#87

After that, I continued to look at Rachel, who had started listing various chicken dishes with excitement, with an increasingly cold gaze.

Unaware of my disapproval, Rachel cheerfully chose the evening menu. “New bride, how about smoked chicken? Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?”

“No. I don’t think I want to eat it.”

“Why not?”

“Because I feel sorry for the chicken.”

“Hahaha! That’s the strangest thing I’ve ever heard. What’s there to feel sorry about? It’s not like it’s a chicken beastfolk.”

The problem is that she started talking about ripping apart a chicken beastfolk and then immediately pivoted to discussing chicken dishes!

“I’m not eating it.”

When I covered my mouth and shook my head furiously, Rachel burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, Zerakiel continued braiding my hair as if nothing unusual was happening, and Kiera silently poured tea into an empty cup with a stoic expression.

Was it really okay for me to stay in this household? Would I end up like them if I did?

The chilling thought that I might already be becoming “Jabis-ified” sent shivers down my spine.

At that moment, Rachel jumped to her feet.

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

Rachel stormed out as if she were determined to have chicken for dinner no matter what. Kiera quietly followed her, looking entirely accustomed to Rachel’s impulsive behavior.

As I sat there alone, spiraling into existential doubt, Ella appeared.

“You called for me?”

“You’re here?”

Shaking off my earlier gloom as if it had never been there, I quickly stood up and motioned for Ella to sit beside me. I pushed a prepared dessert tray toward her and said,

“Let’s eat this first.”

“Huh?”

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

When I even handed her a fork, Ella looked utterly bewildered. Meanwhile, Zerakiel, who had been unceremoniously displaced by Ella, had a terrifying look on his face.

Zerakiel tilted his head slightly, clearly displeased.

“What exactly is going on here?”

He looked incredulous at the sight of me offering the desserts he had brought to Ella.

Feigning innocence, I replied, “It’s not like I could eat it all anyway.”

“That’s why I brought it for you.”

His stubborn attitude made it clear that he’d rather throw the desserts away than let someone else eat them. But I wasn’t about to back down so easily.

“I feel joy when I share.”

“You’ve never shared with me.”

“…That’s true.”

Unable to maintain my pretense, I admitted it, and Zerakiel’s face lit up instantly.

Was it just my imagination, or did his smile somehow grow more terrifying the brighter it became?

‘Was it really never there?’

As I pondered that, Zerakiel spoke in a slightly hurt tone.

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

“That’s because if I’m kind to you, you go and do crazy things.”

“Like you don’t already know I’ve been crazy for a while now.”

“Please, just try to live a normal life.”

At Zerakiel’s absurd response, I smiled faintly. Talking to this mad black lion felt like you had to lose your own sanity just to hold a conversation.

Ella glanced between me and Zerakiel nervously, her grip tightening on the fork in her hand. Clearly, she was wondering what kind of nonsense was happening in front of the heroine.

Regaining my composure, I pushed Zerakiel aside as he kept throwing glances my way and spoke to Ella.

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

“Th-thank you.”

Ella hesitated before finally lifting her fork and tasting the cake. Moments later, her eyes lit up.

“Wow, it’s delicious!”

“Right? I thought you’d like it.”

I grinned and pushed another dessert tray closer to her. Ella glanced around briefly, then began eating the desserts bit by bit.

‘Aw, she eats so well, our heroine.’

I watched Ella fondly, feeling sorry for her. How had she ended up in a place like Hebel, where fasting was part of daily life, unable to enjoy simple desserts?

Remembering how much Ella loved desserts in the original story only made her plight more pitiful.

But the reason I called her today wasn’t solely because of the saintess verification process.

Ella was naturally cautious, so building rapport was a top priority. And nothing works better for that than sharing desserts.

Just look at her.

Already captivated by the desserts, Ella seemed much more relaxed than usual.

This was my chance to subtly probe into why she was staying in Hebel.

As I noticed some crumbs on her cheek, I wiped them off with a handkerchief and asked,

“When did you start living in Hebel?”

“Um, it’s been a little over a year.”

“That’s not as long as I thought.”

Most people were abandoned in Hebel at a very young age, so Ella seemed to be a later arrival. I had assumed she’d been here longer since she had attended my wedding, but that wasn’t the case.

I casually asked, “Then, what were you doing before you came here?”

“Well…”

Ella hesitated, lowering her fork. She seemed reluctant to answer.

Thinking I might’ve pushed too hard, I was about to change the subject when Zerakiel cut in.

“I’ve heard Hebel doesn’t easily accept outsiders, especially young ones like you. They’re supposed to conduct thorough background checks.”

For once, Zerakiel’s comment hit the mark.

Hebel, though a neutral zone, was largely isolated from the outside world. Anyone admitted here couldn’t leave without Naaman’s approval. Even if they did leave, the weaker pheromones here made them easy targets.

In the case of young beastfolk, the process was even stricter. In regions prone to territorial disputes, stealing the heirs of rivals was a common tactic.

Wasn’t Hiscleif also kidnapped at a very young age in the original story?

Even if Ella had weak pheromones, her identity would have been thoroughly verified.

Ella’s eyes darted nervously, and after a brief pause, she spoke.

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

“Not formally affiliated? Then are you just temporarily staying here?”

Ella nodded in response to my question.

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

“Adopted daughter?”

Being a priest in Hebel didn’t necessarily mean one couldn’t marry. There were beastfolk couples here who had fallen in love and married within the community.

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

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

If she was a life savior, it made sense for Isaac to adopt her. Still, it was strange, given that Ella and Isaac had no interaction in the original story.

Tilting my head, I asked, “Difficult circumstances? Were things hard for you before you came to Hebel?”

“Ah… Well… I don’t really have any memories from before I came here.”

“No memories?”

“Yes. I only have fragments, but I don’t know who my parents are or where I came from.”

Ella scratched her cheek awkwardly. In the original story, Ella also suffered from memory loss due to pheromone manipulation.

Could it be that Ella had already undergone pheromone manipulation?

‘But why don’t I sense any pheromones from her?’

In the original, Ella was a successful experiment in pheromone manipulation. She developed a rare healing-type pheromone, and her escape had caused a significant pursuit.

But the Ella before me emitted no pheromones at all.

Since Tabby had already contracted with me, it was impossible for Ella to be using its power.

‘What could it be?’

The more I learned, the more it felt like I was wandering deeper into a maze. Nothing about Ella matched the original story.

But I couldn’t push someone who didn’t even have their memories. Ella’s face had already gone pale from the string of personal questions.

‘I still have plenty of time.’

Just then, I noticed her cumbersome sleeve brushing against the desserts. While Ella was engrossed in eating, I carefully rolled up her sleeve for her.

And at that moment—

I froze, staring at something I had just noticed, and spoke in a serious tone.

“What is this?”

 

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