Kaya leaned closer. "Wait... and this one?"
"The woman was different."
Her eyes narrowed. "And here?"
"She suddenly vanished."
Kaya stared at him, processing. "Wait, wait—so you an you can actually read this language?"
He glanced up at her, calm. "Of course I can. This is nothing strange."
"Nothing strange?" She frowned. "How do I know you’re really reading it and not just making up words?"
His lips curved faintly. "Do you really think I need to?"
The steady resonance of his voice through her earstone made Kaya hesitate. Then she said, "Swear on your god."
At that, veer stilled, as if the words hadn’t reached him—or maybe he was pretending not to hear.
Kaya repeated, firr this ti. "Swear on your god. That’s what you people do, right? Swear on your god so you can’t lie."
Whisps of amusent flickered in his eyes before Veer suddenly burst into laughter. He looked straight at her and said, "Why would I swear on a god I don’t even believe in?"
Kaya paused, then asked with mild surprise,
"But... don’t you guys believe in the God of Beasts? Or... are beasts the gods? Whatever they are, I thought you people mostly believed in them."
Veer smiled faintly. "What, do you also wear a frock and dance like a girl?"
She gave him a look like he was the biggest idiot alive. "Why would I?" she snapped, flaring up all of a sudden.
"Exactly," Veer interrupted smoothly. "That’s the sa for . I don’t believe in gods—should I be forced to? It’s my choice whether I want to or not."
Kaya considered that for a mont, then gave a small shrug. "Fine. People believe or don’t—it’s not a big deal."
Her eyes narrowed again. "But then... how do I know you’re telling the truth? Swear on sothing you actually believe in. Anything."
He studied her quietly, his gaze holding hers. It was the first ti he’d seen her looking this serious—and, strangely, a little cute.
After a pause, he said, "Fine."
He raised his hand, set it gently on her head, and said, "I swear on my beloved life partner that I will not lie, and I’ll read every single line exactly as it is."
Kaya’s jaw dropped. She batted his hand away. "You—why are you swearing on my head?!"
He shrugged casually. "I needed to swear on sothing, right? And you are my life partner, so of course I’ll swear on you."
Her eyes narrowed, this ti with heat. "Who said I’m your life partner?"
Veer suddenly covered his chest with both hands, his expression round-eyed and scandalized.
"Oh my god! Here I thought you were a proper lady, but who would have guessed you’d just use and throw away like... like a gigolo!"
Kaya’s jaw dropped. "Who the hell called you a gigolo? And when did I use you?"
Veer gave her a smoldering look—though it was more dramatic than seductive.
"You used . You used my body. And now you say this? Oh my god, the world is never fair to n!"
Kaya froze for a mont, then groaned. "Shut up, you drama queen. When did I ever—"
"You did!" Veer pointed at himself, then at the air. "Didn’t you use for flying you around? Rember? You grabbed so tightly while we were in the air." He clutched at his chest as if reliving the tragedy. "Do you know how much damage that caused to my reputation? If people found out that I, Veer, had been touched by a woman who wouldn’t even take responsibility for —" He shook his head gravely. "What would I do? What would beco of my good na? My ancestors would rise from their graves just to curse !"
He sighed dramatically, clutching his heart. "Oh my god... how can there be such a cruel person?"
Hearing that, Kaya shot back, "But didn’t you also touch ? I didn’t say anything about that."
Veer grinned, leaning closer. "Huh, okay then—I’m ready to take responsibility. I have no problem. You’re the one pretending you weren’t affected."
Kaya’s eyes narrowed. "You... ugly." She turned away with a huff.
Veer’s smile only widened. "So, in other words, you are my life partner. Good. I’ll swear on it for you."
He added smugly, "And you’ll know if I’m lying. If you get sick after I swear, then you’ll know I wasn’t telling the truth."
Kaya turned back to him, frowning. "What kind of ridiculous process is that?"
Veer shrugged casually. "Where I co from, it’s just how it works. If I swear on sothing and lie, the person I swear on either dies... or gets really, really sick."
Kaya stared at him, dumbfounded. Then she dropped her forehead into her hand and sat back down at the table.
This man... The stick was his, the snake was his—and sohow, the one about to be bitten was her.
Kaya let out a long sigh, more out of frustration than exhaustion. She slid herself onto the edge of the table, folding her arms.
"Alright," she said flatly, "start reading."
Veer blinked at her, frowning. He pointed at her with an incredulous look.
"Are you serious? You want to go through all this right now—without food, without water? I haven’t eaten a single thing or even had a sip since I got back."
Kaya’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.
"Oh, please. Didn’t I hand you a glass of water just a few minutes ago?"
Veer stared at her for a beat, then let out a short, dry laugh. He leaned back slightly, his tone turning sharp.
"Darling," he said, almost amused, "I think I just figured out how your first husband died."
Kaya leaned back a little, her smile widening as if she’d just been handed the perfect setup.
"Oh?" she said, feigning innocence. "Do you want to send you to keep him company?"
Hearing that veer smiled and put his right hand on table and leaned in.
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