Astria noticed Len still shielding himself behind the pages of his book.
His silence had become a direct challenge to her presence.
She walked straight to the sofa, where Len held the book tightly with both hands.
Creating a wall of paper between himself and the world.
Without a word, Astria reached out and firmly grasped one of Len's hands that held the book.
She pulled him upward, forcing him from his reclined position into a seat.
One of his shoulders now leaned against the back of the sofa, while his other hand remained occupied with the book.
"Why are you ignoring me like this? What has happened?"
Astria asked, searching his eyes where an unspoken grievance seemed to linger.
Len paused for a long moment, lost in thought, before speaking in his low, grounded voice.
"I didn't like it."
A frown of confusion touched Astria's brow.
She couldn't grasp what was bothering him so deeply.
"What didn't you like, Len?"
In response, Len loosened his grip on the book in his other hand, letting it slide onto the sofa.
That free hand now reached out slowly, clenching the silken fabric of Astria's gown within his fingers.
"I don't like this... I don't like it at all."
Astria stared at his grip and his words, then slowly pulled her hand away from him.
She pressed her palm against her forehead, exhaling a heavy breath of frustration.
"I am not changing this, Len," she stated flatly.
She turned on her heel and marched back toward the table and chair near the window.
Where she had previously been sitting.
Dropping firmly into her seat, she spoke with an unyielding edge to her voice.
"Do whatever you want, but I love this color, and I will continue to wear clothes exactly like this."
The air in the room grew heavy once more.
A clash between Astria's unwavering resolve and Len's silent, chilling disapproval.
Astria turned her gaze toward the window, letting the soft morning light wash over her features.
"Len, why won't you let this stubbornness go? I am not changing a thing."
"Until yesterday, none of this seemed to matter to you, so why does it bother you so much today?"
A heavy silence filled the room for a few heartbeats.
Len rose from the sofa, a look of profound seriousness clouding his face.
He snatched the thick book and began flipping through the pages with urgent precision.
Searching for something vital.
Suddenly, his hands stopped.
He leaned over a specific page, pressing his finger against a line of text as he brought the book to Astria.
The line read: 'The color black represents darkness and the void.'
Len held the book out to her, his finger still anchored to the words.
His eyes mirrored a silent worry, as if he were trying to shield her from an invisible omen.
Astria read the line, and a faint, knowing smile played on her lips.
She rested her hand against her head, shaking it slightly in amusement.
"Len, this is just a story in a book you are reading. It isn't the absolute truth."
"Was this the only reason you disliked my gown?" she asked, searching his gaze.
Len nodded slowly, his small face still etched with concern.
Astria beckoned him closer, her voice turning soft and instructional.
"Len, don't you think stars shine the brightest only against the deepest darkness of the night?"
"Do they ever look that brilliant in the daylight? You saw the stars last night; did they look ugly to you?"
Len paused, reflecting on the memory of the night sky, and slowly shook his head.
"You can think of my gown in the same way," Astria continued, her tone velvet and reassuring.
"More than any other color, I feel a sense of peace and comfort in this."
"Just as you find the night stars beautiful, I find beauty in this shade on myself."
"It makes me feel comfortable, and that is why I wear it."
Len listened intently, the fog of misunderstanding in his innocent eyes slowly lifting.
Astria's gentle smile had begun to wash away the 'dark' fears he had gathered from the pages of his book.
The magic of Astria's words had finally settled over Len.
He nodded slowly, as if the small fear in his mind had vanished.
Reaching out, he took Astria's hand in his tiny ones and gestured for her to stand.
As she rose, Len's gaze locked onto her face.
"You... you look very beautiful," Len said with a blunt, disarming honesty.
The sheer innocence of his praise shifted the atmosphere in the room.
Astria, usually the epitome of composure, froze.
While her face remained calm, the tips of her ears suddenly flushed a deep pink.
Then turned a vivid crimson.
She was flustered.
To hide her embarrassment, she turned back toward the window.
Resting her face on her hand upon the table, letting the first rays of the morning sun touch her skin.
Seeing her there, bathed in the light, triggered a new wave of panic in Len.
He rushed to her side, seized her hand, and practically pulled her toward the massive bed in the center of the room.
"Len! What now? Why did you bring me here?" Astria asked, her confusion growing.
Len didn't answer.
He nudged her toward the edge of the mattress until she sat down.
Once satisfied that she was safe from the sun, he scrambled onto the bed himself.
Rising onto his knees to bring his face level with hers.
Suddenly, he reached out, his fingers probing near her lips, feeling for her teeth.
Specifically the four sharp ones above.
Astria was utterly stunned by this sudden intrusion.
The redness in her ears deepened.
She snatched his hand away, holding it down as she stammered, "Le-Len... what are you doing?"
Without a word, Len leaped off the bed and dashed toward the bookshelf.
He searched frantically among the volumes until he found it.
He returned, bracing one leg against the bed to climb back up, and thrust a book directly before her eyes.
The title glared in bold letters: 'Ways to Kill Vampires.'
Astria put a hand to her head.
"Len, I really should go now. I have work to do... you stay here and read your stories."
As she tried to stand, Len grabbed her wrist.
There was a stubborn strength in his grip that anchored her to the spot.
He flipped the pages, desperate to show her something more.
Astria gently took the book from his hands and set it on the nearby table.
She turned his face toward hers.
"Len, listen to me. This is just a storybook."
"Vampires might grow weak without blood, their lives might shorten, but they don't die instantly."
"And as for the sun... it's just a myth, a total fiction. It doesn't happen."
She looked him in the eye, her voice firm yet kind.
"Len, it's just a world of stories. What is written there isn't real. Do you understand?"
Len remained still for a long moment.
The gears of his mind turning visibly behind his steady gaze.
Finally, he gave a slow, deliberate nod as if accepting a heavy truth.
"Fine," he whispered.
He looked up, his eyes locking onto hers as he spoke her name with a soft, trembling gravity.
"Astria..."
His voice was a mere shadow in the quiet room.
"I don't want to stay here."
A flicker of concern tightened Astria's features.
She leaned in closer, her tone sharpening with a mix of surprise and worry.
"Do you not like it here, Len?"
Len didn't flinch.
He kept his posture straight and his response flat.
"No, Astria."
A sudden coldness settled over Astria's face.
Her voice lost its softness, replaced by the iron will of a sovereign.
"You are not going anywhere, Len. That is final."
The words seemed to extinguish the small spark of rebellion within him.
Len didn't try to pull his wrist away, but his gaze instantly dropped, shielding his expression from her.
He slumped slightly, his eyes anchoring themselves to the fabric of the bedsheets, refusing to meet her stare.
His small fingers began to aimlessly trace the creases in the mattress.
His shoulders heavy with a sudden, profound sadness.
He sat there, a portrait of quiet dejection.
Looking like a bird that had tried to beat its wings against the cage.
Only to realize the bars were too strong to break.