76 Chapter 69 - Lowered My Standards

Kokoro was trembling in the chair. Her clothes were cold and wet and she could already tell that she was catching a fever. Her vision turned blurry and her breathes came out in heavy pants.

She spit out some leftover water and sputtered out, "Stop-p... PLEASE! I beg you..."

The man didn't smile at her pain. He didn't laugh at her pain. He didn't sneer at her pain. He didn't show any emotion, nothing at all. He was as blank as a sheet of a paper and as unresponsive as a doll.

He cocked his head and fake pouted, "You're begging already? That was quick... I was expecting more out of you... I should've lowered my standards."

He walked around her and clicked his tongue in a disappointing way, "You're always talking so big of yourself and your daughters. I guess it's not true. I'm now believing that your half daughter, Miyu I believe, is better than the three of you combined!"

Ryota sighed dreamily, "She's such an honest soul. So innocent, so untainted."

He neared her and whispered, "So... Unlike YOU..."

Kokoro didn't speak. Her mind was blank and she couldn't even speak even if she tried.

Ryota smiled finally, "Now you're not talking. Only after you've experienced the pain that you'll stop and rethink your decisions."

He created some fire in the palm of his hand. The small light made his face glow, making his smirk a little more menacing, "Let's see if you'll be able to talk after this one."

*****

Arata left Ryota behind with Kokoro. He ran back to the mansion, which was not that far. The Fujimura Mansion was the farthest away from the rest of the empire, and closer to Shoupia. The only reason why Kasumi wouldn't be able to reach them is because of the huge forest they're in, that runs for miles and miles and even further into Shoupia.

Arata ran back to Miyu's room to check on her. He hopped into the bedroom through the window gracefully and landed onto the carpet without a sound. He looked back and forth in the dark with his night vision. When he saw that no one else was in there, more specifically the evil sisters, he lit a candle on her desk and jumped onto her bed.

He checked her while she was still unconscious, he checked her wounds, changed her bandages as much as he could as a fox, and checked for a fever. After that was done, he curled up into a ball next to her and leaned into her warmth. He slept next to her in worry, while dreams and nightmares haunted his rest. He squirmed and wiggled, but it didn't wake her up.