The Spoilt Beauty And Her Beasts

The little white beast had already eaten. In fact, she had eaten enough that nobody in the room should have felt bad for her. Still, full stomach or not, Glimora remained Glimora. The moment she saw that thick piece of meat still in Osiris’s hand, something inside her immediately decided that it belonged to her.

At first, she only stared.

Then her ears lifted.

Then her tail twitched once.

Then twice.

Isabella saw it.

Of course she saw it.

She was sitting there with one hand resting over her stomach and her eyes half on the room, and the moment she noticed that familiar greedy look on Glimora’s face, she already knew something foolish was about to happen.

Still, she said nothing.

This was because a very small, very evil part of her wanted to see it.

And she was rewarded immediately.

In one quick burst of white fur, Glimora launched herself forward, snatched the meat cleanly right out of Osiris’s hand, and took off across the room like a thief who had already accepted that crime was worth it.

For one full second, Osiris only stared at his empty hand.

Then he shouted, "Hey!"

The room went silent.

Then laughter exploded.

Osiris jumped up at once. "That was mine!"

Glimora did not care.

She was already running around the room with the meat in her mouth, her little paws moving so fast across the stone floor that she almost slipped once before catching herself and continuing with even more determination. Her whole body carried the wild joy of a beast who had committed a crime and felt absolutely no shame about it.

"Isabella!" Osiris turned at once. "Stop your beast!"

Isabella, who had already covered her mouth because she was trying not to laugh too hard, only looked at him with the most innocent face she could manage.

"My beast?" she repeated.

"Yes, your beast!"

At that moment, Osiris moved to chase Glimora, and because he was Osiris, he did not even think properly before trying to cut her off. Glimora saw him coming, made a sharp turn around one of the low stools, and darted past Shelia’s side like a tiny white arrow.

Osiris missed her completely.

His hand slapped against empty air.

That made the laughter even worse.

Zyran leaned back so hard in his seat that he looked close to falling over. "You cannot even guard your own meat."

Osiris turned and glared at him. "Shut up."

Cyrus actually laughed softly this time, and hearing that sound coming from him after how cold he had been earlier made the whole room feel brighter. Even Kian’s mouth moved slightly, though his version of amusement was still so small that another person might have missed it.

Glimora, meanwhile, had stopped for half a second near Shelia.

That was a mistake.

This was because Shelia looked down at the little beast, saw the meat, saw the guilty eyes, and then reached out to pet her head anyway.

The moment Shelia’s hand landed on her, Glimora melted.

Actually melted.

Her ears softened, her tail gave a pleased little shake, and she stood there for one breath with the meat still in her mouth and the happiest face in the world, as if she had forgotten all about running.

Osiris saw his chance.

"You little thief," he said, lunging forward.

Glimora’s eyes widened.

Then, because she was a very experienced criminal, she grabbed the meat more firmly and ran again.

Shelia laughed at once.

Even Ophelia covered her mouth because the whole thing had become too ridiculous. Valen looked down and shook his head with quiet amusement, while Luca nearly choked on the last of his own food because he was laughing too hard.

Isabella sat there holding her stomach and trying to breathe through the laughter.

Honestly speaking, Osiris had eaten enough to feed two males already, yet here he was chasing a tiny beast over one stolen piece of meat as if his life had been ruined.

"Isabella!" he said again, sounding truly wronged now. "She stole from me!"

Glimora ran behind Isabella’s seat at once, clearly understanding that the safest place in the room was near her mama.

Then she peeked around one side of the chair with the meat still hanging out of her mouth.

The sight was so shameless that Isabella had to touch her forehead with one hand.

"Seriously?" she muttered.

Still, she did not stop her.

That was the funniest part.

Osiris saw that too and looked even more betrayed.

"You are helping her!"

"No," Isabella said, still laughing. "I am letting nature take its course."

"That is not nature," Osiris replied. "That is robbery."

Glimora, hearing the noise, gave him a look full of complete disgust, then turned her face away and began chewing as if he no longer existed.

That made Osiris lose his mind even more.

"Look at her! She is mocking me!"

Zyran wiped at the corner of his eye and said, "You are being bullied by a beast one-tenth your size. I will remember this forever."

Osiris lunged once more, but this time Glimora jumped lightly onto the fur pile near Isabella, climbed partly behind her, and stayed there with the meat held tightly between her paws. The whole posture was so proud and so defensive at once that even Kian finally let out the smallest breath of amusement through his nose.

Isabella saw it and laughed harder.

At this point, even the heaviness left behind by the talk of Zara had been pushed to the side by this stupid little scene. The room was full of firelight, beast laughter, warm food, and one furious phoenix who had just been robbed by a tiny white menace.

Finally, Osiris crossed his arms and said with deep suffering, "I am hated in this palace."

"No," Isabella said sweetly. "Only outsmarted."

That made the room erupt one last time.

And Glimora, who had now clearly won, lowered herself proudly near Isabella’s side, let Shelia pet her once more, and chewed her stolen prize with the satisfied face of a beast who knew very well that no punishment would be coming tonight.