"Who said that?"

Sora was instantly stunned.

Who was spreading such ridiculous rumors?

Yellow gossip really did spread the fastest.

Ace’s eyelashes trembled slightly as he said softly,

"Someone in the tribe saw Ryan bringing you a beast-skin skirt."

There was one thing he didn’t say aloud.

Her legs looked sore, and her gait was clearly unusual. What else was there to explain?

Even tonight’s meal was much simpler than usual. Had she settled for an easy dinner because she was exhausted from that incident?

Ryan had always disliked Kaelira. What possessed him to suddenly get along with her?

With tonight’s meal being so ordinary, it seemed there wouldn’t be many delicious dishes in the future. Even if there were, they might have to make room for Ryan at the table.

Ace sighed inwardly.

There was barely enough food already. If another person joined them, he’d get even less.

Thinking about consummation, he glanced at Xavier and Lucas.

Weren’t those two already Kaelira’s husbands as well? Why hadn’t their first time together affected the meals like this? Could Ryan simply be... more energetic?

Ace found himself strangely confused.

Sora never expected a single beast-skin skirt to create so much misunderstanding.

She immediately denied it.

"What do you mean we consummated our relationship? I asked him to bring me a beast-skin skirt because..."

The words caught in her throat.

How was she supposed to explain that she’d unexpectedly gotten her period while soaking in the hot spring, accidentally stained Ryan’s tail with blood, and had no choice but to ask him to fetch another skirt?

No matter how she phrased it, it sounded embarrassing.

Her hesitation only convinced everyone even more that the rumors were true.

At first, they had been skeptical.

After all, asking someone to bring a beast-skin skirt wasn’t unusual. Lukan often helped wash Sora’s skirts, so that alone proved nothing.

But Sora’s obvious reluctance to explain made the matter seem much more suspicious.

If there were a simple explanation, why stop halfway through?

Feeling everyone’s increasingly strange gazes, Sora grew flustered.

Even Lukan was looking at her with an unreadable expression.

No... nothing really happened!

If they had actually done something, there should have been marks left on her body.

The clothing in the beast world was so revealing that any bite marks or bruises would be obvious at a glance.

Thinking of this, Sora instinctively raised her arm to prove her innocence.

Then she looked down at her dark skin...

...and fell silent.

She had forgotten.

With skin this dark, even if there were marks, nobody would be able to see them.

Sora was speechless.

She never expected dark skin to be so effective at hiding everything.

Seeing that she couldn’t clear up the misunderstanding any other way, she finally said,

"He only helped me get the beast-skin skirt because I got my period. He happened to pass by, so I asked him for help."

Surely they would believe her now.

She had even revealed something so private.

Instead, the expressions around the table became even stranger.

A period...

Wasn’t that the female’s mating season?

No wonder she needed two beast-skin skirts after such an intense... battle.

Lucas clicked his tongue.

He never expected the usually cold Ryan to be so... wild.

Then he shook his head.

If it were me, I couldn’t do it.

There was so much blood... It would be far too dirty.

Lukan shifted his gaze and hesitated several times before finally speaking.

"That’s not good for a female. You should be more careful next time."

Lyra never had a good relationship with Kaelira, so she probably hadn’t explained these things to her.

As the oldest among them, Lukan felt it was his responsibility to remind her.

The more Sora explained, the less anyone seemed to understand.

Forget it.

She had already said everything she could.

Whether they believed her or not was up to them.

The stew had begun bubbling.

Sora lifted the lid and glanced at the four men.

"Anyway, that’s what happened. Believe me or don’t."

She tore off a piece of corn cake, dipped it into the stew, and took a bite.

The rich aroma instantly drifted through the air.

The four men immediately forgot about the previous conversation.

One after another, they hurriedly grabbed their bowls and crowded around the pot.

Nothing was more important than the food in front of them.

Xavier copied Sora by dipping his corn cake into the broth.

His eyes immediately lit up.

Although tonight’s meal looked much simpler than usual, it tasted just as delicious.

He had underestimated it.

The other three had expected an ordinary dinner as well, but were pleasantly surprised.

Soon all four of them were eating with great enthusiasm.

After dinner, Sora said,

"You can divide the work yourselves. Wash the pots and bowls."

Normally, she cleaned up because everyone else helped her in other ways.

Today, however, they had simply enjoyed the meal.

It was only fair that they cleaned up afterward.

She wasn’t going to spoil them.

The three men who were already used to helping had no objections and immediately got to work.

Lukan also reached for the dishes.

Before he could start, Sora stopped him.

"You don’t need to wash."

The other three immediately frowned.

Ace looked at Sora.

"Why not? He doesn’t have to do anything? You’re being biased."

They all ate together.

Why was Lukan the only one excused?

Lucas also felt indignant.

He had only earned his place at the table by working.

Lukan had been invited without lifting a finger.

He had accepted it because Lukan had helped them before.

But why was he still receiving special treatment now?

Xavier narrowed his eyes.

Although he wasn’t as openly dissatisfied as the other two, he also felt Kaelira was treating Lukan differently.

Unequal treatment would only create problems in the future.

Sora rolled her eyes at the three of them.

"I asked him to help me make a few beast-skin skirts. Can any of you do that?"

The three immediately fell silent.

Sewing was considered women’s work.

How could beastmen possibly know how to make clothing?

Lukan looked far too masculine to possess delicate sewing skills.

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