Transmigrated To A Beastworld As The Lazy Wife Of The Fox Lord

Chapter 249: Grasping greedy hands.

Grandma Byra cut her off. "You should think less because whenever you try to think, your mind comes up with nonsense."

The younger falcon cousins, under Soren’s guidance, started making their way out of the house. Corven Junior had his head lowered and his shoulders pulled inward. Soren had to pull him out forcefully, or else the boy was on his way to an explosion.

Christo swooped in, taking her arm, "Follow me," he ordered through clenched teeth.

Numia ripped her arm from his hold and sniffed, acting as if she didn’t see the disapproving and disappointed looks on the faces of those around her. "Mother-in-law, I am just asking for something small like a crib. It is not like I asked our in-laws to throw me a baby shower or raise the child for me. I am not denying everything that Sienna has done for us, and I appreciate it. Unlike her, I lost my home because of what Paris did. I lost my nice job, my dowry, I was expelled from the family. All the wealth I had is gone and I am now living under someone else’s roof. All I want is something nice for my baby. For your grandchild. Is it not moral? If someone else was making this request, would you hesitate? She can give a crib to bees but not her own cousin! You just don’t want to give these gifts to me."

Jess narrowed her eyes and slammed her cane against the floor. "Numia! Don’t twist logic into knots and try to pass it off as virtue. You are bringing up Paris to indicate that Sienna’s father is responsible for your predicament so she must pay you back for the rest of her life. But why should she? These gifts were prepared under a misunderstanding, not for you to snatch like a thief in daylight."

Grandma Byra, in a slightly gentler tone added, "Child, we know what you lost because we lost a lot too. We are sorry for you because Paris was our son. You didn’t ask for what happened to you and it is not fair. But, your loss does not give you the right to plunder. We have all suffered. Sienna herself was abandoned by her father as a child, she was mocked, and yet she stands here with dignity. Do not use your misfortune as a cudgel against family."

Ali whispered to Sienna, "Mama, what does cudgel mean?"

Sienna shrugged. "Ask your brother," she whispered back.

Meanwhile, Numia pressed on through trembling lips, her voice rising in shrill desperation. "You speak of dignity, but what is dignity to a starving woman? What is pride to a mother who cannot feed her child? Sienna has a rich fox lord, a queen for a best friend, Four cottages, a kitchen ware company, a honey and jam business and she is going to open a canned food factory with the tribe, keeping twenty percent of the shares. She has wealth beyond measure. I have nothing! If you deny me these gifts, you condemn me to misery, Is that the justice of a grandmother?"

The room fell into tense silence. Eli peeked from behind his father’s cloak, wide-eyed at the spectacle. Elias himself folded his arms, expression unreadable, though his tail flicked with irritation. Sienna was now caught between pity and exasperation, so she stayed quiet, letting the elders speak.

Numia was right. Financially, she could afford these gifts and more on her own. So, she didn’t need them, but it was her aunt’s shamelessness that scratched her the wrong way.

"Sister-in-law, stop it." Jorik’s wife whispered.

Numia sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes.

Jess shook her head. "You are crying for gifts that are not yours! I cannot believe this." She leaned forward, her voice cutting like a blade. "You are treating Sienna’s generosity as an obligation. She may help you, but she does not have to indulge your greed. These gifts were not earned by you, nor promised to you. To demand them is shameless."

Grandma Byra nodded firmly. "And don’t forget that we came here seeking refuge. Refuge is not conquest. You cannot march into another’s home and claim their treasures because your womb carries life."

Numia’s face flushed crimson. She clutched her belly tighter, more tears brimming in her eyes. "So you would let me suffer? You would let my child be born into poverty while those things rot? Is this the fairness of blood kin? Is this the compassion of elders?"

Sienna groaned, and finally spoke, her voice calm but steady. "Aunt Numia, compassion is not measured in silk swaddles, gold rattles or jeweled cribs. Compassion is food, shelter, care and jobs, which I have provided. My husband allowed you to stay, and he paid a heavy ransom to the falcon tribe to ensure this. He never said a thing to anyone but me. And I kept it a secret so that nobody would carry the guilt.

My family welcomed you. We clean every mess you create when you run around offending nobles with your marriage ambitions. We tolerate your tantrums and indulge your whims. Yet you demand more. That is not compassion--it is greed. Your pregnancy should be a cause for celebration but look what you have turned it into!"

Numia broke into loud sobs that echoed through the room, "You speak as though as I am a beggar! I am your aunt, Sienna! I may not be perfect but I have stood up for you when it mattered. I have contributed when it mattered and when your mother fell ill last two weeks ago, I cared for her without complaining. And now you repay me with scorn? Have you forgotten the debts of family?"

Mrs. Miller’s eyes softened for a moment, but her response was firm. "Numia, love given freely is not a debt to be collected. You cannot twist kindness into currency. What you give to your family is love, not an emotional contract. Do not poison it with greed."

Jess raised her cane again, voice booming. "Enough! You shame yourself with this display. You shame your unborn child with your grasping hands. If you wish to be helped, ask with humility. I don’t believe that your family would deny your child nice things. But if you demand, you will leave with nothing."