The Spoilt Beauty And Her Beasts-Chapter 556: Ahem. That is not the point of this conversation.

Chapter 556: Chapter 556: Ahem. That is not the point of this conversation.

The first thing Isabella became aware of was the sound of Glimora chewing something.

Not cute chewing.

Aggressive chewing.

Violent chewing.

The kind of chewing that made Isabella wonder if Glimora had returned to her feral origins and was currently dismantling a tree root with war-crime level enthusiasm.

The second thing Isabella noticed was that her heart hurt.

Not physically, though the remains of the cold still made her chest feel heavy. No, this was emotional. A slow ache that throbbed deeply inside her like a bruise she kept pressing just to make sure it still stung.

She blinked groggily and rolled onto her back, staring at the top of the tent.

The memory hit her like a slap.

The dream.

Her babies crying.

Asking for their father.

Calling for Cyrus.

She squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling sharply. Her throat tightened again, threatening tears. She was not about to start her morning with crying. She refused. Absolutely not. She was too pretty for sadness before sunrise.

Before she could gather herself, a familiar chime echoed inside her mind.

Her system appeared in floating light like a gossip aunt who just could not mind her business.

"Good morning," Bubu said sweetly.

Isabella groaned. "Do not start."

"I will start," Bubu replied. "Because someone needs to say this. Maybe it is time you let go of your fear."

Isabella’s eyes snapped open.

She sat up. Hard.

"What fear," she said quickly. Too quickly. Suspiciously quickly.

Bubu’s silence was loud and judgmental.

Then it said, "Isabella, the men in this world are not the same as the men on Earth. You know that."

Isabella stared blankly at the air. "I do not know what you are talking about."

"My dear user," Bubu said flatly, "you were crying yesterday."

"No I was not."

"You sobbed."

"I absolutely did not."

"You rolled around and cried into your blanket like a dramatic wet cat."

"Lies."

"Really. Then look at yourself."

Before Isabella could shut her system up with more denial, a shimmering mirror appeared in front of her face.

What she saw made her flinch.

Her eyes were swollen.

Her nose was red.

Her hair was sticking out in multiple directions.

She looked like a tragic dumpling that had been dropped on the floor and stepped on twice.

"Gosh," she whispered, horrified. "I look hideous."

Glimora paused mid-chew and made a small squeak of agreement.

Isabella glared at her pet. "Do not bully your mother today. I am fragile."

But here was the problem with Isabella’s life. Her system had no mercy.

"Isabella," Bubu said in that tone that meant trouble, "he is not a bad man. And you know it."

Isabella blinked. "Who is he. What do you mean he. Do not say he like I know which he we are discussing." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"I can vouch for him," the system continued as if she had not spoken. "Between the four of them, he is the best choice."

Isabella froze.

Her soul stepped out of her body, walked to the corner of the tent, and sat down with a shocked expression.

"Four of who," she demanded. "What four. I only know one man. Only one. Only him. Which four."

The system hummed innocently. "Yes. Of course. Only one. Absolutely. You definitely have not collected four men like stray cats."

Isabella inhaled sharply. "List them. Right now."

"No."

"System."

"No."

Isabella narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Did you set me up with these men. Because now that I think of it, anytime you give me a task involving a man, I suddenly cannot get rid of him. First Kian. Then Zyran. Then Cyrus. Now Osiris. This feels like a conspiracy."

Bubu made the sound of clearing its throat, which was odd for something that did not have a throat.

"Ahem. That is not the point of this conversation."

"Yes it is. You are matchmaking me with beast men. Why. Why is this my fate."

"The point," Bubu continued loudly, "is that you need to let go of your fears. You are not the same as your mother."

Isabella froze.

Her heart tightened painfully.

She hated that sentence.

Hated how true it felt.

Hated how it stabbed her somewhere soft and unprotected.

She looked away from the mirror. "It is not your business."

"It is actually my business," the system said gently. "Because you spend nights in pain. Thinking. Crying. Breaking alone. Your well-being is my business."

Isabella clenched her jaw.

She wanted to argue. She wanted to yell. She wanted to deny it all.

Instead, her voice came out small. Quiet. Raw.

"You do not even act like a system. You are a demon."

"I am not here to argue with you," Bubu said softly. "I have more important things to do."

Isabella scoffed under her breath. "More important things than your user. What important things. You sit in a stupid glowing space doing nothing. Probably sorting imaginary papers."

"I will ignore that," the system said. "All I will say is this. You can choose between your fear or your happiness. Pick your poison."

The light blinked.

Then Bubu vanished.

Leaving Isabella alone with her thoughts.

The silence afterward felt heavy.

She lay back down slowly and covered her face with her hands. Her mind was loud. Too loud. Cyrus was gentle. Kind. Soft. Safe. She missed him. She missed his warmth. She missed the way he looked at her, like she was something beautiful.

But fear was a powerful thing.

Fear of abandonment.

Fear of loving wrongly.

Fear of becoming like her mother.

Fear of hurting someone who did nothing but love her.

She groaned into her blanket. "I hate this life."

Glimora walked to her side and patted her cheek comfortingly.

It helped a little.

She was still covered in misery when the tent flap moved.

Someone stepped inside.

She sat up too fast, nearly throwing Glimora off.

Osiris walked in carrying fruit. A small basket made of leaves. Strange glowing berries. Something that looked like a mango but sparkled like a star.

He looked annoyingly handsome in the morning light.

Of course.

Of course he did.

He stopped walking when he saw her face.

For a moment, he just stared.

Isabella noticed him staring. Isabella noticed everything.

And her mood instantly darkened.