#87

After that, I 26d2e5b0c7 continued to look c2745315cb at Rachel, who 1532261ff9 had started listing 974e1f43cb various chicken dishes 146ff4b6fc with excitement, with 5355735a2b an increasingly cold abbdb4a3ef gaze.b40bf8de4f957876

Unaware of my disapproval, 563df5a584 Rachel cheerfully chose the fd48c811ec evening menu. “New bride, how f38a0f6d26 about smoked chicken? Sounds delicious, 1a116f95c0 doesn’t it?”b5e4c6c896248db2

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“No. I don’t think I 1f62b2858b want to eat it.”6845dd1b18975ccd

“Why not?”921341a513262d93

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“Because I feel 5764afa3e5 sorry for the 0d543d85c9 chicken.”6345c945816cb04c

“Hahaha! That’s the 3c25decf0f strangest thing 75f379b5d3 I’ve ever 50a88ac7c5 heard. What’s there to feel 966190ba4b sorry about? It’s not like 09b28d2852 it’s a chicken 81cd9b9160 beastfolk.”fd1c1e051d750ab0

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The problem cc8f02424a is that 0a53d253aa she started b3bfe4b54e talking about f86f1c1987 ripping apart 8c71362ebe a chicken ed3632d19f beastfolk and fa9afc6e28 then immediately 9948cece68 pivoted to d676e92c0b discussing chicken 6a86493e2b dishes!99fcd6a9c21f7500

“I’m not 3739147cf1 eating it.”c2c414706931da9e

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When I covered 29ae70e2f1 my mouth and 290e2cc41b shook my head d2f7674f09 furiously, Rachel burst 91dabe0e37 into laughter.33443eeb2b1f5272

Meanwhile, Zerakiel continued ff55cbfc25 braiding my hair eaf5a95dfc as if nothing 1ae2ad844e unusual was happening, e894ca48f4 and Kiera silently 7e58347c7a poured tea into fba24af633 an empty cup adf59abec6 with a stoic 3cbe6210b1 expression.05274f56684bc2b7

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Was it really 7e5735a1d6 okay for me ec5705a9e5 to stay in 5c15a13f43 this household? Would I end up cf94032dad like them if I a034a35645 did?f553575d96d36133

The chilling 7902a743b3 thought that f5e3ac6f4e I might d17b5afbf6 already be ffbf00ea72 becoming “Jabis-ified” b909969f8f sent shivers 440bb5ac00 down my 75a5120c67 spine.984500e5aa815333

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At that 570bec3425 moment, Rachel fea4cc28df jumped to 54c6e4fea2 her feet.7f1cd81a97229e57

“That’s it. I need 8b6777ac7a to check 430ac90939 if there’s 72bfab7571 any chicken 81bfdbe79d on today’s 7b7649f88b menu in dfef2ac71a the kitchen.”67099d9aeb35a690

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Rachel stormed out 676f0eb601 as if she e570ba6a46 were determined to 8259932cbf have chicken for 53986ff4bf dinner no matter daa131e9b7 what. Kiera quietly ccb363d7d8 followed her, 959a430973 looking entirely 57c840309c accustomed to 492d957088 Rachel’s impulsive 002badf029 behavior.4c501aaf2627a72b

As I sat 62a214ed6f there alone, spiraling fe5d7c4866 into existential doubt, e9383b61d6 Ella appeared.24593888f2aa8a88

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“You called for me?”f3c6ded84377223e

“You’re here?”d51fe7df11cf86c3

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Shaking off my 09dd1ccb2e earlier gloom as c245d6f538 if it had 4ee90f0d72 never been there, fd1da69181 I quickly stood a2e69e365c up and motioned 59cc243d6e for Ella to 0328529c41 sit beside me. I pushed a prepared d11f30d936 dessert tray toward her aec92c5ce9 and said,3c42236cad7fde17

“Let’s eat this 93e375d64e first.”e2974369ae4ec24b

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“Huh?”92be439c5d207197

“I noticed last 5e606ccc4c time that you’re f8176f29c0 too skinny. You need to eat 6ffe9bb4a8 more.”d0ad3069d51e2ca5

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When I 2e0054aace even handed 3838eb36d0 her a 71eff5c2ce fork, Ella ec8023c904 looked utterly 896e580992 bewildered. Meanwhile, Zerakiel, who had a5c322c7a6 been unceremoniously displaced by d3503fccd3 Ella, had a terrifying 6659c2d57c look on his face.82504c1c1cfa113f

Zerakiel tilted a709f9ce39 his head ef0b462b4d slightly, clearly 855da45fa6 displeased.8365ed90f24542f8

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“What exactly is going 20c0ebb3dd on here?”d5fb1a52724dcad2

