WORLD OF BEASTS: A Girl For The Beasts

Wild Vegetables

Chapter 024: Wild Vegetables

Sunlight slipped through the gaps between the wooden planks, casting thin streaks of light across the floor.

Anindira woke from a deep sleep—but Halvir was already gone.

It was the first time she had opened her eyes alone, without that warm body beside her.

Anindira immediately got up and opened the window. Morning light flooded the room at once, bringing fresh, warm, clean air with it. She sat on the windowsill, leaning back and letting the breeze brush against her face as she looked around.

The treehouse was spacious. Two large window frames stretched along the right and left sides, facing the trunk of the massive tree. There was a door at the front and another at the back. It was far too large for a single occupant. It was also mostly empty—containing only a bed made of straw layered with animal fur and five large chests where Halvir kept his valuables and clothing.

"Where did Kak Halvir go? He left without even saying goodbye..." Anindira murmured.

She took a deep breath.

"Maybe because this is his home. There's no need to worry about wild beasts..."

Then she added quietly, almost in a whisper,

"...besides, I'm not ready either, after what happened last night."

She continued muttering to herself.

"Why did he do that?"

Her face grew hot. The memory of that brief kiss surfaced without warning, causing her cheeks to flush.

"He was never like that before..."

"Ahh...!!!"

Anindira suddenly cried out and ruffled her own hair.

"So embarrassing! Forget it! Just clean the house!"

She moved back and forth, trying to keep herself busy. But the moment she stepped outside and looked down, she froze.

"How am I supposed to get down?!" she complained in frustration.

Climbing trees was nothing unusual for her—in her world. But here?

These trees were giants.

Their branches were spaced far apart, each one more than ten meters thick in diameter. No wonder a house this large could sit securely on top of them.

Jumping?

Impossible.

"i***t!" Anindira shouted at herself.

"I've gotten used to being carried around. Now that I've been left alone, look at this... At this rate, I really can't do anything without a man."

She paced back and forth, whining and complaining to herself—until she finally gave up.

With a long sigh, Anindira went back inside.

She snapped off a small branch from the tree behind the house and used it as a makeshift broom. Old dust scattered into the air as she cleaned the floor and swept away the spider webs clinging to the corners. She opened all the doors and windows wide, allowing fresh air to replace the stale dampness that had been trapped inside for so long.

At least...

She could do this.

And for now, that was enough.

Some time later, a thin column of smoke began rising from below.

Anindira's heart skipped a beat.

Carefully, she crouched near the edge of the treehouse and looked down. From a distance of around fifty meters, it was impossible for her to identify the figure with certainty.

Yet somehow, her heart knew immediately.

It was Halvir.

"KAK HALVIR!" Anindira called out instinctively, her voice bursting with delight.

Not long afterward, Halvir appeared. He climbed up swiftly, then, without saying much, walked straight to Anindira to carry her down.

"Kak, why did you leave me?!" Anindira complained impatiently before Halvir had even fully straightened up.

"I went hunting," Halvir replied calmly while carrying her down. "Only for a short while. There are blankets in my house. You wouldn't get cold even if I left you alone for a few hours. Besides, it's still summer."

He continued flatly,

"You're safe in this village. No one would dare trespass into my territory."

"Eum."

Anindira nodded.

Then, when her gaze fell on Halvir's catch, one eyebrow rose slightly.

"Kak... were you really that hungry?"

"I was hungry," Halvir answered as he began roasting the entire carcass over the fire, slowly turning it above the flames. "I also brought some wild vegetables and the fruit you usually eat in the forest. I've already cleaned them. Eat. You said those leaves go well with fatty meat."

"Eum, thank you," Anindira said sincerely.

She immediately picked up the poh-pohan leaves and started eating them.

"They add flavor and help balance nutrition. I can't eat only meat. I need vegetables and fruit."

She chewed casually before adding,

"Where I come from, it's not common for me to eat wild vegetables unless I have no other choice. But the ones here are different. Their quality is genuinely excellent. They can even be eaten on their own."

Halvir's hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"So that means..." Halvir's voice dropped sharply, "...these aren't the vegetables you usually eat?"

His gaze hardened.

"You eat them because you're forced to?"

The tone sounded almost like a rebuke.

"Let go!"

Halvir barked the order, forcing Anindira to release the leaves in her hand.

"I'll give you the food you normally eat. Don't eat something you're forcing yourself to swallow!"

His voice was firm, nearly harsh.

"I can provide for you. Never belittle that."

Anindira stared at him blankly.

"Hah?"

She genuinely did not understand.

"Didn't I tell you not to suppress your desires?" Halvir continued. "Tell me what you want. I'll find it."

For the first time, Anindira saw Halvir display his emotions this openly. His grip remained firm, his attitude rigid—not toward Anindira, but toward the idea that he had failed to provide.

"Huft..."

Anindira let out a soft sigh.

"All right."

She surrendered, then deliberately slipped one of her fingers into her mouth and narrowed her eyes slightly—a teasing gesture, a calming one.

"Anindira," Halvir warned firmly.

"Kak," Anindira called softly. "I'm not suppressing my desires. Really."

She looked at him seriously.

"Why do you only hear my complaints, but ignore my praise?"

A small smile appeared on her lips as she pointed toward the vegetables in front of them.

"It's true that I don't normally eat them unless I have no other choice. That's true. But I also said that the wild vegetables here are of the highest quality. They taste good."

She tilted her head slightly.

"Do you understand now?"

Halvir still did not understand.

His jaw tightened, and his eyes remained fixed on the vegetables lying near the fire. Not because of the leaves themselves—but because of the feeling pressing against his chest, a feeling he rarely acknowledged.

As a *Sapphire, he lived by a simple principle:

Anything by his side had to be provided for.

And just now, Anindira's words—even though they had been spoken without any intention—felt like a slap to his pride.

As though he had failed.

As though the food he provided was merely an emergency substitute rather than something worthy.

To him, this was not about vegetables.

It was about dignity.

"You don't need to justify yourself," Halvir finally said, his voice low and restrained. "I don't like hearing the word forced come out of your mouth."

He looked away and focused on turning the meat over the fire. The flames crackled, fat dripped into the fire, and the scent of roasting meat filled the air—yet Halvir's face remained tense.

"If you're with me," he continued quietly but heavily, "that word shouldn't exist. Not for food. Not for anything."

Anindira fell silent.

Only then did she realize that Halvir's anger was not directed at her, but at himself—at the fear that he was not enough.

Halvir released a rough breath.

"I don't feel... lacking," he murmured softly, almost too quietly to hear. "When I'm with you, I don't feel that."

For a moment, silence returned.

Not a cold silence, but one filled with friction—two worlds, two different ways of understanding care, rubbing against one another without causing harm...

At least, not yet.