Now Mirabelle had to stand as well.

Immediately, someone stepped behind her and pulled the chair back as she rose. Then she dropped into a deep curtsy.

Apparently, this body possessed strong muscle memory. Otherwise, that could have become quite embarrassing.

"I hope you’re worth the trouble."

That was not what she intended to say. But it clearly revealed the attitude she — or the former Mirabelle — held toward all of this.

A quiet, low laugh broke the silence that followed her statement. It was like dark honey, slowly running over her skin.

Silas had a faint smile playing on his lips. It was the first time he did not appear serious and grim. He seemed to brighten.

But not like a sunrise. More like a firefly appearing in complete darkness. The question was only whether it would lead you to safety or to your ruin.

"Then I’ll trouble you," the panther said, his voice almost a low hum.

He could not claim to have ever encountered a female this interesting before.

"Mirabelle, do not just stand there. Sit down so we can eat," her mother urged, visibly relieved that this crisis had not escalated further.

As soon as the Duchess began to eat, everyone else helped themselves as well.

Mirabelle’s brothers began to talk among themselves. The beastmen brought especially fine pieces to their female. And the guests did not hesitate to take what they wanted either.

Only Mirabelle hesitated. This situation, so unfamiliar to her, overwhelmed her. So she decided to let it sink in first and observe.

Her hunger was no longer as sharp as before.

The lynx female examined the food on the table critically. She noticed that there was nothing bread-like, no pastries. Everything here was something that could be found in nature.

Farming did not seem as developed as she knew it from the history of her own world. It appeared that hardly anyone cultivated food deliberately. Instead, there were beastmen whose role it was to gather specific kinds of nourishment.

Because of that, the food was not as varied or richly flavored as she was used to.

The behavior of the beastmen also felt strange to her. The idea of having multiple partners alone overwhelmed Mirabelle.

The way they competed over who could present the best pieces to the Duchess, while at the same time conversing almost amicably, felt foreign.

She could not imagine how such an arrangement could function without jealousy or rivalry.

Suddenly, the hyena leaned across the table and placed a crisp piece of pork belly onto her plate. A heavenly scent reached her. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

She looked at him with widened eyes.

In the past, she would not have thought anything of it. But she now knew that, in this world, it was something only mated beastmen did.

Kaelith clearly crossed a boundary.

In his mind, Silas likely already had an advantage — and this was his way of forcing a concession from her.

’Or is etiquette different in Zasar?’

His gaze flickered to Kaelith, who visibly stiffened.

"I fear the answer might bring you trouble,"

he said, offering her a smile that could almost be described as flirtatious.

’So... no.

I could probably get rid of the hyena now.’

But she suspected that Zasar would simply send more beastmen in his place.

’Better the enemy you know than the one you don’t.’

Deciding quickly, she picked up her plate and held it out toward the panther.

He looked at her, confused.

"Give me something as well."

Her mother nearly choked on the piece of rabbit she had been eating.

"That might bring you trouble too."

Mirabelle smiled, revealing her fangs.

"I decide for myself if something is worth the trouble."

Amused — and a little flattered — Silas scanned the table. Then he reached for a particularly tender-looking piece of meat and placed it beside the crispy pork skin.

Satisfied, Mirabelle pulled her plate back.

At least this way, she had not granted a concession to only one of them.

So that no one could say she had played favorites by eating one piece before the other, she placed a bit of each into her mouth and chewed.

Under the table, Kaelith’s tail began to wag. But as soon as the hyena noticed it, he suppressed the impulse.

For a moment, he had thought he had miscalculated. But the lynx female had skillfully navigated the situation.

And still, he had won.

When females grew accustomed to being fed, the rest was not far behind.

Food lowered their guard.

Silas observed every movement in Mirabelle’s face. She tried not to show how much she enjoyed the pieces, but nothing escaped his sharp eyes.

A deep sense of satisfaction rose within him. The situation triggered instincts in him he had never experienced before.

He had to admit that Kaelith’s move had been a clever one.

Her mother sensed the strange tension in the air and tried to steer the conversation elsewhere:

"Now that there is a peace treaty, do you think it is likely that we will receive more goods from Bregonia?"

Bregonia lay south of Zasar. But the strained relationship between Berghain and Zasar had made it nearly impossible to obtain goods from there.

The panther beastman took a sip of his drink before turning to the Duchess:

"Our relationship with Bregonia remains amicable, and we maintain close trade ties. I see no reason why these could not be extended to Luchsenstein as well."

The Duchess immediately understood that the panther was deliberately not speaking of all Berghain, but only of Luchsenstein. That meant he was willing to use his own connections — under certain conditions.

At once, the Duchess gracefully pulled back.

She did not want to place further pressure on her daughter and heir. The fear that she might withdraw again completely was too great.

Until now, Mirabelle had been her only daughter, and she was not certain she would have another.

If she died, her entire bloodline would end.

"That is good to hear. Stability will benefit us all."