Mirabelle ate until her stomach physically hurt.

She felt absolutely starved.

And on second thought...

her body actually had been starving.

The old Mirabelle had gone two entire weeks without properly eating and had barely consumed any water at all.

Compared to what a beast female normally could eat, the amounts Mirabelle herself had eaten over the past few days were practically enormous.

Completely satisfied, she licked juice and sauce from her fingers in a very unladylike manner.

Then she grabbed one of the damp cloths that had been prepared for the females.

Technically, she could return to the ballroom now.

But the mere thought of the testosterone-fueled beastmen waiting in there made her pause.

’Maybe I should freshen up in the resting room first.’

She glanced around briefly to orient herself before heading confidently down one of the hallways.

Earlier, the females had been shown where the private resting rooms were located — secluded spaces where they could retreat and remain among themselves.

The corridors here weren’t all that different from the ones inside Castle Luchsenstein.

Except everything was made from smooth white stone.

And along the wall opposite the windows, shallow alcoves had been carved into the stone every few meters, perhaps one meter wide and half as deep.

Inside them stood statues, flower vases, and in some hung paintings.

A pleasant breeze drifted through the tall windows, cooling the exposed skin of her shoulders and back.

The floral scent lingering through this corridor was heavy and luxurious.

Like roses she had once smelled at a botanical exhibition in her old world.

Mixed into it was the crisp freshness of mint.

Mirabelle kept walking.

And walking.

But somehow, she could no longer tell exactly where she was.

They had explained earlier that the resting room would be located between two statues of the Beast Goddess, with a sitting bench directly opposite the door.

’Did I take the wrong hallway?’

She had just started doubting herself when she rounded another corner and finally spotted the bench.

Relieved, she quickened her pace and pushed open the door without properly looking at the statues beside it.

Then she froze. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Heat rolled through the room in suffocating waves, thick enough that Mirabelle could feel it against her skin even from the doorway.

The door had barely opened a crack before unmistakable sounds hit her.

Inside the room stood several sofa-like pieces of furniture without backrests, each one nearly the size of a king-sized bed.

On every single one, a female lounged between multiple males.

One female had the thick length of a wolf beast deep in her mouth while simultaneously taking a falcon beast from behind.

Another lay flat on her back, eyes rolled back in pleasure as a badger beast moved against her in deep rhythmic thrusts. With every movement, her head bounced slightly over the edge of the sofa — just like her breasts, each currently occupied by another beastman.

Yet another female sat astride one male while holding the hardened lengths of two others in her hands, her fingers slowly sliding up and down.

Around the females, even more males were scattered throughout the room.

The evidence of their desire stood fully exposed before her eyes.

Some touched themselves while watching.

Others participated in different ways alongside their beast females.

Growls, moans, and soft desperate whines blended together into something almost animalistic beneath the low lantern light.

Everywhere she looked, skin moved against skin beneath tangled limbs, tails, claws, and shifting muscles.

Lantern light glimmered across sweat-slick skin and tangled hair, turning the entire room into something sinful and dreamlike at once.

At the far end of the room sat the High Duchess of Rotwald herself upon something resembling a throne, her head tilted back.

Between her legs knelt a lion beast, his golden hair damp and curling from sweat.

Her wolf husband slowly licked along her arm while another male played with her nipples.

The air was heavy with the scent of sex and the pheromones of beastkin.

The entire scene burned itself violently into Mirabelle’s brain.

It struggled to process where exactly she was supposed to look first.

Shocked, she completely forgot how to breathe.

The pheromones in the room were so overwhelming that for one horrifying second, Mirabelle thought her knees might actually give out.

As quickly as possible, she shut the door again without making a sound.

Everyone inside had been far too occupied with themselves and their partners to notice her.

For one frozen second, Mirabelle genuinely wondered whether she had accidentally walked into some kind of royal mating den.

For a moment, Mirabelle had to steady herself against the stone wall.

Her face burned with heat.

