Sienna didn’t want to open her eyes as Elias carried her up the steps leading to the courtyard. But she was forced to when she heard someone screaming, only to be greeted by a sight so absurd it could not have been imagined by a comedy playwright. Two enormous iron pots bubbled furiously over wood fires, steam rising high. Five servants scurried about with ladles the size of giant spoons, throwing spices and vegetables into the water. Guards stood around stiffly, clearly uncertain if they were preparing for a feast or execution.

Dangling from a rope that was tied to a tree was Susie Wiener. The rope was thick enough to restrain a giant bull and it bound her whole body, arms inclusive. Her hair was wild, her face streaked with dirt and dry tears, and she glared at Sienna with the venom of an enemy who would go to every length to kill her.

Liman severed the rope and Susie fell down with a grunt.

Sienna blinked, then looked at her husband. "What ....is going on?"

Elias. expression cool as winter frost replied, "You said we should fry or boil them to death. I told Liman to prepare for boiling."

Sienna nearly choked. "I spoke out in anger, we are not actually going to cook them. And why are they adding spices. Please don’t tell me someone is going to eat them!"

The servants froze mid-stir, one dropping a ladle with a clang. "Lady Sienna, we don’t eat our own kind, or humans."

Geo strode out of the kitchen, bellowing loudly, "So, are we adding salt to the mixture? They won’t taste good without salt."

Sienna felt the urge to wretch.

"It is not what it sounds like." Elias quickly shouted. "I was planning to have them carried to a forest and left for wild animals to eat after they had been cooked to your satisfaction." His ears twitched with mischief.

Sienna tapped his chest. "Put me down."

The moment her feet touched the ground, she rubbed her temples. "You are seasoning them!"

He nodded. "It adds to the torture. If we must do this, we have to do it right."

Alex, in full bear beast man form, dragged Gary towards the cooking spot.

Elias lowered his voice, "We could roast them over the fire, especially Gary. Just coat him in some honey..."

"We are not wasting my honey." Sienna hissed.

From the tree, Honey Thunder buzzed in agreement.

Suppressing laughter, Sienna slowly started her walk towards the tree. Elias swooped in, sweeping her off her feet. He was simply unwilling to watch her tire herself out. Just yesterday, she had been on the verge of death. She was human. Humans did not heal that quickly.

She didn’t argue, letting herself be carried over. Kroton came rushing with a chair for her. Sienna could hear Cadelaria ordering for more chairs to be brought. It seemed like everyone was going to gather to watch a show. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Sienna took a deep breath.

With venom in her voice that equaled the one in her eyes, Susie spoke immediately. "You must be proud of yourself Sienna. You survived death, and your husband sent people to capture me. Are you happy now?"

Before she could reply, Elias’s tail smacked Susie across the cheek, leaving a red cut behind.

Sienna patted her husband’s arm. "Don’t do that. You are just making your tail dirty. A filthy woman like this does not need to feel its softness."

Behind Elias, Lord Marius covered his mouth. What had been soft about that hit?

"I will wash it later." Elias replied to Sienna, a promise in his voice.

Sienna looked at Susie, eyes brushing over the fresh cut and her bound hands. "You are right Susie, I am very happy. I am happy that I survived your assassination plot and that my husband’s people dragged you here. Is there anything about those two facts that I have to be unhappy about?"

Susie sneered. "What is there for you to be proud about? You just got lucky that you slept with the wrong man."

Sienna’s smile was sharp. "And it still kills you up to now." She scoffed, "I have never seen a glutton for misery like you. Elias is not the only successful man in this kingdom. If you wanted to sleep your way to the top, you could have picked another target. Hell, you could have used the standard gold digger route: take as much money as you could from the mouse over there and start a business. Then, dump him for a better man."

Lady Cadelaria covered Ali’s ears.

Susie sputtered, tugging at her ropes. "You think I didn’t try? Do you think things came easy to me like they did to you? I was not Gary’s only human lover he had like ten of us on rotation. Why do you think his wife divorced him? After you outed us, people dug into him and I, finding all of our dirt and putting it out there. You ruined our lives, and for what? You__"

Sienna cut her off with a laugh. "Oh, stop with the nonsense and pity party. I didn’t make you have an affair with a married man. I didn’t make your mother attack me for no reason at all when I came to pick up my mother that day. I didn’t make you attack me verbally, hurling all sorts of insults that you knew very well were harmful to my reputation. I didn’t record that exchange of words and put it on the Beastnet. Your anger is grossly misplaced. You are the cause of your own problems, the architect of your own downfall."

Susie laughed. "Easy for you to forget accountability for someone that dumped her best friend when she made it rich."

Sienna lowered her body, leaning as close to Susie as she could get. "Best friend? I am afraid your list of betrayals has long expired any form of past affection we once had. Even if I ignored you after I found my circumstances elevated, you could have simply moved on with your life. It wasn’t like I owed you something just because we were friends. Face the truth. You were jealous of me even before we became friends. You were always comparing yourself to me. I am not accountable for anything here. But you are."

Elias’s tail suddenly smacked Susie on the other cheek too, out of the blue!