Xavier reached out immediately with his wooden sticks, intending to snatch another fried egg from the bamboo tube.
But before he could touch it, Sora reacted swiftly.
She scooped up the bamboo container protectively and covered it with another split bamboo lid.
"These are already finished," she declared seriously. "They’re mine now."
Then, before Xavier could respond, she stuffed an entire fried egg into her mouth.
Xavier: "..."
The serpent beastman stared at her in complete disbelief.
Oil glistened at the corners of Sora’s lips as she chewed triumphantly, looking utterly satisfied with herself.
For several long seconds, Xavier could only stand there stiffly.
Then his face twisted faintly with horror.
How could anyone eat like that?
The image of Kaelira swallowing an entire fried egg in one bite was so aggressive that his appetite instantly vanished.
Disgusting.
Completely disgusting.
Yet—
The smell still lingered temptingly in the air.
Xavier’s expression became increasingly conflicted.
Sora raised a brow innocently.
For several long seconds, he simply stood there speechless.
Then his handsome face darkened.
"You—"
Before he could finish, Sora swallowed dramatically and flashed him an innocent smile.
"Want more?" she asked casually.
Then she spread her hands.
"Sorry. I already ate them all."
Xavier’s expression twisted slightly.
His mouth twitched.
At first, he truly had wanted another bite. The fried eggs were unlike anything he had tasted before—crispy outside, soft inside, rich with oil and salt.
But after witnessing her barbaric eating style, his desire immediately died.
No matter how delicious the eggs were, he suddenly couldn’t bring himself to continue eating beside her.
The eggs smelled delicious.
But seeing her eat them made him feel like vomiting.
Xavier clicked his tongue coldly before turning away with visible disgust.
"I’ve lost my appetite."
With a cold scoff, he turned and left.
Still... despite his disgust, the rich flavor of the fried egg lingered stubbornly in his memory.
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.
Behind him, Sora watched carefully until his figure disappeared completely.
Only then did she finally exhale in relief.
After he disappeared into the forest did she finally crouch beside the stove again.
Carefully, she lifted the bamboo cover she had hidden earlier.
Inside remained two perfectly cooked fried eggs.
Golden.
Fragrant.
Still warm.
Sora’s eyes curved into crescents.
"These are the real treasures."
Earlier, while Xavier had been distracted eating the first two eggs, she secretly separated the remaining portion into another bamboo tube.
Otherwise, with Xavier’s possessive personality, he definitely would’ve snatched everything away.
Sora grinned proudly.
"Success."
She packed the eggs carefully before storing Lukan’s salt pouch safely inside her animal-skin bag. Then she headed back toward the rocky clearing.
As expected, Lukan remained exactly where she had left him earlier.
The wolf beastman sat quietly upon a flat stone while sharpening a curved hunting blade against rough rock.
Scrape.
Scrape.
The rhythmic sound echoed softly through the clearing.
Sunlight filtered through the trees overhead, falling across his silver-gray hair and sharp brows. His posture remained calm and steady, giving him an almost untouchable aura.
Sora slowed slightly.
Honestly...
Among all her beast husbands, Lukan truly seemed the easiest to approach.
At least he didn’t glare at her every few seconds.
Sunlight illuminated his silver hair softly, making him look distant and untouchable.
Sora slowed her steps instinctively.
Then she adjusted her animal-skin skirt carefully before approaching him this time.
Earlier, she had accidentally lifted it too high while carrying the eggs. Though Lukan hadn’t commented on it, she had clearly noticed the faint crease between his brows.
He disliked improper behavior.
This time, she made sure to appear more composed.
"Lukan," she called gently.
The wolf beastman looked up briefly.
Sora smiled and offered him the bamboo tube.
"These are the fried eggs I made."
She paused before adding sincerely,
"Thank you for lending me the salt."
Lukan glanced toward the bamboo container but didn’t reach for it.
"No need," he replied calmly. "You can eat them yourself."
Sora immediately realized he still maintained some distance from her.
Not hatred.
Just caution.
But not rejecting her outright.
Sora understood that trust wouldn’t come easily.
After all, the original owner had lied repeatedly and caused endless trouble.
One apology alone couldn’t erase everything overnight.
Still, Sora noticed something important.
Lukan was soft-hearted.
Even after being deceived, he never humiliated her publicly.
Nor did he mock her appearance like others did.
To survive in this beast world, earning his favor was definitely the safest option.
So naturally—
She refused to give up.
Sora crouched beside him stubbornly and nudged the bamboo tube closer.
"Try it first," she urged. "It really tastes good."
Lukan continued sharpening his weapon silently, clearly intending not to respond.
Sora blinked.
"Just try one bite," she urged, nudging the bamboo tube closer.
