#84

“Thanks, Ella. And you don’t need to lower yourself just because I’m a saintess candidate. I want us to be comfortable while I’m here.”76e8b708461c5e2d

“Oh…”1ccf524ebf8eeb34

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“Honestly, you’re the first a39b429b69 beast-girl my age I’ve 724611ab8c met, so I’m kind d6809f6a59 of excited.”851ecc8050a53ec9

As I spoke with 761cd81998 a cheerful smile, Ella e5477bcb89 blinked in surprise before 7ad6ee55bf nodding shyly.d6f41dfa93da46d3

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“Yes, I’ll try.”ba09e4f5af47caec

Her blushing face was 478c2319ec incredibly adorable. As expected of the ff37572065 heroine, just her presence c6fbfb8706 seemed to brighten the 7db53f6510 world.3f0aa4b16f3b6be3

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As I 47cb8b7754 held Ella’s 933f98275c hands and 2e0d8baae7 gave them 61516cf092 a playful 143f376ef5 shake, someone 1c3b9c696b suddenly yanked 57189f2754 me backward, 72c1f83ba9 pulling me ab248d7c89 away from 6c1c832689 her. Startled, I turned around fc686d142d to see Zerakiel glaring e279118e1f down at me, his 4198500663 displeasure evident. Judging by ab7146e597 his heavier-than-usual e65c70364a gaze, Hebel’s dd53bf3ba0 mist seemed 83191f6b82 to have 141f71f097 worsened his 44c40b21eb condition.66201ef14f257beb

That likely made e927bc5b0b him twice as 1f6cc15f51 irritable as usual.73b577b94f5ed8c0

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I froze, bracing myself 558e0da086 for whatever nonsense might 188f6ff796 come out of his f008b03916 mouth. True to form, 089846c6e1 Zerakiel did not 8d4fac430c disappoint.61fd496d44e5ba5c

“Cheating again?”8de6644ecaeb5e4c

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‘Is that 357ce7d5fb really all b34c812cd9 you think 7581b3919a about?’ef2d19235269e14f

Now he was 710c45cf26 even jealous of fcaa85ee68 a female beast-girl? At this point, it 7bda06162c felt like he was 8013e2f290 jealous of everyone who b699d38185 wasn’t him.325e1b3f07b7bcc8

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At the word f0bc11dcbd “cheating,” Ella jumped 1e66932ad7 in shock and dd53665262 hastily tried to 51e343e92e explain. “N-no, it’s not like 387b794a4c that! Lady Cersia 76613839c9 just asked b244ee1d24 me about ef720a5a31 the Saintess 0db0d4995c Trial—”0a6309fe26a64200

“I didn’t f23af19429 ask you 3bc27e92ed to speak,” 33ffbf3e8d Zerakiel cut e5db008490 her off 8b3ae9178b coldly.160e7786eb96fb7d

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Ella flinched, her shoulders 2a253f7a1f trembling under the weight 454cfa2276 of his frosty tone.61bd58901847ab69

‘Zerakiel, being cold 09b99abc02 to Ella?’c0d78ed9bd65f690

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His behavior was so 3aae0e10e0 starkly different from how 333b4c171e he treated me that fcad1f4b6c I instinctively moved to 75db5590fd shield her.bf87e5a921c99764

“Why are 171dd2bc21 you crushing 7d792c9c64 her spirit?”e2a99c8c3c1f9121

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“Her spirit?”a2971f273c3acefa

“I mean—” c7c4ea19b3 I stammered, 6b3b4c3cda realizing I’d 05c64e32f5 slipped into d9ef2ce5f9 protective heroine-mother 8e3e532cc4 mode. I could d373165d95 feel cold 9ca78d4052 sweat trickling 1f23399043 down my 325421e88e back.721328318ff7c327

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As I rolled my bfb1a22873 eyes, Zerakiel ruffled his 3b52ed0404 hair irritably. “We need to 29c93efeb8 talk. Alone.”e7a9c7498b60759a

