The jewelry spread across the stand looked nothing like the noble pieces commonly worn in Bergheim.

These designs felt mysterious.

Older somehow.

Heavy gold chains draped across dark velvet cloth while delicate gemstones shimmered in the colors of the sinking sun.

Thin bracelets layered with tiny chains and dangling coins chimed softly whenever touched.

Elegant ear cuffs curved like flames around carved crystal pieces while necklaces of polished amber, opal, and glowing orange stones reflected warm sunlight like trapped fire.

Some pieces resembled sacred relics more than decoration.

Others looked almost sinful.

Enthralled, Mirabelle picked up one piece after another.

She held earrings beside her face, tested bracelets around her wrist and lifted necklaces against herself while examining the reflections in polished bronze mirrors nearby.

Yet somehow her attention kept returning to one particular bracelet.

Oval gemstones had been placed side by side within simple golden settings.

The stones carried warm yellow-orange tones, some partially translucent like honey held against sunlight while other sections glittered with shifting red, orange, yellow, and green sparks beneath the surface.

"Those are fire opals," the crocodile Beastman explained immediately after noticing the female’s interest. "They suit your eyes very well. Would you like them?"

Mirabelle smiled politely, already preparing to refuse.

But beside her, Kaelith simply picked up the bracelet and tossed the startled merchant a small leather pouch without even asking for the price.

The poor merchant barely managed to catch it.

Feral cores clinked loudly inside.

"Give me your arm."

Kaelith carefully fastened the bracelet around her wrist himself.

His fingers brushed lightly across her veins.

Mirabelle’s pulse immediately sped up.

"You didn’t have to do that," she whispered softly while admiring the glowing stones beneath the sunlight.

"But the merchant was right," Kaelith murmured.

His red eyes settled warmly on her face.

"It matches your eyes perfectly."

Once again, the situation felt far too intimate for Mirabelle to handle.

Flustered, she looked away.

Then her stomach growled.

Horrified, she immediately grabbed her stomach as though that would somehow hide the sound.

Kaelith slapped a hand dramatically against his forehead.

"It appears I’ve been a very inattentive escort." His grin widened. "Come. Let’s fix that."

Once they reached the food stalls, Mirabelle completely failed to decide what she wanted.

In the end, she found herself seated at one of the large round festival tables while Kaelith continuously returned carrying more and more dishes.

Soon an entire mountain of food covered the space before her.

Various grilled meats coated in exotic marinades.

Honey-glazed root vegetables.

Exotic spiced dishes.

Roasted mushrooms dripping in herb oil.

Sweet fruits coated in crushed nuts and syrup.

The rich smell alone made saliva gather in Mirabelle’s mouth.

Forgetting all noble etiquette entirely, she immediately began stuffing one delicious bite after another into her mouth.

Kaelith watched her with deep satisfaction.

Whenever he touched her, he could still feel how much weight she had lost during her hunger strike.

And every single time it stabbed painfully at his chest.

Even though none of it had been his fault.

Still...

some instinctive part of him felt responsible.

That was why watching the lynx female finally eat properly filled him with overwhelming satisfaction.

Here, his Beast instincts became painfully obvious.

Beast males had always experienced deep happiness when providing food for their females.

Eventually Mirabelle noticed that Kaelith wasn’t eating.

He was simply sitting there watching her.

Feeling awkward eating alone, she started handing him pieces she particularly liked.

Additionally, she had completely forgotten what exactly that kind of behavior implied in Beast culture...

In her defense, a woman can’t be expected to remember everything, okay? (╥﹏╥)

Kaelith’s eyes flickered briefly toward her fingers.

Then instead of taking the piece of crispy meat from her hand—

he leaned forward.

His lips brushed directly against her fingertips.

A violent spark shot all the way up Mirabelle’s arm.

She froze completely.

Her mouth fell open in surprise.

But apparently the hyena Beastman wasn’t finished.

His tongue flicked out briefly to lick the remaining sauce from her fingers.

Several Beast males at neighboring tables immediately shot him deeply jealous looks.

"Lucky bastard."

"I wish my mate fed me like that."

"Why does their food suddenly look better than mine?"

"I can’t smell her on him yet. Do you think he’ll become her mate tonight?"

Mirabelle’s ears burned violently as she overheard the nearby conversations.

But now she could hardly scold Kaelith and tell him to feed himself.

Meanwhile another distinctly hyena-like grin spread slowly across his face.

’He provoked this situation on purpose.’

Mirabelle narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Her hand still remained frozen awkwardly in the air.

Then her gaze fell toward the bracelet around her wrist, the fire opals glittering brightly beneath the sunlight where her sleeve had slipped slightly backward.

...Okay.

Why shouldn’t she let him enjoy this?

So after that, she continued offering him pieces every now and then.

And Kaelith accepted every single one with the delighted expression of a boy being handed sweets.

Each time his lips brushed her fingers, tiny sparks danced beneath her skin all over again.

After a while, Mirabelle genuinely felt like she was about to explode.

Yet their table was still overflowing with food.

Even Kaelith, who had eventually started helping himself as well, looked completely full by now.

Mirabelle absolutely refused to let all that food go to waste.

Searching desperately for a solution, her gaze wandered across the festival as though her eyes might somehow find the answer her brain currently lacked.

And then she saw them.

Near the food stalls stood a small group of Beast children.

They watched the eating festival guests with openly hungry eyes while a little bear boy wiped drool from his mouth using the back of his hand.

The five pups varied in age and species.

They didn’t look abandoned exactly.

But...

somehow neglected.

Where were their parents?

Up until now, Mirabelle had only ever seen children accompanied by at least one father.

"Wait here."

She suddenly stood up, leaving behind one very confused hyena Beastman.