Chapter 1185: Lies he told

When Penny woke up, it was already near dusk. Peeking to her side, her lips curled up. There, sleeping next to her, was none other than the only person she wished to wake up to and fall asleep with. Zoren.

She rolled onto her side instinctively, almost jolting when a sharp pain shot through her thigh.

"Ouch..." she winced. "I forgot I stabbed myself."

A shallow breath slipped past her lips as she looked up at Zoren. The pain in her thigh slowly faded while she stared at her husband, smiling in relief. They hadn’t said it earlier, but she was glad that neither of them was hurt too badly. Just thinking about everything they had gone through the night before—it almost felt like a dream.

A very long and exhausting dream.

"Look at us," she whispered, poking Zoren’s lean cheek gently. "We’re both hurt, but at the same time, we’re fine."

Her soft voice and light touch stirred him awake. His eyes flickered beneath his eyelids before cracking open. Out of habit, Zoren turned his head—only to meet her gaze. He smiled.

"Good... evening?" he greeted uncertainly.

"Still afternoon," she replied softly. "How’s your head?"

"Not as painful anymore. And your leg?"

"It’s fine. It’s not that deep... just a bit."

Zoren let out a shallow breath, his gaze never leaving hers. For a moment, silence stretched between them—but it was a peaceful kind of quiet. Even after a long nap, the disbelief of what had happened still lingered in their hearts.

Zoren, for one, couldn’t believe he had left his wife alone in a building full of mad people—that he had agreed, even proposed, to separate from her.

Penny felt the same way.

They had always been overprotective of each other. If Zoren could help it, he wouldn’t even let a mosquito land on her skin, let alone allow her to face danger alone. But last night had forced them to trust each other as individuals capable of defending themselves. Even so, he wasn’t sure whether to feel reassured by that trust or terrified that it might one day lead her into harm.

"We should get up and check on everyone," Penny suggested. "I’m pretty sure they’re bored."

"Mhm."

With that, Penny carefully sat up, wincing as she moved her leg off the bed. Just as her feet touched the floor, Zoren reached for her arm.

She turned back to him, only to find him staring at her.

"Let’s not do that again," he murmured.

Penny pressed her lips together and nodded. "I agree. Don’t worry, Renren. I feel the same way."

She might not have voiced it aloud, but now that she had rested, she recognized the mistakes she had made the night before. Yet, it wasn’t regret that weighed on her—it was the guilt of putting Zoren in that situation and almost dying because she had let her guard down around a child.

If not for that woman with her questionable intentions and Zoren finding her in time, things could have ended badly. She was certain she wouldn’t have had the luxury of waking up in this bed beside him.

***

When Penny and Zoren went downstairs to check on everyone, they found the place surprisingly empty.

"Good evening, Young Master and Young Madam," Butler Lee greeted, stepping in through the front door. "Are you two hungry?"

"Uh, a little." Penny glanced around. "Butler Lee, where is everyone?"

"They are still sleeping, Miss Penny."

"Sleeping?"

Butler Lee’s smile widened. "Miss Lily and Miss Ginnie woke up earlier to eat, but it seems they had terrible hangovers. So, they went back to their rooms to rest before their flight tomorrow. As for Miss Nina and Sir Finn, they decided to spend time at the beach since it’s their last day here."

"Sir James, Sir Allen, and Sir Max woke up a little later. They took a quick trip into town to help Sir Max with a site he’s planning to purchase," he continued. "Sir Max dragged Sir Hugo along when he saw him sleeping here."

"Oh..." Penny’s mouth formed an O while Zoren nodded.

"I guess they’ll be fine on their own," Zoren said.

"Yes." Butler Lee nodded back. "As for Sir Atlas, he’s in the garden with Sir Ray and Sir Benjamin. Sir Benjamin arrived about an hour ago—he said Miss Mint already left to handle the situation. Sir Slater is still in his room, asleep."

"Well, I guess that’s for the best." Penny scratched the side of her head. She had expected Lily to be complaining about her absence last night, but it seemed their friends had also had a long night.

"Butler Lee, please prepare us some light meals. Penny hasn’t eaten since we got here."

"Yes, Young Master." With that, Butler Lee bowed his head slightly and walked off to inform the kitchen staff.

As he disappeared down the hall, Penny and Zoren exchanged glances. They both shrugged, unsure what to make of the situation. They had expected chaos, but instead, the castle was eerily peaceful, with everyone spending their last day in their own way.

***

Meanwhile, in Slater’s room, he had been awake for some time. However, he chose to stay where he was, lying motionless on his bed. His jaw clenched, his eyes fixed on the intricate ceiling décor, his arm resting over his forehead.

Before he had fallen asleep, Atlas had checked on him—asking him to follow him. Slater had expected a scolding for not listening, but Atlas didn’t reprimand him.

Instead, he had asked how Slater was coping and suggested that he might need counseling after what had happened.

Slater had denied it, but Atlas had insisted. So, to end the conversation, he had said he would reconsider. Even so, now that he was alone, he couldn’t find the strength to get up and pretend that nothing had happened.

"There’s Benjamin I have to deal with, and then..." he trailed off, his eyes darkening with bitterness. "... Penny, who still puts herself in danger for others."

What filled him with resentment wasn’t just the situation—it was the fact that he had let it escalate to this point. Worse, he hadn’t even been the one to find Penny. If not for Zoren, they wouldn’t have known where she was.

No—she would have been dead before they ever found her.

Not just Penny. Even Zoren had walked into that dangerous place because of his lies—the lies he had told and shown them all, making them believe this was unfamiliar territory for him.

Now, those same lies were coming back to haunt him.

"Would she... have come to my rescue if she knew I could escape on my own?"