#87

After that, I continued e4aa7c28f7 to look at Rachel, 4d81ab75af who had started listing aaf1a3ec73 various chicken dishes with add05b769f excitement, with an increasingly cc2bf67c27 cold gaze.c28b4c7a9cd8b821

Unaware of my disapproval, 2517a9b252 Rachel cheerfully chose the 5504f87aea evening menu. “New bride, how 0542342ded about smoked chicken? Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?”770161ec1bf30b99

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“No. I don’t think 9f0ea1af06 I want to b4f600a547 eat it.”87895de2edc8488c

“Why not?”9a9111b603e66e0a

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“Because I feel a19e2a8812 sorry for the 4a7c42af58 chicken.”21e3ce1333106972

“Hahaha! That’s the 1387421ca1 strangest thing 0601c57721 I’ve ever ed3ade8031 heard. What’s there to feel eefbd33d7d sorry about? It’s not like e03ee1d3e8 it’s a chicken c6f6f6839e beastfolk.”92819fbb983dddfb

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The problem is 6226fc2240 that she started 1fda592a2d talking about ripping 43514251af apart a chicken 0fc92c5311 beastfolk and then 083ac2fcba immediately pivoted to a5ef5fff7e discussing chicken dishes!8cf37fe5ce23feeb

“I’m not eating it.”de383c2dcc66d765

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When I covered my 83ad6cce04 mouth and shook my f6aa45b273 head furiously, Rachel burst e59bd64c39 into laughter.6a2d604c215b3c09

Meanwhile, Zerakiel continued 3373e5291d braiding my hair df7a739881 as if nothing 3cba0d47cf unusual was happening, 2109eaaf87 and Kiera silently 3ae39f0d89 poured tea into 1599af5e90 an empty cup d8245ee10d with a stoic d3891c8a26 expression.612180f80dcbf231

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Was it really c521a4e5d0 okay for me 301a0cac41 to stay in 2f3922992a this household? Would I end 3ee14d4835 up like them a50807922d if I did?fce775c407e98985

The chilling thought e20c356f07 that I might 477dbfb5e0 already be becoming 87a0480042 “Jabis-ified” sent shivers 96fd43c538 down my spine.fe7a7770df4f4f15

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At that moment, Rachel 10a8169a6f jumped to her feet.5533280c7ad499d3

“That’s it. I need to check 28d719ba4e if there’s any chicken bc6d74d1a9 on today’s menu in 256a595594 the kitchen.”b237f9a47149b58e

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Rachel stormed 77b932c5ed out as 1bb77302ae if she f2a1b9da2a were determined 17b4e39329 to have da3699baa0 chicken for 7ffc8dd92a dinner no 4e226c2098 matter what. Kiera quietly 3336a2e364 followed her, e6ebea7d70 looking entirely b9d5d52d4d accustomed to 6467374efc Rachel’s impulsive cd6b998669 behavior.9bf942a9dc2808dd

As I sat 35b2ffd590 there alone, spiraling 24e713f2ab into existential doubt, f68c5c6b95 Ella appeared.6f87ee9325680fa8

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“You called 43287d2952 for me?”a6e050feda104365

“You’re here?”e02f8feca569850f

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Shaking off my earlier 95bc7dbeda gloom as if it 88f80653ac had never been there, 6d011eb24e I quickly stood up e3808bf379 and motioned for Ella 1bf8775bfb to sit beside me. I pushed ff6cccb473 a prepared 695139af28 dessert tray 7f20ed5647 toward her be217e5f28 and said,33b808b7e30365bf

“Let’s eat this b2e0baa29b first.”77dd301dc435ae9d

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“Huh?”4580bfc97ae8ee22

“I noticed 3bd29df62c last time af95edaf11 that you’re d9c7482613 too skinny. You need to a9acf558e4 eat more.”e64cb249111e0227

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When I e7bb8ca1dd even handed 30b4e6c695 her a f98eb0576d fork, Ella 37bf4c9eb4 looked utterly 65cafdd12a bewildered. Meanwhile, Zerakiel, who 3429ba0649 had been unceremoniously 9b6d9e8e5a displaced by Ella, 57f254ba9e had a terrifying 1e62336a28 look on his 19285a04e8 face.98f07382ca73153a

Zerakiel tilted 503d9da8d0 his head 3ff4b9fada slightly, clearly cfd300b40a displeased.27fb423e903ece52

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“What exactly is ad042f1dad going on here?”02e9e65eba5a75ef

