"You are pretty," the words managed to escape Aaron lips.
The silver-haired man was indeed pretty, and Aaron had always wanted to tell him.
Together with his kind personality, the man was the only one who made Aaron feel unoppressed.
Since he came to this mansion, the silver-haired man had treated him kindly, unlike anyone else.
His husband and family treated him like a stray dog, as if he were too dirty to be a part of their family.
But it was different with the silver-haired man.
He was kind to Aaron and didn't treat him badly.
Aaron liked it...being treated kindly without the looks of disgust or dissatisfaction.
He knew he was soft and meant to be obedient,
but he did not want to go crazy by staying all alone in a room where only one or two people ever came to visit.
He was bored and sad and needed company, and he found that company in the silver-haired man.
The man was good and kind, or so his feelings thought.
From today and throughout his stay at the mansion, he would visit the silver-haired man. Always. At least his boredom would be alleviated. This he promised himself.
If he was going to be sad in his marriage, let him at least not be sad in friendship.
After all, he was not married by choice; it was an arranged marriage. As for his husband, Kris... let him go and do as he pleased.
Aaron regretted it...regretted wishing for maybe just a little emotion from the stranger who had become his husband.
But to regret means he must stop hoping and just follow the path his husband wants him to take.
"You think I look pretty?" came the chuckle from the silver-haired man. He found it amusing.
The little Senirips was quite strange and different from the others in a unique way.
The little guy was planning to get close to him with no fear, not timid at all like the others. It was thrilling...so thrilling to have a cute little Senirips who wasn't afraid of him.
He observed that the little guy quite liked his art. It seemed he was drawn to his beauty just like the others.
He chuckled silently; his days in this room were not going to be quiet anymore, not with the Senirips before him, who liked to talk a lot.
Of course, he didn't know that Aaron wasn't the talkative kind unless he was with those he felt comfortable with.
His serene silver eyes just stared at Aaron, with all his amusement hidden from view. He kept the demeanor of a cool, unshakable person.
Let the twists begin...he'll see how much of an interesting circus this little fella will make of his life.
"I'm just telling my heart," Aaron's cheeks flushed nervously. He was just saying what was on his mind.
He hoped that what he said wouldn't be found inappropriate by the silver-haired man. He hoped there was nothing wrong with it;
at least he would feel comfortable from now on saying what was in his heart if the silver-haired man didn't have too many rules in his communication guide.
The man was just so warm, full of things Aaron couldn't put into words.
Now only his heart was sad; he wished Kris were as warm as the silver-haired man. But alas, all this was just wishful thinking.
Kris would never be warm to him, kind, soft, or anything romantic that could be used for comparison.
His eyes hurt, for the kind of man he was now married to... maybe he should have believed the rumors that his future husband was nothing but a beast...no, a ghoul. He couldn't put it into words.
But his husband just acted like a cold, heartless vampire.
'A vampire? He had no idea why that word came to his mind.'
"Hahahaha," came the man's laughter again. It was not internal but self-expressed.
The naive Senirips always found a way to amuse him with laughter, and his laughter was real—not forced or anything. The little fella was interesting and full of surprises.
The Senirips talked bluntly without fear at first but realized fear once they said it out loud. Amusing indeed, it was amusing.
His laughter stopped, and his serene silver eyes stared wistfully at Aaron. Such an innocent Senirips...how on earth did he get married into this household?
His gaze was so focused, like that of an old monk, that it gave Aaron the feeling that he had something on his face or that he had offended him. But neither of these was Aaron sure about.
"You are such a funny Senirips," the man said, his laughter wearing off, his face now calm and chill.
Only candles surrounded them, and paintings of a silver-haired being. No noise, just them, in a warm, white room.
Aaron's lashes blinked, his lips forming an "O" shape as he looked at the silver-haired man. What to say now? He knew nothing...should he continue the conversation with the man or wait for him to start talking first?
He was much of an introvert, and it was hard for him to start a conversation.
Hopefully, the silver-haired man would bring up something to talk about, or so he wished. After all, he didn't want this little chit-chat with the man to end.
"Now, come on. Does your hubby know that you are here with me?"
Aaron was caught off guard by the silver-haired man's continuation of the conversation, but he hadn't wished for the man to talk about this.
Now, what to say? How to answer? Should he go ahead and tell him that his husband does not permit him to move around the mansion or talk with any strangers, which he did not specify?
"Um... ummm," Aaron stammered and stopped. It was as if his speech was running away from him...the words to say to the man.
