Mirabelle stepped away from Leontis and curtsied gracefully.

Muscle memory really was a blessing.

Her father smiled at her and left after giving a brief bow as well.

The escorts would not be present during the banquet.

Something that would once have been unthinkable.

But among nobles, it was considered a sign of mutual respect.

They trusted that the females would be protected by the High Duchess of Rotwald and her males

"I am Mirabelle of Luchsenstein, heir to the Duchy of Luchsenstein. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

The High Duchess of Rotwald gave her an approving look.

"Was everything to your satisfaction?"

The lynx female nodded.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Duchess. The Duchy of Luchsenstein looks forward to returning the favor in the future."

"We are still waiting for two more females. Then we will begin," the Duchess replied.

Immediately, Mirabelle found herself surrounded by the others.

The rabbit, the deer, the owl, and the fox females smiled at her enthusiastically.

The fox female reached for her hand.

"Mirabelle — I may call you Mirabelle, right? You probably don’t remember, but we met a few times as children. I’m Lysandra of Rotwald."

Her face radiated warmth and friendliness.

Mirabelle returned the gentle squeeze of her hand.

"It’s nice to meet you. I vaguely remember... didn’t we play hide-and-seek?"

Lysandra nodded excitedly.

"These are Elowen, Caelia, and Nymeria."

One after another, she introduced the rabbit, deer, and barn owl female.

"How are you glowing?"

Curiously, Nymeria the owl leaned closer. The blue shimmer reflected in her eyes.

Mirabelle smiled mysteriously.

"And what do I get if I tell you?"

Elowen vibrated with excitement. Her nose twitched, and her long cream-colored rabbit ears perked straight up. Dramatically, she placed a hand over her chest.

"Eternal friendship."

That made Mirabelle laugh. Her eyes curved into crescents.

"What? I mean it!"

The rabbit female stomped her foot. She embodied a bunny so perfectly that Mirabelle laughed even harder. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.

"Alright, alright," she wheezed while carefully dabbing them away.

Immediately, Caelia handed her an elegantly embroidered cloth.

"Wait, let me help."

Carefully, Lysandra took the cloth and dabbed at Mirabelle’s eyes without smudging her makeup.

Meanwhile, Elowen had crossed her arms in offense, her ears flattened dramatically against her head.

She looked so adorable with her tiny nose, wide eyes, and wheat-blonde hair that Mirabelle nearly lost it again.

"Come here."

Mirabelle leaned forward and raised a hand. Then she whispered into Elowen’s ear.

Her eyes widened even further, and her ears slowly rose again as if in slow motion.

Her mouth formed a small oh.

"Wow... that’s so clever."

"Hey, I want to know too." Nymeria stepped closer.

Then suddenly, the owl female looked at Mirabelle in surprise.

"Which male touched you before the banquet?"

Mirabelle froze.

She had hoped with all her heart that this exact thing wouldn’t happen.

But...

Of course she smelled like him.

A panther of Silas’ strength could scent-mark a room without even trying.

She had only been fooling herself.

"Oho... that’s going to attract every male’s attention in the ballroom. You know how competitive they are."

Lysandra looked at her with sympathy.

"What?"

Mirabelle didn’t understand.

For the first time, the deer female spoke:

"Nothing becomes more desirable to males than something another male already wants."

’But I thought his scent would scare the others away...’ O.o

’What the hell is that panther planning?’

A dark sense of foreboding rose inside her.

Tension spread through her body, and she clenched her teeth.

Elowen, noticing her sudden emotional shift, reached out as if to comfortingly pat her back.

Then...

The rabbit female gasped dramatically.

"Oh my goddess—"

Her voice came out much louder than intended.

Immediately, every female turned toward her.

Elowen sucked in another exaggerated breath.

"Your entire back is exposed!"

Silence.

The skunk female nearly choked:

"Shameless."

Mirabelle kept her expression perfectly calm.

Internally, however:

’Worth it.’

Lysandra stepped closer, openly fascinated.

The soft blue shimmer of the firefly dust glowed faintly across Mirabelle’s exposed skin.

Combined with the white and blue snakeskin dress, she looked almost unreal.

"No wonder a male marked you before the banquet," Nymeria murmured thoughtfully.

The skunk female fanned herself harder:

"If one of the males from Zasar loses control tonight, I’m blaming you."

"That sounds less like criticism and more like jealousy," Caelia said softly.

The skunk female gasped.

"How rude."

Completely ignoring the skunk, Elowen bounced excitedly in place.

"Oh, this is going to be so exciting! Can I stay near you? Please, please? I don’t want to miss anything."

"Do whatever you want," Mirabelle replied.

At this point, she was fairly certain she would have much bigger problems once those doors opened.

"That outfit is against etiquette rules," one of the mouse females suddenly cut in with her high-pitched voice.

Lysandra immediately turned toward her sharply.

"I’ll have to correct you, Mira of House Nager. There is no etiquette rule stating a female’s back must be covered."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I thought you always bragged about knowing the Book of Noble Females by heart."

Scolded, the mouse female hunched her shoulders and looked away.

Before the conversation could continue any further, the High Duchess of Rotwald lightly tapped her palm with the end of a fan.

The quiet sound alone was enough to silence the room.

"Good. Then that matter is settled."

Her tone allowed no argument.

The dark skin of Nessa’s face flushed red with anger.

At that exact moment, the final two females arrived.

One was a tall crane beast with silver-white hair elegantly pinned up with jade ornaments. The other appeared to be some kind of feline beast, though Mirabelle couldn’t immediately tell which species.

Both immediately drew curious glances from the others.

The High Duchess observed the thirty gathered females for a long moment.

Satisfaction flickered briefly across her face.

"I hope you all understand the significance of tonight."

She opened her fan dramatically.

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

Even Elowen straightened.

"This banquet is not merely a celebration."

Her gaze lingered briefly on each of them.

"It is the beginning of relationships that may shape the future of both kingdoms."

Her words carried a hidden warning.

Mirabelle internally resisted the urge to sigh.

No pressure at all.

Then the Duchess smiled gracefully:

"But for now..."

Her fan snapped shut softly.

"...you are young females attending a banquet. So try to enjoy yourselves at least a little."

That eased the tension slightly.

Finally, she turned toward the massive doors leading into the ballroom.

Two large wolf beastmen immediately stepped forward.

With synchronized movements, they pulled the heavy doors open.

A/N: Thank you so much for all the power stones. ♡

Seeing your support and comments genuinely makes me ridiculously happy.

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