"Why is this room a mess?"
Bea scanned the state of the room with her hands on her hips. She looked at the person sprawled on the floor in disbelief.
"Didn't I tell you to clean up?"
There were clothes scattered on the floor, on top of the wardrobe and hanging on the sides of the bed. A dagger with an eagle emblem was jabbed on the side table with its cover belt hanging from the open drawers.
Contrary to Ann's constant pleading to adopt Bea and Eugene as her children. It was Bea who had adopted Ann into their small family. Ever since Ann moved in two years ago, she had been busy taking care of her needs.
If Bea was the strict and doting mother of the family, then Ann and Eugene were the constantly squabbling siblings. Everyday was eventful in the house thanks to Ann teasing and picking fights with Eugene every chance she gets.
Bea began gathering the clothes on the floor with a sigh.
No matter how many times Bea had told Ann to clean her room the answer she received was always the same.
"Why bother?"
Ann answered without lifting her head. She pulled down the pillow from the bed and pressed it on top of her face. She wanted to sleep for a little longer, but was feeling reluctant because of the dream she just had.
"This way I can find everything without searching"
"You... I can't reason with you"
Bea shook her head feeling pity for Ann's future.
"Get up!"
Bea put down the pile of clothes on top of the bed and threw a towel at Ann's face.
"It's already late. Freshen up and come down. Breakfast is ready"
"Hmm"
After Bea left the room, Ann stayed in the same position for a few minutes before getting up. She sat on the floor blankly staring at the floor and stretched her limbs.
"Arghhh!"
Suddenly she felt a surge of pain inside her head and the events of the previous night started playing like a movie reel. She remembered the fight, the bet, the drinking and even the singing. But everything after that point was broken in her mind.
And at the present, Ann was having the worst case of hangover. Her head throbbed as if a live rock band was having a concert inside her brain.
"I'm never drinking again"
Was the statement Ann declared every time she had a hangover. But still ends up getting drunk to the point she does not remember anything the very next day, like a never-ending cycle.
Ann dragged herself to the bathroom to brush her teeth and clean her face before going down for breakfast. She looked out the window and smiled when she saw children playing in the stream beyond the backyard.
The Leveret household Ann was living in was a simple two-story house located in the middle of Nero village, a place in the Northern borders of the Velven Empire mainly composed of Beastkin.
The Nero village was formed during the end of the Calvan war by the surviving members of the Velven Beastkin military unit and their families.
The people in the small residential settlement worked together without receiving any support from the Lords of the land and developed the once abandoned military outpost into a beautiful village. And now it has evolved into a healthy community with a diversity of Beastkin and humans.
The bottom floor of the house had the open kitchen and living room along with Eugene's room. The first floor contained Bea and Ann's rooms and a small storage room. The back of the house contained a small herb garden maintained by Bea along with an assortment of flowers.
The small stream beyond the fences of the backyard made the house look like it jumped out of a fairy tale book.
When Ann came down the stairs in unsteady steps, she saw Bea working in the kitchen and Eugene eating breakfast at the dining table like every other morning. But there was something inexplicably odd about the atmosphere.
"Ahhh... my head hurts" She said, slumping her face on the table.
"That's what you get for drinking like a maniac" Eugene smirked while poking Ann's head with his fork.
"How bad was I drunk?"
"I'll answer that"
Bea placed the salad bowl on the table with a thud, startling both Eugene and Ann.
"Do you have any idea what time it was when you came home?"
"Wait a minute. You didn't come home"
Bea's face calmed for a moment before turning into a raging storm. Her bunny ears perked up as her face flushed from anger.
"You were brought home!"
"Haha... How exactly did I get back?" Ann asked awkwardly, scratching her cheek.
"Senseless! You were drunk senseless!"
Bea shouted, making Eugene and Ann flinch.
"Just how careless can you be to be drunk like that!"
"Ugh!" Ann clenched her head. The hangover was attacking again.
"My heart almost jumped out through my mouth when Raeden brought you home curled up in his arms like a kitten" Bea said, swinging the ladle in her hand furiously.
"Rae. Raeden is back" Ann asked in a feeble voice and turned to Eugene.
Bea followed her line of sight and frowned at Eugene.
"And you, Eugene. Where were you when she was getting drunk?"
"..." Eugene shifted his gaze, unable to withstand his sister's rage. He decided it was better to keep his mouth shut than interfere and turn the tide against him.
"Do you know how worried I was? Oh and that's not all"
"There is more?" Ann smiled awkwardly.
"When we tried to put you to bed. You clinged on to Raeden's neck and refused to let go!" Bea huffed and steadied her breathing.
"I'll tell you this even if you get mad at me"
Ann took away the salad ladle from Bea's hand and put it to the side for safety purposes.
"It is really hard to take your words seriously when you are looking like that Bea"
Bea was wearing a light pink dress with a white apron around her waist. Her whitish-grey hair was tied into two pigtails with pink ribbons. Her flushed face added to her charm causing her to look like a cute little rabbit with a feisty temper.
"Stop making fun of me!" Bea exclaimed and placed a glass of hangover soup in front of Ann.
"What is this?"
"What does it look like? It's hangover soup"
"I can see that. But why is it green?"
"I added a little health tonic to...." Bea said with an evil smile and added, "strengthen your immunity"
"Now drink"
Bea tightened her grip on Ann's shoulder to halt her escape and take the punishment.
"!" Ann felt an eerie sensation creep on her skin just from looking at the suspicious green liquid.
When Ann looked at Eugene to request help, he averted his eyes again and turned to the side so as to not get involved in his sister's way of disciplining the unruly.
"Ugh" Ann shut her eyes tight and drank the gooey green in one go.
"Good girl. Now have your breakfast and go out." Bea patted a pale Ann's head with a satisfied smile.
"There is someone waiting outside to hear your explanation"
One hour after the silent punishments in the Leveret household, a group of individuals were gathered in front of the village breakfast house where the locals gathered.
Oliver, Noah, and Ann stood with hands behind their backs while glancing at each other's faces. In front of them seated at the breakfast table was Raeden, the charismatic and fearsome leader of the Nero mercenaries. Sitting next to him, Jade was sipping his coffee in a leisurely manner.
While Ann lived in the Leverett household with Eugene and Bea. The other members of the Nero mercenaries lived together as a group in a separate residence a little away from the three.
The members had their daily meals at the village breakfast house which was also where they held their discussions.
Currently, the three blue-haired foxes were being interrogated by the mighty black wolf for the incident that was the hottest topic in the village.
Noah, Oliver, and Ann flinched on seeing the passive expression on Raeden's face. Although he was never one to show much emotions on his face, seeing his silence was putting the fear of god in them.
Not only did they scam the Golden Lion mercenaries when Raeden was away, but they also partied hard to the point where Ann had to be carried back home.
"So which one of you three is going to take responsibility?" Raeden asked, tapping his fingers on the table.