Baby System: My Mates Can Read my Mind?

Chapter 82: Episode 082: Iris’s Confession

Rue walked into the massive guest chamber and let out a long breath.

The room was incredibly warm. A giant stone fireplace covered an entire wall, blazing with thick, bright orange flames. The bed in the centre was huge, completely piled high with the softest white animal furs she had ever seen.

She gently lowered little Theron into the center of the bed. The baby boy was already fast asleep, totally exhausted from the long wagon ride. She tucked a heavy blanket around his small shoulders. He let out a soft sigh and buried his chubby face into the fur.

Rue stood up and stretched her aching back. She walked back toward the heavy wooden door of the room. She peeked her head out into the hallway.

She immediately noticed something strange. Her room was directly across from a massive set of double doors. Those doors were carved out of dark ironwood, decorated with giant silver wolves. Two heavily armed guards stood perfectly still on either side.

Rue stepped back inside and closed her door. She looked at Gianna. The princess was tossing their travel bags onto a large wooden table in the corner of the room.

"Gianna," Rue asked softly. "Whose room is right across the hall?"

Gianna did not even look up from the bags. She just shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh, that is Axel’s room," Gianna answered casually.

Rue felt a sudden spike of nervous energy hit her chest. Alpha Axel put her directly across from his own bedroom.

Oh my days!

Gianna finally looked up and saw the panic on Rue’s face. The princess laughed and waved her hand in the air.

"My brother isn’t that bad, don’t worry," Gianna said. "He just likes to keep an eye on his favourite things. You are completely safe."

Rue did not feel entirely reassured, but she pushed the thought away. She had a much bigger problem to focus on. She left Gianna to unpack the heavy bags and quietly slipped out of the room.

She walked softly down the cold stone hallway. The guards bowed their heads as she passed, but they did not speak a single word. The Northern palace was so quiet compared to the loud, busy market of the Convergence.

She found the correct door at the end of the hall. She lifted her hand and knocked softly on the wood.

Nobody answered right away. Rue slowly pushed the door open and peeked inside.

Iris was sitting on a wide, cushioned window seat at the far end of the room. The Wolf Princess had her knees pulled tightly to her chest. She was staring out through the thick, frosty windows at the falling snow.

She’s thinking again.

Rue walked into the room and quietly closed the door behind her.

There was a small iron kettle resting on a hook over the crackling fireplace. The water inside was boiling softly. Rue found two small clay cups on a side table. She carefully poured the hot water over the dried tea leaves waiting in the cups. The sweet, herbal smell filled the cold air.

Rue picked up both cups. She walked over to the window and sat down right next to her friend. She held out one of the warm cups.

Iris slowly turned her head. Her violet eyes looked very tired and red. She looked at the cup, then looked up at Rue’s face. She reached out with a trembling hand and took the warm tea.

"You are faster than I thought," Iris said. Her voice was incredibly quiet and rough. "Don’t you want to get to know the pack? They are all very excited to meet you."

Rue took a small sip from her own cup. The warm liquid felt good on her scratchy throat.

"Nah," Rue replied casually, leaning her head back against the wall. "I think I am fine with knowing the king of the place for now."

Iris smiled. It was a very tiny, weak smile, but it was real.

"So you will soon become my sister-in-law?" Iris teased softly.

Rue choked.

She inhaled a mouthful of hot tea entirely down the wrong pipe. She hunched over, coughing wildly into her hand. Her pink eyes watered instantly. She tried to catch her breath, completely mortified by the sudden joke. She coughed a few more times, her face turning bright red.

"Please," Rue begged, her voice squeaking horribly as she cleared her throat. "Do not joke around about that. My heart cannot take another giant, scary beastman right now."

Iris let out a soft, genuine laugh at Rue’s panic. It just felt like two regular girls hanging out together. The only difference was one was older while the other one wasn’t.

Rue wiped her watery eyes. She set her clay cup down on the stone ledge of the window. She reached out and gently covered Iris’s free hand with her own.

Iris’s fingers were freezing cold. Rue held them tight, sharing her own body heat.

Rue did not ask any questions. She did not pry into the dark secrets. She just let the quiet silence stretch out between them. She gave Iris a completely safe, natural space to just breathe.

Rue knew exactly how important this kind of silence was. She remembered a very specific doctor back on Earth.

When she was stuck in that boring hospital room for years, a lot of doctors came to visit her. Most of them were loud. They carried clipboards and asked a million questions. They poked her arms and told her exactly how she was supposed to feel. Rue hated them. She always built a thick, cold wall and refused to talk to them.

But there was one young doctor who was entirely different. He never brought a clipboard. He used to bring two cups of terrible cafeteria hot chocolate into her room. He would sit in the ugly plastic chair next to her bed and just stare out the window with her. He never pushed her to talk. He just sat there, keeping her company in the lonely room.

Because he gave her that quiet space, she eventually wanted to talk to him. She would slowly open up about her fears, her anger, and her deep sadness. He let her vent at her own speed.

Rue used that exact same method right now.

She just sat there and looked at the falling snow with her friend. She let the crackling fire provide all the noise they needed. She did not judge Iris. She just stayed present.

The warmth of Rue’s simple, honest friendship slowly worked its magic. The thick, heavy walls Iris had built entirely around herself began to crack. The Wolf Princess realized she was not alone anymore. She had someone actually willing to just sit in the dark with her.

They sat together for a very long time. The wind howled violently outside the glass, but the stone room stayed perfectly warm and still.

Iris looked down at her lap. She stared deeply into the dark brown liquid resting in her clay cup.

Her fingers began to tremble. Her voice shook violently as she finally broke her months of silence.

"Skoll didn’t die in that war, Rue."