He looked incredulous at 65b73d2620 the sight of me 27241d3a10 offering the desserts he 6cc93b97c3 had brought to Ella.2910d521f0c4974d

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Feigning innocence, ea660b10cd I replied, b270d9a2f2 “It’s not 7bc6f5ccbb like I 4169a3f9ec could eat dc84467d04 it all c22adac6f9 anyway.”938a1565aad93985

“That’s why I f7bfa3d768 brought it for 34760a8561 you.”a5c6fbd74544afa3

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His stubborn 6523475ed2 attitude made c4ef45128a it clear e039ae7989 that he’d 5b416e4fd0 rather throw 067eb4cf40 the desserts 8d87dc1334 away than bb4e0b4aef let someone 27739b02d0 else eat 3eadb4b262 them. But I wasn’t 3be53e44bb about to back 1a824187da down so easily.47a2d11bdc33a3e9

“I feel joy when 3081f4dabb I share.”b835b45ac074308b

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“You’ve never shared with 95df730940 me.”15f8cf97bad8c35b

“…That’s true.”1dac39f81a93f2fc

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Unable to maintain my 2a8aaa601b pretense, I admitted it, 7a2394e91f and Zerakiel’s face lit c076bd2fca up instantly.4245f4ae0fdea15a

Was it just my 2a3749f1c9 imagination, or did his 107491d95d smile somehow grow more a9179047e8 terrifying the brighter it aa606e0541 became?4dd51dad688a305b

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‘Was it really 411182adcd never there?’d34eb156cd66679a

As I pondered that, 84f52be2de Zerakiel spoke in a c735bcfc38 slightly hurt tone.bf9f90299f5a5430

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“Why is my 23235b3848 Chichi so cold 1bf83d14fa to me? You’re so a45c5a3423 kind to 8d0e823afa rabbits you’ve e385167f67 just met.”30f19d203ddc6fb9

“That’s because if I’m 038bc64e72 kind to you, you 2b7ad0608b go and do crazy 72f91a4025 things.”d40fa9760f5d6bf7

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“Like you don’t 278ab938d1 already know I’ve 211693b916 been crazy for 4a3caef45b a while now.”b00d8d9028a037fe

“Please, just try fe29a4140a to live a f34630182c normal life.”2a83bc4e86fa0d1f

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At Zerakiel’s absurd 25b45bf201 response, I smiled cf650d716a faintly. Talking to this fff3dc96b8 mad black lion 5684cebf41 felt like you ab417c347f had to lose ac8ed360c2 your own sanity b705f2cfb9 just to hold 656829bfb4 a conversation.0e1846e296fa9677

Ella glanced between me b93f201981 and Zerakiel nervously, her 94c5d516de grip tightening on the 076ede43f0 fork in her hand. Clearly, she was 0860c9f133 wondering what kind c69f1286eb of nonsense was 09a81bffe2 happening in front 4fb0530bba of the heroine.39eea0421b104fc8

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Regaining my 36bde7f537 composure, I fb57e53aa9 pushed Zerakiel 9f07fa9c72 aside as 0c3f2415c9 he kept 8c98747ec0 throwing glances c60e024ce7 my way 7a5d2dcc9e and spoke fd990fc7f4 to Ella.7f81a2aa1459b682

“Go on, give it fa96c942bb a try. It’s really good.”c63f3032cf0073bd

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“Th-thank you.”6677b931231713a5

Ella hesitated before finally 1e6b762593 lifting her fork and 107e5d129b tasting the cake. Moments later, 57c381b573 her eyes f5b90e7bf5 lit up.74b075c125fc51e9

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“Wow, it’s delicious!”c7b40b7ca7964cad

“Right? I thought you’d like 6dc2b39847 it.”4cec8350cea34dd3

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I grinned and e01e7e8506 pushed another dessert 4091d358a5 tray closer to d79aa60c2f her. Ella glanced around briefly, db25003c04 then began eating the 7b66bebf57 desserts bit by bit.d96c6be969dc1eed

‘Aw, she eats so 825da77902 well, our heroine.’733c46d76df63cd6

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I watched Ella ef2f082a46 fondly, feeling sorry 77413bc9ad for her. How had 8d42ce1c61 she ended 7abbaefeeb up in 2a6d2f1d7b a place dd69b1c0e5 like Hebel, 2abf4b5114 where fasting d8dc58c7a7 was part 89913e79c4 of daily 17278b79eb life, unable a16eb8096e to enjoy 9144b7a6c4 simple desserts?40cfa468141fb43a