How could he reply with courage and say that he disobeyed his husband's orders, walked through the mansion, and met with him? But no, he couldn't.
What would the man think of him? Would he look at him with disgust, seeing him as a disobedient Senirips or a bad example for all Senirips?
"Um, what? He doesn't know, right?"
The silver-haired man noticed his hesitation, and the answer came to him. The Senirips was not only fearless but truly daring.
Never in the history of world regeneration had he seen a Senirips that disobeyed his spouse. But today was the first, and he was facing one right now.
But not everything was funny. Did the Senirips know what he had gotten himself into? With what he remembered,
this Senirips was married to that little brat Kris...a true brat in disguise, who could tear a dragon apart with only his words.
The man shuddered. He felt pity for the little guy, but he wouldn't say a thing to him.
He didn't want to lose his means of amusement, at least not until the abyss in human skin discovered him.
Hmmmm, the man chuckled with a dark glint in his heart.
"It's not like that, uh... I... I just..." Aaron was still trying to explain himself, not knowing that he was seen through like a transparent screen by the man.
What awaited him, he had not yet known. His little heart was just focused on his new pretty friend.
"You just what?"
The silver-haired man found it amusing and continued to tease.
He wanted to hear what sort of lie the little Senirips would come up with to cover his little secret that had already been discovered by him.
"I just thought I can't let the big tiger ignore and bully the kitten anymore."
Now the silver-haired man felt like laughing.
Seriously, he thought the little guy would lie to him and not say the truth, but Aaron was too cute and innocent. He said the truth and put it in a very funny way before saying it.
Ah, he shook his head. The little Senirips was too innocent for this household.
"Pfff, what an interesting statement."
The silver-haired man's amusement did not fade as he continued to tease the Senirips.
"It's my first time seeing a Senirips this rebellious," came his voice to Aaron, with his serene silver eyes moving four inches closer to Aaron's face.
"Uh, no, I'm not being rebellious," Aaron refuted, his big round eyes blinking with innocent wonder.
For some reason, this new friend of his was now acting like a bad guy. He wanted to go back to his own room and rest.
But no, again, his room was so cold and lonely.
He was scared...too scared. He could only be in the company of his new friend to alleviate his loneliness.
"Then you are what, if not rebellious?"
How to answer the question asked by the silver-haired man? Aaron's lips bit themselves, expressing their owner's anxiousness.
His pale fingers clutched his sleeves, forming a fist.
His emotions were now like a caged kitten with nowhere to escape.
"Um, please stop teasing me," he could only say, his eyes lowering and averting from the man's joking gaze.
"Am I?" The silver-haired man's voice was calm, playing innocent. Did he want to tease the cute Senirips? Yes, he did.
Did he succeed in teasing the Senirips? Yes, he did, and his heart was fulfilled.
"I don't know."
Aaron was still caught up in the dilemma of how to tell the man.
Of course, he knew the answers in his heart, but he didn't want to say them and ruin the beautiful interaction building between them.
"Pfff, you are really funny and cute," the silver-haired man chuckles at the timid senirips who was secretly fumbling with his sleeves, forming a fist and biting his lips. All these actions were noticed by the man from the little senirips, even though the little guy thought he did not notice. He was not concerned with those actions or with telling the little senirips to calm down and be free around him. No, he did not want to say that and would not in his life, because he enjoyed these feelings...these little actions of the senirips. It was amusing and new to him.
"Please don't talk like that." Aaron's legs wanted to carry him out of the room, but the fear of loneliness took over him, and he just stayed. He knew that his new friend was bullying him; he did not like bullying,
but he would stay just to be close to him. His eyes stared with a stubborn, fierce gaze at the man, as if to say, "Go on, bully me, but I won't leave."
"How so? I can't possibly," the man began, holding back a chuckle. "Well, since you are interesting…" He said this to Aaron, though he didn't reveal what he truly felt in his heart.
"Um, thanks for the compliment." Aaron blushed, taking it as a compliment, staring nervously at the man.
"Hahaha, okay, let's be serious now. I'll teach you how to paint," the silver-haired man concluded all his mind games and said to Aaron. He knew that if he kept teasing, this senirips might run away, but he didn't want that yet.
"Really?" Aaron's eyes brightened. Was his new, pretty friend going to teach him how to paint, or was he just bullying him again?
"Haaaa, yes, really," the man laughed, as if seeing the meaning in Aaron's gaze, then turned seriously to set up his art board and brushes.