WORDS

Vreihya's P.O.V

When I realized I was the only one on the bed, I clutched the thick blanket tightly. The knowledge that I was alone simply contributed to the chill of the surroundings. I gently opened my eyes and sat up from my resting position.

I slowly saw Mino standing close to the table as I rubbed my eyes and awoke my spirit. While the child sleeps soundly on his shoulder, I glimpse at his muscular back. I'm not sure why I smiled after seeing what I saw.

I noticed him softly caress the back of the child clothed in thick clothes as he faced me. "What happened?" I inquired as soon as our gazes met. "He's having nightmares, so I brought him to sleep," he explained as he carefully swung his body to put the child to slumber.

I got out of bed and wrapped the thick blanket around myself since I didn't want to feel the cold on my back. While I was searching for thicker clothing, another thought occurred to me. "We need to get out of here; we can't stay here for too long or they'll locate us," I murmured, without looking at him.

"Can we stop for food later? I'm not happy that Kypper is so lightweight," he asked, and I looked at him. "Kypper? Is that his name?" I inquired quickly. "Yes! Can you imagine his own father is abusive and didn't even give him a name?" he replied gravely. I'm not sure why, but something about what he said seemed to squeeze my heart.

I dashed towards Mino, stretching out both of my hands as if I wanted to hold the child. He carefully gave the boy to me, and I could tell his weight was out of proportion to his age. I was embracing him tightly, as if I didn't want anyone to take him from me.

I instantly looked up, trying to keep the tears from welling up in my eyes. I am devastated that even his own father did not treat him properly. He called his father first when Mino scooped him up, implying that even though his father was harming him, he was still longing for his presence.

I felt Mino's gaze on me straight away, but I had no intention of lowering my eyes since I didn't want to cry. "When he's having nightmares, he's begging his father to stop beating the heck out of him," Mino responded gently, and my tears spilled from my eyes as a result of those words.

I bit my lower lip to keep the sobbing from emerging. But I lowered my head slowly and turned away from Mino. I don't want anyone to see me at my most vulnerable. "I think you were right at some point... we are monsters," I declared right away. It's a shame to think that I've lived in this world for so long and haven't personally encountered its harshness.

My entire existence revolved around our palace. I grew aware of the good things in our palace, perhaps due to the way of supervision made by mother and uncle, but there is a lot of cruelty going on outside our palace. Why am I so naïve? I'm beginning to wonder why I didn't desire to venture out of our palace and find out what was going on with everyone.

And here I am, observing the world of mankind and their cruelty, yet being naive in my own world. Why did I criticize them despite the fact that the world from which I came is not perfect? My ego seemed to have dwindled. In the world of humans, I focus too much on the negative, but in my world, I only focus on the good things, yet there is no difference between the two.

I was thinking along these lines when I heard the child in my arms cry out. I instantly placed him on the bed and noticed him crying with his eyes closed. Mino approached fast and removed the heavy clothing that was impeding his movements. "I am here, Kypper," Mino gently reassured him.

The child slowly opened his eyes, and when he spotted me, he instantly lit up and transformed into a wolf. He immediately ran to the edge of the bed and yelled, as though terrified and mistreated. His reaction shattered my heart once more.

But I can't help but feel relieved because his fur is clean and white, far from its pitiful appearance at the merchant's hands. Mino ran over to him, grabbed him, and calmed him down. "Don't be terrified, Kypper. She saved you," Mino soothed his trembling body.

It made a noise as if it was speaking to Mino, but he quickly picked him up in his arms. "Papa doesn't understand you," he laughed, and it immediately touched my heart because of how he referred to himself. I understand what that endearment actually means. Humans refer to their fathers as such.

Kypper's body lit up once more, and he returned to his human state. The child's bloodshot eyes glanced at Mino as if he wasn't sure if he would cry again. "I have a name?" he couldn't believe it. Mino nodded, squeezing the boy's cheek gently. His body shivered slightly, indicating that he was still scared of being touched.

"Aha! Papa gave it to you," Mino cheerfully assured him. "Papa?" inquired the five-year-old child. Mino smiled and nodded, pointing to me, who was followed by a somewhat nervous child. "She treated all your wounds," Mino exclaimed happily as the child examined his body, as if shocked that he had no wounds.

I knew we could both see the luminous string that connected the two of us, so the boy looked at me right away. He tracked the bright line tied to his neck once I lifted my ring finger. "Tha- Thank you," he said hesitantly, making me smile.

He has a significant amount of trust in Mino because he listens carefully. I sat on the bed and patted my thigh, as if summoning him. He paused for a few seconds before cheerfully crossing our path and hugging me. I couldn't help but console him by wrapping my arms around him. I'm not going to allow you get harmed in my hands again.

When he let go, he smiled at me and returned his gaze to Mino. "He's also my papa?" the boy said, and Mino and I exchanged a light giggle. "No, he's papa, and I'm mama," I explained to him as I kissed his forehead lightly. Like Mino, he is a really charming young boy.

As I lovingly squeezed Kypper's delicate cheeks, I felt Mino's familiar stare onto me. I was relieved that he didn't have any visible wounds, but it appeared that I was even more delighted because the mortal was staring at me again. It appears that I was only now pleased that someone was looking at me. Those gazes of his, can he only offer those only to me?

"You'll be a good wife," he whispered, but he turned away and smiled as if he hadn't said anything, but the redness of his cheeks made me speechless. I'm not sure why it seems to caress my heart, which I tried to halt once more.

"You know, Mino, words may mean a lot, so if you don't have a profound meaning of the words you utter, it's better not to let them out," I instantly reminded him, because what I despise the most are phrases that have meaning for me but none for him.

A word can signify several multiple interpretations. It can also cause confusion, like I am experiencing right now. It causes us to question some things, such as if what he says means anything. One of the things I detest the most is being perplexed by phrases that I'm not sure mean the same thing to him as they do to me.

As soon as I said that, he looked at me and smiled. I always seem to adore his smile whenever I see him. When he smiles and his eyes glitter, he appears more charming. "Noted," he muttered softly, but I was immediately cemented when I felt something opening in my mind again.

"Words aren't just enough, Vreihya; they're not enough to express everything," I heard in his thinking again. Entrante! I'm perplexed once more!