The Strongest Daughter-In-Law Of The Black Lion Family [EN]: Chapter 78

#78.

“Rachel?”

“It’s already too late, Zakary.”

Rachel stood up from her seat and took a step back. Zakary looked up at her, his eyes filled with a tremor he couldn’t quite mask.

The atmosphere had been pleasant just moments ago, but now, her face was colder than he’d ever seen it.

“Wait, I…”

Just as Zakary was about to rise and reach for Rachel, Erhaden Roden appeared from behind a tree, positioning himself casually beside her.

“Why are you being so clingy? Rachel said she doesn’t like you anymore.”

A flash ignited in Zakary’s golden eyes. Erhaden had the audacity to wrap his hand around Rachel’s waist, right in front of him.

Zakary glared at Erhaden’s hand as if he could incinerate it with his gaze, and warned, “Do you want your hand cut off?”

Erhaden instinctively flinched at the blatant threat. However, he stubbornly refused to remove his hand from Rachel’s waist, a clear sign that he was either incredibly brave or utterly foolish.

Zakary ran a hand through his hair, a gesture of irritation. He’d finally managed to get some time alone with her, and this was a terrible interruption.

The most infuriating part was that Rachel was tolerating this guy’s presence. Unable to contain himself any longer, Zakary grabbed Erhaden’s wrist and growled, “Didn’t you hear me? Let go.”

“Ugh.”

The moment Erhaden staggered and released his hold on Rachel due to Zakary’s forceful grip, Rachel suddenly slapped Zakary’s hand away, her voice sharp and cold. “You should get rid of this hand.”

“…Rachel?”

“What’s going to change if you act like this now?”

Rachel’s voice was even more cutting than before. Zakary, his spirit deflated, lowered his hand. He uncharacteristically looked around, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.

Erhaden stood beside Rachel, massaging his wrist with a smug expression. He chuckled, now brimming with arrogance.

“Hey, don’t get so heated. Let’s just go without dealing with him.”

At those words, Rachel’s sharp gaze softened. As Rachel nodded obediently and started to leave, Zakary was shocked.

He couldn’t let Rachel walk away like this. Zakary blocked Rachel’s path, his actions bordering on a plea.

“Wait.”

“Well, I’m telling you we have nothing to talk about,” Erhaden retorted flippantly, trying to defuse the situation. Zakary, consumed by frustration, growled.

“‘We’? Are you trying to die…”

However, he couldn’t act as rashly as he might have before. Rachel’s hostility intensified the moment he cursed at Erhaden.

It was a reaction he had never experienced from Rachel before. She would get angry and destroy things, but she had never truly hated Zakary.

But the Rachel standing before him seemed to harbor a deep-seated hatred for him.

Could emotions truly change so drastically in just a few days?

He wondered if she was so deeply wounded by his previous words, and his heart ached with regret.

He regretted his actions belatedly. He hadn’t needed to say those things about trying to get along. His pride had driven him to utter those harsh words.

Zakary’s face gradually darkened with a profound gloom.

Even though their relationship was a turbulent mix of love and hate, he had always believed that love was the stronger force.

But now, he couldn’t detect even a trace of affection for him in Rachel’s eyes. It was as if that affection had never existed at all.

That realization wounded Zakary deeply, especially since he knew he was the architect of this situation.

“Rachel.”

Zakary took a step closer and called Rachel’s name affectionately. Her eyes wavered for a fleeting moment, as if responding to the familiar sound of his voice.

Emboldened, Zakary confessed his true feelings.

“I know I’ve been selfish all this time. I even admit that I pushed you away for my own sake.”

“…”

“I was wrong. So don’t be so cold, Rachel.”

“I…”

Rachel hesitated, her voice trailing off at Zakary’s sincere apology. It was the moment he was about to reach out and hold her close.

“Ugh.”

Suddenly, Rachel clutched her head and collapsed. Her pheromones fluctuated wildly around her, an unstable and alarming sign.

