"It seems your relationship with Bor isn't all that great," Deffa remarked before walking into the house on her own accord.

This air of entitled nobility was exactly in line with Glen's perception of her.

Instructing Tia to attend to her own tasks, Glen stepped into the kitchen and casually replied,"The old man used to bully me quite a bit. Didn't he mention that to you?"

"He did," Deffa said, still seated in the same spot she had occupied that morning. She inquired with curiosity,"I heard from him that you didn't used to have this kind of personality. You were supposed to be rather timid, but now..."

So, she's here because of me... Glen thought to himself, and then responded,"I'm not sure. What exactly did he tell you?"

Deffa propped her chin on her hand, which was resting on the wooden table, and said in a leisurely tone,"He said that you're a werewolf, a very special one at that. Not only are you powerful, but you can also maintain absolute rationality after transforming. You can even... talk."

"So, he told you everything," Glen said as he emerged from the kitchen, holding two glasses of juice. He offered one to Deffa."This is made from the scarce fruits we have at home. Once it's gone, there won't be any more."

"Thank you," Deffa said, accepting the glass of juice. She continued the conversation,"He trusts me quite a bit, so he naturally shared everything with me."

"Wow, you two really aren't in that kind of relationship?" Glen arched an eyebrow.

"If you keep saying things like that, I'll truly get angry," Deffa said, her expression turning stern as she fixed her gaze on Glen.

"All right, my apologies."

Noticing Glen's sincere demeanor, Deffa let out a cold snort and said,"I'm quite occupied most of the time. Even if I were to seek a partner..."

As she spoke, she regarded Glen with a meaningful look."I would only consider someone like you, young, robust, and full of vitality..."

"Er... Should I be excited or scared..." Glen felt a twinge of awkwardness.

"Hehe... You should definitely be excited. I can't even begin to count how many male mages long to be with me. And this coveted opportunity could be yours. Isn't that something to be thrilled about?"

Deffa was evidently brimming with self - confidence.

Few men could remain unmoved in the presence of such beauty. Although she presented it as an opportunity, in reality, it would lead nowhere. It was all in the service of her research.

Men are always so foolish. A little kindness is all it takes for them to offer everything... she thought to herself, anticipating that he would either respond with coyness or agree readily.

Glen stared into Deffa's eyes for a good dozen seconds before speaking in a puzzled tone,"You're going to such lengths as to use your beauty to entice me. What's your real agenda? Don't mistake me for a naive youth. I can see through your schemes with ease."

This response and reaction were not what Deffa had anticipated.

She froze in the act of bringing the glass of juice to her lips, then nonchalantly took a sip.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"I'm not trying to entice you. I'm being sincere. Aren't you the least bit tempted?" Deffa said, gazing at Glen with a flirtatious look.

"Heh..." Glen let out a soft laugh."You're still testing me. This kind of ploy won't work. Save your efforts."

It would be false to claim that he wasn't tempted by such a stunning beauty, but that was merely a man's natural instinct. Glen wouldn't let his instincts rule him and reduce him to their slave.

Deffa withdrew her flirtatious gaze and stared at Glen for a long time before sighing and saying,"Your composure is truly at odds with your age. It's actually quite alluring."

She showed no sign of the embarrassment one might expect from being exposed.

Glen leaned back in his chair, patiently waiting for her to continue.

After a moment of contemplation, Deffa decided to come clean.

"I'm deeply intrigued by the changes in you. I want to understand why you can do things that other werewolves can't. I'm certain that any mage who encounters a unique individual like you would be captivated."

She's right. I want to know too... Glen thought to himself, but he said,"So, you want to conduct research on me? If that's the case, I'm sorry, but it's out of the question."

"Don't be too quick to refuse. I can offer you conditions that you won't be able to turn down," Deffa said, sounding a bit desperate.

"I've already said it's impossible. I won't allow anyone to use me as a guinea pig," Glen said firmly.

Allowing others to study his body would mean exposing all his weaknesses, and Glen wasn't that naive.

"...All right," Deffa said, seemingly discerning the resolve in his eyes. She had no choice but to give up, adding at the end,

"If you change your mind, I'm still willing to offer you generous terms in exchange."

"Let's hope that day never comes," Glen said softly.

The atmosphere fell silent, and four or five minutes passed.

Deffa took another sip of the juice and frowned slightly."Did you add sugar? It tastes so good."

"There's more than just sugar," Glen replied casually.

"If you were to sell this, it would probably be quite popular," Deffa said.

"Really?!"

Glen's eyes lit up.

Deffa was puzzled by his reaction and said truthfully,"I'm fairly certain. I've traveled to many places. Apart from a few times when I had the pleasure of drinking even better beverages among the elf clans, I haven't found anything quite like this elsewhere."

"I see..." Glen's mind immediately started to race as he began to consider the feasibility of opening a tavern.

Deffa had no idea what was going on in his mind. She simply finished the juice in her glass, stood up, and said,"Since my purpose for coming here has been thwarted, I should be on my way back. I have a lot of matters to attend to. If Bor returns, could you please let him know I stopped by?"

Glen stood up and accompanied her to the door.

Just as Deffa was about to board the carriage, Glen noticed the haughty, almost human - like look in the eyes of the horse pulling the carriage. He couldn't help but take a few more glances.

Noticing that the horse's four legs bore markings resembling white stockings, he couldn't help but remark, "Your horse appears to be wearing white silk stockings."

DeFahr, who had just stepped onto the carriage, turned back with a peculiar expression. "White silk stockings? What are those?"

"A type of sheer, white, knee-length hosiery," Glenn explained.

"Doesn't sound like anything particularly proper," DeFahr muttered as he disappeared into the opulently adorned carriage.

Is this a woman's intuition?...... Glen thought to himself.

After watching the carriage drive away, he returned to the house.

"Has Ravel gone to work?" he asked Tia.

The maid, who had been attending to the household chores, stood up respectfully and replied,"Yes, young master. He's been very proactive this time."

Tia knew she wasn't this man's personal maid, but she couldn't help but show respect. After all, this was someone even Lord Chanis feared.

So, he's finally seeing the light? I should go and take a look... Having made up his mind, Glen didn't say anything more and headed out the door.

...

"Just wait a bit longer. Food will be here soon..."

Ravel was slumped down beside the pigsty, watching the black pigs grunting as they ate their feed. He had swallowed his saliva countless times.

He had thought more than once about trying the pig feed to see if it tasted as good as the pigs seemed to think it did.

It was only his pride as a noble that kept him from taking that step.

But he knew this resolve wouldn't last much longer.

Hunger was a terrifying thing, and Ravel had truly experienced its power today.

It had only been two days, and he couldn't even begin to imagine the extreme suffering endured by those refugees who claimed to have gone three days without food.