The dining hall had transformed completely compared to earlier.

Before, the enormous room had felt elegant and almost intimidating in its quiet luxury.

Now it was alive.

Warm golden lantern light flickered across the polished stone floors while countless voices blended into a constant low murmur that echoed softly beneath the high ceiling.

The sound no longer resembled noble restraint but something far more natural — beasts gathering together after the tension of the banquet had broken apart into smaller circles.

The buffet stretched through nearly the entire center of the hall like a royal marketplace of food and color.

The scent alone felt overwhelming. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Roasted meat.

Honey.

Sweet fruits.

Warm spices.

Fresh herbs crushed beneath fingers.

Alcohol.

And underneath it all lingered the heavier natural scents of the beast people themselves — fur warmed by body heat, sweat, pheromones, smoke, leather, forest, earth, and magic.

The women’s side of the hall had been separated subtly by tall decorative wooden dividers covered in flowering vines and pale fabric curtains that shifted softly whenever someone walked past.

The atmosphere there felt calmer, filled with softer voices, occasional laughter, and the rustling of dresses and jewelry.

Meanwhile, the males occupied the larger open side of the room.

And unlike the composed elegance displayed during the official banquet earlier, many beastmen now behaved far more naturally.

Some leaned lazily against pillars while drinking.

Others stood in groups laughing loudly or arguing over something with animated gestures.

Several males openly watched the females across the room while pretending not to.

Every now and then, deep growls of amusement rumbled through conversations.

The air itself felt warmer now.

Heavier.

Filled with moving bodies, heated emotions, and lingering excitement from the dances earlier that evening.

Servants drifted soundlessly through the crowd carrying trays of drinks while music still played softly somewhere deeper inside the ballroom.

Above all of it, beyond the tall windows, the dark forest of Rotwald surrounded the glowing castle beneath silver-blue moonlight like something ancient quietly watching the celebration unfold.

Mirabelle headed straight toward the women’s section before suddenly remembering that Kaelith was still following behind her in stunned silence.

She turned and flashed him a bright smile.

"Be sweet and wait here for me, okay?"

Reaching past a thoroughly confused raccoon beastman, she grabbed a plate and piled an especially crispy-looking poultry leg covered in sauce onto it before pushing the plate into the hyena’s hands.

Several nearby males watched the scene with visible jealousy written across their faces.

"Eat this while you wait. I’ll be right back."

With that, she disappeared toward the buffet reserved for the females.

Even though she had eaten an absurd amount earlier, sudden hunger crashed into her all over again.

Her body had probably burned far too much energy during... everything that had happened before.

Kaelith stared down at the plate in his hands.

The crispy leg glistened beneath a thick honey glaze while steam carrying rich spices drifted straight into his nose.

The raccoon male beside him nudged him hard with an elbow:

"Man, I’m so jealous of you," he muttered. "A female just gave you food. You’re basically halfway mated already."

Kaelith wasn’t entirely sure whether Mirabelle truly understood what she had just done.

Surely she had to know what it meant when a female offered food to a male.

He tried not to get his hopes up too much.

Really.

But internally, he was practically doing cartwheels.

His gaze followed Mirabelle until she disappeared behind one of the pale translucent curtains.

Only then did he finally lift the drumstick and bite into it.

Juice and spices exploded across his tongue.

A low groan escaped him immediately.

Mirabelle had somehow managed to choose an unbelievably good piece.

Mirabelle slipped through the pale curtains into the women’s section.

Immediately, four pairs of eyes snapped toward her.

Then silence fell.

Nymeria blinked once slowly.

Caelia’s deer ears twitched.

Elowen inhaled so sharply she nearly choked on her drink, her nose twitching rapidly.

And Lysandra...

Lysandra looked absolutely delighted.

The fox female slowly lowered her wineglass.

"...Oh," she purred. "That is definitely my brother’s scent."

Mirabelle nearly dropped the plates she had just picked up.

"No, it’s not."

Four females stared at her.

Then Nymeria tilted her head slightly.

"It objectively is."

"Very strongly," Caelia added softly while politely pretending not to stare.

Elowen suddenly slammed both hands onto the table.

Food plates and crystal glasses clattered loudly.

"I KNEW IT!" the bunny female whisper-shouted dramatically. "You already looked completely gone for him during that dance."

The other three nodded in perfect unison.

Mirabelle looked personally betrayed by all of them.

She was not hopelessly falling for Lucien.

Meanwhile, Lysandra’s grin widened further and further as her tail swayed lazily behind her chair.

"Oh, this is incredible," the fox female sighed emotionally. "Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to see Lucien lose his mind over someone?"

"He did not lose his mind."

All four females looked at her skeptically.

Mirabelle aggressively began piling food onto her plates.

More roasted vegetables.

More glazed meat.

Some kind of sweet fruit.

At this point, she was coping through buffet behavior.

Elowen leaned dramatically across the table.

"So," the bunny female whispered loudly, "how much tongue was involved?"

Mirabelle nearly fumbled the serving spoon.

Mirabelle: "ELOWEN."

"What? We’re all girls here."

Caelia quietly hid her smile behind her cup.

Nymeria observed Mirabelle for another long moment before calmly saying,

"You look less stressed than earlier."

Mirabelle froze briefly.

Because annoyingly enough...

the owl female was right.

Lysandra rested her chin against her hand, sapphire eyes glittering mischievously.

"So," she drawled, "should I be worried about my brother becoming engaged now?"

"He already is," Nymeria said immediately. "Emotionally speaking."

"That’s true," Elowen agreed.

For a moment, Mirabelle completely lost her appetite.

Then her stomach growled loudly, and she decided the best possible strategy was simply stuffing herself with enough food that talking became impossible.

Balancing her overloaded plates carefully, she carried them toward one of the cozy sitting areas hidden behind the decorative room dividers on the women’s side.

Soft sofas and cushioned armchairs had been arranged there in little groups for private conversations.

The others immediately followed her.

Elowen and Caelia shared one of the sofas while the other three settled into thickly padded chairs.

In an obvious attempt to avoid answering, Mirabelle immediately shoved food into her mouth.

The others ate far more elegantly while watching her with frightening intensity.