The Spoilt Beauty And Her Beasts

She still wanted to believe the best, because that was simply Ophelia’s nature. Her heart was too soft, and she always liked to think that people were kinder than they really were. But now even she was starting to feel that something about this healer was not right. Her sweet little face grew more uncertain with each passing sentence, and her fingers quietly moved toward Valen’s hand without her even realizing it.

Valen noticed at once and held her hand properly.

That one small action grounded Ophelia a little, but it also made Zara see yet another thing she hated. Everyone here had someone. Everyone had a place. Everyone had warmth around them. Meanwhile she stood there alone, pretending, swallowing pain, and trying to keep a borrowed face from cracking.

Shelia’s dislike became even clearer.

She did not interrupt again, but the look in her eyes had already changed. At first she had only felt suspicious. Now she felt certain that this so-called healer was false in some way. She could not prove it yet, but she trusted her instincts, and her instincts were saying very clearly that this woman was bad news.

Kian stayed quiet too.

However, his silence did not mean calm.

The coldness in him had become heavier. His eyes remained on Zara with that sharp lion gaze of his, and the more she spoke, the less patience he had. He was already irritated that this woman kept appearing where she should not. Now she was also trying to stain Isabella’s name in front of everyone while pretending she was doing nothing of the sort.

Kian hated that kind of person.

Cyrus was much gentler by nature, but at that moment, his gentleness did not extend toward Zara.

He was already completely certain now that Isabella had put something into the food yesterday. That much was obvious. Nobody else had any problem. Only Zara had been running in and out of the toilet like she was being chased by her ancestors. So yes, Isabella had definitely done something. Still, Cyrus did not mind.

No.

More than that, he fully stood on Isabella’s side.

Because Isabella always had a reason for what she did, and Cyrus trusted her more than he trusted this healer by a mile. So even though he wanted to ask questions, he also felt a quiet sense of satisfaction in his chest.

Zyran, on the other hand, was entertained.

He already knew Isabella had done something. He also knew she was still pretending innocence on purpose, and that made the whole situation much funnier to him. Zara stood there struggling to keep her fake sweet face together, while Isabella sat there wrapped up warmly with the face of a completely innocent ruler who had never done anything wrong in her life.

Really.

Who would not laugh?

Even Osiris, who usually needed things explained more directly, had started understanding enough to pick a side.

That side was Isabella’s.

Naturally.

He did not care what complicated trick had happened. He only knew that this healer was irritating, everyone around him disliked her, and she was talking too much at Isabella. That was more than enough.

By now, Zara was beginning to feel trapped.

She could tell that nobody in the surrounding area was on her side. Even Ophelia’s trust was weakening. The men looked cold. The women looked wary. And the worst part was that Isabella was still sitting there with that calm face, as if she truly had no problem at all.

How could Zara win like this?

She could not openly accuse Isabella.

She could not cry too much.

She could not show anger.

She could only keep turning her words over and over, hoping someone would take pity on her.

Unfortunately for her, pity was in short supply around Isabella’s people when it came to outsiders acting strangely.

Then Zara opened her mouth as if she still wanted to say something else.

That was when Zyran finally spoke.

He had been leaning there all this while with that bored prince expression, but now he straightened just slightly, looked at Zara with a smile that did not reach his eyes, and said in a smooth voice, "My wife wants to rest. Please leave."

The sentence sounded polite.

Too polite.

That was what made it worse.

Because the meaning underneath it was clear.

Leave now.

Nobody stood up for Zara.

Nobody.

Not even Ophelia, who still looked conflicted, said anything this time. She only pressed closer to Valen and stayed quiet, because even she could feel that the healer had worn out her welcome.

Zara felt humiliated all over again.

But what could she do?

She had already lost ground in every direction. If she stayed longer, she would only make herself look even worse. So she had no choice except to bow her head and retreat with whatever dignity she could still gather.

"I understand," she said softly.

Then she turned and left.

The moment she was gone, the whole place seemed to breathe again.

The tension did not vanish immediately, but it loosened enough for everyone to feel it.

For one brief moment, nobody spoke.

Then Osiris looked around and asked, "So... did she really keep going to the toilet because of the food?"

That question broke the silence at once.

Luca snorted.

Shelia looked away because she was trying not to laugh.

Even Kian’s expression changed slightly.

Ophelia, who was still processing everything, asked in a smaller voice, "Wait... was that really why?"

This time, nobody answered her right away.

Because now the truth was obvious to everyone.

Yes.

That was exactly why.

And yes, Isabella had almost certainly caused it.

But because Isabella was Isabella, nobody rushed to expose her. Instead, all their eyes slowly turned toward her, as if waiting for her to say something.

Cyrus was the first to speak.

He crouched a little beside her, his eyes soft but full of quiet curiosity, then asked, "How did you do it?"