Saning begged and pleaded, but Ochi still wouldn't let her go!
Just as Ochi was about to attack Saning, Fannie arrived in time, shouting, "Stop!"
Interrupted, Ochi was furious!
When he turned and saw that the intruders were Fannie and Batuya, he panicked. He quickly let go of Saning's tail and accused her instead, "This female seduced me!"
"I didn't!"
Saning shook her head desperately, trying to explain to Fannie, "Mistress, I didn't seduce him. I really didn't!"
Fannie of course believed that Saning hadn't seduced Ochi.
Saning didn't even want Alessio, so how could she go after a storage guard!
Batuya had always despised beastmen who used dirty tricks to get what they wanted. No matter how much she wanted to become the lord's partner, she never thought of using underhanded methods!
Her father, Elder Bagu, was a shaman and healer capable of making all kinds of potions.
If she wanted, she could secretly give the lord some medicine and immediately achieve her goal—but she refused. Being a beastman meant being honest and upright!
Although Batuya didn't like Saning, she hated males who preyed on weak females even more. Her anger burned, "Ochi, you are truly shameless!"
Ochi was burly and handsome, but his leopard-like nose in the middle of his face ruined his looks.
He didn't like weak females. Saning's aura wasn't enough to attract him. He only wanted her to get through mating season, and he even worried that his own strength might hurt weak Saning.
But there were exceptions.
Although Ochi didn't like weak females, Fannie's aura stirred him, making him a little hungry.
Ochi didn't understand why he felt this way.
But he knew one thing clearly: if he dared have improper thoughts about the lord's wife, he would die horribly!
He tried to defend himself: "Batuya, you know me. I don't like weak females. I've always liked strong, healthy females like you. How can you not believe me?"
Batuya had known Ochi for a while and knew what kind of person he was. "Not liking someone but forcing them is even more shameful!"
Ochi didn't try to prove anything to Batuya anymore.
He could explain today's events to her later, but for now, he had to make the lord's wife believe that Saning had seduced him!
To prove to Fannie that he was telling the truth, Ochi puffed out his chest and said seriously, "Mistress, you don't know. This Saning is actually a stray beast. The tribe kindly took her in, but she's ungrateful!"
"She would do anything for more food. This isn't the first time she tried to seduce me!"
"Don't be fooled by her!"
Just the words "stray beast" took away Saning's courage to argue.
In the beast world, no one trusted a stray beast.
A stray beast was considered abandoned.
Their hearts were usually full of insecurity and fear of being looked down upon by other beastmen, while also desperately wanting to be accepted.
Saning lowered her head, pressing her lips tightly together.
She was worried she would be abandoned again.
If the mistress truly didn't want her, she wouldn't complain.
After all, she was a stray beast abandoned by her own tribe.
At worst, she would be driven out and start wandering again.
Just as she prepared for the worst, a voice suddenly rang out, "So what? Saning belongs to me. Hurting her is hurting me! Or do you also want to challenge me beyond your level?"
Saning immediately lifted her head.
Tears immediately welled up in Saning's eyes.
No one would know how much weight the words "my person" carried in her heart. It wasn't just three words—it was recognition of her!
Ochi hadn't expected this outcome.
He thought that just exposing Saning's identity as a stray beast would make Fannie dislike her. After all, stray beasts usually had bad reputations; otherwise, they wouldn't have been abandoned by their own tribe!
Although Ochi was a fourth-rank leopard, he wasn't as reckless as Batuya.
He had real combat experience and knew what it meant to challenge above one's rank. Even if the other's body wasn't as strong, their power could be far beyond his!
More importantly, that was the lord's wife!
Never mind if her rank was higher—he wouldn't dare challenge the lord's wife, even if her rank was lower!
If the lord found out, he'd be in big trouble!
"Mistress, don't joke with me. How could I dare challenge you above my rank?"
"Since you don't dare, then behave!"
Fannie knew what Ochi was worried about—it was the two big leopards behind her. Naturally, she wouldn't miss the chance to use this. She spoke firmly, word by word: "Listen carefully. If you bully Saning, you're crossing me. If you cross me, you're ignoring Alessio and Miliano!
"If you ignore Alessio and Miliano, think carefully about the consequences!"
Ochi was a very sensible male.
Fannie was already protecting Saning so fiercely. If he still tried to use Saning, it would only backfire on him!
"Mistress, today's matter was my fault. I won't dare to do it again."
"Just saying you won't dare is enough?"
"I understand."
Ochi, a man of principle, turned to Saning and said, "I'm sorry for making you suffer."
Ochi's father was the tribe elder. Saning was worried that if things escalated, it would be hard to handle. She didn't want to cause trouble for Fannie, so she didn't continue arguing and calmly accepted Ochi's apology.
"Master Ochi, the lord ordered me to prepare food for the mistress. Please give me the food."
"Follow me."
Fannie was curious about how the tribe stored food, so she followed as well.
The food storage cave was huge.
There were many animals—yes, animals!
Like antelopes, wild boars, wild dogs, and so on.
And they were all alive!
Fannie was surprised, but also confused.
Were these animals born without ranks, unable to transform into human form, or had they been captured and turned back into beasts?
If they turned back into beasts after capture, wouldn't eating them be like eating humans?
Just as she was thinking, Saning's voice came over, "Mistress, what kind of meat would you like?"
Fannie took a long time to decide and finally asked, "What ranks are they?"
In the eyes of beastmen, food wasn't divided by rank. Only "the strong eat the weak, survival of the fittest." Saning asked, "Mistress, what rank would you like?"
Fannie just wanted ones without ranks. "Can they transform into humans?"
Batuya nearby heard this and snickered, "Your taste is quite… strong!"
"I'm disappointing you."
