The Spoilt Beauty And Her Beasts-Chapter 544: Three damn tasks

The air on the mountain felt sharper this morning. Cold enough to prick her skin, warm enough that she didn’t breathe frost.

The sky above the high canopy shimmered in that strange mountain glow again, neither sunlight nor moonlight, but something ancient and magical swirling together.

Isabella didn’t care.

She had no time to admire anything.

She had Shelia to save.

She had tasks to finish.

She had a ticking clock.

And she had a stupid phoenix man breathing behind her neck like an oversized dog.

Osiris, thankfully, stayed silent for once. He lingered behind her like a tall shadow, occasionally kicking a pebble like a bored child.

Isabella ignored him.

She had bigger problems.

She took a deep breath, steadying her pulse, and sent a command through her mind.

"Bubu," she said in her thoughts. "Show me my uncompleted tasks."

Her system perked up immediately, its voice annoyingly bright as if happy to torture her again.

"Displaying tasks."

A translucent screen flashed before her eyes, glowing pale blue. Letters shimmered in soft golden strokes, forming into three urgent tasks she had been dreading.

1. Silent Nectar

Found: Collected from a rare hummingbird that only drinks from skyflowers near the summit.

Use: Repairs nerves and heals internal organs.

Note: The bird must willingly drop a bead of nectar into a bowl carved from ice. Cannot be forced.

2. Ghostshade Bark

Found: On the bark of the translucent Ghostshade tree near the cliff edge.

Use: Prevents body rot and stops the spread of poison.

Note: Only a woman who has cried for another’s death can see the tree.

3. Redstone Powder

Found: Beneath the cave floor at the mountain’s entrance.

Use: Activates the ritual and binds all ingredients together.

Note: It’s protected by hallucination-inducing spores. You’ll need a wet cloth over your mouth to breathe safely.

Isabella stared at the floating screen.

Her mouth tightened.

Her fingers curled into her fan’s handle.

"Three," she muttered. "Three damn tasks."

Bubu hummed in her head like a smug little brat. "Perhaps if you spent less time arguing with a certain idiot bird-man, you would have completed at least one of these."

Isabella rolled her eyes so hard her soul almost left her body.

Behind her, Osiris asked lazily, "Are you talking to yourself again?"

She ignored him.

Instead, she mentally swiped the menu aside and began thinking.

Silent Nectar.

Ghostshade Bark.

Redstone Powder.

These weren’t normal tasks. These were the final three challenges that would determine whether Shelia lived or died.

The weight pressed on her chest. She inhaled, exhaled, lifted her chin.

"I am not wasting time," she whispered in her head. "I’ll finish two today."

Her system gasped dramatically. "Two. Today. On this mountain. While pregnant."

Isabella’s glare sharpened.

"Stop being dramatic," she said in her thoughts. "You act like you don’t know me."

Oh, Bubu knew her.

And because of that, Bubu sighed heavily like a tired mother watching a chaotic daughter sprint into danger with no helmet.

"Fine," the system muttered. "Try not to die."

Isabella snorted softly.

Then she focused again.

Silent Nectar was near the summit. That was doable. Dangerous, yes, but still doable. Ghostshade Bark required emotional qualifications she did not want to think about yet.

Redstone Powder was at the mountain’s entrance, which they would pass eventually anyway.

Her mind raced back and forth, calculating, planning, worrying, gritting her teeth.

She inhaled deeply.

Silent Nectar first.

She could do that. She had to. Saving Shelia was not optional.

If she didn’t hurry...

If she wasted time...

If she hesitated...

Shelia, who had made things easier for her in the past.

Shelia, who had laughed with her.

Shelia, who trusted her.

No. She would not fail.

Her throat tightened.

Her eyes softened.

She pressed two fingers to her temple and whispered in her heart.

Shelia, I am coming for you.

She opened her eyes with fierce determination.

Then she reached into her space.

Her fingers brushed against metal and parchment until they closed around familiar shapes. She drew out her magical map and her fan.

The map unfurled in her hands with a soft glow, shimmering like ink swirling through water.

Lines shifted. Roads realigned. Symbols floated across the surface until a bright dot pulsed near the top.

The location of the Silent Nectar.

The summit.

Of course.

Osiris leaned over her shoulder dramatically like a nosy neighbor.

"What is that?" he asked.

Isabella elbowed him instantly.

"None of your business."

He winced and stepped back, rubbing his ribs. "You hit hard for someone so tiny."

"I am pregnant, stressed, and tired of your face," she snapped. "Do not test me."

Osiris raised his hands in surrender.

Glimora stood beside Isabella’s foot, looking up at her with worried glowing eyes.

Isabella knelt down and stroked the little creature’s head gently.

"We will get this done," she whispered. "We will save Shelia."

Glimora nuzzled her hand.

Isabella exhaled and stood, gripping her fan tightly as she stared at the glowing point on her map.

The path to the Silent Nectar shimmered faintly, marking itself with a soft golden trail.

She straightened her spine.

She tightened her belt.

She steadied her breathing.

She whispered one more time:

I’m coming for you, Shelia.

Osiris watched her change.

One moment she was snapping at him, rolling her eyes, threatening to stab him with her fan.

The next, her entire expression softened, tightened, focused. Her shoulders straightened. Her grip on the map firmed with purpose. Her eyes, those fierce little eyes that always glared at him, suddenly held something else.

Worry.

Real worry.

Osiris blinked.

He had never seen Isabella look like that before, not even when she was angry enough to throw a rock at his skull. Whoever this Shelia was, she mattered. Deeply. Enough to make Isabella’s heartbeat shift. Enough to wipe away her usual sarcasm.

Quietly, Osiris made a note in his heart.

This person must be important to her.

And without thinking, he wished... genuinely wished... that Isabella would finish every task, get every ingredient, and save this person she cared for so much.

She didn’t notice his silence.

To her, he was still just an annoying fly buzzing behind her.