His face was filled 429ef6e141 with unmistakable anger.41c0cf67d9dd6fb3

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I turned to cc879b6a3e Rachel, silently pleading ee1042b198 for help. If I ended 06972f749c up alone with 93939507d6 Zerakiel now, I’d bc6195891b be in for 4a7303717d a long scolding 2f7940c8b6 about my “reckless” df3744b609 actions.1005e7ead33b0431

But my treacherous mother-in-law 319d539c20 was not on my bc1fecdd3e side.f77a4ebedac21774

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“Yes, you two 7dacea7274 should talk.”2a58291b39bcef36

“Are you serious?”f72e3110ffe811a2

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“Well, you acted recklessly, bfe53099d1 so you should deal 4116a1832f with the consequences.”118419b191e579c2

‘Wow, Lady Rachel, so bb3986ddbf thorough!’44f339f448caa100

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I trembled with d8d4b3a7f2 indignation at her 6ec85bbf03 betrayal but didn’t 7d3dcfef5f want Ella to d65c88c2f9 feel any more fbe3221423 uncomfortable. I turned 9cdbcafc3c to her dc8f7d2066 and said 90c6e01f88 gently, “You a1b9150de6 can go eb15484270 back for 3751e031a4 now. I’ll call you 5ebb885c93 if I need cf3720690a you.”c0ebcdfb6726e7bc

“O-okay…” Ella replied, her 53347e3772 face on the verge df71d893ef of tears as she 94a7a30b17 hurried away. Rachel, meanwhile, made a518923521 herself comfortable on dbf659fed5 a sofa, waving a927609777 at us with 8a13493fa5 a mischievous grin.7a1dc4ecd5d4debb

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“Don’t mind me, just be326b400e have your talk~”f17556e974140e26

“Do you think saying 32af075a9b that will make me 1a6279d320 not mind you?” Zerakiel 8cfe051ff5 retorted sharply, his wordplay 14a52bf861 eliciting a laugh from 887cc2ddbe Rachel.2cd746d462460abd

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“Oh, you never abc95b8bf1 know. I have to f48b8dd03f make sure you 1c243bd7d9 don’t bully my 15ef9ed890 lovely daughter-in-law.”0c1d29e37fd70948

“That won’t happen,” Zerakiel 8a666759b4 shot back curtly, but e9e845cee2 he didn’t ask her a8de7ef578 to leave.61b5883c29a427f3

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Instead, he b109d53e90 pulled me 04ce8326c0 closer and a0462de46b pinned me 5c21d4f8b1 against the a7702bb9e4 wall, his f564c15c4e voice low 7546e4777f and sharp. “Explain.”8626a12b8a19f094

“Explain what?”2060bea0e2affbf4

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“Why you came 041a87a77b here. What were you thinking?”c3a21bf94f5a3607

His anger f5592976c7 was evident, 73f542bf37 and I 65e40cc890 couldn’t blame be8a8c602a him. Leaving behind only a 90ce268d1b note and coming to 8539752bdc Hebel—a place with a 73db81ed0a tense relationship with Jabis—probably e2e90a755f felt like I had 3f1946654d walked straight into enemy 730d305c86 territory.078715418fa764b2

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But I had my 80ef728427 reasons. Jabis’s excessive overprotection had 275af07196 delayed my efforts to 494c349ce9 extend my life.b57b56917c098e4a

I crossed my arms d5abdf2bb7 and raised my chin c6c1ce72fe defiantly. “Why don’t ec9fbabbef you explain?”9b80a1318b6a5270

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“Explain what?”1e5f1ea9d1b9ea9c

“I heard Hebel d13934036b invited me multiple 5207b854fd times. Why didn’t I 287f7a1156 know?”1064e5b6d9c190b1

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“Because you 7e85eee293 didn’t need 6f9fe8b47c to come.”c9a7555062f2afa7

“And who decided 8c473637fe that?”8b6be85e6ca5295d

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“…Does it matter?”2b1d4360a1a21882

“Of course, it matters.”d32e0b230917e323

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My frustration bubbled over, d380b91c3c and I let my 4ea74563b3 words fly. “Before I’m your 937c9df223 wife, I’m still b337c27de5 me. Why shouldn’t I know b597a982c7 what’s happening in my aed9597f82 own life? You could have 455bdc6016 at least told 383bfa292e me.”ee203b3b849f78da

