Chapter 4

Heath shook the snow from his cloak and walked over to Isolde. His cloudy eyes held a flicker of undisguised disgust. He didn't like this tyrant either.

Cameron gave a brief explanation. "She fell and hit her head. She woke up and doesn't seem to recognize anyone."

Heath nodded. His bony fingers pressed against Isolde's wrist. A faint green energy seeped from his fingertips into her body.

Isolde panicked internally. "System! Hide my soul signature and the magic I just awakened!" she screamed in her mind.

[Acknowledged. Generating interference barrier. ]

The system quickly threw up a chaotic mess of energy on the surface of her consciousness, mimicking the disruption of a severe brain injury.

Heath's brow furrowed deeper. He pulled his hand back and moved to inspect the gruesome wound at the back of her head.

The three men in the room held their breath.

Heath turned around and sighed. "Her brain has suffered devastating trauma," he announced. "Her mental sea is a chaotic mess. She has indeed lost her memories."

Brennan let out a long breath, his eyes shining with undisguised joy. Cameron's jaw relaxed slightly. Dangelo chuckled, clearly pleased with the diagnosis.

Heath left a small pouch of herbs and added, "With this level of damage, unless she receives a significant shock, she may never recover."

After the healer left, the atmosphere in the room shifted. The three men looked at Isolde differently now. They weren't looking at a threat; they were looking at prey that had walked right into a trap.

Cameron walked over to the rickety table. He pulled out three yellowed pieces of parchment from his coat and laid them out neatly.

He turned to Isolde, his tone deceptively gentle but hard as steel underneath. "Since you've lost your memory, there are some legal matters we need to attend to."

Brennan stepped forward and shoved a quill dipped in red ink into Isolde's uninjured hand.

Dangelo explained coldly, "These are annulment agreements. You sign them, press your blood seal, and we are strangers. We owe you nothing."

Isolde looked at the dense text on the parchment. The system instantly translated it for her. It wasn't just an annulment. It was a complete forfeiture of her title as lord and all her property. She would be left with nothing.

[Warning! Signing the annulment will result in mission failure and immediate host termination. You will not survive the night without their protection. ]

Isolde's fingers tightened around the quill until her knuckles turned white. She couldn't sign.

She looked up, tears instantly filling her eyes. She stared at them with absolute terror and abandonment.

"Are you... my husbands?" she asked, her voice cracking. "Why do you want to throw me away? What did I do wrong?"

Brennan was struck dumb. He couldn't exactly list her crimes to a woman who didn't remember them.

Cameron tried to stay rational. "We have no feelings for each other," he stated flatly. "Ending the contract is best for everyone."

Isolde threw the quill away. She covered her face with her hands and broke down into loud, heaving sobs. She cried like someone who had just realized the world was a nightmare.

"I don't remember anything!" she wailed between breaths. "It's cold here! It's awful! If you kick me out, the beasts outside will eat me!"

This absolute surrender to vulnerability left the three beastmen completely at a loss. They knew how to fight violence with violence, but they didn't know how to handle a sobbing, helpless woman.

Isolde peeked through her fingers. Seeing their hesitation, she pushed harder. "Please," she begged, her voice raw. "Give me a little time. Don't abandon me now."

She held up three bloody fingers, trembling. "Three months," she pleaded. "If you still hate me after three months, I won't fight it. I'll sign."

The room fell silent. The men exchanged glances. Their plan to force her signature had just hit a wall of tears.