And deep inside her, her core throbbed painfully.

Seeing all of that.

Hearing it.

Smelling it.

It had awakened something instinctive and animalistic inside her.

On trembling legs, she staggered toward the nearby bench and sat down heavily. Her ears twitched nervously. If she concentrated, she could still hear the sounds coming from the room.

But she absolutely did not want to.

Actually, she wanted to get as far away from this place as possible.

But her legs still refused to cooperate.

On the windowsill beside her stood one of the crystal glasses filled with sparkling alcohol.

’Exactly what I need right now.’

Without thinking, she emptied the sweet drink in one go.

For a brief moment, things improved enough that she dared stand up again.

Slowly, she began walking back down the hallway she had come from.

Her thoughts raced wildly.

What exactly had she just witnessed?

Searching through Mirabelle’s memories, she found nothing that properly explained any of it.

She was fairly certain those had all been females together with their mates.

But being intimate so openly beside one another?

And with multiple males at the same time?

Mirabelle’s modern human brain was catastrophically overwhelmed.

Of course she knew what polygamy was.

And threesomes.

And even larger group dynamics.

But she had never expected to accidentally walk into a full noble orgy.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she vaguely remembered reading once that medieval nobles had thrown the most decadent and depraved celebrations imaginable.

Still...

nothing could have prepared her for that.

Mirabelle pressed the back of her hand against her burning forehead.

Even now, every time she blinked, fragments of the scene flashed through her mind again.

Eyes rolling back in pleasure.

Hands everywhere.

Bodies tangled together beneath warm lantern light.

And the sounds.

Oh god, the sounds.

Low growls.

Moans.

The wet sound of kisses and skin... and body parts... moving against each other.

Her entire body reacted violently every single time she remembered them.

This world truly treated physical intimacy completely differently from her old one.

There had been no shame inside that room.

No awkwardness.

No secrecy.

The females had looked worshipped,

truly desired and absolutely powerful.

Deep down...

a small traitorous part of her had understood why the females inside looked so lost in pleasure.

The males in this world looked at their females like they are finally allowed to touch something precious.

Her heartbeat sped up again.

Without warning, Silas’ mouth flashed through her mind.

Then Lucien’s voice near her ear.

Then Kaelith laughing while holding her close.

Heat surged through her so violently she nearly stumbled again.

"Nope," she whispered hoarsely to herself.

Absolutely not.

She refused to become one of those hormone-damaged beast females.

Unfortunately, her body seemed to disagree completely.

With every step she took, her body grew hotter.

And hotter.

The fabric of her dress — which had felt soft and luxurious before — now rubbed against her skin almost painfully.

Her breathing turned uneven.

It felt as though molten lava flowed through her veins. Bubling with every gasp.

’Was I poisoned?’

The thought sent panic surging through her.

Again, she had to stop and brace herself against the wall.

Her legs felt like trembling jelly.

Thinking itself became harder and harder.

Then suddenly, voices echoed through the hallway behind her.

Still around the corner.

But close enough that they would see her any second.

"Mmh... do you smell that? Smells like a female in heat."

"Damn... it’s making me dizzy. She must’ve just passed through here."

"Hurry. If we’re lucky, she can’t think clearly anymore and we’ll be mated by tonight."

Before Mirabelle could react, strong hands suddenly grabbed her.

One second later, she found herself pressed into one of the shallow alcoves built into the wall.

A muscular male body pinned her there.

A cool finger rested against her lips, silently warning her not to make a sound.

The scent of forest wrapped around her instantly, sending painful butterflies spiraling through her stomach.

His body felt cool compared to the unbearable heat burning beneath her skin.

Solid muscle pressed against her from chest to thigh, trapping her completely inside the narrow alcove.

Without meaning to, she pressed herself closer against him.

"Tztztz..." a low amused voice murmured near her ear. "Looks like our little lynx accidentally drank an aphrodisiac..."

Please read Author’s Thoughts☆