The Werewolf Trials

Hearing my answer, both Morgana and Morgan froze.

The cave was so quiet you could hear water dripping from the walls.

"Family?" Morgan spoke first, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Little sheep, has the rainforest jungle fever gone to your head?"

I shook my head, continuing to stir the herbs. "I'm perfectly clear. Since the Moon Goddess brought us together and made us live under the same roof, then we're family."

Eros stepped closer to me, whispering, "Serina, they..."

"It's okay," I cut him off, offering the witch sisters a brilliant smile. "Let's all cook lunch together today? I can teach you a few new dishes."

Morgana raised an eyebrow. "Are you questioning our cooking skills?"

"Of course not!" I quickly explained. "Just sharing some cooking techniques I know. Like how to make meat more tender, or how to remove the gaminess from certain ingredients."

The comments from those watching the trial started scrolling again:

【She's actually going to teach the curse hexenbiest how to cook?!】

【I remember the last trial candidate who just didn't want to eat their food had their head scooped out to use as a stew pot!】

【This woman has lost it!】

Morgan and Morgana exchanged a look, then the corners of their mouths turned up slightly. "Alright, let's see what you can teach us."

The five of us walked together to the cave's kitchen area.

Call it a kitchen, but it was really just a corner with a crude stone hearth and a few stone tables.

Lia excitedly tugged on my sleeve, while Eros followed silently behind, always keeping an eye on the witch sisters' movements.

"First," I picked up a piece of meat still dripping with blood, "we can marinate it in wild berry juice first. That way it removes the gamey taste and adds a fruity fragrance."

Morgana narrowed her eyes. "We usually use swamp toad venom for marinating."

I made a face. "That sounds unhealthy. Want to try my way?"

To my surprise, they actually agreed.

We started preparing food together. I taught them how to identify edible herbs and how to grind nuts with stones to make sauce.

Gradually, the tense expressions on the witch sisters relaxed.

"You know," Morgana said as she mimicked my technique with a tuber, "we used to like cooking too."

Morgan shot her sister a glare, but Morgana continued. "Back when we were still alive. Our mother was often ill, and we would often cook medicinal meals for her."

I stopped what I was doing and asked softly, "Your mother must have been very gentle and kind, just like you."

“Later we started treating the wolves in the slums," Morgan continued, her voice bitter. "And what did we get in return?"

I stopped what I was doing and asked softly, "What happened?"

The sisters fell silent. Finally, it was Morgana who spoke, her voice unnervably calm. "We were accused of practicing dark magic. Those 'patients' we had treated testified against us in court. The noble wolves sentenced us to be burned at the stake."

The sisters were silent. The cave was deathly quiet, save for the crackling of the hearth fire.

"So you see, little sheep," Morgan sneered, "Trusting others is just the fastest way to be burned to ash."

I walked over to them and gently took their hands. "I trust you. I believe you won't hurt me."

【She touched the curse hexenbiest' hands! And she wasn't cursed!】

【Moon Goddess above, what is Serina doing? Does she really trust them?】

To everyone's surprise, the witch sisters didn't pull their hands away.

Morgana even gave them a gentle squeeze in return.

"Come on," I broke the silence, "Let's finish this meal. I promise you'll like it."

At lunchtime, the five of us sat around the stone table.

The table was loaded with the food we'd prepared together: roasted marinated meat with wild berry juice, herb stew, roasted tubers with nut sauce, and simple flatbreads I'd made from wild grains I'd found.

Lia eagerly took a bite of the roasted meat, her eyes lighting up immediately. "Delicious!"

Eros tasted the stew and gave a slight nod. "Not bad."

Morgana and Morgan cautiously sampled each dish, their expressions shifting from skepticism to surprise.

"This flavor..." Morgan murmured, "It reminds me of our mother's cooking."

I smiled, serving more food for everyone. "We can cook together like this more often."

【I can't believe my eyes! The five most dangerous beings in the King's Nest are having a pleasant lunch together!】

【This scene is too surreal. I have to pinch myself to see if I'm dreaming.】

【Serina's Lunar Fear is still 0! How is that possible?】

Through my efforts, our cave was gradually becoming more like a real home.

I took Lia to pick wild flowers and colorful stones to decorate the cave, teaching her how to make flower crowns.

Though Eros still maintained his cool demeanor, he would silently help us move heavy things and stand guard, protecting us from wild beasts.

The witch sisters gradually opened up to us.

One day, as we were gathering herbs in the rainforest, Morgana suddenly said, "You know, Serina, we can never fully trust anyone."

I was bending over to pick a patch of moon-moss and looked up at her with a smile. "That's okay. I trust you enough for all of us."

Morgan snorted, but when I nearly tripped over a protruding tree root, she quickly reached out to steady me.

"Watch yourself, you fool," she said gruffly. "The rainforest is full of dangers."

But I noticed that for the rest of the journey, she would subtly clear obstacles from my path.

Those watching the trial began recording these details:

【Did you see? Morgan just drove away a venomous snake!】

【Morgana is quietly removing those sharp thorns as Serina passes!】

【They say they don't trust her, but their actions are protecting her!】

That evening, I decided to paint a portrait of our whole family.

I ground collected ores into pigments and painted on a flat piece of slate.

Lia curiously watched from beside me, Eros pretended to be uninterested but would sneak glances at my progress.

The witch sisters stood at a distance, their expressions complicated.

"That doesn't look anything like me," Morgan criticized. "My eyes aren't that color."

But I saw her smile secretly.

When I finished the painting, everyone gathered around.

On the canvas, the five of us sat together against the backdrop of our decorated cave.

Lia wore a flower crown on her head, Eros looked relaxed, and the witch sisters had faint smiles on their faces.

"This is... us?" Morgana asked softly.

I nodded. "Our family portrait."

Lia excitedly pointed at herself in the painting. "Mommy drew me so pretty!"

Eros stared silently at the painting, then suddenly turned and left.

I thought he didn't like my artwork, but a few minutes later he returned with a glowing crystal, which he mounted above the frame as a light source.

"It looks better this way," he explained briefly, the tips of his ears turning red.

The viewing screen exploded:

【The vampire-werewolf just decorated that painting!】

【I can't believe it! Is this really the same vampire-werewolf who massacred the entire Silver Moon Pack?】

【Serina's Lunar Fear is still 0! How on earth is she doing this?】

The witch sisters stood before the painting in silence for a long time. Finally, Morgana reached out and gently touched the image of herself.

"No one has seen us as... family in a long time," she whispered.

Morgan turned her head away, but I saw her quickly wipe a damp spot from the corner of her eye.

After dinner, Morgana handed me a small vial.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Insect repellent," she said shortly. "Sprinkle it around your bedding to keep venomous bugs away."

I took the vial, looking at her with emotion. "Thank you, Sister Morgana."

She snorted. "Just don't want you getting bit and screaming, waking us up."

But I noticed that as they left, both of them had faint smiles on their faces.