#87

After that, 8d37f4aac1 I continued d3a2111b9a to look 2356738437 at Rachel, 77cf0684e3 who had c4c8d8a3a1 started listing 5f21603edd various chicken 0c5b995cb4 dishes with 4c6b23ce48 excitement, with fc8ef77741 an increasingly 9924b5859e cold gaze.8fcd58ffd2a1c327

Unaware of my disapproval, b444deb199 Rachel cheerfully chose the 7d146a8300 evening menu. “New bride, 69c7f06b6c how about dbc8e8c036 smoked chicken? Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?”5c600419ec9db7e5

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“No. I don’t think b6763abd44 I want to f18fc8a704 eat it.”e4e962d3a4d5d6d7

“Why not?”b07928a33ca8f7e9

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“Because I feel sorry 658f0f1543 for the chicken.”faa3a44632529d46

“Hahaha! That’s the strangest d1dfa980d6 thing I’ve ever bdaf7c3522 heard. What’s there 91cc3254ad to feel eab1484ac8 sorry about? It’s not like it’s 0675fef161 a chicken beastfolk.”6989d779bf830854

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The problem e5074cf049 is that cf41dea0e7 she started d8ce1de5d0 talking about ec8c02e125 ripping apart 1b7716776c a chicken 2aed32dd5a beastfolk and 10c6ec9089 then immediately 4d84d8ef27 pivoted to 5f51b106f0 discussing chicken c6081131be dishes!7f2b9d23947c9290

“I’m not 4de0e82f36 eating it.”aff5f9cb927a180f

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When I covered my b7afde7029 mouth and shook my dea2dabca9 head furiously, Rachel burst e685abcb94 into laughter.7b38c07a9d0a961b

Meanwhile, Zerakiel 5d9fb107e1 continued braiding 472e53d08b my hair 751a1daa90 as if 26f00c040b nothing unusual 3d2cb4c9f4 was happening, dd1b66fec4 and Kiera 4ca686f45c silently poured 5f5a9199c0 tea into f6bc4d7096 an empty 84408be9e2 cup with 69bbc1ed6f a stoic 7bf9e3065d expression.5893440c2c2b900f

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Was it 5e0ed60998 really okay 9245e3465e for me 7704cd728e to stay e56093cd23 in this 1120f32bf4 household? Would I end b0c9256fbb up like them 34b634101e if I did?13b79b1582192cb2

The chilling 524bda8446 thought that 8b8689f2e1 I might f5badaed2d already be 9f482e1492 becoming “Jabis-ified” e4b14686d9 sent shivers 7abc4aeed7 down my 1e57ae0f52 spine.4b20023be8378561

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At that moment, Rachel 1ada0e6df5 jumped to her feet.3e1897480cc54bef

“That’s it. I need to check d71759e1e8 if there’s any chicken e17cef95e7 on today’s menu in e5b52f0397 the kitchen.”bee4045882903ff2

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Rachel stormed 4fda49b094 out as 21b88510df if she 01d9feced4 were determined 878ba4cf7b to have 7dc0c99bba chicken for d964184bc7 dinner no 5e59b016be matter what. Kiera quietly followed df84f7519d her, looking entirely 927a43693b accustomed to Rachel’s 6b72310662 impulsive behavior.07832202ad718345

As I eb22523590 sat there db6710f166 alone, spiraling 5c24db0f28 into existential 9cf1bf2264 doubt, Ella 44309dec9e appeared.a39b80511fb41e24

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“You called 0c64a49d0a for me?”29f48ee6ca5e208b

“You’re here?”c4828c239cfaa452

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Shaking off b4c289d876 my earlier 2b9d604c40 gloom as 410ba62533 if it 2ae181887d had never a73f3bae9c been there, d123b0e048 I quickly 043f3f98a8 stood up d4e0d69f21 and motioned ed7ce47889 for Ella f59af5baa9 to sit 3c9d7913fd beside me. I pushed a 8f9e8b38be prepared dessert tray e9e0f056da toward her and 6527237932 said,0d565795cecac9cc

“Let’s eat this first.”23e2850985530b57

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“Huh?”aca3da8f78ed4983

“I noticed last time c983b9f4f6 that you’re too skinny. You need to eat d611e6eab6 more.”67288027e1c28b9c

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When I even 4c9712d2ed handed her a 402f180369 fork, Ella looked d5bebcc016 utterly bewildered. Meanwhile, Zerakiel, who had cf31d4f09b been unceremoniously displaced by a52a005e33 Ella, had a terrifying caaea94da0 look on his face.c997ef26217c865a

