Coral Cetus sounded a little awkward as she asked the question, her voice trembling slightly.

On the Beastman Continent, where females were precious and partners were revered above all else, no female had ever been treated this way by her own contracted male. Stabbed through the heart—he was genuinely trying to kill her, holding nothing back.

Coral Cetus gazed at Evangeline, her eyes filled with a complex, unreadable emotion.

There was no denying it—her friend was astonishingly powerful. She could effortlessly defeat the ferocious beastmen of the Megalodon Tribe and even rescue a partner who had been sacrificed to the Sirens from the Demonsea Abyss.

But it was clear now that the old rumors hadn’t been entirely baseless.

On this continent, if a male killed his contracted female, the backlash from the Contract would leave him with almost no chance of survival. And yet, the beastman with the nine-star pattern had still gone for the kill without a moment’s hesitation.

’What kind of grudge could be so deep that he was willing to throw away his own life?’

Coral Cetus’s fingertips trembled, and a sigh escaped her lips.

According to the laws of the Beast God Contract, the female holds absolute authority.

When a male did something like this, the female was supposed to enact punishment. After all, Evangeline was the victim in this matter, yet she remained silent through it all.

Evangeline nonchalantly prodded the charcoal, which let out a faint CRACKLE.

The firelight cast flickering shadows across the side of her face, but her beautiful eyes gleamed brightly.

"What should be done?" Evangeline softly repeated Coral Cetus’s question, a faint smile on her lips.

"Exactly! Your partner did that to you, aren’t you angry? Aren’t you going to do something about it?" Coral Cetus gestured extravagantly, her long pink hair swishing with the movement.

She pursed her lips. "If it were me, I’d send him to meet the Beast God myself. I wouldn’t care how much I liked him!"

’Of course,’ she thought, ’if someone had run me through the heart with a bone knife, I’d be dead for sure. There wouldn’t be an ’after’ to worry about.’

A faint smile touched Evangeline’s lips, the firelight dancing in her eyes. "Perhaps I’m the one who did something wrong in the past. Perhaps I committed a sin so terrible that even the Beast God couldn’t forgive it, and that’s why this happened to me?"

’She wasn’t trying to make excuses for Loras. It was just that his heart held none of the warmth Nix had found after their time together. Loras’s heart held only hatred; when his blade struck, he didn’t hesitate for a second.’

’Getting stabbed was her own fault. She’d been blinded by the person and the situation right in front of her.’

’Emotions are a fatal weakness, and developing feelings is the greatest vulnerability of all.’

’As a Task Taker who traveled between worlds, she should have known better. But she had let herself drown in Nix’s deep, abyss-like purple eyes, only to be jolted awake the moment the blade pierced her heart.’

Coral Cetus’s brow furrowed, a flash of pity in her eyes. "It doesn’t matter what you did. Killing a female is an unforgivable felony on the entire Beastman Continent. You have to do something."

After a pause, she added in a low voice, "This was a premeditated... murder-suicide."

Evangeline’s lashes fluttered. She lowered her gaze to hide the complex emotions in her eyes. Her voice was as soft as a sigh, but it trembled on the last word. "Perhaps... he already knows he was wrong."

’She knew Nix too well. And this wasn’t even his fault.’

’But with Nix’s obsessive personality, he would never just sit back and let things happen after an incident like this.’

’As for what Coral Cetus had said—atoning by carving out his own heart at the tribal gathering—she hadn’t considered the consequences, nor did she want to. As long as her mission target was alive, what did anything else... matter?’

’She told herself over and over again, ’It’s fine, it really doesn’t matter.’’

But when Coral Cetus asked about it, she realized her fingertips were cold, and a faint, dull ache was spreading through her chest. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about it—she’d just been avoiding the question all along.

’Nix was an extremist, almost to a pathological degree.’

’He needed her, like an addiction. But Loras had personally destroyed all his desires, burning his world to a barren wasteland. In a situation like this, the worst that could happen...’

Evangeline’s eyelashes trembled. The hand she was using to poke the fire paused. A spark landed on the back of her pale hand, but she seemed completely unaware of the searing pain.

Coral Cetus pressed her lips together. After hesitating for a moment, she shuffled over to sit beside Evangeline.

She wrapped an arm around Evangeline’s thin shoulders, her voice gentle. "It’s okay. You’re so powerful, is there anything you can’t solve?" At this, she deliberately put on a stern face and huffed, "When we get back, we’ll tie that guy to the altar and whip him for three days and three nights! We’ll whip him until he admits he was wrong!"

At this, Coral Cetus couldn’t help but laugh.

She patted Evangeline’s shoulder and took a deep breath. "Since you like him, then you should stay together."

Hearing her words of comfort, the corners of Evangeline’s mouth turned up into a subtle smile.

She turned her head to look at Coral Cetus. Seeing her own reflection in her friend’s clear eyes, she felt as if the gloom had begun to dissipate. "Thank you, Coral Cetus," she said softly.

The tips of Coral Cetus’s ears turned red. She cleared her throat, feigning composure, and lifted her chin slightly. "Aren’t we... aren’t we friends? There’s nothing to thank me for over a little thing like this."

As she spoke, she turned her face away, and even her long pink hair seemed to glow with bashfulness.

Evangeline gazed at her. After a long moment, her lips curved. "Yes, we are friends."

Coral Cetus’s eyes lit up instantly. She broke into a wide, almost goofy grin; it was the first time Evangeline had ever acknowledged their friendship so formally.

"Then it’s a promise! We’ll be friends forever!" Coral Cetus’s voice brimmed with unconcealable joy.

"It’s a promise."

*

Evangeline was quite the expert at grilling seafood, but tonight, Danton insisted she not lift a finger.

He sat by the charcoal fire, his slender fingers turning the seafood on the metal grate. Every so often, he would shoot Evangeline a questioning glance. Luckily, he was smart enough to meticulously follow every instruction she gave.

Evangeline rested her chin on her hand, watching his focused profile. It seemed even his eyelashes were beaded with fine mist.

The sea breeze, thick with the scent of salt and moisture, drifted past. In the distance, the tide rose and fell.

The fresh, sweet aroma of the seafood saturated every inch of the air, weaving into a mouthwatering feast.

Coral Cetus held a grilled prawn and impatiently took a bite. Sauce dotted the corner of her mouth, and she licked it away instinctively. Her eyes widened as a flavor unlike any she had ever experienced spread through her mouth.

"This is so delicious!" Coral Cetus’s eyes were wide as saucers. She chomped down on the prawn, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, and swallowed, looking just like a little cub that had discovered The New Continent.

’She’d never imagined that grilled shrimp could be so fragrant!’ 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Stellan silently took a bite of seafood. As the sweet juices burst on his tongue, his pupils contracted in spite of himself.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. He slowly turned to look at Danton, who was diligently brushing on more sauce. ’Did he originally form a Contract with Evangeline just for a taste of food this good?’ he wondered.

Buck said nothing, just kept stuffing food into his mouth. When he ran out, he simply went back into the sea to get more.

In contrast to the hearty appetites of this family of three, Danton only tasted a few bites before walking off toward the sea alone.

Evangeline had intended to go back and rest, but she paused as she stood up. ’After all, the mission is more important.’

She shot Coral Cetus a look, then quietly followed Danton.

Soft sand spread out beneath her feet, and the sound of the waves washed over her, rhythmic and unending.

Evangeline stopped about ten feet away from Danton. She gazed at the fine, glittering light on the sea’s surface. The scene was surreally beautiful; even Danton’s silhouette seemed on the verge of melting into the shimmering light, ephemeral as a dream.