#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.”0169c9b599a5c553

“Oh…”256f4c8216185af4

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“Honestly, you’re the dade30008f first beast-girl my 57bf350c8b age I’ve met, 20a3ab7dac so I’m kind 9a7443b197 of excited.”ac6f1c37da4a6a80

As I 2da94cb54b spoke with ba0df9b965 a cheerful 723d3323d2 smile, Ella 8fd40392db blinked in 3428b443db surprise before 1e9c396d07 nodding shyly.aedf0be85864d32b

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“Yes, I’ll try.”54e6b6d751698d89

Her blushing face was 7102b4c480 incredibly adorable. As expected of c6b56246a4 the heroine, just bae8c8ccf0 her presence seemed 4260ca65a4 to brighten the d4594e1e44 world.96156cefcfb5b43b

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As I held 8281299842 Ella’s hands and 97243184c7 gave them a 928ed2314c playful shake, someone c0a962bcc1 suddenly yanked me d86ca018be backward, pulling me 219251e26d away from her. Startled, I turned around d797ca26fa to see Zerakiel glaring a8899c8270 down at me, his d479b5a1f1 displeasure evident. Judging by his heavier-than-usual 35997c2155 gaze, Hebel’s mist seemed 756e699551 to have worsened his 6274dad0e5 condition.c231430aa201725b

That likely made 743782755d him twice as f4c7370bd0 irritable as usual.34d7acd2f74a7330

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I froze, bracing myself 1f9c3ef9a8 for whatever nonsense might 9d631de395 come out of his ae23c4a5c9 mouth. True to d6a2fd5747 form, Zerakiel 3bf93fb925 did not 88dcef6161 disappoint.2096361fcfa93bf3

“Cheating again?”604147e1c0e7b93f

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‘Is that really all 7d3d9ec44c you think about?’0d49e0682c31b9fb

Now he was 03d38c3883 even jealous of bd2cc204b5 a female beast-girl? At this 3cbf565d6a point, it 915798aa10 felt like c47137a742 he was 44ca54c310 jealous of 9206a5ce14 everyone who 7adbdc5441 wasn’t him.3be443a7fd159738

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At the word ab1cc6d9de “cheating,” Ella jumped a2170ae069 in shock and 677b4d5096 hastily tried to 2c70f4a519 explain. “N-no, it’s 0c2c1b271c not like c012c12ad2 that! Lady Cersia 293d1613c4 just asked 19a42b5e63 me about bfd14e54de the Saintess 7d998fb0a5 Trial—”bb4a0fce6a74e67c

“I didn’t ask you 587a4d3c24 to speak,” Zerakiel cut d2eafa51a2 her off coldly.47b498abb1f88c45

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Ella flinched, her e999e04b13 shoulders trembling under e96a3ef501 the weight of acadeaa1a7 his frosty tone.5ef42b2391472f74

‘Zerakiel, being cold to 9e13e21559 Ella?’25e80e3d52b26033

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His behavior was 62f9908b65 so starkly different 4dc252af28 from how he b4f3ba9367 treated me that e0429bd44a I instinctively moved 22c514ff21 to shield her.3c8e3dc205d4bacf

“Why are you crushing d3bb72c777 her spirit?”b703def0ff33af1d

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“Her spirit?”7e2e4a68c1d413c2

“I mean—” I stammered, 13ed7aacb4 realizing I’d slipped into 4702dd8b1c protective heroine-mother mode. I could feel 9fa32e106d cold sweat trickling 6f5615992a down my back.437aad1bb359a0be

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As I f5097998cd rolled my 6f3607f0ee eyes, Zerakiel 88d74df9c3 ruffled his 5a1a504107 hair irritably. “We need 308bec9ec6 to talk. Alone.”8aa7d9cddaef24c8

His face was d408d9b833 filled with unmistakable 1b53528b5d anger.2320b9eb7d54ac84

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I turned to Rachel, 40ed4f6f0d silently pleading for help. If I ended up f5b63a73e1 alone with Zerakiel now, 3889cf39c3 I’d be in for 1d9237613b a long scolding about 698a898008 my “reckless” actions.5a3edf159bb8cf02

