The Scarred Queen's Rise (Athena) novel Chapter 653

Tomental rain lashed down as violet lightning tore through the night sky

Under the night sky, the Princess’s mansion stood in opulent grandeur, yet inexplicably exuded an air of decay

The sprawling garden was completely deserted–not a single soul in sight.

Lizzie, her hair wild and unkempt and her face contorted with terror, stumbled frantically through the garden.

“Stay awa

away. Don’t come near me,” Lizzie screamed hysterically

The world around Lizze twisted protesquely as countless bloodied hands clawed at her skirt, pulling with inhuman strength as if to drag her into the abyss.

Lizzie kicked and thrashed wildly, screaming. “Get away. Go away. It wasn’t me. I didn’t kill you. I didn’t kill any of you.”

Raindrops the size of marbles pelted her face. Her long hair, matted and tangled, clung to her skin like venomous snakes–ice-cold and clammy

Lizzie pressed her back against the wall, frantically brandishing a wooden stick. “No. Get away. Stay away from me,” with terror

She watched in horror as the corpses from the mass grave clawed their way out of the earth, one after another.

Their rotting corpses were in various states of decay, with bones protruding through the flesh in places

Lizzie turned pafe, huddled in the corner with her arms wrapped tightly around her head, utterly paralyzed with terror.

screamed, her voice cracking

“Ferris, save me. Please save me,” Lizzie’s consciousness wavered between feverish heat and icy chills as she dragged herself forward through the flooded courtyard, her fingernails clawing desperately at the cracks between the stone slabs.

Lightning flashed, and through the misty veil of rain emerged a figure clad in moon–white,

Ferris stood with his hands clasped behind his back against the palace wall. His usually affectionate, charming eyes now glinted with frost.

Under his umbrella, Ferris watched with icy detachment as Lizzie collapsed into hysterical sobs. Not a flicker of emotion crossed his cold, impassive lace.

Phantomheart Grass could amplify one’s deepest fears to unbearable extremes.

Ferris had laced those dishes with a large amount of Phantomheart Grass. But with lethal poison already in Farris’s system, mere Phantomheart Grass couldn’t possibly harm him.

Yet aber consuming the food tainted by Phantomheart Grass, Lizzie’s mind was completely enslaved by the drug

Ferris extended his hand, letting the icy rain gather in his palm, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

Arthur wanted Lizzie to disappear without a trace, yet dared not dirty his own hands. And so, Ferris became the sharpest weapon in his arsenal

Before she knew it, Lizzie had crawled to Ferris’s feet, her voice trembling with desperation as she pleaded, “Ferris, where are you? Please, help me. Save

Lizzie was caked in mud, her long hair plastered to her face. No trace remained of her former nobility. Now she was nothing

A subtle shit crossed Ferris’s features. Just as he was about to leave, Lizzie seemed to sense his presence.

A sudden, desperate cry tore from Lizzie’s throat. “You’re here, aren’t you? I know you are.

an a dying wretch.

With an anguished cry, Lizzie summoned her last ounce of strength and reached out desperately. Her hands faded blindly through the air. Though Fartis

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Chapter 653

stood right before her, her clouded vision could no longer perceive him.

Just as Lizzie’s hand was about to brush against the hem of Ferris’s robes, he recoiled a step. His eye dimmered with undisguised revulsion

“You’re so filthy” Ferris’s voice, laced with contempt, stabbed into Lizzie’s ears.

She frowe for a moment, then a hollow, almost hysterical laugh burst from her lips. “So it really was you pulling the strings. Well, dying by your hand–f

have no regrets

Perhaps the heavy rain brought Lurrie a moment of clarity. Clutching her bead as she slumped against the steps, she smiled vacantly at the empty always knew this day would come, just not so soon. Ferris, do you know why I’ve clung to you all this time?”

Just as Ferris was about to leave, a cold gust of wind whipped up the hem of his robe. He paused, glancing back at Lizzie, unsure if he was truly mad or just pretending.

But no matter what, once someone consumed Phantomheart Grass, there was no coming back.

ms their lives. But Lizzie’s question echoed in Ferris’s mind.

Its victims drown endlessly in their own fears, unable to escape, until fear itself finally claims their

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