keep my cutie pie safe."
The three gorgon sisters stared at him hard, snake hair hissing quietly. Hyun-woo swallowed, forced a nervous little wave, and managed a weak, "Yo."
And then there was an awkward silence.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Stheno exploded first, her voice dripping with rage. "Why the hell would we let a man inside our home?"
"Because of that favor," Ebonara answered sweetly, her tail swaying like she'd already won.
"Tch." Stheno clicked her tongue, crossing her arms tight. She hated admitting it, but that favor was massive—life-saving, territory-saving, the kind you don't waste lightly. And definitely not on babysitting some random guy for a day.
"Why?" Medusa asked. She just couldn't understand why Ebonara wanted to waste it on this useless thing whose only redeeming quality was his cute face.
"You really wanna know?" Ebonara leaned in, voice dropping low and mysterious, eyes sparkling with secrets.
Euryale's green slit eyes widened. She figured it out first. "Don't tell me… you…"
"Yep," Ebonara said proudly. "I don't feel the hunger anymore."
All three sisters went dead still. Mouths open. Snakes frozen mid-hiss.
That was huge.
Even the Mother couldn't cure it. And now this scorpion bitch was saying one cute human boy fixed it?
Before they could bombard her with questions, Ebonara held up a hand. "Wait, wait, before you jump to any conclusions. The main thing is, I don't know either, or how. What I do know is that it was this cutie pie who cured me. But we are now getting late, so I will meet you at the meeting."
And with that, she disappeared.
The three sisters stood there, staring at the spot where she'd been.
Then they slowly turned to the "thing" Ebonara had dumped on them.
Well… at least he is cute, all three thought at the same time.
"So I guess I will go, too," Euryale said and disappeared as well.
Medusa and Stheno exchanged tired looks. Their friend and their little sister had just dropped this mess right in their laps.
"So… what now?" Stheno asked, glaring at Hyun-woo like he was a ugliest thing.
"We have to let him in," Medusa said flatly. "It's a favor from Ebonara. A big one, and you know it!"
"But a man inside our home?!" Stheno whined. "Unacceptable!"
"Stheno…" Medusa warned.
"But Sisterrrr…"
"H-hello?" Hyun-woo finally spoke up, voice small. He raised a shaky hand.
"What!" both of them said at the same time.
Seeing their eyes bearing pressure on him, he gulped. He was intimidated, alright? But who wouldn't be? Have you ever seen women with actual living snakes for hair? Lower bodies covered in beautiful, shimmering scales that turn into powerful snake tails? Sharp, gorgeous faces with slit pupils that glow? Fuck, this is too stimulating for me. Instead of being intimidated, now I feel a certain attraction to them.
He took a deep breath. "Now listen, I know I am not allowed in your home. And I can put one or two things together to get that you don't have a very good history with men."
"Yep," Medusa said coldly, her golden eyes fixed on him like he was an insect. "We fucking hate man-things."
Okay, you two are old, Even author is from 2000s could tell you that man things just means penis. But fuck I am getting over tracked here.
"But still, isn't it rude just to assume that all men are the same?"
"Shut the fuck up," Stheno snapped, her snake hair hissing louder. "All man-things are exactly the same—selfish, lying, useless pricks."
Hyun-woo just stared at them and thought that things were not going anywhere. But he had one thing in place.
"How about a binding vow, then?" he said with a straight face.
Medusa raised an elegant eyebrow. "Hmm. Good thinking… for Ebonara's little playthi—" She caught herself mid-word, clearing her throat. "Lover. Yeah, lover. Even then, without that favor, we never would've let you step one foot inside our home. But why we should even do a binding vow with you?"
Hey, hey, woman, I heard what you were just trying to say. But still if you are not going to do it. then … before he could say something.
"Fine, let's do it?" Stheno said.
"Are you out of your fucking mind, Stheno?" Medusa hissed, turning to her sister. "Do you even understand how dangerous a binding vow is? One tiny slip-up, one broken rule, and even gods feel the backlash. It's not some casual promise—it's a universal contract that binds your soul."
"I said I will do it!" But Stheno was stubborn. And Medusa knew better than anyone that her sister would not listen to anyone now.
Medusa pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a long, tired sigh. "Fine," she relented. "Do the damn vow."
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Chapter 13 is now available on Patreon.