Chapter 47: Lara’s Outburst
Shani washed Nyx’s milk bottle before placing it neatly inside the cabinet reserved for Nyx’s belongings.
Behind her, Nyx was desperately crying with high-pitched meows.
"Nyx, you can’t drink too much milk," Shani said without turning around.
At first, she worried its cries meant it was still hungry and that it might affect his growth. But after checking its progress in the system, she saw no signs of trouble.
After spending the entire day reading books and articles on baby beasts, she learned that each one had its own personality.
And Nyx was simply a little foodie. Every time it finished a bottle, it immediately cried for more.
Shani walked over to Nyx, lifted the cub onto her lap, and gently scratched the top of the little black furball’s head.
"My soft little kitten— Ahem, little panther. Mommy isn’t deaf, okay? Calm down."
Whether Nyx actually understood her or not, the tiny furball stopped meowing. It curled into a ball and quickly fell asleep on Shani’s lap.
Meanwhile, Shani was placing an order for bloodworms, apples, plums, citrus fruits, and sugar to make Red Worm Jelly.
According to the e-book she had bought from the system, Red Worm Jelly wasn’t limited to the apple flavor. It could also be mixed with plums or citrus fruits to create different varieties.
However, among the ingredients her group had been given, there were only bloodworms and apples, so she hadn’t mentioned the other fruit combinations.
After that, she began researching the beast feed business.
Relying solely on cashback wasn’t a sustainable plan. Besides, she had quite a bit of money now. It would be a waste to let it just sit there.
Half an hour later, Shani stopped. She had received a message from Kiran saying she was already at the cafeteria for dinner.
Carefully, Shani placed the sleeping Nyx back into the baby bed before leaving her room.
Outside, she passed several students who seemed to be returning to their rooms.
But after watching more closely, she realized they weren’t returning at all. They were turning around.
As Shani approached the elevator, she began hearing the loud voice of an angry female student.
Turned out, she was the reason everyone else had turned back.
’I’m hungry. I just want dinner,’ Shani thought, hoping she wouldn’t have to retreat as well.
When she reached the elevator, she finally found the source of the shouting.
Lara and Jeryon. More precisely, Lara was the one yelling.
From what Shani could catch, Lara was blaming Jeryon for happily celebrating while ignoring everything her younger sister had gone through.
Lara had her back to Shani, but she noticed every student who had stopped to watch.
"Get lost!" Lara snapped as she whipped her head around, glaring fiercely at the spectators.
But when she realized one of them was Shani, the anger on her face only intensified. Lara marched toward her.
Before she could get close, Jeryon took a long step forward and blocked her path.
"Stop," he said, his voice low and heavy.
"Ha! You’ve been silent this whole time while I questioned you, but the moment your partner shows up, you rush to protect her?" Lara laughed sarcastically.
Jeryon clenched his jaw.
His expression had already been grim from the beginning, but he’d forced himself to stay calm because what had happened to Leah had, in a way, started because of him.
Seeing his restraint only fueled Lara’s anger further.
One sarcastic remark after another spilled from her mouth, nearly turning into outright insults.
Even from a distance, Shani frowned more deeply as she listened. She walked toward them.
Noticing her approach, Lara finally stopped directing her attacks at Jeryon.
Jeryon turned as well. "Shani, you don’t need to..."
"Lara Benett," Shani interrupted coldly, "what gives you the right to insult Prince Jeryon?"
Shani almost always called him simply Jeryon, so hearing her deliberately use his title caught him off guard.
Lara let out a mocking laugh. "Good. You came here on your own. I was just about to—"
"Did Leah Benett die?" Shani cut her off. The blunt question instantly lit a fire above Lara’s head.
"Watch your mouth! Isn’t what Jeryon did—"
"What exactly did Jeryon do to Leah?"
Now seemingly an expert at cutting people off, Shani stepped between Lara and Jeryon.
Her icy stare and fearless attitude stunned Lara into silence for a moment.
"Let me tell you something." Shani poked Lara’s shoulder with a finger. "Jeryon didn’t do anything to Leah."
The gesture felt like a direct insult to Lara’s pride. She exploded. Taking a step forward, she shouted right in Shani’s face.
"Jeryon made Leah lose a rank! Isn’t that a problem? Of course an F-Rank like you wouldn’t think so. You can’t lose a rank you barely have!"
Hearing that, Jeryon wanted to pull Shani back. He was far angrier than she was.
Shani, however, didn’t flinch. Instead, she gave Lara a cold smile. "So... you really don’t know?"
That single sentence shook Lara’s confidence.
Crossing her arms, Shani decided to end this once and for all.
"Leah received a Beast Energy Elixir from the headmaster. She didn’t lose her rank. In fact, her beast energy actually increased."
Lara’s eyes widened. She slowly took a step backward as if the ground beneath her feet had disappeared. Her face twisted between anger and confusion.
"You should know what your sister is like. And yet you still let yourself become part of her game?"
Of course Lara understood what Shani meant. She had simply chosen to believe her sister.
"If you don’t believe me, ask the headmaster yourself. Leah used the elixir yesterday. Everyone involved has already compensated her."
"Leah... lied to me again?" Lara muttered quietly to herself. But both Shani and Jeryon heard it.
Shani stepped back until she was standing beside Jeryon. "Instead of blaming everyone else, tell your sister to reflect on her own actions."
"And you, Lara. You came here without confirming the truth, then insulted a prince. That was your mistake. Now, apologize!"
Shani’s firm voice seemed to snap Lara back to reality.
"My... My apologies, Prince Jeryon," Lara murmured.
As soon as the words left her mouth, she turned and walked away. She needed time to process everything that had just happened.
...