“Ahm, actually, have you killed anything when you took me?” Rain was confused and curious at the same time. If it’s my virginity… then I guess, it’s understandable…

“What are you saying? I killed the Bone Eaters surrounding you, saving you in the process… or did you forget about that?” Lafetti glared.

“Oh, that’s what you’re talking about…” Rain nodded his head. “Hm, she did…”

“Even so, you didn’t report anything to the tribe…”

“Because he’s mine!” Lafetti cried out defensively.

“Lafetti, humans are humans… did you probably forget our history?” Zarda reminded with an icy cold voice. “Humans will just betray us over and over… just how have you not realized it? Before you get hurt…”

“Slander!!” Rain suddenly cried out, taking everyone by surprise. Before Lafetti could stop him, he angrily stepped forward and pointed at Zarda.

Deliberately trying to maintain calmness in his voice, Rain spoke up. “Chief, you can’t slander my name with ridiculous accusations like that! Please learn to exercise some prudence!” He snarled, “My love for Lafetti is as pure as the 24-karat gold and diamond that I want to give as a wedding gift!”

“Every day I look at her, I feel love and inspiration.” Rain said with emotions. “Sometimes, I even just want to hug her and squeeze her so tightly that she dies from my loving embrace,” He made an expression as if he was enduring something painful.

“But I really like her, so I won’t do that. And you said that I will betray her? Oh for heaven’s sake, please don’t accuse me of something ridiculous… please talk nonsense to your own time, and save your sleep talk for when you sleep.”

Rain scowled angrily.

Zarda and the other people were taken aback by Rain’s outburst. Even Lafetti couldn’t help but frown and her face started to dye in red.

Zarda’s lips curled into a faint smile. “So you said you love someone like us… who is not human?”

“Indeed,” Rain nodded seriously. Race is never a hindrance for love.

Love transcends age, sex, or even space-time boundary... how can Race possibly be an exception? As long as both can understand each other, love can bloom like an orchid in a beautiful moonlight.

“Lies…” But Zarda slightly narrowed her eyes. It was a minor change, but her expression turned much sharper. “A human would never truly love someone like us. Our form only bred fear, lust, and hate but never love…”

That's right, for a human our race is basically a... Monster.

Hearing this, all the Lamias trembled for a moment. No one denied or objected as they could only bite their lips in frustration.

Some of them had witnessed what their kinsmen had ended. If not killed and subjugated, they were turned into slaves, sex slaves, abused… wanting to die but cannot die!

“Probably,” And Rain’s answer shook their core.

Lafetti couldn’t help but widened her eyes in shock from Rain’s confirmation and she felt hurt… a pain so intense she felt like she was being stabbed. Rather than being betrayed, she felt sad and sorrowful.

Even though it was the truth, she didn’t like hearing Rain say that she was different from him.

She wanted to say anything but no words could come out from her dried throat.

Zarda seems to have expected Rain’s answer and only looked down,

- But, never did she expect his next words.

“However, so what? They are not me…”

!!?

Zarda and other Lamia’s simultaneously raised their heads, stunned. Rain stood there, smiling faintly. His smiling face was pure, free of the slightest hint of malice, giving him some strange charm.

Even Lafetti moist eyes stared directly at Rain. She raised her face and eyes. Upon seeing Rain’s smile, her disappointment vanished in an instant.

Expectations of sorts resided in those eyes.

“As I have said before, Chief, this world’s whatever culture and mindset, I know nothing about them. What I only believe is what I had believed… monster or whatnot, Lafetti is the one I love…”

Zarda slightly narrowed her eyes but this time, there were no strong emotions that can be seen reflected from them as she just showed a friendly smile. “And what do you love her?”

“… …”

“… I’m not devaluing her but human males were always attracted to their right counterpart, human females… I don’t think someone like us can be a good match for a beautiful human female… or was it appearance? Body? I believe in terms of those aspects, we are quite above from most of them…”

Hearing the obvious sarcasm, Rain didn’t fell anything and calmly answered, “Chief, you might be right.”

“However, let just say it like this… when humans see Bone Eaters and Othros wolves, we just see Bone Eaters and Orthros wolves, subjectively. You can’t possibly expect us to find a very beautiful female Bone Eaters and Othros Wolves, right?” Rain chuckled. “Probably, you can pick better and good ones… but can you love them because they’re beautiful?”

“No, nevertheless in my eyes, humans are the same.”

Zarda and the others frowned in confusion as to what Rain was saying.

What’s he talking about? Gees, he always talks in a way that only he can understand… Lafetti lamented inwardly but she didn’t stop nor interrupt him and just listen to him speak.

“All races are the same in my eyes… but amongst all similar people, Lafetti was somewhat different…” Rain turned around and looked at Lafetti, causing the latter to avert her eyes from embarrassment.

“How is she different?” Zarda asked, curiously.

“… She’s like the Dog I once saw ( Read actually in an article ) which had befriended this one fox. They actually came from two different races but they became the best of friends.

They played together; they slept side by side and when the owner of these two animals put the fox in a crater, the dog would sit in front of it and whine so he could see his fox friend. Once, when the owner tried to separate them at night, the fox basically gnawed through one of those baby fences to get closer to his pal.

After seeing that, I almost cried from being moved and almost melted. It was so cute and adorable.”

“… …”

“Laffeti who always protected me was like that. She took care of me despite our differences, that’s why I love her… she doesn’t look in outside appearance but inside…” As Rain was absorbed by his recollection, he was suddenly kicked in the butt and fell down.

Upon hearing Rain’s words, Lafetti awoke from her daze, flushing red in embarrassment, and with a flying kick onto Rain’s buttocks, she said with clenched jaws: “You called me a Dog?!!”

Her movements were like the wind as she descended upon him with fiery anger.

“No, dear, no… it was just an analogy…” Rain hurriedly explained. “I’m getting teary about it, anyway,” He returned his gaze back to Zarda. “Races are not an obstacle to form love… still, this might be my own unique way of thinking but, my love for Lafetti was never a lie…”

He said, seriously and filled with determination.

Many Lamias felt touch, although they couldn’t quite understand what he had said just now but listening to him declaring his love for a someone like them somehow touch them…

“Indeed, that was only your own unique way of thinking… we have never met a strange human like you who viewed things as such, if not we wouldn’t have resorted to committing crimes just to continue our clan…” Zarda said helplessly.

“Nevertheless, your love cannot be left alone…”

“What!?!” Rain was shocked. With all that said and done, emotional stuff and all, she still stubbornly clinging to that narrow-minded, unfair decision. For what had he endured endless embarrassment from saying all that for?!

“You’re a tyrant!” Rain exclaimed in intense anger.

“Chief!” Lafetti did the same but Zarda’s expression never wavered.

“And you, Lafetti, you will face punishment for breaking our law.”

“I did-”

“Enough, the decision has been made!” Zarda slammed her hand into the armrest of her chair.

“Wait, Chief!” But Rain didn’t give up. “I had told you before! I will bear Lafetti’s punishment instead!”

“No!” Lafetti refused. “I can bear my own!”

“Now that you mention it…” Zarda grinned as she recalled. It was a mean smile like a child telling someone a dark joke, “… Then, as a punishment, You, human, named Rain Revert, at this very moment, will become this tribe’s Amani’s slave!”

“… …”

Silence…

“What?!” Rain was the first one to regain his senses and exclaimed in a strange tone.

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