The Spoilt Beauty And Her Beasts-Chapter 559: Do not follow me. I mean it

The wind at the mountain’s entrance was strange.

It was warm, as if welcoming her back toward the world below, but there was something else too. Something final. The kind of breeze that felt like it wanted her to say goodbye to whatever she had carried with her up the mountain. Fear. Pain. Confusion. Anger.

And Osiris.

Isabella turned to him with a tired sigh, shifting her weight on one leg. Her clothes were dusty. Her hair was tangled from the wind. Her eyes were still red from crying over her best friend. She felt like a wreck, but somehow she still stood straighter than any queen ever could.

She jabbed a finger toward his chest.

"I am serious. You are not coming with me," she said.

Osiris stared down at her, silent.

The silence made her uncomfortable and annoyed.

He never shut up.

Not once.

Not ever.

So why was he quiet now?

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Thank you," she muttered, almost choking on the words. "Thank you for annoying me for days. You are still the most frustrating man I have ever met in my life. You give me headaches. You make me want to commit crimes. I still hate you very much."

Osiris blinked.

Still silent.

The silence hit her harder than any insult he could have thrown at her. He always had something stupid to say. He always pushed her buttons. He always found a way to irritate her.

But now... nothing?

Isabella cleared her throat and looked away.

"I am finally going back home," she said softly. "And you have to go back to your home too, wherever the hell that is, even if you do not remember anything. You cannot come with me. I am not dragging you down that mountain. My village is already chaotic. The last thing I need is to bring a phoenix man back with me."

Still nothing.

She hated how heavy her chest felt.

Hated it so much.

This was good.

This was what she wanted.

No more men in her life.

No more falling for heartbreak.

No more weakness.

Her mind flashed with a memory of Cyrus’ smile.

Her heart ached sharply.

She shook it off violently.

Glimora suddenly jumped off Isabella’s shoulder with a chirpy squeak that sounded suspiciously proud. She scampered toward the slope and began climbing down effortlessly, her body moving gracefully like a small mountain creature that had lived here for years.

Isabella’s eyes widened.

"Glimora...? Oh. You are independent now. You are not a baby anymore."

She rushed to the edge and peered down, but Glimora was already a speck far below. Panic and pride mixed inside her chest.

She reached into her space and pulled out the climbing equipment she had crafted earlier. Thick rope. Strong hooks. Gloves.

"See," she said to Osiris as she adjusted her gloves. "I have to go. I have tasks. I have a dying friend. I cannot drag a phoenix prince or whatever you are down to my village and start explaining to everyone why a man is following me."

He didn’t move.

His eyes just held her.

Dark.

Unreadable.

Quiet.

"Goodbye," Isabella muttered. "Do not follow me. I mean it."

She turned away before her stupid heart could betray her.

She took a deep breath, anchored her rope, tested the weight twice, then stepped backward down the cliff.

The descent was slow and careful.

Her boots scraped the rock.

The wind pulled at her hair.

Her muscles burned with every downward step.

But her breathing was steady.

Her mind focused.

When she reached the ground at last, her legs trembled slightly from the effort, but she exhaled deeply.

She looked up.

The cliff towered above her like a giant stone god.

And she saw the small shape of Osiris still standing there, watching her silently.

She swallowed.

"Well," she muttered. "At least I got rid of him."

She turned away quickly, cheeks a little warm.

"It is strange. He did not argue. Normally he would fight me before letting me leave. Thank goodness he finally learned something."

She brushed dirt from her clothes and looked around for the cave. It was hidden behind thick vines and clusters of moss, but her map showed a faint glow in that direction. She pushed the leaves aside and spotted a dark entrance carved into the stone.

"How did I not notice this earlier," she murmured. "It is huge."

She stepped closer.

She lifted a foot and stepped in.

She didn’t look back.

She didn’t wait.

She stepped into the cave, swallowed by the dark stone corridor as Glimora squeaked nervously beside her.

Her footsteps faded.

Silence wrapped around the cliff.

High above, still standing on the mountain’s ledge, Osiris watched her disappear. His expression was unreadable. His jaw clenched. His eyes narrowed with something sharp and unfamiliar.

"You really think you can live without me," he murmured under his breath.

It wasn’t loud.

It wasn’t meant for her.

It wasn’t meant for anyone except himself.

The wind didn’t even carry his voice far enough for a bird to hear.

He stood there for another slow, burning second.

Then flames burst softly around his feet.

His body dissolved into fire.

Wings of blazing phoenix light unfurled behind him.

He leapt off the mountain silently, gliding downward in absolute quiet.

No scream.

No roar.

No sound.

Just a streak of golden fire cutting through the mist.

He landed far below, hidden behind thick vines near the base of the cliff. His phoenix flames vanished instantly, turning him fully human again, barefoot in the damp soil.

She didn’t hear him.

She didn’t see the glow.

She didn’t notice the shifting shadows behind her.

Osiris stepped into the mouth of the cave without a word.

He did not announce himself.

He did not try to speak to her.

He simply followed the faint footprints she left in the dust, moving several paces behind so she would not hear.

His steps were silent.

His breathing was controlled.

His presence was hidden.

Inside the cave, Isabella, unaware of everything, kept walking deeper, muttering angrily to herself.

"I finally get free of him. Finally. And I’m never dealing with another phoenix in my life again."

She raised her torch.

She kept going.

She didn’t look back at all.

Osiris followed far enough behind that only the cave shadows heard the soft scuff of his boots.

And even the shadows stayed quiet for him.