Remembering how much Ella f9612da712 loved desserts in the a905a8da43 original story only made d13e37cb24 her plight more pitiful.32148b17fa99243e

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But the 182178e6a4 reason I 1900258d36 called her 8ba8222c9b today wasn’t 96cd2b3ecf solely because 3d6581a0a8 of the 261470fe2b saintess verification 5ce13eb902 process.50496d3153027070

Ella was naturally cautious, 2231fccc82 so building rapport was e4c92a7380 a top priority. And nothing works 79dfa62205 better for that c523b31b0a than sharing desserts.ebd016c04223e93f

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Just look 88974fde58 at her.74c7b7080db6ed31

Already captivated by the 2e20c11811 desserts, Ella seemed much 85938a1eb9 more relaxed than usual.161cd0f48a53ab01

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This was adc6a87e58 my chance 10c5640a52 to subtly 49ee2ebbe1 probe into c00692c05a why she ebebae9339 was staying faf9f91cd3 in Hebel.1e2aa1a16e0623cc

As I noticed f6b1fa869a some crumbs on 28b6c04b6e her cheek, I 7ae74f773c wiped them off ac48f7050c with a handkerchief 09bcae4c1f and asked,a53f3286dadcf51e

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“When did e6d8a868e7 you start 769b5bb457 living in 4b28279a9a Hebel?”9f5917af1f1798c4

“Um, it’s been a ce25e0dc75 little over a year.”29fe20a5244275ab

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“That’s not as long 316a7cd7e7 as I thought.”cd84f693fbc69b4e

Most people were abandoned 2fc8b184d7 in Hebel at a 81995c56bf very young age, so fc0d94fc07 Ella seemed to be 8757801c1b a later arrival. I had assumed c0322ac3d0 she’d been here b126e2ce19 longer since she 429c6f9ee8 had attended my f0bb4e3f25 wedding, but that a9d5ae278b wasn’t the case.7ce65e42752dc321

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I casually 9b1164a09f asked, “Then, b9e4274e3b what were ad0118c991 you doing b34f068692 before you a977df21dd came here?”380d4a0dfa2a6653

“Well…”61de9afe3d863436

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Ella hesitated, lowering her 494d7e0024 fork. She seemed reluctant to 9643720294 answer.5a749cebe68a634d

Thinking I e11c25620f might’ve pushed 8723733053 too hard, 6456886305 I was b6049f6531 about to 1c5c640cb2 change the 7c72d4b74b subject when 090cff770f Zerakiel cut acc0efc679 in.593194b06782c631

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“I’ve heard Hebel doesn’t 14739ec3e4 easily accept outsiders, especially f0de71850b young ones like you. They’re supposed d638f1584b to conduct ad5996858c thorough background 611bd847a4 checks.”f1363fe2de16f491

For once, 89f664dcbc Zerakiel’s comment d2ea2a3a24 hit the 0c1ea1a71d mark.eb6ed0dbee5ff6b8

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Hebel, though a 85f450cd9e neutral zone, was 3e30873a22 largely isolated from 0e5a2b3f6e the outside world. Anyone admitted db26d8e7ba here couldn’t 9bdfd24211 leave without af8b420c53 Naaman’s approval. Even if 70e0edb85d they did 417b6c5185 leave, the a5926059ce weaker pheromones a01d5a1f5f here made c3ef851314 them easy 08f77d0aac targets.406c7482b1f21812

In the a688026f9e case of 786f4267f5 young beastfolk, e9007aa855 the process e2e7ce1c76 was even b725ebb865 stricter. In regions prone 5ee479dd40 to territorial disputes, 278c345385 stealing the heirs 1fcfdb1c08 of rivals was d4b83d82e4 a common tactic.e457738fe9ad9f40

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Wasn’t Hiscleif also kidnapped ff4d22f26a at a very young f1708c744a age in the original 0f9011e6a2 story?a053a19c8d2419d2

Even if Ella fa82c24995 had weak pheromones, 1eee193415 her identity would 31a200de69 have been thoroughly fce72d4eae verified.e4c15fa2da5bcb3d

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Ella’s eyes darted nervously, 4eca9de419 and after a brief e073c1fabc pause, she spoke.8a866b02ca30a6cb

“Well, I’m not formally fabbed5108 affiliated with Hebel.”aa7274fc83ee2338

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“Not formally affiliated? Then are you just 396d4a4446 temporarily staying here?”375201f7392fe34e

