CHAPTER 189: CHAPTER-189

Veer exhaled slowly. "How the hell did I end up falling for you?" he murmured under his breath. "This weak little woman who acts like a tigress..."

But even as he said it, he was already pulling the hide tighter around her, tucking it in securely. His wings folded closer, letting not even a thread of cold slip in. The fire crackled beside them, casting a soft amber glow on their faces, and Veer kept one hand on her forehead, checking her temperature every now and then. He didn’t sleep. Not even for a moment. Every flicker in her breath, every shift in her body, he noticed.

The night passed in silence, save for the crackle of firewood and the occasional rustle of wind outside. Kaya didn’t stir.

And then morning came.

A soft light filtered through the gaps in the cave roof, spilling over the two figures curled close together. Veer blinked blearily, his eyes red with sleeplessness. He looked down just as Kaya stirred in his arms.

Her eyelashes fluttered. She blinked a few times, then slowly shifted her head. The fever had broken. Her skin felt cooler, her breath easier.

"...You didn’t sleep?" she rasped, her voice still weak but clearer.

Veer gave her a small grin. "I didn’t need to. Someone had to babysit the tigress."

Kaya snorted softly, managing the faintest smile. "Idiot..."

Kaya closed her eyes again for a moment. She had never felt this kind of safety before. It was strange—comforting. Like having someone beside you who made the world feel a little less cold. Veer wasn’t the ideal partner by any means. He wasn’t mature.

He didn’t act gentle. Half the time, he didn’t even know what to say. And just by looking at his face, you’d think he was nothing more than a carefree playboy—the kind of guy Kaya usually hated.

But after spending the past few days with him, something had shifted. Somehow, she had grown fond of him—more than she expected. And honestly... she kind of liked it. It wasn’t bad at all.

After brushing her teeth with the neem stick as usual, Kaya and Veer decided to cook something. Like, obviously—before flying, they needed to fill their stomachs. You couldn’t just take off on an empty stomach in this freezing weather. That was just asking for trouble. Kaya’s cough was still bad, and starving herself on top of that? Nope. Not happening.

So, she asked him—nicely, even—to go and fetch some water from the river. A small job. Basic survival 101.

But this man.

This delicate little princess in disguise.

Seriously, Kaya’s irritation was crawling up her spine like a rash. He acted like she had asked him to fight a bear or dive into the river barefoot. She just needed water. That’s it. Because she couldn’t risk going herself—not with her cough still rattling in her chest and that annoying weakness clinging to her limbs.

To his credit, Veer did walk to the river calmly at first. Smooth steps, chin up, as if he was some noble hero heading into battle. Kaya had even begun to think, Huh, maybe he’s not completely useless.

But the moment she dared to believe that—

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The scream tore through the air like a sword slash.

Kaya froze. Her stomach dropped.

Her first thought? He’s dead.

Second thought? God of death has arrived. Like, actually showed up.

She sprinted. Heart thudding. Breath caught in her throat. What happened? Did he fall? Did something bite him? Was he bleeding?

And then—

She saw him.

Veer. Standing there. Eyes wide. Hands up. Pointing at a rock like it had committed a war crime. No blood. No monster. Not even a scratch.

Just... a cockroach.

A tiny, normal cockroach.

It was just sitting there. Silently. On a cold, lonely stone. Minded its own business. Probably confused why this human was making such a fuss. And Kaya just stood there, staring between the insect and Veer, who looked like he’d just seen the gates of hell.

"Really?" she muttered, voice hoarse from coughing and disbelief.

This dumb bastard had nearly sent her into a panic attack—because of a cockroach.

A cold-weather survivor cockroach that shouldn’t even be here. But still, it was just sitting. Not flying. Not jumping. Not biting. Just existing.

And yet here he was, screaming like his soul was being dragged away by demons.

Kaya closed her eyes. Took a long, shaky breath. She could not.

This man might actually kill her—without even trying.

Veer, who had somehow—magically—ended up hiding behind Kaya, grabbed her shoulders tightly like she was his personal human shield. His voice was trembling with drama, eyes wide with betrayal from nature itself.

"See, see! How ugly and scary this creature is!" he whispered urgently into her ear, as if they were being stalked by a demon and not... you know, a cockroach.

Kaya didn’t even turn. She just stood there. Frozen. Processing.

This man.

This grown man—taller, broader, heavier than her—was literally clinging to her like a child afraid of the dark. And for what? A bug. A creature probably ten thousand times smaller than him. The absurdity of it all had her jaw tightening to stop from either screaming or laughing.

And as if this scene wasn’t ridiculous enough—

The cockroach, who had been sitting silently on his stone throne, turned his tiny head.

Looked at them.

There was an unmistakable pause in his movement. A judgmental pause.

Even the cockroach looked unimpressed. He blinked, as if silently saying, What the hell is wrong with you two?

If he had a voice, Kaya swore he would’ve muttered a solid URW1 right back at Veer—whatever that meant in cockroach language—but she felt the insult in her bones.

Clearly offended by all the screeching and chaos, the poor thing had had enough. Without making any more fuss, he simply turned and walked off like an old monk giving up on humanity. He disappeared behind the rocks, probably vowing never to return to this cursed stretch of river again.