Free Web NovelChapter 41: Episode 041: Are You Fine?
Caius groaned.
Iris did not care that a lethal general was glaring at her. She just smiled wider. She held up a large woven basket filled to the brim with fresh, colorful swamp fruits and baked sweet bread. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
"I brought food," Iris sang cheerfully.
Caius let out another long, heavy sigh. He hated loud noises around his home. He wanted absolute peace and quiet after dealing with the Panthers for a week. But she brought food.
Caius let her in and Iris almost jumped in joy.
"Thank you, Caius," Iris chirped.
She stepped into the cabin. Iris walked over and set the heavy woven basket down on the wooden dining table.
She turned to Rue. Her bright, chaotic energy suddenly dropped. The massive smile on her face faded into a very serious, tight expression. She crossed the room, pulled up a small wooden stool, and sat directly across from Rue.
"I need to apologize to you," Iris said quietly.
Rue tilted her head. She pulled her green dress over her knees. "For what?"
"For my sister," Iris explained, her violet eyes looking down at her own lap. "For Queen Tanith. During your first visit to the Swamp Palace, she was incredibly cold to you. It was highly unfair, and I am sorry you had to sit through that."
Rue stared at the girl.
Back on Earth, if someone insulted her, she would hold a grudge for a very long time. But her entire perspective had shifted. She had survived a kidnapping panther, and near-death experiences.
Rue waved her pale hand in the air, brushing the apology away completely.
"I forgot about it," Rue stated flatly.
Iris blinked. She looked up, clearly confused. "You forgot?"
"Yes, and then Caius took me away, and now I am sitting in my own house," Rue explained with absolute, deadpan logic. "Holding a grudge is a massive waste of energy. It burns calories. It takes up brain space. I am a nursing mother. I do not have the time or the extra brain cells to stay mad at someone who isn’t even in the room."
Iris stared at her for three full seconds.
Then, the serious, tight expression completely shattered. Iris threw her head back and let out a loud, ringing laugh. The bright, chaotic energy came rushing right back into the room.
"You are incredible," Iris beamed. She leaned forward, her violet eyes shining. "Most females in the Beastworld would cry. You just delete it from your mind to save calories."
"Exactly," Rue nodded, keeping her face completely blank. "Revenge does not feed my baby."
Speaking of the baby, a tiny noise came from the corner of the room.
Theron woke up. He was lying in his new, perfectly carved ironwood crib that Caius had carried all the way from the jungle. The baby kicked his small legs against the soft white moon-fox furs. He let out a quiet, sleepy coo.
Iris gasped. She turned her head so fast her dark hair whipped through the air.
"Can I see him?" Iris asked, her face practically lighting up. "Please?"
Rue looked over at Caius. The general was standing near the table, his arms crossed over his broad chest. He glared at Iris, clearly not wanting her anywhere near his son. Rue just rolled her eyes at him.
"You can hold him," Rue told Iris.
Iris hurried over to the dark ironwood crib. She moved incredibly gently, entirely contrasting her usual behavior. She reached down into the soft furs and carefully lifted the tiny infant into her arms.
Even after taking care of her siblings, whenever she sees or listens the sound of a child, there is always this behavior that Iris can never out live.
’Everyone is still a child at heart.’
She brought Theron back to the center of the room.
Iris completely lit up. She held the baby securely against her chest, swaying side to side. She started making ridiculous, highly exaggerated faces. She puffed her cheeks out wide. She crossed her bright violet eyes. She stuck her tongue out and made funny, popping noises with her lips.
Theron stared up at her. The baby’s bright golden eyes tracked her movements. He didn’t cry. Instead, he let out a tiny, bubbling sound that sounded exactly like a baby trying to laugh. He reached out with one chubby hand and firmly grabbed a loose strand of Iris’s dark hair.
"Ouch," Iris laughed, letting him pull the hair. "You are very strong. Just like your scary father."
Caius grunted from the corner, but he didn’t stop her.
Rue watched the scene closely.
She genuinely loved having Iris around. The cabin felt warm and lively. Iris brought a specific kind of light into the room that Rue’s flat, pragmatic personality simply could not create. It was nice to have a female friend in a world filled with violent, overly protective beastmen.
But as Rue watched Iris play with the baby, her intuition picked up on something else.
Iris was smiling wide, but something was wrong.
Iris was never this hyperactive, that was something Rue could note, but she couldn’t pinpoint what could be it.
When Theron looked away for a split second, Iris’s smile completely vanished. Her shoulders slumped forward, just a fraction of an inch. Her bright violet eyes lost their shine, turning dull and completely exhausted. She let out a very quiet, heavy breath. It looked like she was carrying a massive rock on her back.
But the very second Theron looked back up at her, the bright, massive smile snapped right back into place. It was instant. It was practiced.
Iris was hiding something. She was pretending to be perfectly fine.
Caius pushed off the wooden wall. He picked up the heavy woven basket from the dining table.
"I am going to wash the fruit," Caius announced quietly. He looked at Rue, making sure she was comfortable. "I will cut the sweet bread."
"Thank you," Rue nodded.
Caius walked into the small, attached kitchen area. A few seconds later, the sound of running water filled the cabin. The heavy, rhythmic sound of a sharp knife chopping fruit against a wooden board followed right after.
Rue and Iris were alone in the main room.
Iris continued to bounce Theron. She hummed a soft, sweet tune. The baby kept a firm grip on her dark hair, his tiny eyes slowly drooping back into sleep.
Iris let out a soft laugh as Theron yawned.
But the laugh sounded hollow. It cut off a bit too sharply. Iris stared down at the sleeping baby, and for a brief moment, her mask slipped entirely. She looked deeply, incredibly sad. She looked entirely worn out.
Rue sat quietly in her padded chair. She did not judge the girl. She just felt a wave of genuine care for the wolf female who had welcomed her into this scary world without asking for anything in return.
Unlike others who came into her life weirdly, Iris here had this motherly air to her that she could not explain.
So why would she behave differently than what she used to be before?
Rue leaned forward slightly. She rested her elbows on her knees and clasped her hands together. She looked directly at the laughing girl holding her son.
She did not beat around the bush. She did not use polite, gentle small talk. She went straight to the point.
"Iris," Rue asked, her voice completely calm and very simple. "Are you fine?"
