Beyond the curtains separating the sections, movement constantly flowed through the room like shifting currents.

Beast tails brushed against chair legs, jewelry glittered whenever someone turned beneath the lantern light, and occasionally sharp predator eyes reflected strangely in the dim golden glow.

Nymeria gave the lynx Beast a long look.

"You remember the criteria we were just talking about?"

Mirabelle nodded uncertainly.

The owl female let out a long sigh.

"Honestly, not many Beast noble males actually fulfill them. Most males from Berghain simply aren’t cultivated as highly as the males from Zasar. Which makes sense, considering the air here contains far less Aether."

Mirabelle vaguely remembered reading about that.

The energy within the air was what allowed Beast males to cultivate both their bodies and their Beast Cores.

However, different regions contained vastly different amounts of Aether.

Berghain, for example, was heavily forested.

The more plant life a territory possessed, the more Aether those plants absorbed from the atmosphere.

The same applied to prey animals.

Every living creature on this planet possessed an Aether Core.

But in regions with too much competition, each hunted animal contained far less Aether within its core.

Because of that, it was far more difficult for Beast males in Berghain to increase their cultivation quickly.

Zasar, meanwhile, consisted mostly of wide open steppes with far fewer plants.

The air there remained thick and saturated with Aether.

And the prey animals strong enough to survive in such an environment all possessed powerful cores capable of accelerating cultivation significantly.

For females naturally drawn toward powerful mates through instinct, the noble males from Zasar — many of whom stood one or even two cultivation stages above Berghain nobles — were therefore considered much more attractive.

However, Mirabelle had now learned that most noble females valued more than cultivation alone.

As though confirming her thoughts, Nymeria continued:

"Unfortunately, the temperament and domestic behavior of most Zasar males leaves much to be desired. Their living conditions and species make them significantly more violent and territorial."

Her dark owl eyes sharpened.

"And we all know why they were sent here. We need partners willing to stand on our side and think in favor of our territory. I doubt there are even a handful among them who truly fit that requirement."

Nymeria’s analysis was painfully accurate.

Mirabelle found herself deeply admiring the intelligent owl female.

Was the stereotype about owls being wise actually real in every universe?

Surprisingly, Caelia joined the conversation.

"And from that handful," the deer female said softly, "you already seem to have collected two."

Immediately, all attention shifted back onto Mirabelle.

Internally, she wanted to perish.

"How exactly did you come to that conclusion?"

Caelia blinked at her innocently with those massive deer eyes.

"...I have eyes?"

"To you their behavior may look possessive," Elowen chirped, "but it’s obvious they’re completely gone for you. I seriously doubt males like that would go against your wishes later."

"Of course," Nymeria added thoughtfully, "not every female values the same traits."

She cast a meaningful glance toward the opening leading back into the larger banquet hall.

Through it, Mirabelle spotted the skunk female Nessa and several of her friends aggressively flirting with a group of lion Beast males.

All of them were enormous, broad-shouldered, and golden-haired in varying styles.

"I bet they’ll be mated by tomorrow," Elowen whispered.

Caelia calmly extended her hand:

"Tomorrow evening."

The two sealed their bet with a handshake.

Watching them, a deep ache suddenly bloomed inside Mirabelle’s chest.

She had never possessed a close-knit group of female friends like the ones she’d seen in movies and television shows.

And now that she experienced it herself...

her heart hurt unexpectedly.

Still, considering the enormous distances between territories, maintaining friendships like this was probably difficult.

To silence the strange feeling in her chest, she shoved another sweetened root into her mouth before asking:

"So none of you are interested in anyone?"

That genuinely surprised her.

She had assumed most noble females wouldn’t resist choosing mates the way the former Mirabelle — or she herself — had.

Apparently, there were more hesitant females than expected.

Nymeria tilted her head meaningfully toward Lysandra, who had been unusually quiet this entire time.

The fox female’s cheeks immediately turned pink.

"Valerian," Elowen sang dramatically.

"A jaguar Beast of the upper fourth cultivation stage," Caelia added helpfully.

"He’s a merchant," Elowen continued, her grin growing wider.

Lysandra’s voice softened noticeably as she finally spoke:

"He’s educated, charming... and he promised to show me the entire continent."

