Chapter 133 — Lyra’s Circumstance

Chapter 133: Chapter 133 — Lyra’s Circumstance

Chapter 133 — Lyra’s Circumstance

On the other side of the forest, Zuban walked through the Shadow Fox village.

As he made his way through the streets, Shadow Foxes occasionally bowed as he passed.

Zuban had grown accustomed to it.

He waved to some of them with a smile, occasionally returning their greetings, but there was an unmistakable pride in the way he carried himself.

He liked being respected.

He liked the feeling of people lowering their heads when he passed.

And, in his mind, he deserved it.

Zuban continued through the village until he rounded a corner and arrived at a smaller house.

Levron was sitting outside.

The Shadow Fox sat against the wall with his eyes closed, his posture relaxed, as if he had been there for hours.

Zuban approached.

"Hello, Levron."

Levron opened his eyes.

He looked at Zuban for a moment before giving a simple nod.

His eyes closed again.

That was it.

Zuban’s expression tightened slightly.

He was used to it.

Levron had always been like this.

He followed Zuban’s father without question and respected the Patriarch’s authority, but when it came to Zuban himself, there was little respect in his attitude.

And Zuban could feel it every time they interacted.

It was one of the reasons Zuban had always carried a quiet animosity toward him.

He simply walked past Levron and entered the building.

The moment he stepped inside, the atmosphere changed.

The building was clearly a jailhouse.

Metal bars lined both sides of a narrow corridor, with several empty cells extending into the darkness. The building was normally deserted.

The Shadow Fox Clan rarely had any reason to use it, so there wasn’t even a regular guard stationed here.

Zuban walked down the corridor until he reached the final cell.

He turned his head.

Inside, Lyra was lying on the floor.

Her black hair spread around her, and her body remained still.

Zuban stared at her.

For a moment, rage flashed through his eyes.

He unlocked the cell and stepped inside.

Lyra slowly opened her eyes.

She looked at him without saying anything.

Zuban stared down at her.

Then, unexpectedly, his expression softened.

"You know, Lyra..."

He paused.

"I really envisioned a future between the two of us."

Lyra’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Zuban continued.

"I imagined you and me ruling over this tribe together."

His voice was strangely calm.

"And I really don’t want to see you executed."

Lyra’s eyes widened slightly.

Zuban smiled.

"Part of me doesn’t want that to happen."

He lowered himself slightly.

"You’re almost like family to me."

Lyra stared at him.

She hadn’t expected this.

Not from Zuban.

Of all the things she had imagined happening in this prison, this wasn’t one of them.

For the first time, she saw a side of him she had never expected to exist.

Zuban waited.

Then he smiled.

"You know..."

He leaned closer.

"I could talk to my father for you."

Lyra remained silent.

"I could plead your case."

He smiled wider.

"I could probably get you out of here."

Lyra’s eyes widened.

"Would you?"

For a brief moment, Zuban’s smile disappeared.

Then—

He laughed.

It wasn’t a warm laugh.

It was sharp.

Almost manic.

"Come now, Lyra."

His smile returned.

"Did you really think I would help you out of here?"

Lyra’s expression changed.

Zuban chuckled.

"You must really be a dumb wench."

Silence filled the cell.

Lyra stared at him.

For one brief moment, she had believed him.

They had grown up together after her parent disappeared.

And she had actually believed that there might still be something left between them.

That perhaps their relationship hadn’t been completely destroyed.

She hated herself for believing it.

Her expression hardened.

"Screw you, Zuban."

Zuban’s smile disappeared.

"No."

His hand moved.

SLAP!

The blow struck Lyra across the face with full force.

Her body was thrown sideways across the cell.

She hit the stone floor and slid several feet before coming to a stop.

For a moment, she didn’t move.

Then Lyra slowly pushed herself up.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth and down her chin.

Her eyes lifted toward Zuban.

If she had the ability to, she would have snapped his neck without hesitation.

Zuban stared at her.

Then he smiled.

"You know..."

He took another step forward.

"I really can’t wait for the day your head separates from your shoulders."

Lyra’s eyes remained fixed on him.

"Honestly, that’s going to be a day I’ll remember for a very long time."

Zuban approached her.

His hand slowly rose.

Lyra didn’t move.

She simply stared at him.

Then—

"Zuban."

The voice came from behind him.

"That’s enough."

Zuban froze.

His raised hand remained suspended in the air.

Slowly, he turned around.

Levron stood at the entrance to the cell.

His expression was calm.

But his eyes were cold.

Zuban lowered his hand.

Levron looked at him.

"She’s already been sentenced to execution."

His voice remained steady.

"I won’t allow you to beat upon her."

Zuban’s jaw tightened.

Levron’s gaze hardened.

"No matter how much you want to."

For a moment, the two stared at each other.

Zuban’s anger burned beneath the surface.

He hated Levron for interfering.

Hated that someone who wasn’t even his father could tell him what he could and couldn’t do.

But Zuban knew better than to challenge Levron.

So he forced a smile.

"You’re right, Levron."

He lowered his hand.

"I’ll leave her alone."

Zuban turned toward Lyra.

For one final moment, he looked at her.

The expression in his eyes was filled with hatred.

Then he turned away.

He walked out of the cell.

Levron remained standing for a moment.

Lyra looked toward him.

Their eyes met.

Levron eventually turned away.

He walked back outside and returned to his place against the wall. His stoic look never left his face through the entire encounter.

The jailhouse became quiet again.

Lyra lowered herself against the wall.

Her eyes stared into the darkness.

She knew her execution was approaching.

And there was nothing she could do to stop it.