William glanced toward Thalia, who was sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed.
"So, do you think she approached my mother because she couldn't attack Thalia directly?"
Tiara followed his gaze.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then she slowly nodded, "I think that's the most likely explanation."
Her expression became thoughtful, "She probably struggled to recover after losing that tail."
William frowned. "What's the difference?"
Tiara leaned back in her chair. "The tail she lost wasn't sacrificed. It was cut off."
Her voice became quieter, "Those are two completely different things."
William listened carefully.
"When a fox willingly sacrifices a tail, the loss is painful, but the tail can eventually grow back with doing good deeds."
His eyes immediately shifted toward Thalia. "The tail she regained?"
Tiara nodded. "Yes. That was a sacrificial tail."
Then her expression darkened. "But a tail that gets cut off by another fox is different."
