The Spoilt Beauty And Her Beasts-Chapter 560: Let go of me, you deranged animal!
The cave breathed damp heat and old dust. Isabella stepped deeper into the darkness while Glimora clung to her shoulder like a little parasite about to be sacrificed. The air smelled like something ancient. Something rotten. Something that definitely wanted her dead.
Perfect.
She lifted her torch and surveyed the rough cavern walls.
Her last task.
Redstone Powder.
Found beneath the cave floor, near the mountain entrance.
Protected by hallucination spores.
Use a wet cloth or die choking and seeing imaginary demons.
Wonderful.
She sighed loudly, the kind of sigh that carried three months of exhaustion and two lifetimes of trauma.
"Okay. Let us get this over with."
She took out a cloth from her space, poured water on it, then tied it firmly over her mouth and nose. She looked like a bandit. A sick, pregnant, tired bandit ready to wage war on powdered rocks.
Glimora stared at her. Isabella stared back.
"Do not judge me. Mama is tired."
Glimora squeaked softly, probably judging her anyway.
Isabella crouched down and inspected the cave floor. It didn’t look special. Just dirt. Ordinary brown dirt. But her map glowed faintly at the exact spot she was standing.
"This is the place," she muttered. "Of course it is. Because my suffering is never-ending."
She knelt, grabbed her dagger, and started digging.
The moment the blade scratched the soil, a puff of shimmering red dust burst upward.
She jerked back.
"Oh my God, spores. Spores."
She slapped a hand over the wet cloth, pressing it tighter.
Glimora flinched and ran behind a rock like a little coward.
Isabella dug carefully, scraping away layers of dirt. More red dust shot upward with every move. She hissed.
"If I hallucinate now, I swear, Bubu is dying today."
Her system did not respond.
Coward.
Her arms ached. Her knees hurt. Her back screamed. The cave air felt heavy. Her head grew dizzy. And yet she kept digging because at this point, her willpower was the only thing stronger than her suffering.
Finally, she scraped something hard.
She brushed dust away.
A glowing red mineral pulsed beneath the soil.
Redstone.
"Finally," she whispered.
She dug around it until she freed a handful of redstone chunks. They glowed faintly and felt warm in her palm. Perfect for grinding into powder later.
Just as she slipped them into her space, she felt something behind her.
A presence.
A shift in air pressure.
A ripple of warmth.
She froze.
Her eyes darted around.
Torchlight flickered.
The cave shadows stretched.
"Hello?" she whispered.
No answer.
Glimora peeked from behind the rock and squeaked.
Isabella held her torch up higher.
Nothing.
Just darkness.
"Probably my imagination," she muttered.
Then she glared at Glimora. "Do not look at me like that. I am not crazy."
Glimora blinked twice, which absolutely meant she thought Isabella was crazy.
But Isabella shook her head and left the cave.
She had a village to return to.
She had family waiting.
She had Cyrus waiting.
She had Ophelia probably sewing a skirt.
And she was exhausted.
She stepped into sunlight at the base of the mountain. It felt unreal. For weeks she had seen nothing but darkness, snow, cold, and starvation. Now the warmth felt heavenly.
She inhaled deeply.
"I finally made it."
She lifted Glimora into her arms and kissed her head.
"Let us go home."
She started walking, the familiar forest path unfolding ahead. The wind sang through the trees. Birds chirped. Everything felt peaceful.
Too peaceful.
She neared the village entrance, pushing aside the vines.
And then she saw him.
She froze.
Isabella’s soul left her body.
Standing casually at the entrance, arms folded, leaning on a tree like a drama character waiting for his cue, was Osiris.
Looking comfortable.
Looking smug.
Looking like he had always intended to follow her home.
Her mouth dropped open.
"Wha. How. What are you doing here?"
Osiris looked at her with innocent confusion, as if he wasn’t a stalker who followed her from a mountain peak.
"Oh. Isabella. You are finally here."
She pointed at him accusingly. "Did I not tell you to stay on the mountain? I literally said goodbye. Goodbye. That means go away."
Osiris frowned, placing a hand over his chest dramatically.
"You left me," he said in a wounded voice.
"I left you on purpose!"
He opened his mouth to reply.
But before he could, a distant shout rose from the village.
"ISABELLA IS BACK!"
She cursed.
"Oh no."
The next thing she knew, a stampede of people rushed out. Villagers. Guards. Children. Elders. Friends. Everyone she had ever known. They burst out of houses, ran barefoot, leapt fences, and trampled grass.
"Oh my God," Isabella whispered. "No. No. Not now."
Osiris saw his opportunity. And because he was possessed by a demon called Shamelessness, he took it.
He grabbed Isabella’s waist.
Pulled her into his chest.
Hugged her.
Pressed his entire phoenix body against her like they were lovers reunited after ten years of war.
"My dear mate," he said loudly enough for the entire world to hear. "How could you leave without me?"
Isabella’s scream died inside her throat.
She almost bit him.
She punched his chest.
She stomped his foot.
"Let go of me, you deranged animal!"
The villagers gasped.
Children squealed.
Someone shouted, "Isabella brought home a mate."
Ophelia fainted in the back.
Isabella tried to break free but Osiris hugged her tighter. And tighter. And tighter. She swear she heard his bones shifting like he was trying to fuse them together.
She lowered her voice to a whisper.
"I swear on everything holy, let go of me."
Osiris bent down to her ear and whispered back in the softest, most threatening tone possible.
"If you do not take me in, I will cause trouble. I will make a scene. I will drag you far away from here. I promise you. Bring me willingly."
She stared at him, horrified.
"You are literally threatening to kidnap me."
He blinked. "No. I never said that."
"That is exactly what you just said!"
He ignored her.
"Besides," he continued, staring deep into her eyes with a seriousness that made her chest tremble, "how do you expect me to survive without you."
She froze.
Her heart jumped.
Her brain malfunctioned.
For one dangerous moment, she forgot to breathe.
"So you really cannot survive without me?" she asked quietly, trying to sound sarcastic but failing.
He looked into her eyes.
Not joking.
Not dramatic.
Just painfully honest.
"I cannot survive without you, Isabella."
Her face exploded in heat.
She panicked.
She stomped on his foot again.
"Let go!"
He refused.
He simply adjusted his hold.
And then...
"Oh. My. Wife. Is. Back."
The voice sliced through the air like thunder.
Isabella’s stomach dropped.
Zyran stepped forward from the crowd with a curled lip and murder in his eyes. His shadow stretched long behind him. His aura was unhinged. His smile was criminal.
His eyes locked on Osiris.
On Osiris hugging Isabella.
On Isabella struggling in Osiris’ arms.
On Osiris whispering in her ear.
Zyran’s expression twisted.
"Oh," he said slowly. "What is this."
The entire village froze.
Osiris tightened his hold.
Isabella prepared her death will.
Zyran cracked his knuckles.
And the world held its breath.
