The Beastmen were certain they had seen the female human die. So how was she speaking now?
Fear flashed across their faces. Shani was just as terrified, though her fear leaned more toward Valeo possibly defending the female human.
She immediately looked at Valeo with an innocent expression. "Leader, I was only enforcing the tribe rules. This woman ate—"
"I said I didn't do it!" Fiora shouted, exhausted by the entire drama unfolding before her.
Shani's intentions were painfully clear. She wanted to look righteous in front of Valeo while eliminating her rival, Fiora.
Shani's behavior reminded Fiora of Evelyn. Her younger sister always twisted situations to make everyone take her side. Every incident, every problem, would somehow end with Fiora being the culprit.
It started with pity, Fiora couldn't bear to ignore Evelyn's tears, and the assumption that once a problem was settled, it wouldn't be brought up again.
Without realizing it, Evelyn repeated it again and again, dumping every blame onto Fiora.
And before Fiora knew it, she'd been branded as the troublesome first princess, the careless first princess, the first princess who knew nothing but how to cause problems… and so on.
Every achievement Fiora ever made… people subconsciously credited to Evelyn.
After all, how could a troublemaking princess achieve anything?
From ideas to improve the economy of remote villages, to creating defense tools to repel wild beasts, to inventing herbal products that reduced the stench of latrines. Fiora had done so much.
But whenever she told people they were her creations, she'd be mocked as a shameless princess.
And whenever Evelyn sweetly confirmed, "Yes, those were Fiora's works," people would immediately assume Fiora had forced her to say that.
Thinking back, Fiora realized Evelyn's tone, gestures, and choice of words always made her seem like a victim.
Disgusting.
She had been fooled by the person she trusted most.
And all because she allowed things to go wrong from the beginning.
Now, after being given the chance to live in a new environment without people who already misunderstood her, she refused to repeat the same mistake.
She would not allow any misunderstandings about her.
And she would not allow these Beastmen to think she was someone they could trample.
"Tribe leader, I know the culprits are that mother and daughter pair. You have to check on them." Fiora stared straight into Valeo's golden eyes.
She didn't blink, refusing to let anything slip again. Her gaze flicked to Shani several times, the snake… no, the hyena.
"Leader, we actually met Marry the rat with Mivy in your cave when we went to take the food supplies," Rivo said.
Hearing Marry's name made several Beastmen hesitate.
Shani, however, stiffened because she knew the rat was the tribe's most notorious thief.
"Rivo, Brakka—go check their nest," Valeo ordered.
The two Beastmen nodded and left immediately.
Valeo looked back at Fiora, who was still sitting on the ground with blood all over her face. Slowly, the blood dripped down and stained the oversized fur robe she wore.
Seeing the robe swallowing Fiora's smaller frame, Valeo swallowed hard. Memories of last night resurfaced, along with the realization that Fiora was now his wife.
If he wanted to feel what he felt yesterday, he needed to protect his wife.
"Valeo, please, believe me! She took advantage of you while you were unconscious. She—"
Shani's voice snapped Valeo out of his adult-only thoughts.
His ears twitched as he realized he had been thinking of the wrong things in such a serious situation.
He didn't expect that reproducing would leave lingering urges, urges strong enough to distract him even outside mating season.
In previous years, during mating season, Valeo could still calm himself by hunting wild creatures.
But now… he couldn't stop thinking about it.
"Tribe leader! Tribe leader! Are you listening to me?" Shani practically hopped in front of him.
"I hear you," Valeo said sharply.
Shani shrank back and finally shut up.
"You said she ate all the food in my cave? Are you certain she could finish it all?" Valeo asked.
Shani nodded confidently. "Greedy humans can eat two days' worth of Beastman food even during normal times. She must have eaten everything!"
"But the supplies in my cave were more than two days' worth," Valeo murmured, indirectly refuting her.
"S-she hid the rest!" Shani replied frantically.
"I, Rivo, and Brakka didn't smell any meat around or in my cave. And this human female never left it," Valeo said calmly, his reasoning logical and solid.
The surrounding Beastmen quickly sided with him.
Fiora didn't expect Valeo to defend her. 'Is it because I brought him back to life? Or because…'
She refused to finish that thought, because Valeo was now standing in front of her, offering his hand.
Fiora stared at his large, muscular hand. She remembered clearly how those hands had held her body intimitely. And how small she had felt in his grasp.
A shiver ran down her spine.
Her wounds had healed almost completely. She stood up without taking the tribe leader's hand.
Valeo didn't mind. He felt he could tolerate anything this human female did.
Meanwhile, Shani was furious.
No matter how reasonable Valeo's words were, in her eyes, he was defending his wife.
Their minimal interactions, which weren't even actual interactions, were enough to make jealousy bloom violently in Shani's heart.
She wanted to roar, 'Why are you defending that furless human?!'
But her roar died in her throat when Rivo and Brakka returned with Marry and Mivy.
"Did you find anything?" Valeo asked.
Rivo shook his head with regret. Brakka turned toward Fiora, who stood beside Valeo, and barked, "Human female! Return the leader's food supplies!"
His declaration dropped like a judge's gavel, confirming Fiora's guilt.
Marry, short and wide-eyed, stepped forward. She was shocked to see the human could still stand despite her body being covered in blood. She thought, humans were terrifying creatures after all.
Even if this female terrifying, Marry didn't afraid. Because she wasn't the guilty one, instead she was the victim.
She snapped, "So this human is the one accusing me?! Want me to claw your face off?!"
She marched forward boldly... but before she could reach Fiora, Valeo blocked her with his massive body.
"If any of you try anything with her, you'll deal with me first.
This female human is my wife."
...