“Rachel!”

Zakary was startled and immediately knelt beside her. Rachel continued to clutch at her chest as if overcome by nausea.

Zakary’s face paled, fearing a full-blown pheromone outburst [a sudden and overwhelming release of pheromones, often causing disorientation or physical distress].

“This won’t do. We need to get her to the medical room.”

He anxiously scooped Rachel up in his arms, her body wracked with groans of pain.

“Ugh…”

She began to gag and then vomited something onto the ground.

Thump.

A crimson bead rolled across the floor, coming to rest near Erhaden’s feet. Erhaden, his face paling, quickly snatched up the bead.

He had originally planned to use Rachel as a hostage to threaten them.

Cold sweat trickled down Erhaden’s spine. He had never anticipated that Zakary would appear at the hunting grounds.

He might be able to deceive other suins [beast-human hybrids], but he would never be able to deceive the Black Lion standing before him.

Before he could react, Zakary’s gaze turned icy as it locked onto Erhaden’s hand. He sensed Erhaden’s pheromones emanating strongly from the bead Rachel had spat out.

Understanding dawned in Zakary’s eyes, and his expression turned fierce.

“This bastard dares…”

Dark pheromones began to swirl around Zakary, a palpable aura of menace. Erhaden trembled and fell onto his rear, overwhelmed by the intense energy that threatened to tear him apart.

He couldn’t even attempt to flee, his body paralyzed by Zakary’s pheromone poison [a concentrated and debilitating pheromone attack].

“S, save me.”

Erhaden barely managed to croak out the words, but Zakary’s only concern was Rachel.

Zakary gently laid Rachel down beneath the shade of a tree. Her pheromones stabilized almost immediately after expelling the fox bead, and she lost consciousness.

Judging by her pallid complexion, it seemed she had been drained of her energy by the fox bead for quite some time.

Zakary gently stroked Rachel’s cold cheeks and then whirled around, a guttural growl escaping his throat.

“Save you?”

Daring to do something like this?

Zakary’s aura intensified, becoming even more menacing. Erhaden, his face ashen, clasped his hands together in a desperate plea.

“S, save…”

The more he begged, the more Zakary’s anger amplified. His rage was compounded by self-disgust at his inability to protect Rachel from a cowardly wretch who would cower at the slightest threat.

“I can’t do that.”

“…”

“I’ve never let anyone who touched my things live.”

Zakary smirked and stood up. His measured steps conveyed a sense of chilling composure and a sharp, murderous intent. As his aura calmed, Erhaden’s breath hitched even more tightly.

Shortly after.

“Aaaaaaagh!”

Erhaden’s agonizing screams echoed through the forest, startling birds into flight.

* * *

By the time Kiara arrived, Erhaden was barely clinging to life.

“Lord Zakary.”

“You’re finally here.”

Zakary gestured towards Erhaden, who was a mangled mess, his face considerably lighter as he ran a hand through his hair.

“I’ll take this guy away.”

Judging by the shattered fox bead on the ground, it seemed he had already deduced the reason for Rachel’s strange behavior.

However, what was puzzling was that Erhaden was still alive.

Kiara glanced down at Erhaden with an indifferent expression and muttered, “You managed not to kill him.”

“The reason this guy boldly carried out this plan must have been because he was aiming for something more.”

At that moment, Zakary’s golden eyes narrowed.

He had been so preoccupied with pushing Rachel away until Zerachiel’s wedding that he had failed to notice the bigger picture. Looking back, Erhaden’s behavior had been suspicious from the start.

After suffering a severe punishment at Rachel’s hands in the past, he was now attempting to become her remarriage partner. Considering his petty pride, that scenario was highly improbable.

Given that he had even invited Zerachiel and Cheresia, it was likely that he was aiming for something far beyond Rachel herself.

There had to be someone pulling the strings.

“To only realize this now.”

Zakary, offering a self-deprecating laugh, kicked the unconscious Erhaden once more, venting his lingering anger.