Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress

Chapter 0697

Enzo

I stirred sluggishly to the sound of iron groaning deafeningly in my ears. Blearily lifting my head up from the icy stone where I lay, I made out a petite silhouette entering my cell cautiously.

"Wake up, my lord," the girl, the same one from before, said softly. She kneeled down beside me, cautiously brushing a strand of hair out of my eyes. "It's time."

Growling, I reached for her wrist again-but she had learned her lesson the first time. She deftly leapt backwards like a cat. I let my hand fall back to the floor, weakened and searing in pain where the silver ropes still met my flesh.

"Just get it over with," I snarled.

Every bruised fiber of my being screamed at me to defy, and if I had any strength left, I certainly would fight tooth and nail. But hours upon hours of silver continuously leeching the life out of my body had reduced me to little more than a husk.

I didn't have the strength to resist as the small girl helped me slowly to my feet. We took a few shambling steps together before she pulled out a ring of intricate keys and unlocked the cell door with one of them. I blinked stupidly, swaying a bit where I stood. Freedom?

Was this a hallucination? One last cruel trick to break the last shred of my spirit before whatever Mila, the bloodied queen, had in store for me?

But no guards appeared from the shadows as she guided my faltering steps out into the corridor.

Still supporting most of my weight with a strength I didn't expect such a small girl to possess, the servant led us gradually up countless spiraling black stairs. I clung to consciousness, the last feeble spark inside of me raging relentlessly against whatever was going to happen to me.

"Almost there," the girl said.

I huffed. "Where are you taking me?"

"To the ceremony, of course," she purred. "You'll be so beautiful, you and our queen."

For a moment, I considered struggling. But all I could muster was a stagger in my footsteps, a momentary fraction of a second during which I was barely able to halt, and then the girl prodded me forward.

Something sharp pricked into my lower spine then; a knife. I was so out of it I hadn't even realized that she was holding it behind me this entire time.

Then, a set of enormous obsidian doors swung open.

Unexpectedly, blinding radiance assaulted my eyes after what had felt like an eternity spent below ground. I recoiled weakly, my arm flung up against the sudden sunlight streaming down.

Except... No, it wasn't sunlight. Not really. It was just torches and braziers, blindingly bright like the sun after my time spent in my cell.

I was still below ground, and for all I knew, maybe I would never see the sun again.

Then, I saw her sitting on top of a dais at the end of the hall, up high above on a platform well outside of my reach a mass of emerald green silk and crimson eyes with black slits for pupils.

Revulsion rocked through me as I saw her. No more time for disbelief or false hopes. My horrific fate was here, whatever it was. I just wanted Nina. God, I hoped she would never find out what really happened here. I wasn't sure if she could bear it.

"Release him," Mila purred to the wide-eyed servant who was supporting my slumped frame. I braced to collapse as the girl suddenly released her grip on me and withdrew quickly into the shadows, disappearing from sight.

The last I saw of her was a slender black tail; a cat after all.

shaky legs didn't give in beneath my weight. I swayed gently, staring

silver ropes were gone. I had been

fingers, a revelation slowly dawning as a presence flooded into my mind. She had cut me off from my wolf with the silver... but now our reunion crashed through me with the suddenness of

kill her," my

I threw my head back and allowed my wolf's ancient strength to flood into me, filling every cell. Flesh turned to fur, hands to sharp claws,

myself

out a wild howl and charged at the mass of green and red towering above me, images of

a glass of red wine in her hand. Above me, all around, cheers erupted; the horrible audience from before. They had returned to witness

Witness what?"

against the armrest. "I see you've come

eyes scanning the blackened room. The door that I had entered through before was

silver; maybe I could smash my way through

Her words were met with more cheers, twittering, pounding. Beasts and animals. I felt like one of them in

"Look at me, Enzo."

then there was a snap, and I felt my head twist, my body prostrating. I looked up, and I saw her standing now at the edge of her

look at

It was unlike anything I had seen before. When she finally released me, I

in battle," she called out.

the torches. "The rules are simple. Fail, and you will die-nameless and pathetic. Succeed, and earn glory. Succeed, and you will become

nearly laughed aloud and began pacing again, searching for some sort of escape. Mila was insane; surely there was some crack in her

this was exactly why dragons had faced extinction-nonsensical deadly rituals, culling numbers from each generation. Mila would be no different, and I wasn't about to let her drag me

[Skyline Plaza: Zoren’s]

fake her laughter every time Zoren would throw in an unnecessary comment. Only one hour into this

Pierson intoned, tapping Penny’s hand. “Although next time, I’ll do

well,” Zoren encouraged calmly. “Having a morning walk here is

his slight blindness was protecting him.

as it seemed she now had more on her schedule other than just her medications.

a proud look. Penny, on the other

did he look so proud, as if I have to

Pierson’s giddy laughter subsided, she cast Penny and Zoren a solemn look. “Anyway, as I was talking about with Butler Hubert, I think it’s about time the families meet,” she proposed. “Although I understand

believed that if Zoren needed a strong ally, that would be Penny’s family. In case there was a misunderstanding between the couple, her family

what else could glue this

ties?

speak ahead of him before he could say something troublesome again. But before she could, he continued, “… there are still some matters that need to be done. However, I’ll let you know

her, she was expecting him to go all out. However, it seemed she judged too quickly. Meanwhile, Old Mrs.

Old Mrs. Pierson expressed her dismay. “Your in–laws are the most important. Don’t stay idle and make sure they’re pleased with you. They might think our family is

casting Penny a knowing look.

<

What’s on his mind?

this was enough to stop the family meeting, then she was okay with it. After all, she didn’t think the Bennet family was ready to know that she was

with them for another thirty minutes, chatting with Penny once again about anything. Penny, who got rid of any unnecessary thoughts, indulged the old madam. When Old Mrs. Pierson noticed the time,

entrance door, the couple