Chapter 389: Moon Tear Berries
Elián;
So... it’s either Asa wants to kill me, or the poor thing is confidently delusional.
I stare at the berry in her hand, which looks exactly like a mistletoe berry, and I tilt my head slowly.
They look the same!! Same shape, same whitish translucent colour, and the same size.
I look back up at Asa and find that she’s looking at me with the patience of someone seconds away from committing murder.
"That one is safe," she says for what is probably the fifteenth time, and I press my lips together.
"Since when are Mistletoe berries safe to eat??" I ask, and her jaw clenches.
"Elian, these are whatevertoe berries. They are MoonTear berries and are actually good for sound sleep!" She rants, but I still eye her suspiciously.
"Yeah... I don’t know..." I reply as I pull back, and her right eye twitches in annoyance.
And because I value my life, I quickly take the berry before she kills me with it.
Still... I inspect it one more time beneath the moonlight.
"...You’re absolutely sure?" I sceptically, and Asa draws a sharp breath through her teeth.
"Elián."
"Yes?"
"If you ask me one more question about berries, I’m going to bury you beside the berry bush!" She warns, and I gasp softly.
"I thought you loved me!" I pout dramatically, and she rolls her eyes at me.
"You’ve been interrogating fruit for twenty minutes!" She scolds, and I shrug.
"I have to look out for my baby, you know?" I reply, and she lets out a sigh.
"You are exhausting." She mumbles, but I ignore that and finally bite into the berry.
Sweetness immediately bursts across my tongue, and my eyes widen.
"Oh," I exclaim in amusement, and Asa crosses her arms smugly.
"What a surprise. The berry expert is correct." She deadpans.
I swallow slowly before reaching for another from the basket hanging on her arm, and she just watches me.
"Okay, but how do you tell they’re ripe?" I ask, as she looks back at the bush. I follow her gaze.
"The colour tells. When they’re unripe, they look pink." She explains, and my head tilts as I stare at the bush.
"What if they’re pretending?" I ask, and Asa turns to me like she just might wack me across the head.
"Pretending?"
"Yes. What if they are pretending to be unripe? You never know." I reply, and she shuts her eyes as her head rolls back.
"Light give me strength," she groans, and I laugh quietly under my breath as she moves toward another bush nearby.
The garden around us glows softly beneath silver moonlight. Lanterns hang from the branches overhead, casting warm golden light across the stone paths and flowerbeds. Somewhere nearby, water trickles gently from a narrow stream cutting through the gardens.
Honestly... It’s beautiful out here. Peaceful too... At least until Asa threatens violence every few minutes.
"You should sleep eventually," she mutters while picking more berries, and I crouch beside her immediately.
"You sound like Koda," I note, and she scoffs.
"That is not a compliment."
"It kind of is." I retort, and she snorts softly. Then her brown eyes flick back to me briefly.
"...Actually, why are you awake?" She questions like I’m a child up past bedtime, and I pout.
"What do you mean?"
"It’s midnight." She replies, and I raise a brow.
"So?"
"So normal people—especially pregnant ones— are usually unconscious by now." She notes, and I shrug.
"Well, I’m not normal," I say proudly, and she rolls her eyes as she nods.
"That much is obvious." She mumbles, and I press a hand dramatically against my chest.
"You hurt me, Asa," I whine, and she gives me a look.
"You’ll survive."
Her reply causes me to smile as I watch her return her attention to the berries in front of her. I see the earring on her ear as she tucks her hair behind her ear, and a small smile splits my face.
Warmth spreads through my chest as I quietly take a finger up to my ear to touch the other hair of the pair she gave me.
"...Why are you smiling like that?" She suddenly asks me, and my mind returns.
"Like what?"
"Like you’re thinking about someone." She probes, and I look away instantly.
"I’m not."
"You are."
"I’m literally not!"
"You’re terrible at lying." She scoffs, and I groan softly while shoving my hands into the sleeves of my robe.
"Koda’s busy anyway," I mumble, and she raises a brow as she gives me a teasing look.
"With?"
"Him, Zephan, and Queen Selthia are having some private meeting," I inform, and at Queen Selthia’s name, something unreadable flickers briefly across Asa’s expression... But it vanishes too quickly for me to understand.
"So, that’s the real reason you’re out here!" She notes, and I hesitate. Then sigh.
"...I can’t really sleep until Koda comes back," I confess, and the silence that follows feels deeply judgmental.
I slowly look over, and Asa is staring at me. Actually staring at me. Then she laughs.
Not loudly... But enough to make my ears burn.
"Oh, you’re attached attached." She teases, and I feel my cheek heat up.
"I am not attached." I retort, and she nods.
"You wander into a garden at midnight because your alpha isn’t done with a meeting. Definitely normal." She mocks, and I pout.
"That is not why I’m here." I lie, and she laughs harder.
"It absolutely is!" She retorts.
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out, so I frown.
"...You’re exhausting!" I huff, and she leans in as she places a hand dramatically on her chest.
"You hurt me, Elian," she jokes, and I shove her away, which only causes her to laugh even harder.
"I hate you." I pout as I look away, and she gets back up.
"No, you don’t."
Unfortunately, she is correct. She’s like the annoying older sister I never had.
I watch as she moves toward the small stream nearby and crouches beside it, rinsing the berries carefully in the cool water before returning.
She sits beneath one of the nearby trees and hands me a few berries.
"Eat quietly," she orders as I sit beside her, and I nod.
"Yes, ma’am," I reply, and she rolls her eyes.
I smile as I take the fruits from her and lean against the tree.
The grass beneath us is cool and soft. Above us, the night sky stretches like a luxurious, dark blue blanket, filled with stars so bright they almost look... magical.
We both eat our berries in silence as we stare at the stars, and strangely enough... I like that.
Silence doesn’t feel awkward with Asa anymore. Not like before.
Before, being near her always felt dangerous... Like standing near a knife disguised as a person.
But now... Now she just feels tired. Lonely, maybe... And sometimes a little sad, too.
That’s one reason I pester her so much. Getting her to laugh and smile is something that gladdens my heart.
Like sunlight cracking to pitch darkness.
I smile at the thought of how frequently she’s been smiling and laughing these days, and her voice suddenly breaks the silence.
"Thank you."
