Capítulo 409: Naira’s Apology
Kaiden turned toward the door, intent on eting this Varek person and seeing what passed for authority here. His steps were steady, his focus already shifting to whatever conversation lay ahead.
Then ca a small sound behind him. “Ah!” It was a hesitant, squeaky note that made him pause mid-stride.
He looked over his shoulder. Naira was standing there with her hands fidgeting at her chest. Her lips parted to speak, but her courage seed to falter halfway. When he didn’t react right away, she clenched her fists and blurted it out.
“I’m sorry!”
Her voice rang through the quiet room.
Kaiden blinked, surprised. For a mont, he thought she might’ve been talking to soone else. Then she bowed her head right toward him, eliminating any such thoughts.
“What for?” he asked after turning fully to face her. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”
Naira lifted her head, eting his eyes. “I’m sorry for being afraid of you. I treated you like a bad man even after you saved from the monsters!”
Aria clasped her hands together and sighed dreamily. “See? We already told you, he’s a total sweetheart under all that confident, masculine stuff n like to display. It makes them feel good about themselves.”
“I couldn’t have said it any better~” Bastet purred. “Master is the best man in the whole world!”
Nyx and Luna only giggled, sending Kaiden an emotion-filled look.
Diaz and Thomas both closed their eyes at the sa ti, feeling full of self-pity. Then, after a soul-cleansing internal sigh, their eyelids parted, and the two n exchanged a look that could only be described as pure pain.
Diaz already knew it, and now so did Thomas. Being in the sa group as Valhalla’s Sinners ca with many pros and cons. Naly, they were very strong and competent, but their dynamic would make any man seethe with envy.
The expressions with which the girls looked at their man should be labeled emotional torture and made illegal.
Both of them were in full agreent.
Thomas muttered under his breath, “Four of them. Four. There’s no justice in this world.”
Diaz rely shook his head, refusing to comnt.
Kaiden, oblivious to the thoughts of the pair, let out a slow exhale through his nose. “You girls aren’t exactly helping my image,” he muttered to himself.
Indeed, they were recording. However, they did not conduct a live broadcast now, knowing just how many malicious eyes were on them. They learned from the previous encounter with those masked and robed n; privacy was important. Thus, they’d only release content once the clearance was done, and they left the premises already.
Hearing his tired sigh, Aria giggled with eyes full of love. Nyx elbowed Luna in amusent, while Bastet wore the kind of grin that said she was enjoying the exchange a whole lot.
Naira, however, smiled softly. The tension was gone from her body as she nodded toward Aria. “You are right… I see it now.”
Aria bead while Luna returned the elbow shot to the side of the pink-haired Valkyrie.
Kaiden, pretending not to notice, just rubbed his neck and said, “Alright. Apology accepted, though it really wasn’t needed. I’m glad you’re no longer afraid of .”
Naira gave a small nod. Her expression was open and peaceful for the first ti since she’d interacted with him. Kaiden studied her for a mont longer, then spoke again.
“Before I go et this Varek, can I ask you sothing?”
She blinked in surprise, then nodded quickly.
“I’d like to know what kind of place this tribe really is. What kind of people are they? What is your story? What are your experiences? Or anything you think I should know before talking to the man in charge.”
Her cheery attitude vanished in an instant. It was like watching a light go out. Naira’s gaze drifted to her mother, resting nearby. She’d succumbed to unconsciousness as soon as Kaiden placed her down and she realized that her daughter was safe.
Naira’s hands clenched into fists. Her lips pressed together, trembling once before she spoke. “I’ll tell you my tale, I hope it will help.”
Kaiden nodded.
“Our fate was sealed when my father died…”
The bronze-skinned native girl began.
Kaiden and the others stood still, listening intently.
“He was one of the hunters. Strong and respected. People trusted him. When the monsters ca that night, the night that strange woman’s voice was heard, he fought to give everyone ti to escape.”
Her throat tightened. “He didn’t make it. After that… no one cared about us anymore.”
She crouched beside her mother and brushed her fingers along the woman’s cheek. The touch was slow, tender. “In this tribe, every family must have a provider, soone who brings in food. The food is given to the elders, who then distribute it in the tribe. Families with many hunters rise high in the hierarchy. Those without stay at the bottom.”
Her gaze dropped, and her voice grew quiet. “When my father died, our family lost its place. We beca burdens, just a weak woman and her daughter. My mother, Lira, tried to fix that. She wanted to remarry, to find another hunter who could take us under his na. But all the good ones were already taken, and the rest…”
She hesitated, angry to even say the re words. But she did so anyway, feeling she owed this to her saviors.
“They said she was used goods. That no hunter would lower himself to marry soone another man had already claid. I then offered myself up and quickly found suitors. But my mother vetoed them all, knowing exactly why these hunters were rejected by other won who had the option to select. They were cruel behind closed doors.”
The Valkyries’ faces hardened.
Naira went on while her hand was still resting against her mother’s face, gently stroking her cheeks. “So she said she’d beco a provider herself. But I knew she wasn’t built for that kind of work. She is a frail woman who was trained to beco a good housewife all her life.”
Her fingers curled slightly. “I couldn’t watch her break herself. I told her I’d go instead.”
Aria gasped, “You volunteered?!”
Naira nodded once. “The elders said it was noble, that I was honoring my father’s spirit despite being born a girl. But I knew what it really was. They were happy to know I’d soon be gone. One less stomach to feed. When my mother protested, it was I who pulled her away from the elders. I knew that there were worse fates than ours… Much worse.”
Her shoulders trembled. The image of faces, voices, and the sound of begging flickered across her eyes before she forced it down.
When she finally spoke again, her tone was low, bitter. “Back when I was being educated by the elders, they told that the greedy and horrible Pale Ones call my people savages. I thought you were stupid. Dumb outsiders who lived with their eyelids shut.”
She looked up at Kaiden. Anger burned through her eyes.
“But now I know. You were right all along.”
The room fell silent. Aria’s hand found Naira’s shoulder, squeezing gently.
Kaiden watched the infuriated expressions of his girls before speaking, “Thank you for telling , Naira.”
Sothing in his tone made even Thomas and Diaz straighten up.
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