What was worse than having an audience while suffering was having the audience participate too.
Madam pried my mouth open and pushed her fingers inside. "If you swallow your vomit one more time, I'll tear your tongue out myself. Spit it. Out," she ordered.
And then, everything came out. My stomach contents splattered on the grass, the stink of bile making my nose scrunch in disgust. It's over. It's over. It's over... Shameful tears burned my eyes. I couldn't stop crying. Couldn't stop apologizing for the trouble I was causing them, the mess I was making, the money they wasted on me, the burden of taking care of my sorry self, "I'm sorry_I'm sorry_ I'm sorry_I'm_"
"It's Moyu's fault," Romeo helped Madam hold my hair away from my face. "His food can kill even an adult male. Don't eat the meat he gives you, alright?"
I nodded, hiccupping between sobs.
He then rubbed my back in soothing circles, "It looks like fate has brought her before us again. What are we going to do, Princess? Do you still want her?"
The female didn't respond immediately this time, her eyes taking in the scene before her and me on all fours. "Not anymore," she answered. "If I wanted an obedient slave, I could turn one of you into one." She dismissed me as fast as she had come for me in the dungeons.
I had no right to feel disappointment or sadness at the news. The tears that were clouding my eyes spilled again. But this time, it was not because of fear and embarrassment.
"Looks like we are returning you," Michael grinned down at me as he squatted, his eyes more violet than purple, "Though I would very much prefer an obedient female at my feet. They are easier to train... How beastmen can desire more than one female still baffles me. Are they really beastmen or just a version of Romeo's kind?"
"I heard that," Romeo said, his voice full of humor, "Your mind might only desire one female at a time, but your body doesn't mind extra company, does it? Besides, what's wrong with being like my kind? If Princess can love all of us and not just one, why can't I love all of her and her males without picking a favorite? You are just jealous of my bigger heart and your limited capacity for love."
Michael didn't argue back, instead just grinned at Romeo's statement, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. You are the better male, we got it." He dipped her dirty fingers into the bucket Baron had brought to her, cleaning them.
The two-eyed wolf beastman also handed me a clean cloth and a bucket to clean myself. I hiccuped a quick thank you and did my best to wash the filth away.
"Let me," Romeo took the cloth from me and cleaned my face and hands thoroughly. His touch was so soft, as if he were afraid to break me. He also kept his eyes on mine the entire time. I tried to avoid it, but he continued to tilt his head into my line of vision, his smile never faltering.
He was a handsome male, and he knew it. It was obvious in the way he held himself, his body language, and his black eyes...his eyes were a trap. Inviting. Beckoning. Mesmerizing. His gaze was too intense for me to hold. I looked at his forehead instead. His black flocks of hair fell over his forehead and ears, making the black of his irises stand out even more.
He chuckled at my choice of focus and let go of my face, helping me to my feet. "There. All done." He led me toward the campfire where the rest sat, not really interested in the situation but still alert.
I continued to stand, my head down, taking out my coin pouch to count how much I should offer them in return for their trouble. I shouldn't have given the fox an extra coin, I should have bargained more. I quickly handed Romeo the pouch.
He took it, looking at it with confusion before he smiled again. "Are you giving us everything you have?"
I nodded, then shook my head. Everything but the cloak.
"Where is my crystal?" Vick asked, looking into the pouch.
I pointed at the pouch in his hands.
"You sold it?" he asked in disbelief.
To protect the cloak and buy a place in the cells... yes, I did. I nodded again. He let go of it as if it were nothing, so I assumed it wasn't worth much. If it were, he wouldn't have given it to me.
I didn't know why they treated me so well, but I had a feeling it was the cloak. Everything started with that piece of clothing, so it had to be something special. A lucky charm.
I'd been careful not to let it touch the ground, but a gust of wind had kicked dust against it anyway. I frowned and brushed it away with my fingers. Then removed it and folded it again before sitting down like they ordered me to, the cloak in my lap.