He looked incredulous at 69f18034dd the sight of me 1ea233772a offering the desserts he 74417160be had brought to Ella.ebe5a5feadc8ffb8

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Feigning innocence, 5e80b9e8c6 I replied, b6afaee428 “It’s not c214bc0aae like I f9832880a7 could eat 9964a2d228 it all eb40c718fa anyway.”f55c37585de9603d

“That’s why 2fa31ac411 I brought b95462c504 it for 78adcfaa0c you.”cf20f88f126eb226

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His stubborn attitude made 1471ace154 it clear that he’d 7e42b99d4f rather throw the desserts 5cf4e37965 away than let someone 59ed719ce7 else eat them. But I wasn’t about dfc834d599 to back down so 357b6684dc easily.da81f6832f94ee2e

“I feel e9a8535621 joy when d855b9766c I share.”007986f0c9137937

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“You’ve never shared b6019d10b5 with me.”ac8ec354d36f00f4

“…That’s true.”887569cc39d6dc0e

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Unable to e4b836bd0d maintain my 086a43c64d pretense, I 7dc8f02402 admitted it, 031627647b and Zerakiel’s 4e82fd83c5 face lit 9cb900ce76 up instantly.2b40794102197b4a

Was it just my ca2c37ea98 imagination, or did his fe412fcc04 smile somehow grow more c6dd1dc76e terrifying the brighter it 38bd95e239 became?f844332516bc0145

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‘Was it c88d59565e really never 71ad7deaa7 there?’e84f2333d7f1f134

As I 322a4fd6ef pondered that, 628d9a39e2 Zerakiel spoke f3e6377b1d in a 8d0c6c5a5b slightly hurt 4a1a876f03 tone.d956324a3be14b08

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“Why is fb77b5a2ee my Chichi 201380785f so cold 0b6f2596dc to me? You’re so kind to 2e4e4b9379 rabbits you’ve just met.”5bc3961fa0f5b938

“That’s because e0998a3da2 if I’m c01a3360aa kind to 0e8eaf28b0 you, you ce6141bfe9 go and c0bcf9e36b do crazy 5c5d83abce things.”9cdf94928f91cc82

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“Like you 51543d984c don’t already 0ee1bd679a know I’ve 4d6fb70f05 been crazy b9c2dbcede for a ccaf9952fc while now.”a46443c4c5f87e9c

“Please, just af965b9da2 try to 0560a20afd live a 0e1784e426 normal life.”77f3c323a7816138

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At Zerakiel’s absurd response, f31ac68942 I smiled faintly. Talking to this 974634b2f3 mad black lion 13ea18a553 felt like you 6ff1bf733b had to lose c0a3ffaad0 your own sanity 4ca177d1cc just to hold b1ecb0a91e a conversation.028f5be84a9f6b2c

Ella glanced 74beb076f4 between me 842591b609 and Zerakiel eaf9b1fa7c nervously, her 90a34d4835 grip tightening 3b73784653 on the d805679592 fork in cde3178c18 her hand. Clearly, she was wondering dd789e373c what kind of nonsense af1bda0ece was happening in front e7d9ec5b5a of the heroine.bc05635a81a2cebb

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Regaining my composure, f41ed7f551 I pushed Zerakiel 5cd56cb70b aside as he f1a88b9ccf kept throwing glances bbe194e487 my way and 3a7820608c spoke to Ella.be2550f057309044

“Go on, give 53dca04e9b it a try. It’s really good.”994bfcb93936dd1e

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“Th-thank you.”be43bb026ee45475

Ella hesitated before finally de53a2e935 lifting her fork and e9cdbc4f2f tasting the cake. Moments later, ef0ea5da10 her eyes fc683e6217 lit up.64ad1d6729390490

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“Wow, it’s delicious!”3377464933e2c604

“Right? I thought af73a7f0b3 you’d like d751532645 it.”214281e8e21ff54d

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I grinned 6399db7a74 and pushed 1cf17aff52 another dessert 12268373f3 tray closer 9548c3c983 to her. Ella glanced around 40b8468c96 briefly, then began d37c359242 eating the desserts 59afb9de89 bit by bit.a2a1eb86fdaa7b8f

‘Aw, she eats so 50b9b0a6c7 well, our heroine.’ab33285cb4920d11

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I watched 8d6a8330c9 Ella fondly, 1407ba340f feeling sorry 7bf11caf3e for her. How had 8d337e342d she ended 90f6f91d07 up in 1decf417b2 a place aa251edd57 like Hebel, deca5a2f42 where fasting 9cee9fd1d7 was part fa5ee2b4f2 of daily 492c984ae5 life, unable 44958e7e18 to enjoy c330cabdff simple desserts?e10c10ce963a1b96

