6. Herbal Treatment

“Hmph. I knew it. She’s going to snatch the meat any second now.”

Alex waited.

And waited.

But Clar never came to grab the roasted meat from his hand.

Instead, she kept herself busy—organizing the animal pelts into neat stacks and even cleaning the cave with some strange tool he’d never seen before.

When she finally finished and noticed he was still holding the meat, staring at her without eating, she frowned slightly.

“Why aren’t you eating? It’s going to get cold.”

For a brief moment, she dropped her guard and sounded like a completely normal person.

“I’m not hungry. You eat it,” Alex replied cautiously. He still didn’t dare gamble. What if the moment he took a bite, her foot came flying?

Before Clar transmigrated into this body, Alex and Lucas had lived from meal to meal. Alex’s frame was lean from hunger—though his abs were still sharply defined, they lacked the fullness of Lucas’s powerful build.

Clar couldn’t help wondering how Lucas remained so well-built despite the same conditions. He must have sneaked out to hunt secretly.

Unlike Lucas, Alex had been constantly forced to stay by the vicious female’s side, unable to go hunting, which slowed his advancement.

Seeing the wariness in his eyes made Clar’s heart ache.

“I roasted that specifically for you. I already ate before you woke up.”

He still hesitated.

Clar sighed, grabbed the meat, and shoved it into his mouth.

Looks like changing too quickly just makes people suspicious.

“Eat. If you don’t finish it, don’t even think about sleeping. I’ll need you to work for me later,” she added in a deliberately commanding tone.

Now that sounded familiar.

Alex relaxed slightly and began eating.

This actually tastes good.

Once she finished tidying up, Clar had nothing else to do. No phone. No entertainment.

She pulled a thick pelt from the pile, laid it on the ground, and prepared to sleep there instead of the bed.

For all the original Clar’s sloppiness, she had hoarded plenty of pelts.

Alex didn’t stop watching her. He still couldn’t tell what she was planning.

When she lay down on the floor, confusion flickered in his eyes.

“Female… you can sleep on the bed. My wound isn’t that bad.”

Clar hesitated.

She wanted to sleep on the bed—but she had never shared a bed with an unfamiliar man in her previous life.

Better not.

“It’s fine. Once you recover more, I’ll move back.”

She was trying—slowly—to fix her image.

“Oh, by the way, did you see the beast king’s crystal core when you came back?”

She wanted Lucas to recover faster. His injuries were worse.

So that’s it.

Alex’s suspicion sharpened. She wants the crystal core. Lucas nearly died retrieving it. No way she gets it so easily.

“I don’t know where it is. Maybe it got lost.”

The perfunctory answer told Clar everything.

He still didn’t trust her.

Fine. One step at a time.

Exhausted, she fell asleep quickly. Only after her breathing evened out did Alex finally relax. The pain in his body dragged him into sleep.

The next morning—

Why am I awake?

Clar groaned internally.

She wasn’t a university student anymore. No 8 a.m. classes.

Curse this biological clock.

She dragged herself up.

For the sake of my beautiful future, let’s go.

The moment she opened her eyes, Alex had already woken. He watched quietly, expecting her temper to flare.

Instead, she got up.

In the past, she would sleep until noon, wake up shouting at them, eat, then sleep again.

Clar jogged around the cave.

“I can’t… I can’t…”

This body was weaker than she thought.

She managed five slow laps before stopping, sweat dripping down her cheeks.

Alex stared.

Where had she gone crazy this time?

“Alex, I’m going to wash. If you’re hungry, eat the meat. Don’t wait for me.”

She grabbed a pelt, then paused.

No soap.

“Female, what’s wrong? Need help washing?” Alex asked dryly.

She nearly jumped.

“No! Absolutely not! I just—do you know where to find something that foams? Like… soapberry?”

He blinked.

“There’s a tree near the river. Thick leaves. The sap foams when squeezed. I can’t move well, so you’ll have to look.”

“Thank you!”

She flashed him a genuine smile.

Alex was stunned.

She really is different.

At the river, the morning air was cool and empty.

After searching, she found the thick leaves and squeezed out the frothy sap. She washed her face and body thoroughly.

After days of proper hygiene and regular meals, even the redness of her pimples had faded.

But she was sick of meat.

She needed vegetables.

After days without… that.

She searched along the riverbank until something familiar caught her eye.

Water celery.

She almost cheered.

She gathered a handful, caught a few fish with her homemade net, picked some perilla, and headed back humming.

When she returned—

Alex was standing inside the cave, leaning on a stick.

“Alex! Why are you up? Your leg is injured!”

She rushed to support him.

He didn’t move.

“You’re not the old Clar, are you?”

His voice was cold and sharp.

The old Clar would never give up the bed.

Would never roast meat properly.

Would never speak gently.

A person couldn’t change so completely in such a short time.

Even acting has limits.

He had watched her closely.

Her habits.

Her expressions.

Her mistakes.

She wasn’t the same.

Clar’s heart sank.

She had known this day would come.

She just hadn’t expected it so soon.

She had only just begun surviving—

And now she might be erased.