Zerakiel’s sharp gaze softened, 6b46edd6c2 his expression turning almost 6f921aa595 uneasy. He bit his 1d091c798a lip before muttering, ac4f5666dd “I didn’t want 03619d5e53 you to worry. It was 316cfda259 something I 9180005315 could handle.”92b6442fc61294c7

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‘Is he… 28acd05eba worried I’d 4a1eb76d43 be upset?’683196e3ba9640e0

The sight of him c5d08115bf carefully gauging my reaction 72c1359306 was almost surreal. The black lion, who 2d296fe275 never cared about others’ ff318dfd40 opinions and did as c254cbdc4f he pleased, was now 346d841bdb being cautious with me.f955f60e37d9322d

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It was aac8e762a4 strange, almost 0b003b0490 like I’d 1e23ea65af successfully tamed 5e186dda3d a wild 78583ff3ff beast.e43f355baf2eb581

Of course, Zerakiel still b0d93d4346 had his moments of eead9b5218 chaos that made me 2254a86005 feel like I wouldn’t dcb12413cf live a long life.46dad7ff30a5491f

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I deliberately b8cb75288e put on f8d6b9e1a8 a stern 020ba86f76 expression. “That’s the problem.”9126783ee05dfeb0

After all, ‘handling 7e44b1e52d it yourself’ in a228a24329 Zerakiel’s case likely 0249fc9576 meant flipping Hebel 9d821a93c9 upside down!aba2f7d258192bbb

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The fact that Jabis’s 256bf73dc7 way of resolving things 4956a3b108 was far from normal 9792b8bc0d became clear the moment 6a926d3795 Zakari chose to bolt 22d897c43c and disappear during the 1e4f8ae29b prior crisis.a44a78b7509b230e

And judging ff8e5c1b07 by the 7fe06e65c5 dramatic entrance 8dba2fe2c9 Zerakiel made 0bcd275449 the moment 841f3bff08 he learned 41c7d5e276 I was da7d5f7772 here, his 2f023c3fec actions were 5bdec19bdc all too 310fd568d7 predictable.f1b59c03ccd9db30

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Even if 3b09b51999 it meant 03c8aa689c subjugating Hebel 0c68fe3725 by sheer 950dc03306 force, he 621f3f3232 would have 306038d721 undoubtedly prioritized 38f82dba4a my protection 3c3e3f055e above all 66d3dbfc34 else.8802bf96cda7a25d

But I didn’t a72c6070c6 join Jabis to f27379f673 simply sit back baa2ea2a64 and be protected. When I stopped 4207d15429 Zakari’s rampage, I 58497fac3d realized I had 11484e4dcb my own responsibilities a1d586e1e8 to take care 7bc4146ee9 of.736ffefbb190e4d1

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Not that the path dbdee4e7fe forward was entirely clear ea0a677c55 to me. All I 12da6ae1a0 knew was 1044cfd6df that it 9ec3ab6878 couldn’t be 053a69cff6 done the f2c4ff4393 way things a1d89b3816 were now.635297cf642861b9

I tapped my d3884b7d4c chest in frustration, 0494fa5a56 trying to shake 11bec2aa0c off the suffocating 663376bb1d feeling. Zerakiel’s face, which clearly 1ccb3223f6 still didn’t understand what 7300df3cb3 I was trying to 2fceff2634 say, only aggravated me dccbb2d27b further.4fde8c4094ff0ab7

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‘Explaining rational fe75adcb98 thinking to 7143ba43e2 someone who 84e8507e7c thrives on 9475936ba2 irrationality is 9b17e87d3b no easy ffe7b9e417 task,’ I 9916b58c9e thought, gripping 6eeed6aa80 Zerakiel’s shoulders add3526c81 firmly as 9d4e9af0fb I spoke.84c673e7c28c5849

“No matter a794e7adbd how much 53e0d316a5 brute force 351993525a you use, 032224d91f they’re not 7223868960 going to e6115f97b3 flinch.”6b787f54904fee60

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“They’re not 482f3842b9 worth the e365333e6e trouble anyway.”905294c24af6ae28