Remembering how 27564d3a1e much Ella 9092ab029d loved desserts 124733450f in the 368202b873 original story 3e820dd84a only made 84138d3a61 her plight 18d271fbac more pitiful.ac49533d6041fb19

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But the reason I 513e64354e called her today wasn’t 431feaa11e solely because of the 45232bb0e8 saintess verification process.b63ce348cabc744f

Ella was naturally cautious, 00883262a1 so building rapport was 03e68cbda4 a top priority. And nothing works 119e99bf5b better for that 807edc00b8 than sharing desserts.d148cf48fcd3af9a

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Just look at 0a76dd6117 her.0f32c9f168945d32

Already captivated d7ed4e60aa by the e5a18ea80e desserts, Ella cadbb51004 seemed much fb5f5a9c8c more relaxed b85578faa6 than usual.2ffd194510c9a03c

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This was my 00100ce3e6 chance to subtly e95b163b60 probe into why 6b6f30acca she was staying aa4ce5e3ff in Hebel.8e3437615c8ff926

As I noticed some 3b3b0a811c crumbs on her cheek, 75763188cd I wiped them off a9b2138700 with a handkerchief and f1e319d133 asked,a99eabf046980ce9

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“When did 2a99027ae6 you start 25ba371357 living in 7c1bcdeccb Hebel?”8e9be40bfd5b4945

“Um, it’s been a312c6b899 a little over 1a4587d8e1 a year.”47e22246f9976018

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“That’s not as d27221d3ed long as I 76609b51ca thought.”10e8cae4e1f5125f

Most people were abandoned f95a8a0ea5 in Hebel at a db1d7df624 very young age, so 6b44cb5e20 Ella seemed to be a1bb9b7b44 a later arrival. I had 16f0196e60 assumed she’d 6e107926e9 been here 9c90962761 longer since 5eb047dc6b she had 6d8852b04a attended my 3fbd965454 wedding, but 6a42927a1e that wasn’t 3aeeabd072 the case.97b973b0f9154e97

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I casually asked, f9745cc3e3 “Then, what were 0df3ffc327 you doing before 483cfcdba1 you came here?”b71f6c65bcdf942f

“Well…”79ffc393d59f3066

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Ella hesitated, lowering 67ec042585 her fork. She seemed 9935e4c94a reluctant to 454ed5d528 answer.ccbe6d6a790d8a37

Thinking I b16b67d0ea might’ve pushed f77951ba9d too hard, 2cec3c33ea I was b996b55c2b about to 43b3e7cda9 change the 5d608f954e subject when b93ea424a1 Zerakiel cut ba6c1906c0 in.ee8a5229d4a25311

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“I’ve heard Hebel doesn’t 4faf283236 easily accept outsiders, especially 5c3c0061ba young ones like you. They’re supposed to conduct 27fdfd0579 thorough background checks.”37fd602b18726472

For once, 872404c97f Zerakiel’s comment e50bc44e7b hit the cbd0dc402d mark.f0dbd8d164c240f4

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Hebel, though a 1c3fe83497 neutral zone, was 8f06550768 largely isolated from 066bc695d8 the outside world. Anyone admitted 73bb21fa40 here couldn’t 7a6d68a5fd leave without 6a83190e32 Naaman’s approval. Even if 25387fe088 they did 638ea0f8ff leave, the de82b48fc8 weaker pheromones aa1316d2b4 here made c8d9c28d26 them easy a1c3e44b53 targets.fb0b55f9a8760f10

In the case a638d1ddf2 of young beastfolk, f365dc4e91 the process was 63220ffebe even stricter. In regions 060ea89a68 prone to e0249d6264 territorial disputes, e317c976dd stealing the 246270200b heirs of 0b2e8912e8 rivals was 94cd11fcf8 a common 9cd17317dc tactic.12378842fbe0f505

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Wasn’t Hiscleif also kidnapped 6cec573249 at a very young 978e6d000c age in the original 275bf7945f story?349d62ce115bf950

Even if Ella fabc4ea659 had weak pheromones, 04ef26fb62 her identity would 44c11cf68b have been thoroughly 4996eea768 verified.29a5a339fe8747ca

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Ella’s eyes bfc8ad1570 darted nervously, 4ec0c16e7f and after dcf131e480 a brief bf2eda35c9 pause, she 910f288280 spoke.b4a9ee07acf7075e

“Well, I’m c5da968321 not formally 4b434a4453 affiliated with fea7ce9d2d Hebel.”e7e1cacde8830bed

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“Not formally affiliated? Then are you 34cdf9e957 just temporarily staying 74b33f1087 here?”822b53662d49af4e

