Page 75 of A Mysterious Slave for the Lycan Prince

Trixie goes with them, claiming she has sensed some snow rabbits and smaller animals hiding here from the blizzard, while Ryllis has volunteered to look at the canned food and put together something edible without using all the food supplies. She and I are used to rationing our food, so I’m sure she will manage.

After Marcel and I finish washing the clothes and spreading them on some rocks close to the fire to dry, I end up helping Elodie to prepare our camp. We work in comfortable silence before she turns to look at me. “Say, Freya,” she whispers.

“Hm?”

“Your friend, Amaryllis. She barely talks.” She pauses, glancing towards Ryllis who is sitting further away and staring at one of the cans with a frown. “She…I just noticed…was it that bad?”

I don’t know what to say. “She is very pretty,” I say evasively.

Elodie’s eyes darken at my words and the underlying meaning to them.

“I tried my best to shield her from the warriors, but it didn’t always work,” I say bitterly. “Don’t tell anyone, please.”

Elodie squeezes my arm softly. “I won’t. I just figured knowing the gravity of her trauma will help me watch out for her triggers and make sure the guys act accordingly towards her.”

“I thought she would die,” I admit, my chest constricting in pain. “I decided to leave Blood Snow within the next few weeks because I was scared she would eventually… be gone. It was a miracle that Finn appeared with all of you just in time.”

“Freya, I’m sure you did everything you could to help her,” Elodie says softly, gesturing towards her sister, who got up again and is warming up some more water for us before joining Ryllis to help her. Elise seems to be a compassionate young woman. She is fun and cute, and Ryllis apparently feels comfortable with her, much to my relief. “She is away from Blood Snow now, and she’ll never have to return if she doesn’t want to. Just give it time. I think she’ll be able to heal with time and patience.”

I nod tentatively. Ryllis opening up to Elise a bit is already a good sign. “Steve?” I ask.

Elodie flashes me a bright and warm smile. “One of the best guys out there. He is very gentle and kind, and he has two older sisters who he loves and respects. He will never do something Amaryllis doesn’t want to. I promise he is the perfect match for her.” She chuckles. “Elise and I were always joking that we wished he would be mated to one of our friends. We both have a thing for these gentle giants.” She looks at me daringly. “And you?”

“I have a thing for Finn,” I say before I can stop myself. I blush a bit, but Elodie smiles happily at me.

“Another really good guy. You are two lucky girls,” she says. “But I think the guys got lucky too.”

Before we can continue to chat, Finn, Henry, and Steve return with their prey. “Thank Goddess,” Marcel exclaims in joy. “That’s why you’re our leader, Finn.”

“Where the heck did you find fish?” Elodie stands up and scoots closer, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of getting food.

“The stream leads to an underground lake,” Finn exclaims. “So, we went fishing there.”

“I’m still shocked we found fish,” Henry mutters, shaking his head.

I feel dumb for asking, but I can’t help it. “Is it so unusual?”

To my relief, Henry doesn’t make fun of me but explains what he means. “Fish can live in underground lakes and rivers, but normally they are cavefish adapted to life in the dark. They have very little pigmentation and can live off very little food.” He pauses. “It should be almost impossible to fish an edible freshwater fish out of this underground lake.”

I nod. His words make sense. “Thanks for explaining.”

“How did you find these then?” Marcel asks.

“Beats me.” Henry shrugs. “Maybe it’s magic. Who knows.”

Magic? Before I can ask what he means, Marcel intervenes. “Let’s just be happy we got lucky,” he smiles. “What else did you find?”

Steve beams. “We found three snow rabbits too.”

“With Arman’s canned beans, this is a feast,” Elise jokes.

We all laugh, and the atmosphere suddenly becomes more lighthearted again. Anthony’s life is saved, we are safe from the blizzard, and we have food.

“Now, if only we had salt,” Elodie complains half-heartedly before she laughs slightly. “Goddess, we are spoiled rotten.”

“Used to a comfortable life,” Marcel chuckles.

I watch Elodie and Elise teasing and joking with each other, and I can’t keep my eyes off them. It’s the first time I’ve ever met twins. Henry and Anthony resemble each other a lot but have different hairstyles, but Elise and Elodie…these two really look identical. I was only able to tell them apart because I knew Elise was the one helping Anthony. “How do the others tell you apart?” I ask curiously.

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