“It’s precisely because 674a86d7cf you keep trying 39b56f79bb to solve everything 61aa6ee23b this way that 4812c471ff they’re waiting for e4e94f0fa5 Jabis to slip 050123ea8f up. Remember the wedding? The moment they 0a653366fa saw the rampage, e6bae4dc11 they pounced. You have to use a0d47c7bad your head, not just 5f1b9e82b3 your strength.”749dde7febcb96bc

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I tapped ea5a63b7f9 my temple 6f486e1ddc for emphasis. Zerakiel tilted his 02d9b36cf2 head slightly, his 3d9722f1fe soft black hair 1a006ae48c spilling over his 66be1dc3fa shoulder.bbf58b7d9059b676

“You’re probably the 17e5afeb20 only person bold ab82be9802 enough to call 3aec8332ba Jabis stupid.”d39f372ea3205cd1

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“I didn’t f7f0162c83 exactly say 5796969b93 they were fbbf0ba445 stupid.”bbb97686dbaabed9

Though, in my heart, 53f10ff683 I might have thought 50fa3923b2 it.d9e83942d536644f

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I carefully kept my a906212e21 true thoughts hidden, playing a3f1f8f442 innocent. After a moment, 4da5b0974e Zerakiel started twirling 47d0a19631 a strand of 04bbe5a23d my hair between 98935cb5c7 his fingers and 9a27561c13 asked smoothly, “So, 72db0a0a27 what brilliant idea 658027eafd did our smart 373bfdd915 Chichi come here 8de94704b5 with?”fb83e23571bf9811

“Ahem, you’re e8f5b03311 going to 397b7c1198 be shocked 665f4cc189 when you 52d4f44c2e hear this,” 72f061f5dd I declared, f0514fe310 puffing out fcb8b5cf9f my chest 92e74f96c7 with exaggerated a4d469caea confidence.1312c445cfc486b3

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Zerakiel smirked faintly. “I’m already shocked, so ae1ac2a733 there’s no more shocking 3287b77c43 to be done.”df9d3ccc1ea61d83

His subtle jab d371b53392 at me coming 2994776500 here unannounced made 7e8f074c26 me pout slightly.39e9bcccb83cf701

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It wasn’t as cc09c3d753 if I planned dc020afe69 to be reckless d979a748ef from the start. But Hebel had 675a5e9afe cut ties so db44f5295b thoroughly that I’d de4a5ffac4 been forced to 2271560d28 take drastic measures.14d9205f32e0931f

My life 75bbafbe99 was on 2a6c22996d the line—I 7361dc48e3 couldn’t afford 253e56f854 to hesitate.f4a3cf0d6ca2d91d

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I calmed myself bb123525ed and began explaining c362512fa4 my reasoning. “I asked b26c3cf5d0 Herman to 27ab3cb38e review the 4fdb86fbc2 treaties between 1bf3655a4f Hebel and 0c0340a719 Jabis, and 5642baef1b there were f8febb9321 too many fe0de84f24 terms that 46f9a0c027 seemed unfavorable 2567f45d7e to us. I thought this 9c712559e3 would be a 9dac3c3236 good chance to 529672775b step in and 84746070c7 renegotiate.”dde71a0ed3b67fef

“There’s no need 286f8be1a9 for you to cebb37c321 deal with something 775d5bf6ce so tedious.”ec649a3d66b837d3

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“I want 6bcffd893d to do 28b8583add it. I’m part of 7aff643f8e Jabis now.”1505d0e3b9bc8899

At my declaration, Zerakiel’s a977a666bb golden eyes flickered with d66ff360b0 emotion. Hearing me acknowledge myself c8491a6f4f as a member of c984d49576 Jabis seemed to please 7ddb70d76e him.e3081748a3db5761

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The way his 2f3a95e333 mood visibly softened bbf10f0a96 from a single ad9a9c4414 statement was almost f3784ffca3 laughable. Tilting my head, 7c9565075c I decided to 93ae83253b deliver the final 5da59b2ff5 blow.c3982877d5c7a005

“So, are you d64261f1af going to keep 13d8ca4919 stopping me from 396bf8277a doing something for 52edc51df2 the family?”070b26bc12921720

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