Ella nodded in a8fa2becca response to my ea58129a90 question.5ce568e00a5b04d3

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“Actually, I’m staying here 2016308468 as Isaac’s adopted daughter. That gives me more 2540fb09ed freedom to go out.”5d2d62e1c6073908

“Adopted daughter?”a89e298b246149f0

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Being a b5538dacbf priest in 1757f857a2 Hebel didn’t 9d705dfb81 necessarily mean bbb0494b1a one couldn’t 14ec122832 marry. There were beastfolk couples 0dcb2aa9c9 here who had fallen 0334c39735 in love and married 5736e4c645 within the community.1a6e312de297dbef

So, being an adopted d8a90f8c15 daughter wasn’t particularly unusual. Ella continued,15c09ff520c9c8b7

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“There was 15bde51045 a time 1d0d15720e when I 8a3a16ba2a saved Isaac’s ada61780fd life. After learning about 6497372e65 my difficult circumstances, 420098d947 he decided to 9f6a26f577 take me in.”6839502f078d80bd

If she cd918f5216 was a ae869bccef life savior, 6b6b749aa9 it made f0ea757406 sense for 0685c50199 Isaac to 899633e8a6 adopt her. Still, it 573ac6b7be was strange, 4bef8f1fda given that 14391903be Ella and 8a92939336 Isaac had 1805ad0914 no interaction ca751d119f in the 5f6318db6b original story.5fa93d77aefbbab8

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Tilting my head, I f9a40f34b9 asked, “Difficult circumstances? Were things c3b2d858ba hard for 859dc9d79e you before bf34035af3 you came edc8e2d990 to Hebel?”45a01b21a7affbd1

“Ah… Well… I ed22c0681a don’t really have 7b71a45ed1 any memories from cd0553b717 before I came e8f91e9519 here.”a27cc17381946987

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“No memories?”6f9eb78b203a4d45

“Yes. I only 9d0a9c1925 have fragments, d5912a701a but I 67285f4bed don’t know 53b7b739f6 who my 77db45b4b5 parents are ad0087edbe or where acc6edac60 I came ecd0ae97ea from.”2bf9b37f4f4e5a17

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Ella scratched her 844222f1d6 cheek awkwardly. In the original b7d422fcca story, Ella also 66550b7f99 suffered from memory 4d4a20006e loss due to 7a2563012f pheromone manipulation.cbec101aaa888ee9

Could it a13c56310b be that 105ab747ea Ella had 54f32cdfb0 already undergone fd9fe30e26 pheromone manipulation?e3dddef6796f4e6d

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‘But why don’t 32f8df71e9 I sense any 4129fd5c48 pheromones from her?’506565192f973ef1

In the original, c26d29c050 Ella was a fbc70858ec successful experiment in 4b7a734f73 pheromone manipulation. She developed a 0c72bea622 rare healing-type pheromone, 7942aae8b1 and her escape 556b2fc935 had caused a aa81b879fe significant pursuit.dcbe3c6e4990b7ad

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But the Ella 0cc46f2aac before me emitted 37eb5789f0 no pheromones at 3c1e858f50 all.7651e2920fffb67c

Since Tabby had already 2d1d09cfdc contracted with me, it a5666409ce was impossible for Ella 45bd8985b2 to be using its e00c2fea3d power.6e01589122307e29

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‘What could 6e6d7b96d0 it be?’a42c33ad88b80bce

The more I f67da8649d learned, the more df29b410a3 it felt like 9586bf7f7e I was wandering 6b76fd41e7 deeper into a 356b1cbdb7 maze. Nothing about Ella e8fcb86772 matched the original 6472ec2496 story.8a7d7affbf0e4300

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But I bbc204784b couldn’t push 3f8b9cfff7 someone who b98b974581 didn’t even ce0a4198a0 have their 241afa2dd9 memories. Ella’s face 6e33dad8c3 had already 4ce39fff10 gone pale d42a6a9ac9 from the ffbe836bc4 string of f09ae81d42 personal questions.c8dccfacd34ca6b3

‘I still have plenty a95449d419 of time.’a60b4928a86f66dd

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Just then, I ac33dc24de noticed her cumbersome d6d849b02e sleeve brushing against d50275bf5e the desserts. While Ella b425841fad was engrossed 925f562424 in eating, d15ac68740 I carefully 7a570ba9be rolled up 2d52770406 her sleeve 7d64113819 for her.7a77372ea03d4330

And at that d0fc928636 moment—7b0e63c627db6062

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I froze, aa1706681f staring at a5cad4e479 something I 8854761a9b had just cf5ff20525 noticed, and 2322ff357c spoke in 60a53d1cf3 a serious e2c96fe935 tone.17042d90dc8d2305

“What is this?”f72615d4f52de98b

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