Madame is Pretending to be an Academic Slacker Again! - Chapter 296: Large-Scale Face-Slapping at the Engagement Ceremony (Part 21)

Step inside if you dare, but be warned—this is no ordinary shop. Those who enter never leave the same… if they leave at all. A sinister force lurks within, fueled by a dark past and a thirst for revenge. The price? Twelve lives for twelve sins. As officials race to put an end to the bloodshed, the shop’s deadly grip tightens, claiming innocent victims one by one. Will anyone uncover the truth before it's too late? If you crave spine-tingling horror, heart-pounding thrills, and a mystery that refuses to stay buried, this book will haunt you long after the last page.

Maria is a werewolf of the Veilwood Pack, where every woman is born with a gift. But with her twenty-first birthday drawing near and no ability to call her own, her family arranges a marriage that feels more like a cage than a future.On the run from a fate she refuses to accept, Maria narrowly escapes a predator who wants to claim her for himself. Shaken and desperate, she stumbles into the arms of another man whose eyes burn with recognition—her mate.But the predator is still out there, and he wants Maria just as much.Torn between the mate who awakens her heart and the danger that tempts her into the shadows, Maria finds herself desired by two men who will stop at nothing to claim her.Love, obsession, and destiny intertwine, and her choice could cost her everything.

Ren has never known kindness. He grew up alone in the slums, learning to survive by staying out of sight and trusting no one. One night, he stumbles into a strange tunnel and finds a hidden shrine forgotten by time.There, he sees a black cat with golden eyes and hears a voice inside his head.The shrine is more than it seems. So is the cat.As Ren is pulled into something ancient and mysterious, he must decide if he's willing to take a different step in life or keep running from the world that hurt him.Because the city doesn't care if he lives or dies, but something in the dark might.(No system, no isekai, no reincarnation, no regression, no harem. The story focuses on mystery and character development.)