Zerakiel tilted his head 55e8d6e1a9 slightly, clearly displeased.9b83a105ad379d2d

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“What exactly is 3255d70005 going on here?”83536b13bf6d6054

He looked 884df6600b incredulous at b5db1edd27 the sight 7511da4d9b of me 5a92b55096 offering the 5f52c5f171 desserts he de586618f7 had brought 65442fc009 to Ella.a80b83d027c20bc8

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Feigning innocence, dea42b1b91 I replied, 8972ed341d “It’s not 8c62103ff1 like I 954def207b could eat a1c6ca2d24 it all a8b3809f30 anyway.”ab2d3dcc0a16c483

“That’s why I brought 9f4a454749 it for you.”b8b599df8a6c913d

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His stubborn attitude made 36bdb5ba67 it clear that he’d e2b0854562 rather throw the desserts aeb0979c67 away than let someone fe1ce64e16 else eat them. But I d6342cce90 wasn’t about 0990e6bb40 to back c06c28d4b2 down so d2fec2c6bb easily.f00bc5116be4e6da

“I feel 860d24838e joy when aa130510a1 I share.”a3afcc86bb791733

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“You’ve never 2c29ca7bf8 shared with a25b727095 me.”43a85d291e26368d

“…That’s true.”1392ed477ad9e404

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Unable to b3affcae3c maintain my fd29c3a2bc pretense, I 8e5fcfcd77 admitted it, 627ac7788e and Zerakiel’s 0c83380d53 face lit bcef01ea05 up instantly.9bec86bd15c93579

Was it 0de658d2b0 just my 2605b4ef4e imagination, or 43d5362cfe did his 7032d5cf18 smile somehow 7650206836 grow more 447343b314 terrifying the 95dc5c59c1 brighter it 86714f400d became?3beea9b39b2221ae

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‘Was it really never 471bb80610 there?’37ac6310d6876eed

As I f598eaf4e9 pondered that, 5ff31ed063 Zerakiel spoke 6bfade8720 in a 2fa56601a4 slightly hurt 54f1922f36 tone.c2c3da199d51149e

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“Why is my Chichi 67d2b1e83a so cold to me? You’re so kind to eeb2f029ee rabbits you’ve just met.”0af209b724efdd7a

“That’s because a33a9d1f09 if I’m c19ef27345 kind to d75f794211 you, you 272f6316c5 go and b8c5e6d1d7 do crazy 026810ee90 things.”e05cb43d3667293e

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“Like you don’t e99c18fd80 already know I’ve c879284dc8 been crazy for 778509d8e8 a while now.”d6ec01cdf35ee08b

“Please, just 460881421e try to 6a65e8c7dd live a ecc8076933 normal life.”7014012625355be0

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At Zerakiel’s absurd response, 22d0821d9d I smiled faintly. Talking to this mad b81ee17552 black lion felt like d436ec8881 you had to lose 535c54c55e your own sanity just a0935f654c to hold a conversation.8141ca1a098f0c63

Ella glanced between me 075a81cc24 and Zerakiel nervously, her 5a3ac1f9f5 grip tightening on the 829da2f81f fork in her hand. Clearly, she was 6f3be53476 wondering what kind 44d0f58284 of nonsense was d26fdf95fe happening in front c1e56a0e4d of the heroine.4d4c18fe7db10328

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Regaining my composure, I 6248911abf pushed Zerakiel aside as e0cfafaf32 he kept throwing glances 7d50b369c7 my way and spoke 8161e2df0b to Ella.e963b7c3661829f1

“Go on, give 90ed704987 it a try. It’s really good.”c9eae2f7593e6122

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“Th-thank you.”4a8f0fe7499699e6

Ella hesitated before e42fd3e2da finally lifting her 03a02eba28 fork and tasting cbd3bb6d0a the cake. Moments later, her eyes 7647b18f58 lit up.270cf53576a2324c

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“Wow, it’s delicious!”672304642af54d9a

“Right? I thought 219481cd32 you’d like eaa6e90c74 it.”a55ea37249cc16ba

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I grinned and pushed 7213125245 another dessert tray closer 2fd74d80a5 to her. Ella glanced af92499212 around briefly, c8578d8e39 then began 0a1ed8f66d eating the deeca4a97d desserts bit e7d30da8b3 by bit.d9a539ec45fd3a9a

‘Aw, she eats so 00d3bf0429 well, our heroine.’955cd894e99c1a52

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I watched Ella fondly, 8c5057fdfb feeling sorry for her. How had she ended 480061fb3b up in a place 0a5962ccb5 like Hebel, where fasting be2d272c03 was part of daily c00b268ab9 life, unable to enjoy 3076c7bb6d simple desserts?b7b027ce310424ea

