CHAPTER 337: CHAPTER-337.

Thank the heavens no one came running.

But then again, who would dare? Thanks to Veer—the infamous "Crazy Vulture Prince"—no one even dared to come near the place he stayed. And this time, he had gone all out, booking the entire hotel.

At the time, Kaya hadn’t stopped him. Veer hadn’t understood why—until now.

Now he did.

Kaya hadn’t wanted company. She hadn’t wanted witnesses.

She had wanted silence.

For this.

The mongoose’s scream was loud—sharp enough to echo through the still air outside the walls. Though no one inside the hotel could hear—since Veer had cleared the entire building—people outside surely could. Yet not a single soul dared to step in.

Because in this world, one rule was absolute: the weak are always devoured by the strong.

And from that scream alone, everyone understood who the stronger one was tonight.

Inside, Kaya stood over the blood-soaked mongoose. He trembled, gasping for air, his fur sticky with crimson. Yet her expression was calm—almost curious—as she watched him fight to stay conscious. There was a glint in her eyes, a quiet fascination, as if she wanted to see how far he could go before breaking.

She turned to Veer, her tone almost casual.

"Veer, earlier you said beastmen heal faster, right?"

Veer, who had been silently observing, nodded quickly. "Yeah, they do."

Kaya’s lips curved into a slow smile. "Hmm... and how much faster? From this kind of injury, how long will it take him to heal?"

Veer looked at the trembling mongoose, then back at Kaya. For a moment, real excitement flickered in his eyes. The fear he’d felt earlier—fear that Kaya might get hurt—faded away, replaced by something else. Admiration. Respect. Maybe even thrill.

Taking a breath, he crouched down, examining the blood pooling beneath the prisoner. "From the way you hit him," he said, voice almost analytical, "I’d say four or five years—if he’s lucky. You’ve struck all his major points. It’ll take forever to heal."

Kaya tilted her head, her eyes gleaming. "Oh? Is that so?"

Then, as if considering something simple, she asked, "So... if I leave the weapon inside him—like this—would he still heal?"

Veer paused, then shook his head. "No. Not a chance. For healing, he needs treatment, bandages, or medicine. Otherwise..." he gave a faint smirk, "...he’ll bleed out before dawn. If it were just a scratch, he’d already be fine by now."

Kaya hummed softly, as though testing the weight of his words. Her gaze slid back to the mongoose—weak, shivering, and barely clinging to life. And for a fleeting moment, that same dangerous amusement flickered again in her eyes.

The mongoose looked at Kaya with wide, terrified eyes, his whole body trembling.

But instead of hitting him again, Kaya simply turned away — her steps calm, almost unbothered.

She walked back to where Veer was standing and took the roasted corn from his hand.

"Hm," she murmured, glancing at it, "it’s already gone cold, huh?"

Veer exhaled helplessly. "You were busy with that bastard," he said, gesturing toward the blood-soaked mongoose.

Kaya sighed softly, her tone almost weary. "At least it’s still a little warm," she said, touching the corn. "Maybe it’s warmer on the inside."

Veer nodded. "Yeah, I thought so too."

Kaya took a bite, crunching into the cold kernels. "Hm. It’s good," she said after a moment. "Did you add lemon and salt?"

From across the room, Veer’s mother chuckled faintly. "You told me to, remember? So I did."

Kaya glanced at her, half-smiling. "You do realize how costly salt is, right? And here you are, casually seasoning food like we’re rich."

Veer sighed again, rubbing his neck. "It was just a little," he said. "And besides, who cares? Don’t you know? I’m the crazy vulture prince."

Kaya shook her head slowly, a helpless smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah, yeah... the crazy vulture prince."

Then, with that same calm composure, she sat down near the window — the moonlight spilling over her shoulders — and quietly ate her corn.

The mongoose watched her with terror still clouding his eyes. Blood dripped from his wounds, his breath uneven, but she didn’t even look at him again.

Minutes passed. Then ten. Then twenty.

Kaya said nothing. She just ate slowly, looking outside — as if the world beyond the window was far more interesting than the half-dead creature trembling on her floor.

After a good twenty minutes of silence, Kaya finally rose to her feet.

She stretched her arms lazily, then flexed her fingers one by one — the faint cracks of her joints echoing in the still air.

Her eyes shifted toward the mongoose sprawled on the floor, half-conscious and barely breathing. His fur was soaked with blood, chest rising in shallow gasps.

Kaya took a slow step forward, her expression unreadable. Then, without a word—

Thud!

She raised her leg and drove a brutal kick straight into his chest. The mongoose’s body flew back, slamming against the wall with a sickening crack. He coughed up blood, eyes widening as he fought to stay awake.

Kaya tilted her head, a calm smile curling on her lips.

"Ah, good," she said softly. "You’re still alive. I thought you’d died on me already."

She crouched down slightly, her voice light, almost conversational.

"Now," she said, meeting his dazed eyes, "do you feel like talking? Do you remember who sent you here? What you’re doing here... and why?"

Her tone was gentle — disturbingly gentle — but her gaze was sharp enough to make even Veer shift uneasily behind her.

The mongoose looked at her, trembling, his breath ragged — but still, he didn’t utter a single word.

Seeing this, Kaya exhaled sharply through her nose, her expression twisting into something between annoyance and amusement.

"Agh," she muttered, rolling her shoulders. "It’s been a while since I’ve met such a stubborn rock."

For a fleeting moment, her lips curved into a grin.

"Well," she added softly, "I guess it’s not so bad. I needed a little warm-up anyway."

Her eyes glinted —a predatory gleam cutting through the dim light.

After all, it had been far too long since she’d laid her hands on anyone in this world.