Lucien stared after Mirabelle.

Something inside him broke. The sound was almost audible.

What had just happened?

His mind refused to work. Instead, it kept replaying the same images.

The way enormous tears had gathered in Mirabelle’s eyes before spilling over and rolling slowly down her cheeks.

How wide her eyes had been.

How unnaturally small her pupils had become.

How her ears had flattened against her head.

How her entire body had trembled.

How her scent had suddenly turned sharp and sour with distress.

Only then did he realize his own muscles had begun to shake.

’Go after her, you idiot.’

Every instinct screamed at him. Finally, his body obeyed. He took a step toward the door.

A dark arm descended in front of his chest, stopping him instantly.

Lucien looked up. Only now did he truly notice the two Beast males standing there.

Both were watching him.

Neither looked remotely forgiving.

Kaelith hadn’t moved.

Not once.

No twitch of his ears.

No shift of his weight.

He simply stood there.

Watching.

Like a predator that already knew exactly how this hunt would end.

"She said she doesn’t want to see you." Silas’ voice was flat. Cold.

The panther’s aura pressed against Lucien’s chest like an invisible mountain, squeezing the air from his lungs.

Shadows coiled around his legs. Not threatening. Restraining.

The room grew darker. The flames in the fireplace dimmed as the shadows swallowed their light.

Lucien risked another glance toward the hyena.

Nothing.

No anger.

No growl.

No bared teeth.

That somehow frightened him.

Desperately, Lucien looked at the prince blocking his path.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, a bitter thought whispered that perhaps this was because Silas had now been marked as well.

Perhaps he simply couldn’t understand. Even so, Lucien tried.

"I have to explain. I—"

"You don’t have to do anything."

The words were quiet. Yet they struck with the weight of an executioner’s blade.

Lucien’s instincts screamed.

Run.

The command exploded through every nerve in his body. His legs refused.

An icy hand seemed to close around Lucien’s heart.

Both he and Silas turned toward Kaelith. The fox Beastman felt another shudder run through his body.

Not from stress.

From fear.

Real fear.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d experienced it.

Around them, the world fell silent.

Despite the open balcony doors, no birds called. No insects chirped.

Even the wind seemed to have abandoned the trees.

For one impossible moment, it felt as though something ancient had entered the room.

As though Death itself had decided to listen.

Every flame hissed out simultaneously.

Smoke drifted upward, stinging Lucien’s eyes and filling his lungs with the scent of burnt wood.

Lucien suddenly understood why prey animals froze. Running only triggered the chase.

Standing still...

At least left the predator a choice.

Only then did he truly comprehend.

Kaelith was far more dangerous than Silas.

And that realization had nothing to do with cultivation.

Silas possessed greater physical strength.

Kaelith possessed a far more terrifying ability. Lucien didn’t even know what he was capable of.

"Silas." Kaelith never took his eyes off Lucien. "You go to Mirabelle."

Silas held his gaze for a heartbeat. Then he gave a single nod before.

The room somehow became even quieter.

Kaelith’s golden eyes settled fully on Lucien.

Another chill crawled down the fox Beastman’s spine. His tail had puffed up so completely it barely looked like his own anymore.

"I’ll deal with this."

Only then did Kaelith take a single step forward.

Lucien instinctively took one back.

_____

Mirabelle still trembled as she sat at the dining table.

Owen had gone all out.bSpread before her were the head chef’s newest creations. The falcon Beastman had surpassed himself.

Small fruit-filled pastries resembling tarts.

Something remarkably close to cream puffs.

Blueberry muffins.

And...

Her breath caught.

A crusty loaf of bread.

Thin wisps of steam still escaped through the cracks in its golden crust.

The warm aroma of freshly baked pastries drifted through the room, wrapping around her like an embrace.

Butter.

Honey.

Freshly milled flour.

The faint sweetness of baked blueberries.

Almost instantly, some of the tension left her shoulders.

She hadn’t realized just how desperately she’d missed all of this.

Somewhere behind her, leaves rustled softly.

Porcelain clicked as one of the servants quietly adjusted a plate before slipping from the room again.

The moment her fingers closed around the warm, soft blueberry muffin, fresh tears welled in her eyes.

The delicate crust yielded beneath her fingertips while pleasant warmth seeped into her palms. She could even feel tiny sugar crystals clinging to the surface.

At the same time, irritation flared. She hated how deeply all of this affected her.

It was ridiculous.

One muffin should not have the power to emotionally destabilize a Duchess.

DING! Pebbles puffed into existence beside her.

The sudden sound made one of her ears flick toward him automatically. Apparently, he’d actually taken her request to heart.

Assuming System Spirits even possessed something resembling a heart.

"Host, I believe it is important to inform you that female Beast physiology experiences significantly heightened emotional responses regarding marked mates."

"Good to know." Mirabelle blinked rapidly, trying to force the tears back.

She inhaled deeply.

Warm bread.

Sweet berries.

Roasted nuts.