But my d265a84ac1 treacherous mother-in-law cd2d0273e1 was not 82eaa1687a on my e7db1871ae side.7571186eee429109

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“Yes, you two 632cc1b111 should talk.”80028ffc37f8a2f3

“Are you serious?”004ad7853785de80

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“Well, you acted b2784dc47c recklessly, so you 3465455138 should deal with a23dd1c0aa the consequences.”9c95894f09ddec4d

‘Wow, Lady Rachel, so 2acf527b52 thorough!’9dc3a35057919be2

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I trembled with indignation 16281920e0 at her betrayal but a4899a8ef1 didn’t want Ella to 4909d560eb feel any more uncomfortable. I turned to her fb4a37f999 and said gently, “You 5bfd97fa04 can go back for 0373cebf9a now. I’ll call b814b3646c you if 8521562e0f I need d439e34699 you.”f81078d5854022f9

“O-okay…” Ella replied, 737e4944fa her face on d62d3ae368 the verge of 28a8e9a394 tears as she 0993e53487 hurried away. Rachel, meanwhile, made herself e9c046fd98 comfortable on a sofa, da5712dea2 waving at us with b8d4a471c8 a mischievous grin.f9a5b9807074a250

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“Don’t mind 7f98dcc880 me, just 4ca9273e53 have your 99e2b87d52 talk~”62042b9047eaeca3

“Do you 0c1b393f3c think saying 629c7dceb6 that will 4433270bc9 make me c73409c072 not mind c10eba7207 you?” Zerakiel 52fef11bd4 retorted sharply, 25970bf73e his wordplay 84eccf7a33 eliciting a cad82e7ea3 laugh from e375e758ea Rachel.6e474536213157a3

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“Oh, you never know. I have 381fd4a6c5 to make f1b273c681 sure you f766f5ef22 don’t bully 35b6f1e426 my lovely 2838b9a210 daughter-in-law.”89e17b00e2292f6f

“That won’t happen,” Zerakiel 85c2c31af8 shot back curtly, but 13fdadbc93 he didn’t ask her 807d365187 to leave.b0ee2210c444f4b8

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Instead, he pulled me 034b0d35c6 closer and pinned me c9c8ea7612 against the wall, his 07e5259fa6 voice low and sharp. “Explain.”3b7e92de51a6d93f

“Explain what?”b0b63eb6c5c7f570

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“Why you fcfcd71747 came here. What were you thinking?”e95a47d7c38a5a6c

His anger was evident, f84e501ce7 and I couldn’t blame a26e95a479 him. Leaving behind 44ec795237 only a 0d27086bd5 note and 706322fdd1 coming to c75238400d Hebel—a place 777c2b7e32 with a 2fbce094cc tense relationship 1812852147 with Jabis—probably 64420c1d5f felt like a5cb319e42 I had deb0bd52c8 walked straight 11ade9c250 into enemy e647823c09 territory.0690371ac803302c

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But I had 3f6073604a my reasons. Jabis’s excessive overprotection 970fba5d16 had delayed my 6152b29184 efforts to extend 788dfcef91 my life.3e2050b1572d0fad

I crossed my 068fdc1b0e arms and raised 1cdc55ce69 my chin defiantly. “Why don’t you explain?”f9da00b76261a986

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“Explain what?”c8311c7e764e9391

“I heard Hebel invited d65816a851 me multiple times. Why didn’t I be3c71ff87 know?”89ccd4f9176018c6

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“Because you didn’t need 43c5bc14f9 to come.”fd11b345a1643cb7

“And who 780557e37f decided that?”c91003af823755d6

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“…Does it matter?”eeffb21e92910d9b

“Of course, 2e875afadc it matters.”2eddd32280269b58

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My frustration 59cfc33832 bubbled over, 01b39de836 and I 1ff51b7882 let my 7f9d1e9a7a words fly. “Before I’m 499a004707 your wife, 746957d354 I’m still 7c9f277072 me. Why shouldn’t I know 5485abcb38 what’s happening in my e9673d2852 own life? You could have at 9e2af5bdf3 least told me.”e16f4dd406be8de9

