The bull looked Kaya up and down, slowly, and then—

He burst into laughter.

Loud. Mocking. Unapologetic.

"Ha ha ha! You?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Honestly, you couldn’t even blame him.

Compared to the hulking beastmen around him, Kaya was... small.

She had no bulging muscles, no towering presence. From the outside, she didn’t look like a fighter at all. If anything, she looked like someone who hit the gym occasionally—strong, yes, but ordinary. Not a warrior. Not a challenger.

Whispers rose around the crowd.

"Is she serious?"

"Where are her mates?"

"Has she lost her mind?"

"Why would she fight him?"

But Kaya didn’t flinch.

Not even a blink.

Instead, she looked the bull straight in the eye and said,

"What? Scared?"

Her tone was mocking—sharp, cold, deliberate.

In truth, she had never intended to buy those boys.

Even if the bull had agreed to sell, she wouldn’t have pulled out a single stone.

Why? Because throwing money in front of these people would’ve been a mistake. It would have made her a target. It would have told the entire market that she was wealthy—and that kind of attention? She didn’t need it.

So no. Fighting was the better option.

Besides, she could handle a beastman in his human form.

Now, in his full beast form? That was risky.

She wasn’t foolish enough to gamble with odds she couldn’t calculate.

The bull’s laughter died down into a growl. His face twisted slightly, anger seeping in at the edges.

"Hey, little girl," he sneered, "are you joking with me? You want me to break your hands and feet? You want to end up crawling back to your mates crying?"

Kaya said nothing.

She just stared at him. Calm. Silent.

Waiting.

Waiting for him to finish his little tantrum.

Because once he was done talking, it would be her turn.

How could it ever be that Kaya was doing something, anything, and the universe wouldn’t send someone to interrupt her?

Of course not.

Because here they came.

And with them—another familiar voice echoed across the tense market air.

"Oh! Big dumbass with horns!"

The words dropped like a stone into still water.

Everyone turned, eyes shifting from Kaya and the bull to the direction the voice came from.

Even Kaya turned her head, blinking in disbelief.

And there he was.

Veer.

Except this time... he wasn’t half-naked, snarling, or wrapped in dirt and blood.

No, this time he was—

Wearing clothes.

Not just any clothes either.

Clothes she recognized.

Familiar. Clean. Fitted.

Kaya’s eyes widened slightly, caught off guard—not just by his sudden appearance, but by how... different he looked.

The long, wild hair was gone, replaced by a neater cut that somehow made his features even sharper. And with that devil-may-care smile playing on his lips, he looked annoyingly handsome.

Too handsome for someone who’d just barged into a scene like this.

He strolled forward casually, hands in his pockets like he’d just come back from a lazy walk and not about to stir a hornet’s nest.

Kaya was still trying to recover from the whiplash.

What the hell is he wearing?

Why does he look like a magazine cover?

Kaya still couldn’t quite wrap her head around it.

Modern clothes?

In this world?

It made no sense. And yet... there he was.

Before she could even blink, Veer stepped forward in one smooth, confident motion, positioning himself between her and the bull beastman.

Without saying a word, he gently pried her fingers off the whip—his touch soft, almost respectful. Then he looked at her, eyes glinting with that familiar mix of arrogance and amusement.

"Missed me, sweetheart?" he said with a grin that was too casual for the chaos around them.

Kaya blinked at him, her brain trying to catch up.

He ran a hand through his freshly trimmed hair—yes, flaunting it—and gave her a cocky little tilt of the head.

"What?" he teased. "Lost in my divine looks? Looking good, right? I knew it."

Kaya stared at him for a second. Just stared.

Then finally, with a flat voice and a dry pause, she said,

"You look like a hooligan."

She swept her gaze around, irritated now that the entire market was watching their bizarre little reunion.

With an exasperated sigh, she muttered,

"What are you doing here?"

Veer looked at Kaya and let out a short laugh, voice laced with mockery.

"Oh, relax, princess. This place isn’t owned by your father, is it? So of course I can be here."

Kaya shot him a cold glare.

That shut him up—for a moment. But not for long.

He cleared his throat and, in the same teasing tone, added,

"Besides... wherever you are, I just happen to be too. Pure coincidence, obviously."

He grinned, clearly proud of himself.

Though it didn’t stop him from sulking a little under his breath, still dramatic for no reason.

Then, almost as if surrendering to the absurdity of it all, Veer said with a resigned sigh.

"I’m just the patrolman here. I do patrolling. You see."

He waved a lazy hand like he was explaining something important.

Kaya raised a brow.

"Oh, is that so?" she asked dryly.

Before he could answer, the bull stepped forward, placing a heavy hand on Veer’s shoulder.

"Hey, buddy," he growled, "smooth move—but stay out of this."

With that, he gave Veer a slight shove.

Veer stumbled a little, caught off guard.

But the moment he regained balance, his entire expression shifted.

His eyes, which had been playful a second ago, turned cold—sharp, like glass on the edge of snapping.

He turned to look at the bull slowly, a small smile curling on his lips.

"Come on, man," he said with eerie calm, "chill out."

Then, tilting his head slightly toward Kaya, he added with a wicked smirk,

"Can’t you see I’m talking to my soon-to-be-mate?"

The bull’s grip suddenly clamped onto Kaya’s collar, his voice low and threatening as he leaned in close, locking eyes with her.

"You—or your patrolman—done patrolling yet? Stop interfering with our business."