Elara’s POV

"Shh, stay quiet," I murmured, my voice heavy with drowsiness.

Dorian felt incredibly soft beneath me, far superior to any body pillow I’d ever owned.

We lay tangled together, his cheeks flushed pink. He moved slightly, allowing his long tails to uncoil so they could wrap tenderly around me.

"Elara," he whispered, barely breathing the words. "Do you... care for me?"

"Just behave and rest," I mumbled, already slipping back toward sleep. "I’ll bring you snacks later..."

Dorian’s ears drooped flat against his skull. He looked as though he was wondering if I truly saw him as nothing more than a pet...

Morning arrived with the system’s exclusive "female wellness package" beating even Rory’s usual pastry run.

I was still rubbing sleep from my eyes when the alert pinged: a 50,000-credit deposit for menstrual support, accompanied by a delivery of top-tier 5A-grade feminine products.

"Alert: Your cycle will commence soon. Your personalized care package awaits collection at the Voidferal Feral Territory station."

I collapsed face-first into my pillow, completely shocked. This had to be some kind of dream.

Fifty thousand? For my period? Plus free products? System, you’re absolutely pampering me!

I hadn’t experienced a cycle since landing in this world. Without the system’s alert, the whole thing would’ve slipped my mind entirely.

But why wasn’t this available last month?

That question made me bolt upright. Wiping my eyes, I snatched my phone and scrolled through countless unread notifications. There it was—last month’s subsidy and supply order for this location had been revoked.

I had a strong suspicion about who orchestrated that.

Thinking about those four idiots actually lifted my spirits. Now that they were legally bound together, they’d have to live their "grand romance," wouldn’t they?

Romance wasn’t exactly the right term, but one fact remained clear: after getting abandoned on Waste-mire World, all four had fainted from the overwhelming stench multiple times before midday!

——

Beatrix balanced on Vance’s back, shrieking about wanting to escape. Rather than attracting help, her cries drew a wandering merchant...

An "old acquaintance"—Xander had appeared.

"Looking for transport?" Xander shouted. "Five million per passenger." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Thorne and the others wavered. This character seemed sketchy and obviously had connections to Elara. Plus, they were completely penniless now. Following the recent disaster, they possessed absolutely nothing.

Fury blazed in Beatrix’s chest. This was entirely that witch Elara’s responsibility! If Elara hadn’t orchestrated that scheme, she wouldn’t have been robbed and abandoned in this communication-dead wasteland!

Mid-afternoon

"We’ll pay it! Destination: Voidferal Feral Territory!" Beatrix snarled, pushing past the men to board ahead of them. She intended to make Elara suffer.

The three men rushed after her, but Beatrix whirled around and kicked them back down the boarding ramp.

"My lady..."

Thorne gazed up at her in complete shock.

"Silence!" Beatrix snapped, her tone icy. "You’re worthless. You couldn’t even manage a female with zero spiritual energy, and you dragged me to this cesspit. You’re trash."

Vance caught on quickly. He scrambled upward and grabbed Beatrix’s ankle. "My lady, please! I still have my wages. Bring me along. I’ll serve you, exactly like before!"

"Me as well!"

Jasper didn’t pause. He leaned forward and desperately licked the surface of Beatrix’s boot. He refused to spend another moment in this hellhole.

Thorne felt hollow. "How... how did we fall this far? Previously, Elara always handled everything. She made us feel valued. Why? Ever since the divorce, our existence just crumbled. We’re trapped with no escape," he thought.

"Well?" Beatrix demanded, staring down at Thorne like he was filth. "What’s your decision?"

These three weren’t worthy of being her husbands. With the marriage contract, they could only serve as her pets.

The sole reason she’d ever gotten mixed up with them was to irritate Elara. Why should a pathetic nobody like Elara have had things better? Why did she get paired with three A-class Purifiers? Simply because of her family name?

But circumstances had changed now. With Elara eliminated, what purpose did they serve?

Thorne seemed to grasp this reality, but it was too late. If he wanted off this planet, the only route was through complete degradation.

"Please," he managed, every syllable agony to speak. "Bring me with you."

A satisfied smile crossed Beatrix’s face. Once they were all on board, Thorne collapsed in a corner, silent. His thoughts were consumed with Elara. He wanted to shout that he felt regret.

He regretted the divorce. He regretted his treatment of her.

Without Elara, they were worthless. Beatrix only kept them around to mock the memory of how Elara had once cherished them, and now to watch them crawl.

"This is Beatrix’s fault. She destroyed us for her own petty vanity!" Thorne thought bitterly.

The bitter realization made Thorne’s head snap up, his gaze dark with fury, but he lowered his eyes immediately. They were wed now. If he harmed Beatrix, he would perish too...

Suppressing the anger in his chest, he allowed a heavy, strained quiet to dominate the cabin.

Later that afternoon