Zerakiel’s sharp gaze softened, 37baa1ccfc his expression turning almost e40c827606 uneasy. He bit his 01bb5644c8 lip before muttering, 32688b4917 “I didn’t want 9bc1752b76 you to worry. It was 4b33b53515 something I 7fa69f9115 could handle.”9a206948975ac6c5

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‘Is he… worried 238f8d3e18 I’d be upset?’572554342986ad6a

The sight of him 910b34575c carefully gauging my reaction 08f19b0326 was almost surreal. The black 163fe35118 lion, who de25e2d3cc never cared 8640842500 about others’ b19e8464ff opinions and 36114cd4fa did as 1ac4f112f8 he pleased, 5dac377652 was now 238a45bd5e being cautious 858049deb7 with me.e06f3266f9bba3fb

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It was fb11d73634 strange, almost 77a2af6247 like I’d 47fd36693e successfully tamed 00a5ea91e1 a wild bc6ade6aab beast.33e847f70c3868bf

Of course, cd254ff63c Zerakiel still 93a4748f21 had his 7324cf3368 moments of e0f3a02c01 chaos that 7733b289de made me 89a0d07a68 feel like aa00b1a9ed I wouldn’t 15383afa5a live a 3cc1aa5375 long life.e875320aa6a7c79d

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I deliberately 507ce68d19 put on b360613764 a stern 5b2b65f7fb expression. “That’s the problem.”c9295e9a95bb2dc3

After all, 0e49a3b93a ‘handling it 1d35b74d1c yourself’ in 4a93d9275c Zerakiel’s case 4420e061a8 likely meant 642049e16a flipping Hebel 5b8c3a1e5a upside down!08b3eb8c45b55984

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The fact ed31585870 that Jabis’s 22b9416fdf way of 00905d08d6 resolving things 45fc8ecb5d was far 5f9a455a18 from normal 95c3ab832c became clear d245b0918f the moment 6df58266a5 Zakari chose 98cd256f55 to bolt ad89cb27f3 and disappear d9b9a837ef during the 60d98c6e16 prior crisis.1de5eb820e8c4bf9

And judging by the 679c014d2f dramatic entrance Zerakiel made aea2c8cd1a the moment he learned a68063135c I was here, his eae9b38500 actions were all too 6f9b82a610 predictable.f9ad0ee0529812ea

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Even if it dfb892a4b9 meant subjugating Hebel 366a5eb12c by sheer force, 05cb665fc0 he would have d4b48bb481 undoubtedly prioritized my a211f34068 protection above all c0fad63456 else.698ecbb3bcac87d1

But I e176afd10c didn’t join 73c84305c7 Jabis to 80aa4dd10e simply sit 49d0879b38 back and dbfc4e858b be protected. When I 79dc4cf918 stopped Zakari’s 9d58f3514a rampage, I d0a05730eb realized I e051983c53 had my 554e2fa6a9 own responsibilities a7d583d72f to take 087e89e443 care of.ede313ce9336f29e

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Not that the path 947f6038a5 forward was entirely clear 2b6d604d6f to me. All I knew was c5499a58f8 that it couldn’t be bc9cce2d19 done the way things 968678802c were now.ae146cbb1a35702f

I tapped my chest 2b62fa0002 in frustration, trying to ad3c688cce shake off the suffocating a18f183154 feeling. Zerakiel’s face, which eda8b0e9ca clearly still didn’t 426194cb06 understand what I 5f7df3d103 was trying to a9660533aa say, only aggravated 9877c655cd me further.b9020c7cab930660

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‘Explaining rational 1eb80822c3 thinking to 472b8cdf75 someone who e55940dcd1 thrives on ca23764db6 irrationality is e6dada0362 no easy b321a7363b task,’ I 03958bfbf0 thought, gripping cc9980bf23 Zerakiel’s shoulders 5291a36c69 firmly as ca494bffc8 I spoke.58c7dadb1af9aa30

“No matter how much f7ec1ac21b brute force you use, 1aefdbfbdb they’re not going to ab115da12c flinch.”a13f304d18ebafdc

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“They’re not worth the fa9107d239 trouble anyway.”36c509e7fb42e0e7

