Chapter 102: How do you know all these things?
There were only a few hours left before nightfall, so she gave them a quick rundown of a few more recipes and tips. The beastmen looked utterly confused. They didn’t understand why she was teaching them so much, but Isabella didn’t mind. They’d figure it out in time. She wasn’t doing it for them, though. She was doing it because she could feel it—the gnawing sickness growing inside her. Not the kind where she’d be throwing up all night, but the kind that made her stomach churn and her thoughts a little hazy. The kind that made her feel... off.
After finishing up the lessons for the day, Isabella accepted the inevitable: the sickness wasn’t going to go away by pretending it wasn’t there.
But first, there was one more thing to handle. She turned to Cyrus as he prepared to leave for his hut. He insisted, once again, that he didn’t need a hide or anything. He mostly slept in his snake form, anyway.
"Are you serious?" Isabella shot back, crossing her arms. "Your snake form is way too huge for that hut. You’ll knock everything over and crush yourself, you idiot."
He blinked at her, clearly confused by her insistence. But in the end, he relented. He didn’t need much, but he took a hide to use as bedding. It was better than nothing.
Satisfied, Isabella made sure he was settled in, then turned toward her own hut.
Inside, Ophelia was already waiting for her. Isabella sank into the corner, trying to push through the sick feeling building inside her. She wasn’t sure if it was just exhaustion, or something else entirely. Either way, she wasn’t in the mood for small talk tonight.
"Isabella, are you doing okay?" Ophelia’s soft voice cracked the silence like a pebble skipping across still water.
Isabella opened one eye. Just one. The other was too tired to bother. Her skin was pale—elegantly pale, like an overworked queen who refused to stop looking good even while dying.