Her once dirty, unkempt face had been washed clean, revealing delicate features that had long been hidden beneath grime. Her hair—usually left in wild disarray—was now neatly gathered and tied behind her head with a thin strip of animal hide.
Most importantly… things were different.
Alast's gaze fell to what she was wearing. If he wasn't mistaken, that piece of hide was the very one he had tanned not long ago—only for her to reject it outright and toss it aside in disdain.
He had no idea how she had managed to drape an entire, unprocessed hide over herself like that—but somehow, inexplicably, it looked… good. Strangely good.
"What's wrong?"
Noticing the three of them staring at her, Lily began to worry that she had dressed improperly.
"That skirt was way too short—I couldn't wear it at all, so I just made do like this…"
Dallan snapped out of his thoughts and immediately stepped forward, gently taking her hand.
"My fault. I'll make you a few proper skirts today, Female Master."
Lily's eyes lit up. "You can sew?"
Dallan nodded. Before reaching adulthood, male beastmen were taught not only to hunt, but also skills to care for females. Sewing hide garments was just one of them.
Lily clasped his hand excitedly. "Then if I draw a design, can you make it from that?"
Dallan hesitated slightly. "As long as it's not too complicated… I should be able to."
That's perfect. Lily beamed.
She had just found quite a few pieces of animal hide in the room. While they couldn't compare to fabric in softness, some were breathable enough to make decent undergarments.
Because honestly… going without anything underneath was way too risky.
Grrr…
Her stomach growled loudly.
Lily flushed in embarrassment, clutching her abdomen.
Since transmigrating, she hadn't even had a sip of water. And after… everything last night, she was absolutely starving.
The three men's gazes dropped to her stomach, their expressions instantly turning tense.
"I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
But as she looked at them, Lily suddenly noticed something off about Alast and Gian's expressions. She hadn't done anything—so why did they look so alarmed?
Then it hit her.
A memory from the original host surfaced.
Once, the original host had come home hungry and demanded food the moment she stepped inside. The beast husbands had rushed to start a fire and grill meat—but she'd grown impatient at how slow they were, flown into a rage, and beaten them half to death.
"No food is fine too!" Lily quickly added, waving her hands. "I'm just really hungry right now—could one of you help roast some meat?"
"There is some food," Alast spoke.
Lily blinked, a beat too late realizing he was answering her original question.
Wow… that was quite the delay in response.
Following the three of them downstairs, she used the fragrant wood sticks they had prepared to clean her teeth. By the time she sat at the stone table, freshly roasted meat—still warm—was already placed in front of her.
The rich aroma made her stomach clench.
Without waiting, Lily picked up a piece and popped it into her mouth.
She had only chewed twice before something felt off.
Why was it so bland?
It tasted like they had forgotten the salt entirely…
Still, she swallowed it before looking up at Alast, who had brought the food.
"Are we out of salt at home?"
From the original host's memories, Lily knew salt did exist in this world—though it was coarse and crude, nothing like the fine white salt she was used to.
"Who do you think gave it all away yesterday?" Gian said irritably.
Lily froze.
Right… that "someone" was the original host.
Every time she got something good, she would rush to give it to Hoan—even something as essential as salt. Then she'd go back and coax her father into getting her more.
She had truly taken simping to a whole new level…
No. Now that she—the new Lily—had taken over this body, there was no way she would continue letting that scumbag Hoan take advantage of her.
And why did she consider Hoan a scumbag?
Because he clearly didn't like the original host—yet he had never once refused anything she gave him. Worse, he accepted it all as if it were only natural, as though everything she owned rightfully belonged to him.
Just thinking about it was disgusting.
What on earth had the original host ever seen in a man like that?
Though the roasted meat was bland, it was still fragrant. Lily forced herself to eat three or four slices before finally stopping.
"Let's go." She rose to her feet and pointed toward the door.
"Where to?" Alast asked.
"To find Hoan, of course."
Lily had already decided—the first step in proving she had changed was to draw a clean line between herself and him.
All three men's expressions darkened.
For a moment, they had actually believed she had changed… but in the end, she was still going to see Hoan.
"Female Master…" Dallan began hesitantly. As her first beast husband now, he felt he ought to say something.
"Don't worry." Lily smiled at him. "I've figured things out. Since you and I already… well, from now on, we'll live properly as a family."
"Then why are you going to see Hoan?" Gian asked, clearly displeased.
"To…" Lily's lips curled, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Collect a debt."
Today, she was going to reclaim justice for the original host—and make that scumbag pay.
Though Dallan and the others didn't quite believe her, they followed anyway, unwilling to risk provoking her.
Guided by the original host's memories, Lily led them straight to Hoan's stone dwelling.
"Alast—go bring him out."
She gave the order, but Alast didn't move. He still didn't understand her intentions—and if this was just another excuse to torment them…
Seeing his hesitation, Lily turned instead to Dallan. "Dallan, you go then."
After a brief pause, Dallan strode inside. Moments later, he dragged a half-asleep Hoan out, pulling him unceremoniously into the open.
"Lily?"
The moment he saw her, undisguised disgust filled Hoan's face.
Why was this vicious woman here again?
"Hoan, I'm here today to ask you one last time—are you truly unwilling to form a bond with me?"
This question again?
Hoan rolled his eyes. Did she not know what kind of reputation she had? Beating and abusing her beast husbands at every turn—if not for her status as the City Lord's precious daughter, he wouldn't even bother speaking to her.
"Fine. Since you're unwilling, then from today onward, I won't come looking for you ever again."
Hoan blinked in shock, then tested cautiously, "Really?"
"Of course." Lily nodded without hesitation. "But—"
A smug look spread across his face.
He knew it. After chasing him for so long, how could she possibly give up just like that? This was nothing more than a ploy—playing hard to get.
Lily glanced around, making sure there were enough onlookers gathering before she raised her voice.
"Since you refuse to bond with me, then shouldn't you return everything I've given you over the years?"