Chapter 39: She hears voices!

Zyra barely noticed that Hunter was standing right next to her, his tall shadow falling over the desk as he read the clauses while she wrote them. Her fingers flew across the keyboard. She was completely focused, making sure there wasn’t a single loophole left open. After all, she had already realized this man was a master at getting himself out of contracts.

When she finally hit the full stop after the very last word, she let out a satisfied breath. She printed out the hard copy, using up the last power in the energy stone battery running it. Putting that in the back of her mind, she handed the fresh, warm paper straight to Hunter.

Hunter casually took a fancy pen from the desk and laid the paper down, ready to sign.

Zyra frowned, stopping his hand. "Wait. Did you even read the clauses clearly? Aren’t you going to double-check? I do not want you becoming dramatic later on."

The corner of Hunter’s lips pulled to one side in a lazy smirk. Him...dramatic! Who did she think he was? "I’m perfectly fine with everything in this contract," he said smoothly. Without a single moment of hesitation, his pen danced across the paper, leaving behind his mark. He handed the pen back to her. "Your turn."

Zyra sighed. She looked down at his signature. It was incredibly long....way too long....and filled with complicated, elegant loops that looked like a wealthy man’s doodle. She rolled her eyes internally, grumbled a bit, and scribbled her own name right next to his.

Hunter took the paper, walked over to the copy machine to make a duplicate. On realizing the copier had run out of energy, he opened a drawer full of mid-grade stones, picked one and pushed it into a slot. He printed a photocopy and handed her the original.

"Well, it’s too late to back out now," Zyra said, carefully folding the paper and tucking it deep inside her bag. "There is no getting out of this... at least not until the five years elapse or whenever I am ready to fly on my own."

Hunter smiled, looking like a man who had just hit a hidden jackpot in the lottery. He let out a low, agreeable hum. "Whatever you want dear."

She shot him that glare, which he found amusing.

From the side of the room, Achilles let out a massive, frustrated sigh. "Will you two calm the excitement or whatever this is, down? You are not legally married yet."

Right on cue, a sharp knock echoed on the door.

Hunter moved gracefully to open it. The local magistrate was standing there, holding a small black briefcase. But the moment the poor middle-aged man stepped inside, his feet froze. His eyes landed straight on the human lump on the floor.

"Bloody hell..." the magistrate gasped, his face turning pale. "At least get the dead guy out of the room before we start!"

"Right, right, my bad," Achilles muttered. He grabbed Recaldo by the ankles and began dragging his heavy body toward the corner of the office. As he walked, he shook his head and whispered under his breath, "I still can’t believe she actually killed him. What a ruthless woman!"

The two men Recaldo had come with huddled closer in a corner, almost hugging each other. They had come expecting Zyra to be killed, but she was alive and well. Their boss was dead, and Zyra was about to marry the strongest fighter in the pits! How had things reached here?

Zyra’s eyes narrowed into suspicious, sharp slits as she watched the magistrate sit down and nervously pull out the official marriage certificates from his case. Sensing her hostility, the magistrate quickly raised his hands.

"Miss, please relax, I promise to be discreet," the magistrate said in a sweating rush. "Achilles and the Thorn Guild have done too many favors for me over the years. I would never betray them. Your secrets are safe with me." He cleared his throat, trying to look professional. "Now, let us begin. We will start with the official declaration of intent, then we will move on to the traditional vows....."

"There’s no time for that," Zyra interrupted coldly, waving her hand. "Skip the talking. Let’s just sign the papers and get it over with."

"How romantic." Achilles said, sarcastically.

Hunter chuckled from the side, his blue eyes gleaming. "I agree with my wife. Skipping the nonsense is much more efficient for the both of us. I wouldn’t want her to get cold feet."

Achilles snorted. The girl had walked in ready to kill, just to get her hands on him. If anyone was getting cold feet, it was not her.

The magistrate blinked, looking bewildered, but he braced himself. "Legally, under the law, I am required to know that neither of you is being forced into this. So, I must ask: Do you both agree to get married?"

At that exact, chaotic microsecond, Beauty’s digital voice shrieked inside Zyra’s head for the hundredth time, [Host, Do you want to bond with the male beast?! Yes or No?! It’s destiny, it’s glory. It’s...very profitable.]

The couple’s response to the magistrate was an absolute mess.

"Yes," Hunter said smoothly, his voice deep and certain.

"Ye....No!" Zyra shouted out loud.

The entire room went dead silent. Hunter, Achilles, and the magistrate all turned their heads to stare at her with utter confusion and shock.

Realizing she had screamed at her internal system out loud, Zyra’s cheeks flushed red under her scarf. She blinked rapidly, clearing her throat. "Not to you," she said to the magistrate, "Get it done quickly. I was talking to the voice in my head."

All the men frowned.

The mayor looked at Hunter curiously, his eyes were asking if he was sure about this marriage.

Achilles whispered conspiratorially to his cousin, "She hears voices Hunt....voices!! Crazy, crazy, cuckoo." He pulled his cousin away from Zyra, to convince him one last time to come to his senses.

Meanwhile, Zyra was listening to the ringing in her mind. Bells of celebration going off. [Congratulations Host!] Beauty’s voice echoed with digital trumpets. [Congratulations, Beast mama, on successfully capturing and getting another beast! Access to the system shop unlocked. And as a special marriage bonus, you can access some items for free! Though, you will still have to pay for most of them. Hi-hi!]

A dazzling interface appeared, filled with items: portions, weapons, feathers, claws, mysterious glowing eggs, herbs, and other things.

[Wait, why isn’t the Bonding thread connecting?] Beauty asked, lowering the sound of the trumpets.

Zyra blinked. "I didn’t actually say yes. I was about to, but I didn’t."