As Mirabelle entered the banquet hall, everyone else was already present.

The Duchess sat at the head of the table. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The seat to her right was empty. On the other side sat the panther and the hyena — an exception made for guests. Then, on both sides, were the present husbands. At the far end sat her older siblings.

’I have brothers!’

It was a piece of information she had overlooked among everything else because it did not seem relevant.

Apparently, knowledge only came to her when she engaged with the respective subject.

The younger ones were not present because there were guests.

She practically stepped into the scene just as the buffalo gave a slight bow to the Duchess and said,

"I thank you for your hospitality and take my leave. It seems the lady and I are not compatible."

Of course, all eyes turned to her.

But Mirabelle was far from shrinking from attention.

She had spoken in front of large audiences before, had given presentations.

Compared to that, this was nothing.

She walked straight toward the end of the table — not on the side of her seat, but toward where the buffalo stood.

The former Mirabelle had not bothered to learn their names, so she did not know them either.

"Mother." With a respectful nod, she acknowledged her authority. Then she stepped in front of the buffalo and held out her hand.

"A level three feral core, please."

The beastman was visibly taken aback.

"Are duchies in Berghain so poor that they rely on asking a guest for a level three core?"

Her mother hissed at the insult. Her men tensed.

A mocking smile appeared on Mirabelle’s lips.

"I do not know how things are in Zasar, but in Berghain, we take responsibility for our mistakes."

Garruk flushed red. He had intended to leave with what remained of his dignity. But this female had managed to strip him of even that.

"If the war has drained your resources to such an extent, we understand. Luchsenstein has no problem settling that debt for you."

Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, the buffalo grabbed it.

One of her mother’s husbands growled and moved to rise.

Silas tensed as well, ready to intervene at any moment. Shadows flickered around him, as if trying to break free.

Yet no one seemed to notice, as all attention was fixed on the scene.

Her ’mother’ was about to speak, but Mirabelle gave a barely noticeable shake of her head.

The buffalo snorted in anger, but he reached into his pocket and pulled out a feral core. It was level five.

"Here. No one can say that buffalo nobles do not settle their debts. This should be more than enough to compensate the wolf."

With that, he released her and stormed out of the hall.

’And where is my compensation?’

But she let him go.

With a loud bang, the door slammed shut behind him before any servant could react.

BANG.

The sound broke the stillness in the hall.

Her siblings immediately began whispering among themselves.

Now, for the first time, she could take a closer look at the woman who was the mother of this body.

She looked more like Mirabelle’s sister than her mother. Age had touched her lightly, leaving only the faintest traces behind.

Only the faint lines around her eyes and mouth revealed that she was older.

Her face closely resembled Mirabelle’s, though her eyes were more brown than gold. Her hair was noticeably lighter, like sand, though darker strands were woven through it as well.

It was like looking at a softer, more refined version of herself.

"Forgive me, Mother, that you had to witness such a pathetic excuse for a noble."

Everyone knew her words before and now were meant as an insult.

Her mother cast a brief glance at the guests she was forced to host. But they seemed more amused than offended.

So she smiled at her daughter with warmth.

"My dear, how lovely to see you here. This is not your responsibility. Leave such matters to the soldiers," she chided.

Another subtle jab that all this was beneath her.

Mirabelle raised an eyebrow. In the memories, the Duchess had been quite diplomatic. She did not usually make statements like that.

Perhaps the hunger strike had affected her more than expected.

It was a pity that the real Mirabelle could not witness this support from her mother.

"Come, sit down. You should eat something."

Mirabelle stepped around her and sat down in agreement. Out of nowhere, a beastman appeared behind her and pulled the chair back for her.

Then she looked up and met Silas’s eyes.

In this light, his eyes appeared more yellow than before. Not the dull yellow of curry, but the vivid shade of dandelions.

They were the only thing about him that seemed to glow.

Once again, she had the feeling he was looking straight into her soul.

She quickly looked away. Her gaze landed on the hyena. Kaelith was grinning again. He had clearly enjoyed all of this.

Not only had the arrogant buffalo beast gotten what he deserved — he also appreciated the spine the lynx female had shown.

Again Mirabelle noticed his sharp, gleaming white teeth.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on hers. Her new mother looked at her with warmth and gave her a brief squeeze. Then she clapped her hands, and servants began bringing in various dishes.

"I believe you have not yet been formally introduced.

This is Silas of Umbra Vale."

Mirabelle’s attention sharpened. He was related to the Queen of Zasar. No wonder he carried himself like royalty.

Silas rose and bowed deeply.

"It is an honor to have been granted the right to court you."

Once again, she noticed how pleasant his voice was. It sounded rich, almost spiced, and something inside her responded to it.

She could not describe it any other way.

Her mother drew in a surprised breath. Apparently, she had not known about this yet. But then a satisfied smile spread across her lips.

If there was one good thing about this entire peace treaty disaster, it was that she might soon be connected to the royals of Zasar. No matter what happened, that could only bring advantages.

"And this is Kaelith of Kargwyn."

The hyena beastman rose as well and dipped into an elegant bow.

"My lady, I look forward to making this interesting for you."