Remembering how 97a031d7fd much Ella 75036105fb loved desserts f2483af6fb in the df1605d291 original story d46559b448 only made b09795689a her plight 30225b8547 more pitiful.6972b3dccfc027da

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But the reason ef874a4c3e I called her ddff56a04a today wasn’t solely caba275a06 because of the bdffc1aa30 saintess verification process.64ff283550304f98

Ella was 47829cabcb naturally cautious, 785345d0af so building b4f7ec1b18 rapport was 5668076d1b a top 8936bcfde9 priority. And nothing works 061652ea00 better for that 53d0e6b71c than sharing desserts.ddfa663bf610eb30

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Just look at her.1be92ffea07d1cef

Already captivated by the cfc3378e4f desserts, Ella seemed much 2d27263643 more relaxed than usual.b5a451a1bc2e3cfd

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This was 8dfba053a4 my chance a95c569dbd to subtly 2014a929aa probe into 7e8c6a9594 why she c387ff82e7 was staying a2e4c882a0 in Hebel.7c6a29ff3748638a

As I 07953893ea noticed some 8f8d341117 crumbs on 18e081b4ab her cheek, e3fd2a3aa4 I wiped e60177978b them off e82ea79cb0 with a 74a1aa1650 handkerchief and b7228f41d8 asked,a38ac25184e8e3a8

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“When did 9d89035988 you start baf2970a10 living in 58e452ae80 Hebel?”df9a0c4ae7c2da45

“Um, it’s been a 65cd919fba little over a year.”f35c00f4c5803ef7

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“That’s not as 5d10f1a9d3 long as I 3274bb9a67 thought.”cb2a849ba5b1b9c6

Most people were abandoned 31401425d7 in Hebel at a b70f6f5229 very young age, so ffff7ddce5 Ella seemed to be bc1ccf9b6b a later arrival. I had assumed 79b7e79fa0 she’d been here a77b6bdf6e longer since she fb406d8204 had attended my d76e4bf454 wedding, but that d0c3305188 wasn’t the case.9ccef66247e18839

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I casually asked, 9a0349c4b2 “Then, what were 316b24f0e3 you doing before b8b37566c0 you came here?”df21a3e3c575f716

“Well…”4605db791d72c7cb

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Ella hesitated, lowering a2cef88953 her fork. She seemed reluctant to c6d4a86b6a answer.5cf1feca21471627

Thinking I might’ve ac26deec7a pushed too hard, 00444311fe I was about d7d991c0bd to change the ad28b4d654 subject when Zerakiel b3ac0e5684 cut in.1673c92358e5d6bd

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“I’ve heard Hebel doesn’t f944749bda easily accept outsiders, especially ec44ac1cf2 young ones like you. They’re supposed to 25e2b89df5 conduct thorough background 813085cdbb checks.”4d0a825db4247527

For once, Zerakiel’s 3f244fc197 comment hit the ee89bb8639 mark.b1c71fc3c8ffea3f

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Hebel, though baa738c67b a neutral f03ecb79a5 zone, was 294dde30d9 largely isolated 2d6e687b7a from the e2f5754476 outside world. Anyone admitted here 7bed3a2385 couldn’t leave without 952f38241a Naaman’s approval. Even if they did 08c846e81e leave, the weaker pheromones 7b33597052 here made them easy 967d3eec03 targets.9a9117e0c893ae9e

In the case of 92db878ed6 young beastfolk, the process 1559b156c1 was even stricter. In regions prone to 5821424b17 territorial disputes, stealing the 27a048e83d heirs of rivals was 576f1e3440 a common tactic.1becc3cbb132529a

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Wasn’t Hiscleif also kidnapped a0921aabd2 at a very young 6c5c349fcc age in the original d2c1433e14 story?e8a413f73d3956e9

Even if Ella had b2581166a0 weak pheromones, her identity 5d0b122080 would have been thoroughly f6e92649dc verified.365eb147bbc3a83e

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Ella’s eyes darted b3d092f42f nervously, and after 45d075f8a3 a brief pause, 43665ac9e1 she spoke.da6817274171468c

“Well, I’m not formally 6a1cc9718c affiliated with Hebel.”128b751145ed64e3

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“Not formally affiliated? Then are 771519d465 you just 92288d11d9 temporarily staying 621ccfe5a0 here?”eadccdf0f55f8da3