Even the wooden tabletop carried the comforting scent of polished oak.

"So you’re telling me I’m an emotional wreck because this body’s hormones have collectively lost their minds?"

"Approximately."

She shot the floating tentacled nuisance a flat look and threw both hands into the air. Her lynx tail lashed irritably behind her, brushing against the chair with a muffled thump.

"And how, exactly, am I supposed to govern a territory and make objectively sound strategic decisions if my own body is sabotaging me?"

"Hmmm..."

Pebbles casually picked up one of the blueberry muffins.

The soft cake compressed between his tiny tentacles before springing back into shape. He stuffed neatly the entire thing into his mouth.

His cheeks puffed out. "Daw iw, in dewd, a pwoblem." He chewed thoughtfully.

The faint sound somehow made the situation even more absurd.

Swallowed. Then nodded once. "An excellent muffin, however."

Pebbles suddenly perked up:

"Oh."

A translucent blue window appeared.

[Recommended Physiological Adjustment

Emotional Regulation Package – Human Baseline

Price: 85,000 Legacy Points

Category: Body Adjustment

Description: Recalibrates emotional, hormonal, and instinctive responses to approximate the Host’s original human baseline.

Effects include:

- Reduced instinctive mating responses.

- Improved emotional stability.

- Increased resistance to pheromonal influence.

- Greater executive decision-making under emotional stress.

- Suppresses involuntary Beast instincts.

Warning: May reduce emotional bonding efficiency with mates by approximately 12.4%.]

Mirabelle stared.

"...eightyfive thousand?"

Pebbles nodded happily.

"I considered recommending the Premium Package."

"...There’s a premium package?"

Another window appeared.

[Emotional Regulation Package – Administrator Edition

Price: 500,000 Legacy Points

Additional Benefits:

-Complete hormonal stabilization.

- Adaptive emotional regulation.

- Panic-response optimization.

- Negotiation-grade emotional control.

- Increased resistance against manipulation.]

Mirabelle slowly lowered her head.

"I hate this system."

Pebbles tilted his head.

"Host expressed the same opinion seventeen minutes ago."

Mirabelle: "..."

Pebbles: "It has been logged."

Mirabelle didn’t hesitate:

"Buy the damn thing."

Pebbles smiled. "As you wish, Host."

A soft chime echoed through the room.

DING!

A translucent blue screen unfolded before her.

[Purchase Confirmed]

[Emotional Regulation Package – Human Baseline

Cost: 85,000 Legacy Points

Remaining Balance: 7,650 Legacy Points]

[Body Adjustment Installed]

[Adjustment in Progress...]

[Recalibrating hormonal response...

Synchronizing instinctive behavior...

Restoring baseline executive regulation...

Integrating emotional control...]

[Adjustment Complete.]

At first...

Nothing happened.

Mirabelle frowned.

"That’s it?"

Then something shifted.

Not in her muscles.

Not in her bones.

In her mind.

The constant pressure she’d been carrying since arriving in Beastworld suddenly eased.

Not disappeared.

Eased.

The emotions were still there.

She could still feel the warmth that spread through her chest whenever she thought about her mates.

She still wanted them.

Still worried about them.

Still loved the smell of fresh bread enough that it tugged painfully at her heart.

But now...

Those feelings no longer drowned everything else.

They settled into place.

Like books finally sliding onto the correct shelf.

Her thoughts became... quieter.

Ordered.

For the first time since waking up in this world, she felt like she was thinking with herself again instead of constantly negotiating with a body that had its own agenda.

She took a slow breath.

Even that felt different.

Clearer.

Lighter.

Her ears twitched once before relaxing naturally instead of reacting to every emotional impulse.

Her tail, which had been lashing behind her almost constantly these past days, gradually came to rest.

"..."

A small smile spread across her face.

"Oh." She blinked.

"...Oh."

She looked at Pebbles:

"I can still feel everything."

"Correct."

"I just..." She searched for the words.

"...don’t feel like I’m being emotionally mugged by my own hormones anymore."

Pebbles nodded approvingly.

"Adjustment successful."

The room shifted. The shadows deepened.

A distant whisper drifted through the air, soft as wind moving through leaves.

Then she felt her mate. Silas emerged from the shadows behind her.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind.

His scent enveloped her. Thunderstorms.

It surrounded her like a shield against the rest of the world.

His lips found the side of her neck.

One kiss. Then another.

His warm breath brushed against her ear as he whispered,

"How about I... cheer you up a little?"

Mirabelle felt desire gathering low in her belly.

Warm.

Insistent.

Her body responded just as eagerly as before.

But this time, it didn’t overwhelm her. She remained in control. She could choose.

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Her fingers reached for another blueberry muffin.

Before Silas could react, she had already stuffed the entire thing into his mouth.

A beat passed.

Then another tiny window appeared.

[Side Effect:

Host is now 83% less likely to make impulsive decisions driven by mating instincts.]

[Congratulations.]

Mirabelle smiled.

’Worth every single Legacy Point.’