"It’s really delicious."
Lukan remained unmoved.
Seeing this, Sora suddenly made a bold decision.
Without warning, she picked up a piece of fried egg using the wooden chopsticks she carved earlier and shoved it directly toward his lips.
Lukan froze completely.
Before he could react, the warm fried egg was already in his mouth.
The fragrance spread instantly.
Soft egg.
Rich oil.
A touch of salt.
Simple ingredients transformed into astonishing flavor.
Nothing like the plain boiled eggs beastmen usually ate.
His movements paused unconsciously.
Sora’s eyes curved happily.
"See? Isn’t it good?"
After a moment, Lukan finally swallowed.
"...It tastes good."
The simple praise made Sora irrationally happy.
At least her effort wasn’t wasted.
She immediately pushed the bamboo tube closer again.
"There’s more," she said eagerly. "Eat as much as you want."
Lukan hesitated briefly before accepting another bite.
Then another.
Watching him quietly eat the food she made filled Sora with an odd sense of accomplishment.
Back in the apocalypse, cooking had simply been survival.
But here...
This felt strangely warm.
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
"If you like it," she said with a smile, "I can make it again for you later."
Lukan paused mid-motion.
His gray eyes lifted slowly toward her.
Something about the sentence sounded strange coming from Kaelira.
Before, she had always demanded things from others without giving anything in return. She hated cooking, hated chores, hated effort altogether.
Yet now she sat beside him willingly making food and offering it first.
The change was... unsettling.
But not unpleasant.
Sora waited expectantly for the system notification.
Surely this should increase affection points, right?
But several moments passed.
Nothing happened.
No system chime.
No increase.
However—
Before the system could respond, an angry voice exploded nearby.
"Kaelira! You lied to me!"
Sora nearly jumped.
She turned instantly toward the source of the voice—
And saw Xavier storming toward them with a terrifying expression.
Her heart skipped.
How did he come back so quickly?!
The snake beastman’s handsome face looked stormy enough to terrify ordinary people. His emerald eyes narrowed dangerously while his dark hair swayed slightly behind him.
And worst of all—
He looked furious.
Immediately, Sora glanced around frantically for an escape route.
Unfortunately, there was nowhere to run.
Without hesitation, she hid directly behind Lukan.
The wolf beastman blinked faintly as Sora grabbed the back of his arm like a shield.
Meanwhile, Xavier’s expression darkened further.
After leaving earlier, he had gradually realized something felt wrong.
There had originally been six eggs.
Yet somehow, the portions Sora ate seemed... suspiciously small.
At the time, he had been too distracted watching her devour food like a starving beast to notice properly.
But the more he thought about it, the more certain he became.
So he returned.
And sure enough—
There she was.
Feeding Lukan the hidden fried eggs right under his nose.
She had tricked him completely.
Lukan frowned slightly.
"You deceived someone again?" he asked calmly.
Sora immediately protested from behind him.
"When did I trick him?!"
Xavier pointed accusingly.
"You said you would fry two eggs!"
"And I did!" Sora argued immediately. "There were six eggs total. The remaining four were mine."
"I said fry two first," Xavier snapped. "I never said I only wanted two."
Sora crossed her arms indignantly.
"There were six eggs total. Four belonged to me."
"You stole all six first!"
"The wild belongs to whoever gets there first!"
Lukan listened quietly before finally understanding the situation.
As the two argued heatedly, Xavier suddenly reached forward as though intending to drag her out from behind Lukan.
Instantly, the wolf beastman stepped between them.
The atmosphere changed sharply.
Xavier’s expression changed instantly.
"...Lukan."
Among all five husbands, only Lukan consistently stood in front of Kaelira whenever conflict arose.
No matter what mistakes she made.
"You’re protecting her again?"
Lukan’s voice remained calm.
"She is our female," he said evenly. "You shouldn’t hurt her."
"Hurt her?"
Xavier scoffed disdainfully.
"With her appearance, I wouldn’t even bother bullying her."
Sora: "..."
Excuse me?
Could this snake talk without insulting people for five seconds?
Lukan’s voice remained steady.
"Then what are you doing now?"
Xavier clicked his tongue irritably.
"She tricked me first."
"She said she didn’t."
Xavier: "..."
The serpent beastman genuinely looked ready to fight.
The atmosphere immediately became tense.
Fortunately, before things escalated further, another beastman suddenly approached hurriedly.
"Lukan," he called, "the chief is looking for you."
Lukan nodded once.
"I’ll come now."
As he prepared to leave, Xavier’s lips curved into a dangerous smile while looking directly at Sora.
Only then did Sora realize something horrifying.
Once Lukan left...
She’d be alone with the angry snake.