"All these wild animals have no rank. They were born this way and cannot transform into humans."
Batuya's tone was full of mockery.
Knowing they had no rank, Fannie relaxed.
She casually pointed to a big wild boar. "That one!"
After cutting a piece of meat from the boar, Fannie and Saning left.
Batuya was curious about what roasted meat would taste like, so she followed.
Saning gathered charcoal and started a fire while Fannie prepared the wild boar meat.
Even without salt, Fannie handled it well, marinating the meat with fruit to add flavor. She grilled it on a thin stone slab until it sizzled and oozed juices. The meat had a fresh fruity aroma, giving it a unique taste.
"Delicious."
A satisfied smile appeared on Fannie's face. This was much better than the tasteless deer meat from before. She picked up a piece and handed it to Saning, inviting her to try modern food. "Try it too."
Saning's need for food was only for survival. As long as it wasn't poisoned, she could eat it. She happily accepted Fannie's offering and smiled, saying, "It's pretty tasty."
Fannie was delighted that a beastman could enjoy modern food. "See? I wasn't lying, right?"
Saning smiled and nodded. "Mm."
Batuya looked at Fannie and Saning with a doubtful expression. Why wouldn't they just eat the fresh food as it was? They had to roast it over fire until it was dry and had no juice—how could that be good?
But the smell did seem quite appetizing.
Batuya's curiosity got the better of her, and she wanted to try it.
"Batuya sister, do you want to try?"
"Can this even taste good?"
"Whether it's good or not, I can't say. You'll only know by trying."
"I'll just have a little bite."
Batuya couldn't resist the aroma. She skewered a piece with a bamboo stick and chewed it carefully. Seconds later, she spat it out with a disgusted expression. "What's so good about this?"
Fannie was a little disappointed. Beastmen were beastmen after all—they truly couldn't appreciate modern food.
Batuya was baffled. What kind of cooking method was this? Good food was just ruined!
"Which tribe are you from?"
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't know."
"Are you a stray beast?"
"Guess."
"Why make me guess? Either say yes or no."
Although Batuya was curious about Fannie's background, she was even more curious about why the lord's mating period had suddenly come early. "I have one last question. Alessio's mating period isn't for another month. Why did he suddenly choose you as his partner?"
"Well…"
Fannie was caught off guard.
Although Alessio's true form was a big leopard, he had already transformed into human form. Did mating period even matter now?
Batuya pressed, "Stop dodging. How did you make the lord fall in love with you?"
Fannie wasn't hiding anything on purpose. The truth was, she didn't know!
It was that big leopard, repaying a favor, who had saved her and forced her to become his partner. How could she know what curse or spell made him choose her?
"Maybe…"
"Maybe what?"
"Maybe I just look better with him!"
Fannie couldn't think of any other reason, so she used the simple excuse of "matching well." After all, both she and that big leopard looked like humans!
Batuya believed this explanation completely.
Except for not having Fannie's higher rank, she was stronger than Fannie in every other way. If it wasn't because of this, what else could it be? Her expression fell slightly. "Just as I thought."
Fannie comforted her, "You're great. Alessio not choosing you is his loss."
Batuya seemed to resonate with that and nodded firmly at Fannie. "You're right. It's his loss for not choosing me. One day, he will definitely regret it!"
Fannie agreed, "Yes, yes, he will definitely regret it."
While Fannie tried to get close to Batuya, Batuya was also worried that Fannie might say bad things about her in front of Miliano.
Batuya used the toughest tone to speak the most cautious words: "Even though you're my rival, I won't hold a grudge against you. After all, we're both females; we shouldn't fight over a male!"
"If you don't mind, all our past conflicts are wiped clean!"
"I won't target you again, and you're not allowed to complain about me in front of Miliano. From now on, we stay out of each other's way. You go your path, I go mine!"
Batuya really feared Miliano would make trouble for her. She didn't want to become lunch for an eighth-rank beastman at such a young age!
On the Beast Continent, Fannie always followed the rule that having more friends made life easier. As long as the other person didn't try to kill her, she would never stab anyone in the back.
Being "rivals in love" with Batuya now didn't mean it would always stay that way.
Similarly, Alessio was a beastman, and also a man.
Men's words could be taken lightly. They shouldn't be taken too seriously!
Even though Alessio was acting overly devoted to her now, claiming he loved only her, he could fall for another female just as easily. In a few days, some other female might steal his heart!
Batuya wasn't stupid enough to risk turning a "rival" into a "deadly enemy" over a big leopard.
"Batuya sister, you're reasonable. It's not worth it for one male. But if you're willing, I'd still be happy to share Alessio with you!"
"Better not."
Batuya sighed. "Forced fruit isn't sweet. I appreciate your good intentions. Keep this terrible food for yourself and eat it slowly. I'm going back to sleep."
She left, her expression low.
Fannie watched Batuya's back with some confusion.
It made sense that a proud female like Batuya would be clear-headed after being rejected, but coming to apologize early in the morning? That didn't match Batuya's personality at all!
Even though Batuya apologized, Fannie still didn't gain any points. Her plan to win Batuya over had failed.
So difficult!
Fannie turned her attention from Batuya to Saning, who was quietly grilling meat. She softly asked, "Why did you lie to me? Those dried meats weren't leftovers, right? You saved them on purpose, didn't you?"
Saning paused for a moment while turning the meat, then looked up.
Their eyes met.
Seeing Fannie's concerned gaze, Saning felt a warmth spread through her body. She smiled and said, "Mistress, you don't need to worry about me. I'm already very satisfied."
The tribe gave her a place to stay and shared food with her. She was grateful.
Even if she sometimes faced some hardships, it was nothing compared to living as a stray.
She couldn't let these small matters bother the lord.