CHAPTER 265: CHAPTER-265

Veer walked beside her, and the moment the tribe saw him, every vulture lowered their head. Some even trembled. Kaya didn’t need anyone to tell her—this idiot had definitely done something.

But looking at their faces, the way fear and guilt lingered in their eyes, Kaya felt... strangely better. Serves them right, she thought. This bastard actually did something useful for once. A small wave of satisfaction passed through her chest, but she didn’t let it show on her face. She kept her expression flat as she stepped inside.

The house was cold. Not winter-cold, but the kind of cold that told her no fire had been lit, no food had been cooked. Kaya narrowed her eyes, already guessing what that meant.

"You haven’t eaten anything yet?" she asked, turning to Veer.

Veer scratched his neck, then looked at her and said simply, "I just returned."

Kaya blinked. "Wait... what?"

Veer moved to the kitchen without ceremony and began picking up the scattered fruit from the fallen basket. He handled each piece with a distracted efficiency, as if tidying would steady him.

Kaya watched for a moment, then asked, blunt and half-accusing, "So—you really just returned and went straight to find me?"

Veer didn’t look up. His voice was flat, like stating the obvious. "Of course. My wife is missing. What else would I do?"

For a beat Kaya stood stunned. The word—wife—felt heavy and wrong on her tongue. She stepped back and said, coolly, "I’m not your wife."

Veer paused but didn’t bother to meet her eyes. "Yeah, yeah." He kept picking at the fruit. "But I love you. If you want, we can get married. In my eyes, you already are my wife. Tell me to die and I will."

Kaya pressed her palm to her forehead as if to stop the words from sticking. She’d told him before: don’t talk to her like that. The claim, the pleading—everything set her teeth on edge.

She turned away without another word, went into her room, changed, and walked to the bathroom to wash the dust and the noise off her skin.

Kaya sat in the bathroom, staring at the still water in the bucket. Her thoughts ran wild. Today, more than ever, she knew—without help, without someone to guard her back, getting off this mountain was nearly impossible. Even if she tried, even if she dared, someone would notice her weakness.

Her mind shifted to Veer’s mother. If it was true, if Veer’s father had really locked her away, it all made sense. Kaya was a trained soldier and even for her, leaving this place demanded strength, courage, and endless exhaustion. What about a woman with no training? A normal human, fragile and unprepared? Keeping her hidden on the other side of the mountain wasn’t just imprisonment—it was control. No one could touch her. No one could even approach.

Kaya’s chest tightened. She had to leave this place. She had to. But the truth pressed down on her—it was too hard. She couldn’t even remember how many days had passed since she’d fallen into this strange world.

Her gaze shifted to the gun she had set beside her. Once, she thought the sparrow’s strange power—its ability to copy—might help. But now she knew it was useless. Three tries, that was all it had. She had considered making a bow and arrows, but that too had its flaws. Every arrow had to be crafted, carried, counted. It wasn’t enough.

Then she remembered—the poison. The small vial she’d taken from the wolf tribe. It was still in her room. How could she have forgotten?

Her body jolted with urgency. She hurried into her clothes, left the bathroom, and rushed down the hall. From the kitchen came the faint smell of food, Veer still busy with something, but Kaya didn’t pause.

She went straight to her room and began tearing it apart. Drawers slammed open and shut. She dug through every corner, yanked at the almirah doors, searched again and again—but the poison wasn’t there.

Kaya pinched her nose in frustration, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She glanced around her room again. The drawer? Already checked. The almirah? Empty. The table? Nothing. Her eyes landed on the bed. No, impossible—it was too neat, too much like a hospital bed. You could see the pillow without even bending down.

That meant one thing: whatever she was searching for wasn’t in here.

Then it struck her—Veer. He was usually the one in charge of cleaning.

Kaya rushed out of the room and spotted Veer just stepping out of the kitchen, holding a steaming bowl of soup.

"Did you touch my bag?" she demanded.

Veer paused, blinking at her. "Bag? What bag?"

Her voice rose, edged with frustration. "The bag I brought from the Nikala tribe—the one I kept in my room. It’s gone!"

"Oh, that bag," Veer said casually. "I washed the clothes inside it and... put it in the storage room."

He pointed upstairs.

Without another word, Kaya shot him a look and dashed off in that direction.

.....

After rummaging through piles of things, Kaya finally dragged out her bag. Her hands brushed against a small wooden bottle tucked inside. She froze, staring at it. No way she was opening it here — not unless she wanted to choke to death on her own stupidity. With the bag slung over her shoulder, she marched downstairs.

Veer noticed it right away, his brows pulling together. "What are you doing with that bag?"

Kaya didn’t even slow her steps. "Do you know medicine?"

Veer blinked, clearly thrown off. "Sweetheart, I only know how to make you feel better, not medicine."

"Shut up, idiot," Kaya shot back, sharp and impatient. "I’m asking if you can tell when something is poisonous enough to kill."

He tilted his head, thoughtful for once. "Well... I guess anyone can tell what could kill them or not."

"Perfect." Kaya’s eyes narrowed with decision. "Now, put that bowl on the table and come outside with me."