"Do you realize it? These two different scents have always been together since coming here, and apparently, they also went home together. But, why are you suddenly interested in that human girl? I remember you once told me your mate is from a fox clan. Hey, where are you going?"
"I need a fresh air."
"You can't fool me. I know you will search for the girl, but don't forget tonight is your time to shine."
"I don't care."
"Then answer me this. Do you know where that girl lives? Do you know her name?"
Jerome knew the name; he once asked for her name, but he had forgotten it for some unknown reasons.
"Leave it to me."
"..." Jerome raised an eyebrow in question.
"I would be a stupid brother if I didn't realize you had found your mate. Or am I wrong?" After all, his brother's uneasy feelings were very similar to what he felt right now. His brother might be able to deceive the others but don't forget that their blood connection and mind frequency were solid.
"That means, her friend is your mate." Of course, Jerome could immediately guess it, too.
"Now you know I can understand how you feel, and believe me―showing up at her door tonight won't make a good first impression."
"How can you be sure?"
"The dance hasn't even started yet, but the two have left without joining the main event. That means the girls have encountered something they don't like and should leave now. Wouldn't they feel suspicious if we immediately chased them? You don't want to scare her by making her think you're stalking her, right?"
Jerome didn't say anything else and realized his brother made sense. He decided to turn around and go back into the mansion with very, very reluctant steps.
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Guinevere woke up with a heavy head as if someone had hit her head with a big hammer. All her muscles twitched and tingled as if she had been doing extreme activities all night.
The girl rolled her body over until her sleeping position was facing the wall while letting out a lazy sigh. She recalled yesterday's event, where she experienced many things until Guin decided to go home even before the dance event started.
When the wolf's howling filled the air, reawakening her trauma, Guin thought she was still firm and tried to survive. However, as soon as the person named Cam transformed into his wolf form, the defensive wall that protected Guin's mental state was shattered to pieces―her body swayed without strength at that moment.
Cam's wolf form was different from the wild werewolves who attacked her mother, but the sound of its growling and the sharp fangs were the same as the slaughterers who exterminated her clan. As if the tragedy was repeating itself before her eyes, Guin felt her energy evaporate from her body, and her knees became weak.
Luckily, Aileen was with her and immediately gave her first aid by infusing a small portion of mana. After that, Aileen decided to take Guin home, seeing how pale Guin looked at that time. Even though she felt guilty because she had to break her dance promise to someone, Guin's health was still Aileen's main priority.
A soft knock on the bedroom door woke Guin from her reverie, and after getting an answer from Guin, the bedroom door opened to reveal Aileen carrying a tray containing breakfast.
"Good morning, sleepyhead. How do you feel now?"
"Much better. Ugh! Did you cook the porridge?" Guin felt like someone had turned her insides upside down when she smelled the unique smell of Aileen's homemade porridge.
Not a reason. Aileen's porridge was not made from rice but from various kinds of beans, mixed with pumpkin, seven-colored grass, and mountain toad bile. The wizards often rely on seven-colored grass to reduce fever and strengthen the body's immune system. Meanwhile, toad bile was good at increasing the magic power.
This porridge was very useful for all kinds of creatures, but the smell produced from this kind of porridge was extremely unpleasant.
"Of course. You fainted on the way home. If it hadn't been for our driver to help me lift you, we might both have slept in the car." Aileen walked closer while explaining in a mother-like tone.
"I can sleep in the car all night, but why do you?"
"How could I leave my sister alone? Of course, I will accompany you."
Guin felt moved when she heard this, but her forehead didn't stop frowning in disgust as the unpleasant aroma assaulted her nose more and more. "Even if you state honey-like words, I still won't eat it."
"Guin, tell me the truth. Did you use your powers last night?" Aileen looked at Guin closely as if she were an investigator who wanted to assess Guin's reactions. "I checked on your condition last night, and I noticed you lost most of your mana. Then, the immense pressure―I don't know why you had it―triggered your main core to protect you, and for lack of mana, you had internal injuries, and made you faint."
Guinevere lowered her head, not daring to look straight into her sister's eyes because of the guilt filled her heart. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hide it from you, but I… I thought I would be fine." If only Guin had no pressure or ... stress, she'd be fine.
"You must be mad since I forced you to go home before dancing with that mysterious man." Guin felt sorry, but there was nothing she could do at this time.
"You think I'm mad because of that? You're so ridiculous!" Aileen snorted in annoyance without hiding her broken heart from hearing Guin's words. "Finish your porridge if you want me to forgive you."
Guin held her breath as Aileen brought the bowl of disgusting light brown porridge closer to her face. Seeing the thick texture and several bubbles decorating the shapeless porridge made Guin, who hadn't eaten since last night, feel full instantly.
Guin directed her pitiful gaze at her sister―begging her to get rid of the cursed unsightly meal from her. Alas, Aileen gave a firm look as if the girl didn't want to talk to her anymore if Guin didn't finish it.
Having no choice, Guin took the bowl and gulped in difficulty as if there was something stuck in her throat. She closed her eyes, still holding her breath, and immediately scooped up a large mouthful to devour. She did this several times until the contents of the medium-sized bowl were empty.
"Done!" Guin took a long, hasty breath as she let out an unpleasant odor that filled her mouth with her magic. Then, Guin fell back onto the bed, grumbling. "You're mean, Aileen. This is the most severe punishment."
"I'm not punishing you. I did it for your good." Aileen's voice softened when she answered Guin's advances. "So tell me what you did last night." Even though Guin had finished the porridge she made, that didn't mean Aileen would just let it go. She still wanted to know what Guin had done to make the girl run out of mana.
Luckily, Guin was not purely a magician, but a beastman. Mana was the most crucial thing in any wizard's life, and if they ran out of mana completely, the wizard would lose consciousness for several months until his mana was replenished. Or worse, the wizard would become an idiot or die.
Meanwhile, the beast men could still survive even if they ran out of mana because they had monster core pills in their bodies. Even so, the beast men would still feel weak and fall ill if they ran out of mana and forced themselves to use their strength.
"To tell you the truth..."