Savage Forest - Chapter 140.1

“Anyway, I trust those three. They’ll probably be back in no time.”

With Kiyan’s words, the meeting for that day came to a close.

On the way back to their lodging, Enya took Tarhan’s hand again, holding it affectionately. As they walked, Piache twitched her lips in a subtle expression, and Kiyan, resting her chin on one arm, looked at the young couple with a satisfied smile.

On their path, Enya ran into Jahan, who was carrying a bundle of branches in his arms. Despite his short stature, his distinctive gait and appearance made him easy to recognize.

“Jahan, what are all those for?”

Jahan, who had dropped the branches in surprise when he saw Tarhan earlier, let out a relieved sigh when he saw Enya.

“Oh, these are for Yasmin. She’s been running a fever for a few days and has been resting at home. I’m going to make her a toy out of these.”

Jahan had been quite disappointed that the toys he had brought from Aquilea had all gotten damaged by the end of their journey. The parting with Senu and the dispatch of Silanda had made him even more downcast.

However, he soon shook off his gloom and began adjusting to his new life in Nervana Forest.

With his natural friendliness, he quickly made friends with the children of Nervana Forest. Youngsters like Yasmin had become his new friends. During the day, he worked on the village’s reconstruction efforts, and in the afternoon, he spent time with his new friends, leading a fairly busy life.

He had grown especially close to Yasmin, Yaru’s daughter, who was around his age.

At some point, he had set up a small hut right next to the area where their family stayed, and they had been living together. Yaru, with her hearty personality, and Nihitan, with his calm demeanor, didn’t seem to mind Jahan’s presence.

Enya quickly bent down to help Jahan pick up the branches he had dropped.

“Sorry, Jahan. Did we startle you?”

As she moved, Tarhan stepped forward to help as well, and soon, Jahan’s arms were filled with branches once more.

“It’s, it’s fine…”

Jahan muttered embarrassedly as he gathered the branches and glanced up at Tarhan with a quick look. For a brief moment, a flicker of fear crossed his face.

Seeing that fleeting expression, Enya recalled the moment when Silanda and Jahan first saw Tarhan. They had been so terrified of him, nearly panicking at the sight of him. Even the usually composed Silanda had taken a cautious step back, looking appalled as she noticed the scars on Tarhan’s body.

Jahan and Silanda, being originally from Aquilea, understood the significance of scars on a body very well. They had also heard about Tarhan’s notorious reputation from the leper den, which made them even more wary of him.

Once Jahan had gathered all the branches, he quietly approached Enya and muttered.

“By the way, Enya, about your baby’s father, I just can’t seem to get used to him, no matter how many times I see him.”

She didn’t know how to respond, and she awkwardly smiled without even furrowing her brows. Tarhan, pretending not to have heard, crossed his arms and looked in the other direction.

Enya quickly decided that if she stayed any longer with Tarhan in the same space, Jahan would likely break into a cold sweat any second, so she sent him on his way.

It was clear that it would take time for Jahan and Silanda to loosen their wariness of Tarhan. And the same applied to a few other Nervana tribespeople who were seeing Tarhan for the first time.

After Jahan left, she took Tarhan’s hand again, and they continued back to their lodging.

On the way, Tarhan suddenly muttered.

“He’s grown taller.”

Enya looked up at him with a puzzled expression. Then, Tarhan looked directly into her eyes and spoke again.

“The boy, he’s grown taller.”

He was talking about Jahan.

She recalled Jahan, who she had just met. Indeed, Jahan, who had once been shorter than her, seemed to have grown to about the same height.

“You noticed that?”

What surprised her even more was that it was Tarhan who had noticed such a change.

He raised an eyebrow at her question as if finding it strange that she hadn’t realized. Enya couldn’t help but recall how Tarhan would always step back when encountering Jahan, watching the situation with indifference.

‘He pretended not to care, but he was watching all along.’

A feeling of pride stirred in her. As she quickened her pace, she immediately heard Tarhan’s concerned voice.

“Watch out for the rocks.”

* * *

It was midnight.

Most people, whose homes were still unfinished, had gathered together in one place to sleep.

Enya, too, lay next to Tarhan at the far end of the shared sleeping area, eventually drifting off to sleep. She was positioned against the wall, where people’s gaze wouldn’t easily fall. Tarhan’s large body curled around hers protectively.

It was common for most families or couples in Nervana to sleep this way.

“Umm…”

Enya stirred in her sleep and woke up. She was shocked.

When she woke up, she found Tarhan’s large hand cupping one of her breasts.

Alarmed that someone else might see this, she quickly curled up further into his chest. It was still the middle of the night, and there was no one awake, but the situation still felt a little odd.

‘How could Tarhan make such a mistake with others around?’

Her lips were twitching a little. Perhaps because of the previous evening, when his pent-up desires had finally spilled over.

Just then, his warm, firm hand tightened around her breast and gave it a squeeze.

Even in his sleep, his intentions were clear, and Enya’s cheeks flushed a deep red. Looking at it brought back memories of their time in Aquilea. Tarhan had always been fixated on her breasts during their secret times.