Chapter 863: Tonight is the only time.
"Should I take these heels off and wear them when I’m close to the greenhouse?" Hera wondered in the middle of her walk. She stopped and gazed down, only to shake her head. "I can’t do that and risk sullying Hera’s reputation."
Just as Hera decided and took a step forward, she heard some rustling around her. She froze, her guard at an all-time high. Looking around, all she could see were some bushes on either side of the pathway.
"Who’s there?" she raised her voice, wary of her surroundings. But alas, the silence was all she heard.
’Is it just the wind?’she wondered as a cold breeze brushed past her shoulders. ’I guess I’m just imagining it.’
Hera shook her head once more and continued her walk. Even so, she still instinctively kept her guard up, in case she wasn’t imagining it. One thing she learned from the original Hera was to always listen to her instincts.
’If someone is here... then, I’d be in trouble,’ she thought, lacking in confidence to fend for herself despite the skills she was borrowing from Hera. After all, her confidence was already squashed down after her first escape attempt. Dragon surely knew how to make one submit.
Her every step was light and cautious, even her breath was controlled. Hera kept her eyes on the path ahead, but all her senses were focused on any lurking dangers in the dark. After another thirty seconds, Hera let out a deep exhale.
’I guess it’s really just the wind,’ she thought, patting her chest as she didn’t feel like there was truly someone around. Looking ahead, she huffed and marched with confidence.
What she didn’t know was that someone was hiding behind the tall shrub she was approaching. She only realized that when a hand suddenly grabbed her arm as she passed by it.
Thanks to Hera’s fast reflexes, upon feeling the force of the hand pulling her, she instinctively flung her arms. Circling her hand around the person, she twisted the person’s hand on his back with her other arm wrapped around the person’s neck.
"Who are you?!" Hera breathed out, her heart racing, still baffled how could this body move on its own before she could even think of a way to do that for herself?