Chapter 4 Immortals can be Paralyzed

Zara 

The drive back from the event was silent. I stared at my hands, too ashamed to look anywhere else. The humiliation I had suffered tonight was enough to haunt me for the rest of my life.

I held the torn fabric of my dress tightly against my body as I hurried out of the event hall. The monster beside me looked completely unaffected. If anything, he seemed satisfied, as though bringing me there just to humiliate me had been his plan all along.

After hours of driving, we finally arrived at his estate. By then, the cold had settled deep into my body. My ripped dress offered almost no protection against the chilly night air.

The moment we pulled into the estate, rain began pouring from the sky.

The king stepped out of the car, and I followed several steps behind him. The rain fell heavily, soaking us within seconds, yet he walked at an unhurried pace, almost as if he wanted me to remain in the downpour for as long as possible.

He was almost at the entrance when he suddenly stopped and turned to face me.

"I warned you before we left the house to do everything you could not to embarrass me at that party, yet you did the exact opposite," he said quietly, but the danger in his voice was unmistakable.

"It wasn't my fault. You made me wear a dress that didn't fit me," I replied.

"So it's my fault you're too fat to fit into a perfectly good dress?" he asked coldly.

I opened my mouth to answer, but he silenced me with a raised hand.

"Your punishment is to stand in this rain until it stops. If you move from that spot, you'll regret it," he said.

He let out a sharp whistle. A group of huge dogs came running toward him. They were almost as tall as I was. The moment they saw me, they started barking, their loud growls and barks echoing across the entire estate.

Frightened, I instinctively took a step back as one of the dogs charged toward me.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said.

I froze immediately. He bent down and whispered something into the dog's ear. At once, the dogs sat calmly, their eyes fixed on me.

"They're here to make sure you follow my instructions. Don't move an inch until the rain stops," he said before turning and walking into the mansion.

Tears streamed down my face as the rain continued to pour over me. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself, trying to fight the cold.

I cursed the day I was born. I couldn't remember ever knowing real peace or happiness, and now it felt like I was going to die at the hands of this monster. The rain continued for hours without stopping. Eventually, I sank to the ground, hugging my knees as I silently prayed for it to end.

He didn't open the mansion doors until dawn. The rain had stopped hours earlier, but I was still outside, shivering uncontrollably.

A woman dressed in a maid's uniform stood behind him. "Take her to one of the rooms downstairs," he said coldly.

I didn't have the strength to stand. The woman gently helped me to my feet and supported me as she led me to one of the downstairs rooms.

Three days later, I was still alive. Every part of my body ached whenever I moved. The fever had finally gone down, but the cold I had endured that night still lingered in my bones. My cough hadn't disappeared either, and my throat felt raw every time I swallowed.

For the past three days, no one had spoken more than a few words to me. A maid would quietly enter my room three times a day, place a bowl of soup on the table beside my bed, make sure I had taken the medicine, then leave without another word.

I had expected the door to open once again with another bowl of soup. Instead, a young maid stepped inside and bowed slightly.

"Lady Zara."

I slowly pushed myself into a sitting position. "Yes?"

"The housekeeper, Madam Cecilia, requires your presence."

I frowned.

"The housekeeper?"

"Yes." She didn't explain further.

With aching muscles, I climbed out of bed. My legs still felt weak beneath me, and I had to steady myself against the wall before following her out.

The mansion looked even bigger now that I wasn't being dragged through it. We walked through endless hallways before arriving at a massive kitchen.

The smell of freshly baked bread, herbs, and roasted meat immediately filled my nose. Several maids and chefs moved around busily, yet the moment I entered, many of them glanced at me before quickly looking away.

Standing in the center of the kitchen was a woman in her late fifties. She carried herself with authority, her gray-streaked hair was neatly tied into a bun, and despite wearing a simple maid's uniform, everyone around her seemed to respect her.

"You must be Zara." I nodded politely.

"I'm Cecilia, the housekeeper."

"It's nice to meet you."

She looked me over, her sharp eyes lingering on my pale face. "You still look sick."

"I'll survive."

"I hope so." Her expression remained unreadable. "The King has ordered that since you're well enough to walk, you should begin carrying out your responsibilities as the lady of this house."

Lady of the house, the  title almost sounded laughable. I wasn't his wife, I  was his prisoner. Cecilia continued as though she hadn't noticed the bitter smile on my face.

"Your duties begin immediately."

I sighed inwardly. "What exactly are they?"

She held up one finger. "Every morning before sunrise, you will prepare the King's tea yourself and personally deliver it to his room." A second finger. "You will supervise every meal prepared for him. You'll learn his daily menu, make sure every dish is properly arranged, and ensure nothing is missing before it reaches his dining table."

A third finger. "And lastly, you will tend to his garden every day."

I blinked. "The garden?"

"Yes." Out of everything she had listed, that one didn't sound so bad. Cecilia noticed the small change in my expression, a faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Come with me."

She led me through the back doors of the mansion. The garden stretched farther than my eyes could see. Rows of colorful roses lined elegant stone pathways. Exotic flowers I had never seen before bloomed beneath carefully trimmed trees.

A small waterfall flowed into a crystal-clear pond surrounded by blooming orchids. It felt less like a garden and more like paradise.

Without realizing it, I wandered farther inside, my  fingers brushed softly against delicate petals. "They're beautiful."

Growing up, my grandmother had always kept a small garden behind our old house. Whenever life became unbearable, I would sit beside her while she watered her flowers.

She knew the name of every plant, every poisonous leaf hidden among the harmless ones. She used to tell me stories for hours while teaching me which flowers healed and which flowers destroyed.

As I continued walking, something unusual caught my attention. Hidden behind several flowering shrubs stood a single dark green plant.

I walked closer, the moment I saw the shape of the leaves, recognition struck me. My grandmother had shown me this plant only once. She had warned me never to touch it with bare hands.

"This," she had whispered, "is one of the deadliest plants in existence. It won't kill immortals but  even a tiny amount can paralyze them forever."

Why would someone like him keep  something like this growing in his own garden?

Then another dark thought quietly slipped into my mind.If a single leaf could leave an immortal unable to move for the rest of his life perhaps monsters could be caged too.