Ella nodded in response b64594ed16 to my question.e75aae40d199d72f

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“Actually, I’m staying b92d31a303 here as Isaac’s e076e1f462 adopted daughter. That gives me 7799cf5a9c more freedom to 21be5f3d5a go out.”e7fefba524fbad5a

“Adopted daughter?”e1f82941363ac82f

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Being a priest ed3ea4fc79 in Hebel didn’t 902064751c necessarily mean one 9e865bacf8 couldn’t marry. There were beastfolk couples 324245126b here who had fallen 2ede7d11ca in love and married 99ad8cca79 within the community.3e2884adb07c524b

So, being an 5f6c61cabe adopted daughter wasn’t e5b492dc55 particularly unusual. Ella continued,68973803a4648f4d

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“There was a time 9f2301ed22 when I saved Isaac’s 8e3622d8a6 life. After learning 583a3fbcf5 about my 2076b158c8 difficult circumstances, 6589c20fe0 he decided cb2f100862 to take d960ad0642 me in.”9514e335c61aebe5

If she 99935ba03f was a e3d988c902 life savior, a9222b03d4 it made c3dc6fa89c sense for 948c99ec99 Isaac to bc02ee2cbe adopt her. Still, it was 6b84f37819 strange, given that 80862679fe Ella and Isaac 5807776fa5 had no interaction b5ed5cf735 in the original 83f352f172 story.90d44cb9b9b8912d

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Tilting my head, eb045f9096 I asked, “Difficult 704b6da97a circumstances? Were things hard 2b5e886cdb for you before 5d9418305d you came to 55075e997a Hebel?”986c730acfeb6862

“Ah… Well… 2dd0323b45 I don’t 5f23ea9fad really have 1fec39a1a6 any memories d1caca6bab from before fc56b0d6b7 I came 7c3e776228 here.”caef15827b9dcc76

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“No memories?”f5d50f79d514e0db

“Yes. I only have 41ca87c27b fragments, but I 162a908243 don’t know who ad3a2f71ec my parents are afa155bef4 or where I 9bfb8b1f87 came from.”3a81117a816ce5de

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Ella scratched her f2eeae1ab6 cheek awkwardly. In the f862cd1b21 original story, dcf047e2c1 Ella also fd033199c5 suffered from 6a425551c6 memory loss 9e6e7d0e18 due to bad9adfeaf pheromone manipulation.491d84628ef632bb

Could it 6f9c513ebd be that 6dc5a8f3e8 Ella had 00240a0228 already undergone 37ae0aa1d2 pheromone manipulation?e5f3bce613acfe67

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‘But why dea41d92b0 don’t I 200e8cd570 sense any ea26851491 pheromones from f30ea6b7f4 her?’bb14b0ee4fa23142

In the a03c209fe4 original, Ella 0a077c1175 was a 50ca5784ab successful experiment b0c96f29c9 in pheromone 027e2eb1c4 manipulation. She developed 3c12d686c0 a rare 3dd681a280 healing-type pheromone, 211528dea8 and her d5ee6c478c escape had a1634734ed caused a aa80884d11 significant pursuit.46d7bc065a6042c4

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But the Ella before 05fdf0fbca me emitted no pheromones 48adb9f3b2 at all.a697b238dbabaae1

Since Tabby had already 23eec90519 contracted with me, it dbb54bd1f4 was impossible for Ella e2127027b9 to be using its 25d1e8aecd power.a7a92ffbd8267f89

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‘What could it be?’8377b2b44b7d68ad

The more I 7e73088817 learned, the more ab09367e4f it felt like d6aa3ecccb I was wandering a836009556 deeper into a 2ebc6ed23f maze. Nothing about Ella matched c47229912a the original story.8b41616240c670d6

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But I couldn’t push ed6b4d73ea someone who didn’t even 844b1cfd66 have their memories. Ella’s face abf066374c had already 4fd4b2d951 gone pale 8dfe6e0d93 from the 398a2db535 string of 6db5647360 personal questions.f6438c9838cc46d2

‘I still have plenty aec2ccde8c of time.’10780dfaf4176237

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Just then, I 4abcb84320 noticed her cumbersome dffecf57a3 sleeve brushing against 0d13d316cb the desserts. While Ella e08252cf22 was engrossed 6bd2f86d01 in eating, a1a60c6034 I carefully 307fcfab56 rolled up 776fa81f20 her sleeve ecef4ef796 for her.c6e8e09a7ef84fe2

And at f0e328a825 that moment—46a40237c7f032a6

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I froze, staring at 23da0efcd6 something I had just 4119b42273 noticed, and spoke in 288c99348d a serious tone.a2594e4286d36598

“What is this?”d0cb8227081197fe

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