Chapter 18: Have faith in your husband
"Don't. Please stop it! Don't look at it anymore!"
By the time Zethus came to his senses, the girl was already as pale as a sheet of paper. She was sobbing weakly and begging him to spare her memories. He instantly felt guilty and worried the moment he saw her condition.
Recalling the things and events he had seen, he pulled her into his embrace. He was not sure if it was because of today or because of the pain she had to suffer alone, but right that second, he had the urge to comfort her.
Maybe it was because of their bond that her emotions became clearer to him. She was scared and, at the same time, surprised. She struggled to get out of his arms, but he wouldn't budge, no matter how much she hit and pushed him away.
"I told you to stop! Why won't you listen? Why can't you just leave me be?" She shouted, resentful.
Zethus remained quiet, determined to listen and receive all the pent-up frustrations in her heart.
"You saw them. Those hateful memories!" she then laughed hysterically and eyed him harshly while huffing breathlessly. "Deep inside, you must be judging me too. Go on, say it! Say that I'm an ugly bitch and a loser! Ha, I know it, okay? I'm just a creep. A hideous frog who wanted to eat swan meat. That's why I pushed myself onto a man's arms and entered his bed like a slu-"
Zethus, who couldn't take any more of the harsh words she was directed to herself, sealed her mouth with a kiss to shut her up. The fact that she endured more of those words for many years makes him so mad and upset.
"That will shut you up," he said after breaking the kiss.
Atasha was left dumbfounded.
'He kissed her.'
There were no butterflies in the stomach or squirming of the insides like a teenager. Just plain astonishment. Before she could even say anything, the man started wiping her tear-stained face gently and continued, "I already know what happened, so please, stop saying those things."
It was nothing special, but his words made her a little warm inside. So warm that she couldn't help but cry more.
"W-why?" her trembling voice cracked. A trace of bitterness could be heard. "Not even a single person believed me when I begged them to listen. But a stranger like you tells me you do? Why? Why? Why!? Ha! Haha-! *Hic! Hic! Waah!?"
The words she longed to hear but not a single soul uttered for so many years. Yet, today, this strange man, in this strange world…
"Why only now? At least once, I would've felt that I wasn't alone in the world if there was someone by my side! Why didn't you appear when I need those fucking words of consolation? What's the use of it now?"
"If only… If only there was someone… I wouldn't have given up and run like a coward! I had no one… not even when I was crumbling down and losing something precious."
"So, why did you have to appear when everything's already left and gone? Why did you send someone when it's already too late!" she continued hitting his chest while crying and blaming the Goddess who neglected her all this time.
At that moment, Zethus only held her tightly with a pained expression. The myriad of emotions surging in her core were clearly felt by him. He was aware of what she had been through, but he didn't know what exactly he could do besides listening to her hoping it would lessen her pain.
He knew that some things were better left unsaid.
That there are just things he can never open at will like a pandora's box hidden in the depths of one's consciousness never to be unearthed, left forsaken.
They remained in the same position for quite a while. Atasha cried her eyes until she could cry no more. It's been some time since she had a good cry. Regardless of how much it hurts, she promised to be strong and live on. And that's why she struggled uncertain if it's indeed still worthwhile.
Strangely, she was comforted by the man's thoughtfulness. Regardless, now that she had calmed down a little, she became wary of him again. After all, the man bit her and almost sucked her blood dry. To be honest, she was still feeling a little dizzy due to the blood loss.
Considering what he just did, Zethus could only feel regret when he saw the girl being cautious towards him despite her feeble semblance. He wanted to change her impression of him and build his image in her head.
Atasha instinctively flinched when she saw that he had raised his hand, thinking that the guy would hit her.
"W-what are you trying to do?" her puffy eyelids twitched visibly alarmed.
Upon seeing her strange reaction, Zethus shifted her gaze from the girl who was visibly tensed, to his hand. After recognizing what was wrong, he instantly felt helpless.
"I'm not going to hurt you, so," he was then reminded of how he despicably bit her.
He cleared his throat, "That was something necessary for the ritual, so please forget about it. But I would still apologize for hurting you. I'm sorry."
The girl eyed him suspiciously, but she did not detect any lies in his words. Although she doesn't like how he phrased it,
"What do you mean by necessary and what ritual? You just said that you wouldn't hurt me but are you going to suck my blood again in the future and call it 'necessary' to absolve yourself?"
"That…" The man found himself having a hard time retorting. It's not like he was going to do it again since they have already successfully established a bond. However, he's a beast and not a 'human' like her.
After seeing her memories, he also learned about her way of life and the truth behind her identity. She comes from a species called humans. A weak being with no special powers or strong physique. Though he was confused about how she was able to initiate a blood contract with a being like him, he was sure that the girl was fragile.
Considering that his rough and savage nature makes a snake beastman like him one of the apex predators of this world, there might be some instances that could result in him hurting her again. Now that he thinks about this, he can't help but feel worried.
Initially, he thought that she was a clumsy plant-eater. Though those beasts are usually at the bottom ranks in the Beast World, they are still beastmen far superior to regular wild beasts who are at the bottom of the food chain. But now that he thinks about it, this female right here can't even physically compare to a dumb Kuri.
When he saw her running away from the troll cave, he was so worried and mad. There seemed to be another female in there who was held captive, but it was none of his business.
Although it was unfortunate for her, that female was already marked by a kuri. She can only kill it and escape on her own.
Once tainted by a kuri, a female becomes a defective woman (shira) and will be frowned upon by all beastmen. She will start to give off stinking pheromones resembling rotting flesh but that's not the only reason why beastmen abhor shiras.
The demanding tribes of beastmen would violently cast away any shira at sight even if she offered herself to be a breeding horse to the whole tribe. It was due to their inability to conceive and fear of contracting the potent disease upon the attempt to breed. Countless males have fallen victim to it.
Shiras are carriers of a vile disease that corrupts the bijous' jewel source and eats away their essence until they become another kuri of the same kind as its progenitor.
The seeds that a kuri implants in a shira are highly parasitic. It's practically their way to supplement their kind because they are unfit to reproduce and shiras who can flee from their captivity become their medium.
That being said, Zethus was proud of the frail yet courageous girl in front of him. She was able to escape a kuri's clutches and came to their lair. Zethus grinned with glee without realizing it.
"What are you thinking? You're smiling like a creep," Atasha blurted out and raised her eyebrows.
The other person appeared to treat her genuinely, so she decided to be open about her own opinion and talk like normal. Besides, if he wanted to eat her, she would've been in his stomach now.
Instead, he even apologized after drinking her blood. Atasha quickly noted these little things and concluded. Despite that, she still hasn't forgiven him for biting her and looking into her memories.
It was an invasion of privacy!
Zethus quickly composed himself and patted her head like a toddler. "I'm just happy and feel proud that you bravely fought your way here. Now that I'm here, you don't have to worry. I, Zethus of the Snake Clan, promise to protect you with my life. Please have faith in your husband."
H-husband?
Whose husband?
Her?
How can that be?
Is this man trolling her?
This time, Atasha's eyes widened, and her mouth parted like a goldfish out of the water when she heard him.
"What husband? Are you high?" she exclaimed.