The skunk female stared at the map as if paralyzed. Her mouth opened and closed, yet no sound came out.

’She looks like a fish out of water,’ Mirabelle thought with amusement.

At the same time, she was deeply shocked. Was this really how female Beast nobles ruled their territories here? How had this society managed to develop into medieval structures at all??

Garruk failed to hide his emotions.

Of course.

First came horror, then confusion, and finally anger. He felt utterly humiliated by Nessa in front of Mirabelle.

When he had seen that arrogant female participating in the same activity as him, he had been briefly irritated. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

But then he had decided she was not worth his attention. Instead, he focused on the skunk female, who not only shared his military interests but also signaled a subtle submissiveness toward him.

Nessa had told him beforehand how, in her family, female nobles had been trained from a young age.

He had thought he could show the lynx female how worthless her kind was to Zasar.

But after being humiliated like this, he could no longer remain here.

With such force that the chair toppled over, he shot to his feet and stormed out of the courtyard.

Nessa flinched in shock when the Beastman beside her suddenly left the table.

Then tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. But she visibly forced herself to take a deep breath and suppress her emotions.

Mirabelle almost felt sorry for her.

Almost.

"Good," Advisor Seraphel said, focusing on Mirabelle without acknowledging what had just happened.

The map slowly shifted into shades of orange.

Advisor Seraphel once again folded his hands behind his back as his gaze moved across the transformed territory.

"The overhead coverings preserved enough water for the residents, the livestock, and the fields," he explained calmly.

"Combined with the young forest growth, the effects of the drought were significantly reduced. Moisture remained trapped within the soil for far longer than expected."

The map shifted again.

Areas that had previously appeared cracked and barren now showed faint traces of green.

A quiet murmur escaped Freya.

"Additionally," Seraphel continued, "Lady Mirabelle’s control over merchant access greatly limited contact with infected Beastmales from the south.

While an unknown epidemic spread through the southern territories, this region managed to contain the outbreak relatively effectively through early isolation measures and the assistance of healers from the north.

Lady Mirabelle had accumulated sufficient resources beforehand to afford both treatment and imported medicine."

Mirabelle blinked.

She felt like she had just survived a medieval apocalypse simulator.

Lady Freya let out a low, impressed hum.

"That level of foresight is extraordinary."

Even the tiger Beastman gave a slow nod of approval this time, his sharp golden eyes lingering on Mirabelle with noticeably more respect than before.

The atmosphere had changed completely.

Now they were studying her carefully.

As if reevaluating exactly where she belonged within the hierarchy.

Advisor Seraphel turned fully toward her.

For the first time since the exercise had begun, genuine admiration appeared on his face.

"In all my years overseeing noble evaluations," he said slowly, "I have rarely witnessed territory management this balanced."

His tail flicked behind him.

"Efficient resource allocation. Disease prevention. Water preservation. Long-term sustainability. Economic stabilization."

Each point landed heavily in the silence.

"You are the clear winner of this scenario, Lady Mirabelle."

Mirabelle could practically feel Garruk’s empty seat looming over the courtyard like a ghost.

Part of her wished he had stayed long enough to witness this.

Purely out of schadenfreude.

Then Seraphel tilted his head slightly.

"What I find most remarkable," he continued, "is that your decisions did not resemble standard noble education."

His eyes narrowed with interest.

"Where did you acquire such unusually comprehensive knowledge about territory management?"

Mirabelle’s chest tightened.

Here it comes.

Once again, she needed to come up with some plausible explanation.

And naturally, it was:

"Books. I read a lot."

No one here knew that the old Mirabelle had barely ever touched a book.

Beside her, Lucien practically looked ready to burst with pride.

To an outsider, it almost appeared as though he personally held partial responsibility for Mirabelle’s excellence.

Advisor Seraphel tapped a finger thoughtfully against his chin.

"I do not believe books alone contain knowledge this comprehensive," he admitted. "You must possess an exceptional analytical ability."

Mirabelle’s cheeks warmed.

She was not used to being praised for her mind.

Her work? Sure. People had praised that before.

But mostly for the final product. Rarely because someone thought she had planned something intelligently.

Advisor Seraphel looked as though he wanted to say more, but before he could, three servants suddenly appeared to guide them back toward the Fountain Courtyard or other destinations.

Behind them remained a visibly unsettled fox Beastman, his hand still half-raised in the air as though reaching for something that was no longer there.

As they followed the servants, Lucien intentionally slowed his pace slightly.

Mirabelle, whose arm was still linked with his, had little choice but to slow down as well.

"I can’t even explain how sexy that just was," he murmured near her ear.

His voice sent a shiver across the fine hairs on the back of her neck.

Her gaze remained focused on the servant walking ahead of them.

But her attention was entirely on the fox Beast beside her.

"Sexy? That was basic risk assessment and crisis management. Or am I wrong?"

She genuinely did not understand what was supposed to be so impressive about it.

In her eyes, anyone with a functioning brain — and modern knowledge — should have been capable of something like that.

"You are fundamentally wrong," Lucien said smoothly, "as long as you are not under, on top of, or beside me."

A/N:

Dear mary_nelson, Snapmonk, irdpgirl, Khuja_Sakaki & Miranda_Powell_8819

The Beast Goddess accepts your golden-ticket offerings with great satisfaction.

✧(ꈍ×ꈍ)ノ♡

Your sacrifices have pleased her greatly... and in return, she has blessed you with more emotionally unstable Beast males in the future.

And thank you all for feeding her altar so faithfully with Powerstones. (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