Exiled Villainess: They Threw Me Out, Now Every Beastman Wants Me
Chapter 21: Cubs Never Lie

Chapter 21: Cubs Never Lie

Everyone went silent.

In that split second, a few of the beast-men shot a sharp look at the cub, their expressions promising a very long conversation about appropriate timing later. The little one remained completely oblivious to it all.

Someone quickly spoke up, changing strategy. "What I said was that she might slow us down. It was a concern for her safety! We were worried about how the rain would affect her, and she went away before we could do anything—"

"No, you wasn’t." The cub frowned. "You said she would slow us down and the storm would get rid of her, and then you laughed."

Not wanting to be left out of the fun, before the first cub had even finished speaking, another chimed in with the enthusiasm of a student who had memorized extra credit material. "The one with spots laughed too and said—"

"OKAY!" The spotted beast-man in question lunged forward as if he could stop the words leaving the cub’s mouth. "The child has a wonderful memory!"

[This system has witnessed many deflection attempts]

[(·•᷄_•᷅ )]

[This is among the worst]

"What did the one with the spots say?" Xavi asked calmly.

The spotted beast-man froze mid-lunge.

The cub, who had apparently been born without any instinct for self-preservation or social awareness, happily continued. "He said since the bald lady could not shift, she could not survive and they could get rid of her that way."

What genuinely baffled Tera was that not one of them had thought to coach the cubs beforehand. They had constructed an elaborate cover story among the adults and then just assumed the children would magically know to lie along with them.

Children were literally walking audio recorders with no filter.

’Amateurs. If you’re going to gaslight someone, at least get your story straight with every age demographic.’

"He is a child!" someone blurted, snatching the cub against her chest. "Cubs say many things! Just yesterday, he told me he saw a butterfly the size of a tree!"

"It WAS the size of a tree!" the cub protested, looking personally offended. "It was big and purple and it sat on my head!"

"See what hitting your head has caused. Now you can’t properly remember things—"

"I did not hit my head!" the cub protested, his little voice rising with the particular indignation of a child who had been wrongly accused. "Papa said it exactly like that! He said the storm will solve our problem, and Mama said don’t say that in front of the cubs, and Papa said we are too young to remember. But I remember! I remember everything!"

A strangled sound escaped the father’s throat.

Someone at the back acted like they suddenly developed a violent coughing fit.

No one looked at Xavi, because looking at Xavi right now would require a level of courage that no one in the group currently possessed.

Xavi looked scary, and Tera found herself momentarily distracted by how unfairly attractive he looked while he was disciplining his entire clan.

Her pussy throbbed.

’This is not the time!’ she firmly chastised it.

But her body did not listen. The controlled fury radiating from Xavi, along with the absolute authority in his posture, reminded her of that moment in the den.

She silently wept inside.

She was going to find a way to get some private time with him very soon. With Ermin as an addition, too, if possible.

’Damn it! I’m horny again.’

[Host’s arousal triggers are deeply concerning]

[(ಠ_ಠ)]

[This is a serious moment of clan justice, not a mating display]

’It can be both.’

[It cannot be both]

’Shut up!’

"You left the female I told you to watch behind during the flood," Xavi growled, and the sound of it made Tera’s spine tingle in a way that had nothing to do with fear. "You would fool my trust so easily?"

The beast-folk visibly deflated. And even the cubs looked slightly subdued now, as if finally sensing that the fun game of ’repeat what the adults said’ had taken a more serious turn.

Tera started feeling sorry for them.

"But, Leader, she—"

"I gave you an instruction to follow. One of you carrying her through the storm would not have been difficult. As I am sure some of you were carried along since your beast forms could not handle what had just happened."

Tera’s eyes widened at that realisation. So they did that and hadn’t even bothered to do the same for her.

The urge to be turned on by Xavi’s authority was suddenly competing with the urge to remain angry at these beasts.

"You left a female behind to die during a flood. And you lied to me."

They flinched.

[Technically speaking, would you not have still died if he had left you and went on to hunt without a clan]

[ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ]

’Don’t be silly. He would have taken me with him!’

[Host has a lot of faith in a male she has known for two days]

Tera stifled the urge to roll her eyes.

Xavi’s golden eyes swept over every single face.

"You will apologise. Now. To her."

One by one, the other clan members shuffled forward. Some were genuinely ashamed, while others were just clearly trying to get it over with.

But they apologized. All of them. Even if the whole thing gave the energy of a forced school assembly.

Tera faced them, feeling a bit better.

"Thank you for apologising. I appreciate it."

’Even the ones that tasted like dirt.’

Tera sighed. "And I want all of you to know that I don’t plan to cause trouble here. Whatever you have heard about me, and whatever the old—" She caught herself. "Whatever I have done before, I have no intention of repeating it."

She let that settle before adding, "I know trust is earned. So, please let me earn it."

A few of them looked very surprised.

[Host has successfully navigated a forced apology session without making additional enemies]

[Charm +1]

Then she turned to Ermin.

He was watching with a dissatisfied look, his pink hair still damp from the rain and sticking to his jaw in a way that was annoyingly attractive.

He clearly hadn’t expected her to turn towards him, because when she did, his posture stiffened and his tail went rigid.

The group noticed. Several heads turned, sensing the shift.

Tera walked up to him and lowered her head, bending at the waist in a deep, formal way she had only done once back when she had nearly messed up a major project.

Except this was far worse.

If Ermin wanted even, she would plaster herself to the ground.

The clearing went deathly silent for the second time that morning.

Ermin stared at the top of her head. His mouth had fallen open slightly, and he didn’t seem to know what to do with his face.

"What are you doing?"

"I am sorry, Ermin. For what I did to you. For drugging you. For taking your choice away. For binding you to me against your will. For destroying what you had with Naiya. For everything."

[Warning!]

[Ermin’s Favourability: -39% → -47%]

’SHITTTTT’

Tera stared at the numbers in horror.

Why?!