Ming Tao was away tonight. Good, that was good. Right now. She did not need to see him and be distracted by other matters. She just wanted to think about something else. Things like Hye Yang and what she was up to. Mira paced in the bedroom, deep in thought.

She felt completely cornered. She had no sure allies and there was absolutely no one she was sure would vouch for her if the need arose. She was completely alone.

Shit.

If Mira knew today would happen, she would have built a connection with the cheetahs earlier on. One way or the other, she would have forced them to not hate her. But now. That was the least of her problems.

She was pregnant. Her husband was acting like a completely different, obedient person and her sister was in the cheetah clan threatening to make sure she was out of here.

Mira swallowed. For the first time in her life, she had no answers. She had nothing in her head to solve her problems and she did not know what to do.

She wished she had an idea of Hye Yang’s intention. It would be foolish to assume that Hye Yang revealed all her cards before putting them into action and it would be dumber to relax.

There was nothing funny about the recent happenings in the clan and there was nothing relaxing to be calm about.

Mira huffed. She just wished she had an answer. A sign. Anything that could hint at something that would aid her. Anything at all that would give her the upper hand.

It was at this moment Mira’s body began to heal. It was then it hit her. She had a system. And she was pregnant.

She had a special grade skill that allowed her body to rejuvenate whenever she was pregnant. These marks would heal and Hye Yang would have no proof of her accusations if they were ever presented.

Wait a minute. Mira’s brows furrowed as she began to think. Hye Yangs words brushed through her mind in blur and she tried to remember what exactly the woman said word for word. Mira had made a habit not to pay attention to her sister and she might have tapped into that a little bit in her last conversation with Hye Yang.

It was foolish, she knew, and over something as serious as that, but in Mira’s defense, she was pregnant and hurt and fatigued so her attention span went on and off unwillingly. Like she was there and living in that exact moment yet she also wasn’t, if that made any sense.

Even she did not understand, but she remembered Hye Yang saying something about what the beast people would think. And what those of higher hierarchy would have to say.

It was then it hit Mira. She was worrying about the wrong thing. This must be what her sister wanted her to do, be consumed thinking about how to solve her words rather than of a solution.

Hye Yang hated Mira to the point of wanting to end her life, so Mira wondered how she would react to knowing she was with child. It was a risky move but one she was willing to take.

She might want to abort the baby again as it would hinder her plan by a massive fault and it would be the right time for Mira to step in. She would use Hye Yang’s schemes against Hye Yang and ensure Hye Yang would never be able to harm Mira ever again or step foot in territories Mira could easily access.

Hye Yang would have to look for refuge in a different beast territory outside the parts ruled by Mira’s husbands, and Mira knew exactly where to start.

Meat.

She was the meat lady after all, it was time to use it to her advantage and bribe some cheetah cubs into doing her bidding.

It was a good thing she still had a lot of left over meat.

*

Mira was in the market square. She looked around aimlessly at the cheetahs indulge in trade while observing for any passing children. There were none. She was new to this clan in a way so she had no idea where the children played.

This was when Mira decided to talk to someone.

She walked to a wood made hut and spoke to a trader selling skins. The skins Mira saw hanging in the shop and rolled like fabric rested against the walls made her face pale.

These people had leopard skins for sale. She did not even want to question it. It would be best for her to assume that it belonged to already dead from old age leopards and they did not acquire it the inhumane way.

[Or inbeastman way, get it?] system chimed.

Mira got the joke but she did not react. Unc, she chorused in her mind to system and she saw the screen before her display a puffed face image of a blob looking away. This made her giggle.

"Are you done checking them out? Seen anything you like?" The shop owner asked. This made Mira snap back to life. She completely forgot why she was standing there.

Mira flashed a nervous smile and waved her hands before her. "Nothing yet." She stated. The shop owner looked slightly annoyed.

"Well, keep looking in case you find something you want." He said. Mira knew this was another term for ’get away from the shop so the other potential customers would see me’. She swallowed. She stared at the animal skins again. Her eyes caught on something more bizarre.

Cheetah skins. These people had actual cheetah skins.

What the actual-

"How much are those?" Mira asked, her fingers pointed at the material.

"Excellent eye." The shop owner said. He walked to the rolled fabric and picked it up then went to meet her. "How much do you need? I sell one yard for five copper stones."

This still stunned Mira. How could these people be comfortable selling cheetah skins? Do they have fox skins as well? Something in her head made her take a step back.

"I need enough for a new attire." Mira stated. "And a bit more to wear over my skin to give the illusion of being a cheetah. Enough to mask my scent." She added.

The beast man ran his eyes over her from head to toe then rolled some out for her from the source and cut it with a metal dagger.

"That will be twenty five copper stones." He stated.

Mira realised she had no beast world money on her. She never had to buy anything before. She had people do it for her, then she also had her husbands give it to her. "Do you mind coming to the Mighty Cheetah’s abode for the price? I have not got anything on me."

The cheetah made a face. He looked like an angry seller who wanted to chase the fly away from his shop. He studied Mira closely then his ears buzzed. "You’re the wife!" He exclaimed.

Eh? How did he not know me? I am hated everywhere. Did he live under a rock perhaps? Mira questioned in her mind. "Yes I am."

His facial expression immediately changed. "Please, have them all. I will send someone to do so later." He hurriedly gave her the attire.

"Thank you." Mira worded as she took it from him. "By the way," she asked, the rolled cheetah skins in her hands. "Do you know where the little cubs go to play?"

The beast man squinted. He looked suspicious but did not voice it.

Ah, there it was, that face, Mira said in her mind. The beast man finally had the face of someone who knew of her. Maybe he did not just know her face before.

The man stared at Mira carefully. "Why?" He asked.

"I have some meat I want to give to them from the feast. They wanted some and I kept some for them." She lied. Well, it was not exactly a lie, she did have meat stored but it was the ones she kept aside for her husband. If Ming Tao would not eat it, then she would give it to people who would.

People who she could manipulate nicely with it and use them to get to her sister.

The beast man stared at her a bit longer before giving in. "At this hour, the cubs will be learning to swim." He said, his tone hinted that he would not say more on this and it was her duty to find the exact river or lake they were at.

"Thank you." Mira worded. "I will use the fabric well."

The beast man flashed a smile. It looked fake, Mira knew a customer service smile more than anything from her time on Earth.

She made her way away from his shop. She needed to find a seamstress to make this attire for her as well as something that she could wear around her hands and legs and head so she looks like a proper cheetah then she would look for the children. If Hye Yang thought she could go free, she thought wrong.

Two could play a game of disaster and lucky for Mira, she had a system and was a master of games very well.