“It’s precisely 54affd835a because you 8875bd85bd keep trying 1fc4bed877 to solve 29e09b6ac5 everything this 258fa7ee14 way that ffdc8dc4af they’re waiting f2c4de05d8 for Jabis 91952afb0c to slip 2d65c65b50 up. Remember the wedding? The moment they saw 06ec8e4dd9 the rampage, they pounced. You have to use efaef287a9 your head, not just 65a6d67ee4 your strength.”70e1660acfb91afa

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I tapped 669af0a924 my temple 226388be4a for emphasis. Zerakiel tilted his de29ecea40 head slightly, his 7c57d1c952 soft black hair ecb479de8c spilling over his 9493897446 shoulder.b4290b0ad4c2a503

“You’re probably fed8a850c9 the only 4078f94b32 person bold 017addd482 enough to de76519158 call Jabis f5177e3d0d stupid.”fd81b8d12e3affe7

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“I didn’t exactly 9d999c7cb1 say they were 75fb2e613d stupid.”42f9b14834679ba2

Though, in 838bc10d88 my heart, aa4033bcac I might ef4463fa82 have thought 5a8201476f it.b679e29067488db9

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I carefully aaf385e9c1 kept my e2136996e6 true thoughts bda151dfea hidden, playing ba964ad9e7 innocent. After a moment, Zerakiel 41bb7b4608 started twirling a strand 49df725cdd of my hair between ebd1840bde his fingers and asked d63c081d09 smoothly, “So, what brilliant 0b6417098b idea did our smart a7d55c3ed1 Chichi come here with?”4756274f90f519d0

“Ahem, you’re going 6af671707b to be shocked 712939767c when you hear 84a1645f88 this,” I declared, 4d1320ce1c puffing out my 8ef8f95f8c chest with exaggerated 6b2aa4daee confidence.6b7cb9750641a774

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Zerakiel smirked faintly. “I’m already c047604533 shocked, so 09725bd0db there’s no ee9d67cd50 more shocking 9caba5578a to be c7d994985e done.”da5d077edf036485

His subtle f3eefb9ce0 jab at 1735cc9973 me coming b1e80a2079 here unannounced db5a541159 made me 8d537fe747 pout slightly.c0eb9f6a4d1d8552

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It wasn’t 2b85ca300a as if d2541b55f0 I planned 7d9c4fe798 to be 00eaf4ec72 reckless from a6556d30c6 the start. But Hebel had cut 86f4bbaea8 ties so thoroughly that ae24d216b9 I’d been forced to 56ff824805 take drastic measures.0f5aba14d71e04ca

My life was b6db7526bc on the line—I d9be3f2898 couldn’t afford to afbb44c638 hesitate.101e16f62bd5d733

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I calmed myself and 2df99a7906 began explaining my reasoning. “I asked Herman 42251c455b to review the 23da165d5e treaties between Hebel 0b5f1f4586 and Jabis, and 6ee235f496 there were too 4a4bf872d6 many terms that b1582dbff2 seemed unfavorable to 4e2daafcbe us. I thought c425daf95e this would b339e4aa5b be a 6e509290d5 good chance cd1e56f30a to step 09bb4ba77e in and fe71e741fd renegotiate.”f14d9449f60fb001

“There’s no need c069895e15 for you to 57c9f165db deal with something 6f43405e98 so tedious.”45e21a727c9d65da

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“I want to 80d40302cb do it. I’m part 8192ab237d of Jabis d136509342 now.”c4f1e132caf67841

At my declaration, Zerakiel’s 6b30567beb golden eyes flickered with ccea32a503 emotion. Hearing me fafa5de402 acknowledge myself 8393d1290d as a 4874a35285 member of 2b30f65ed4 Jabis seemed 17d4be2ebd to please b196d43d46 him.4fd52c4915d32590

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The way his c75d4c1561 mood visibly softened a5ff72b4fe from a single ab01f40be9 statement was almost efe5f0cd73 laughable. Tilting my head, ed19db5737 I decided to e75f85d295 deliver the final c4b2cfb194 blow.8d446bdce1e4f9b9

“So, are you b72668f8b8 going to keep 363eb0e43a stopping me from 4ecf360001 doing something for c9440f55ff the family?”20713169bd37abe4

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