The next evening, as the moon hung just above the treetops, many clan members gathered around a waist-high bonfire.
The young females sang and danced while the males roasted various fresh catches over the open flames.
Even though the seasoning left much to be desired, the savory aroma of meat still wafted through the air.
“Clan Leader, I’m back,” a clear, masculine voice rang out.
A male with waist-length blonde hair approached slowly.
Unlike the rugged unkemptness of the other males, his long hair was combed smooth and neatly tied back with a strip of animal hide.
Though his features were only average, he carried an innately gentle and refined aura.
Were he in ancient times, he would undoubtedly earn the title of a modest gentleman.
Misha appraised him silently.
The system couldn’t bear her admiration and chimed in, “Host, this male is Caesar!
The murderer who killed the original owner of your body!”
Misha was so startled she nearly bit off her own tongue.
“Pah, what a scumbag,” she thought.
“I must be blind.
Lord, forgive me for my terrible judgment.”
Just then, a black object was tossed onto the ground.
Misha cast a glance over.
It was squirming—a living creature.
WHIMPER!
WHIMPER!
WHIMPER!
“It’s a black bear cub!” a sharp-eyed male noticed.
“Caesar, you actually caught a black bear cub!
You’re incredible.”
“Yeah, Caesar!”
Caesar shook his head, looking incredibly modest.
“It’s no great feat.
I just happened to run into it.”
Dora walked over with sparkling eyes and squatted beside the cub.
Gathering her courage, she reached out to pet its head.
“Caesar, can I keep this cub?”
A gentle smile graced Caesar’s face.
“Of course you can.”
Misha noticed the black bear cub looked completely unweaned.
Without meticulous care, it probably wouldn’t survive.
She turned around and saw that Reya’s expression was unusually grave as well.
Unable to help herself, she asked, “Reya, what’s wrong?”
“The Beast World has rules.
We are forbidden from hunting pregnant animals or harming unweaned cubs,” he explained.
Misha nodded in understanding.
It was a measure to maintain ecological balance.
Just then, the black bear cub on the ground raised its head and sniffed the air.
Following the scent, it began dragging itself toward the pile of fresh kills nearby.
“Uh…
I suddenly feel so guilty,” Misha thought.
The other clan members soon noticed the cub’s actions.
“That black bear must be the little guy’s mother.”
“The poor thing lost its mother, and now it’s been captured too.
That’s just too cruel,” a soft-hearted female couldn’t help but sigh.
“Yeah.”
When Caesar clearly saw the black bear in the pile of catches, a flash of displeasure crossed his eyes, but it vanished in an instant.
His tone remained gentle.
“Who hunted this black bear?
It’s the only one in our entire clan.”
“Who else could it be but Reya?” Dora curled her lip.
“Reya, I don’t mean to lecture you, but the Beast World strictly forbids harming pregnant animals.
You’re far too cruel.” Seeing the clan members complain about Caesar, Dora jumped at the chance to shift the blame to Reya.
“I didn’t,” Reya denied.
Caesar looked at Reya, his eyes filled with disapproval.
“Reya, you were indeed in the wrong here.”
His tone was soft and mild, yet it effectively cemented Reya’s reputation for cruelty.
“So this Caesar is a total two-faced hypocrite,” Misha thought.
The gazes of several young females toward Reya shifted, and they silently resolved to tell their own male mates to avoid this cold-blooded, heartless male.
Although Reya didn’t argue back, Misha caught the subtle hurt in his expression.
Misha instantly snapped into full protective mode over Reya.
“You need evidence before spouting nonsense!
Reya wasn’t the one who brought the cub back.
Besides, that black bear wasn’t pregnant, so we did nothing wrong by hunting it.
“If you’re going to hold someone accountable, blame the guy who actually kidnapped the cub.”
She never explicitly named Caesar, yet every single word pointed directly at him.
A tiny crack appeared in Caesar’s gentle mask, though he quickly covered it up.
“And who might you be, little female?”
Misha flipped her silver-white, wavy hair and replied boldly, “I’m Misha.”
“Misha?” Caesar searched his memory but drew a blank.
“Misha, you’ve misunderstood.
I only brought the cub back so I could take care of it.”
His eyes looked utterly sincere, but Misha felt an oppressive masculine aura sweep toward her, forcing her to instinctively take a half-step back.
A broad hand landed firmly on her shoulder.
It was Reya, gently supporting her.
After steadying herself, she softly thanked him.
Reya shook his head and wrapped one of his hands around hers.
His expression was dead serious.
“Caesar, she is my mate.”
Looking suspicious, Caesar instinctively glanced at Dora.
Dora bit her lip and lowered her head in embarrassment.
She had failed the task Caesar had entrusted to her.
She blamed it all on that ugly freak, Misha.
It was all her fault!
“Then I definitely misunderstood.
Caesar, a male as kind-hearted as you will undoubtedly take excellent care of this black bear cub.
If anything were to happen to it, your conscience wouldn’t let you rest, right?”
She decided to beat the hypocrite at his own manipulative game, leaving him no way out.
Caesar instantly felt the weight of everyone’s stares fixated on him.
He narrowed his eyes, his expression turning cold and stern.
He had never expected this little female to be so sharp-tongued.
Though reckless, Dora wasn’t stupid.
“This cub doesn’t have any milk to drink, so it won’t live long anyway.
You’re just deliberately making things difficult for Caesar!”
Misha curled her lips into a smirk.
“An incredible male like Caesar wouldn’t be stumped by such trivial matters, right?” She even blinked innocently at Caesar as she spoke.
Caesar swallowed the words he was about to say.
He remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.
“At the end of the day, I’m just a male.
I lack the meticulous patience of a female, and I still have to go out hunting.
I simply don’t have the means to care for this cub.
Why don’t you help me raise it for a couple of days, Misha?”
He was deflecting the problem.
This savage sure knew how to play a devious scheme.
It was no wonder Reya had lost to him in the previous timeline.
Misha didn’t agree right away.
“If someone as amazing as you can’t keep a bear cub alive, what could I possibly do?
If anything happens to it, the blame will fall entirely on my head.”
Caesar smiled and shook his head.
“Without its mother, it’s already highly unlikely to survive.
Whether it lives or dies is simply up to fate.”
A flash of cunning darted across Misha’s eyes.
“So, you’re saying that if something unfortunate happens to it, no one will blame me?”
Caesar knew perfectly well that Misha was securing a way out, but he had no choice but to agree.
The bear cub dying in his hands held an entirely different meaning than it dying in Misha’s.
If Misha raised it and it unfortunately died, it could only be blamed on the cub’s poor luck.
But if it died in his care, he would shoulder the absolute blame.
“Naturally.
I believe everyone here thinks the same.”
Caesar held a considerable amount of prestige among the clan, so no one voiced any objections.
A bright, radiant smile bloomed on Misha’s face.
“In that case, I’ll take care of it for a couple of days for you.”
Suppressing his rising fury, Caesar forced out a word of thanks.
Misha’s smile only grew wider.
Watching her cradle the black bear cub in her arms and softly coax it, Reya felt a profound warmth in his chest.
If they ever had cubs of their own, she would undoubtedly be just as loving.