Ella nodded in response bbbf422ec8 to my question.deead2ece4bf4f42

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“Actually, I’m staying cd3250347c here as Isaac’s 34e3c68b96 adopted daughter. That gives me more 8284d28266 freedom to go out.”0bdec55443b6c86d

“Adopted daughter?”3f810a312b79d397

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Being a priest in 28cc2a9dbd Hebel didn’t necessarily mean 45fd206a47 one couldn’t marry. There were beastfolk d3a1cd2526 couples here who 37fbc93eab had fallen in 9a0e889c5b love and married 4670b9078c within the community.e66470f9c4cde2ab

So, being 5637d6a126 an adopted d759769c18 daughter wasn’t 16a4b7ce6e particularly unusual. Ella continued,f30ac54280258bfa

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“There was a time df4711793b when I saved Isaac’s bd955b5e48 life. After learning about my 572902ac24 difficult circumstances, he decided b21f07fc37 to take me in.”e024768fed48e327

If she was a b301861634 life savior, it made de181ac782 sense for Isaac to 8ba9a911ea adopt her. Still, it was strange, 8070e6a074 given that Ella and 534ce362b2 Isaac had no interaction 18699b3043 in the original story.568eb667a043e5c8

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Tilting my head, I b06d51ce80 asked, “Difficult circumstances? Were things b8cb0c3f6d hard for 27ff157d2a you before a926fb521a you came 4f7ece5767 to Hebel?”3e5ac17bee8df90f

“Ah… Well… I 68c2ac5c05 don’t really have 2cca9a5f10 any memories from efb72ff9ef before I came 906b9fddd4 here.”2eb3c192300f0b6b

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“No memories?”269c51b3fdbdcd2f

“Yes. I only 43794abbdc have fragments, 5f3455d2b3 but I 33a3256602 don’t know 2829a1416e who my 8fd0c72c9c parents are 2fe5a59942 or where 342b319357 I came 1a3811cd88 from.”32d20f37f6e8b34a

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Ella scratched 5b4a234d5e her cheek e82754d776 awkwardly. In the original 7e5e20f0ce story, Ella also 754b11ee5a suffered from memory ea5cfa01ff loss due to 1e19ca7971 pheromone manipulation.d436a3cc9b07ed41

Could it fb22a7f240 be that f77ee8e032 Ella had e1ef441c9f already undergone 29d60a319b pheromone manipulation?f5992b11aa769b7a

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‘But why don’t 8b25720431 I sense any e0e5753742 pheromones from her?’f83934a171998f5f

In the original, e009c7ade9 Ella was a 70c7112020 successful experiment in 40b2a0100a pheromone manipulation. She developed a aa75dd44bb rare healing-type pheromone, 577eeec4aa and her escape 5633d10872 had caused a 5eed4c7c93 significant pursuit.5e4cd832ad553e70

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But the Ella 1c6e04b344 before me emitted 5352e388c7 no pheromones at ef87cbadfa all.a758f9445f6286e6

Since Tabby aa45fedf65 had already a582b026ae contracted with 2b8980c037 me, it 491772e286 was impossible 1142fee6e9 for Ella 489bf26982 to be 19c0d07db7 using its 0cef68d854 power.e480e5e5992ed336

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‘What could it be?’c4c3c3ed8abd34c3

The more I b4446c6fdc learned, the more aedd820b2c it felt like d9391e51a3 I was wandering fac03b75be deeper into a 8c07087f83 maze. Nothing about Ella 8c8eee87f5 matched the original 20bfa60180 story.de597558f2ed5685

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But I couldn’t 0ef2af387c push someone who 0ab50f5949 didn’t even have 933cedc4dd their memories. Ella’s face had already 838870b763 gone pale from the 3311115c74 string of personal questions.4d216bf834400db2

‘I still have plenty 49fa165e14 of time.’31746651419b676f

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Just then, I 11b9b80f24 noticed her cumbersome 2aec0fe222 sleeve brushing against dd274c3c20 the desserts. While Ella was 4bf36a9483 engrossed in eating, 92fa1da18d I carefully rolled 6aae1d25d4 up her sleeve 8e5116b122 for her.7abb9de2600bd43a

And at 14fb393bd1 that moment—529ad5642c46b545

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I froze, aa6e05693f staring at 3f700e3f63 something I 2db424b9e7 had just bedb0417d5 noticed, and ab0b3b9edc spoke in 50ba196abf a serious da03aaec1b tone.d2a6dceb369cd562

“What is this?”380ce1226ac80520

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