Longing and excitement glittered openly inside her sapphire eyes.

’In my world she absolutely would’ve become a travel blogger,’ Mirabelle analyzed silently.

Not far from them, several noble females lounged elegantly across velvet sofas while servants continuously refreshed trays of desserts and drinks around them.

A group of cat Beast females whispered behind jeweled fans while repeatedly glancing toward the males’ section, their tails flicking with obvious interest whenever certain Beast men laughed too loudly.

Nearby, one exhausted-looking bear Beast male carried an absurd amount of food balanced across both arms while three different females added more plates onto his stack without mercy.

The rich scent of caramelized honey and warm fruit filled this side of the hall more strongly than before.

Elowen sighed dramatically and poked at her vegetables.

"So that leaves only two good Zasar males for the three of us..." she complained. "And we still haven’t found them. Plus one male short for the three of us."

Suddenly, Nymeria’s dark eyes flashed mischievously.

"Mirabelle could always share one of hers."

Instantly, violent resistance twisted inside Mirabelle.

At the mere thought of "sharing" Silas or Kaelith, nausea rose sharply in her stomach.

’Maybe I just ate too much,’ she tried convincing herself.

But the truth was much simpler.

In this absurdly short amount of time, those males had already become important to her.

And her Beast instincts had apparently started viewing them as hers.

"A handful was probably just an expression," Mirabelle argued quickly. "Who says there aren’t actually two handfuls? You just need to get to know them better."

Nymeria gave her a knowing smile before nodding in agreement.

"That’s true. There are probably more acceptable males than we initially assumed. We’ll likely discover that during tomorrow’s interactions."

Only after arriving here had Mirabelle learned that this entire event was meant to last several days.

Her mother had very intentionally failed to mention that detail.

At the thought of tomorrow’s planned interactions, exhaustion suddenly crashed over her.

"I think I should go rest now so I’ll survive tomorrow," she said softly while standing up.

She smiled warmly at the four females.

"I’m really glad I met all of you... and that you let me join your group so easily."

Her voice wavered slightly.

Caelia immediately reached out, gently squeezing her hand.

"We’re glad too," Lysandra said warmly.

"Besides," Elowen puffed out her cheeks dramatically while flattening her bunny ears sideways, "I already swore eternal friendship to you. Don’t tell me you forgot our contract."

Mirabelle laughed softly.

"Right. That’s true."

"Sleep well," Nymeria said, warmth now visible even in her usually composed expression.

Caelia gave a small wave goodbye.

Through the tall windows, silver moonlight continued spilling across the polished floor, creating pale shimmering patterns beneath passing feet.

Mirabelle finally returned to Kaelith, who was still standing exactly where she had left him earlier.

’Oh no. I almost forgot about him.’ 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Internally, she slapped herself.

"I’m sorry," she apologized awkwardly. "That took much longer than expected. I ran into my friends."

Embarrassed, she looked away while nervously playing with the folds of her underskirt.

Kaelith grinned from ear to ear.

"I’ll wait for you as long as you need."

Mirabelle suddenly had the uncomfortable feeling the hyena male wasn’t talking only about tonight.

But she chose not to acknowledge it.

Emotionally, she simply couldn’t handle any more today.

"I know you waited all this time already, but..." she hesitated awkwardly. "Would it be okay if you just walked me back to my room? I’m really tired."

She almost sounded guilty.

Only now did it truly hit her how often Kaelith had somehow drawn the short straw tonight.

But the hyena male simply nodded and offered her his arm.

Near the center of the hall, several younger Beast nobles had apparently started some kind of drinking competition.

Every few moments, loud laughter erupted from their table while empty crystal glasses clinked together dramatically.

One wolf Beast male had partially shifted his claws and was now trying — very unsuccessfully — to peel fruit without destroying it entirely.

Beside him, a bird female looked seconds away from either laughing herself unconscious or divorcing him preemptively.

The smell of sweet alcohol and roasted spices drifted heavily through the air around them, mixing with the warm scent of bodies and glowing lantern oil.

Mirabelle was happy she could finally leave.

Kaelith knew perfectly well she hadn’t invited him inside her room afterward.

And honestly...

that was okay.

He had meant his words completely seriously.

He would wait as long as she needed to finally accept him.