Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 1177

Chapter 1177: I guess I’ll never get used to it.
They were certain that if they told anyone what had happened to them, no one would believe them. Heck, they wouldn’t believe themselves either.

Penny, her brothers, and Zoren sat in the living room. The air was stale; none of them had spoken a word since returning to the castle. Even the hot tea prepared for them sat untouched. All they did was stare at it as it slowly turned cold.

They were injured and should be resting, but they were all too overstimulated to even think about sleep. Above all, the castle was the complete opposite of the battlefield they had just left. It was quiet and peaceful, filled only with the soft humming of birds as the sun rose once more.

Everything that had happened just hours ago felt like a dream—like it had all been in their imagination. If not for the traces left behind—their wounds, their exhaustion—they might have thought they had simply been hallucinating.

“What are you all still doing?”

After a long silence, Atlas’s flat voice slashed through the air. Everyone lifted their blank eyes to him.

“Go to your rooms and rest. Look at all of you… such a mess.”

Penny stabbed herself in the leg, and even with her wound bandaged, she was still covered in dirt. Her hair was a tangled disaster. Hugo looked like he had just swum through a pool of mud. Slater was dirty, but not as bad as Hugo.

And then there was Zoren, a bandage wrapped around the side of his head.

Atlas shook his head, his gaze flicking between Zoren and Penny. He opened his mouth, but then shut it again.

“We still have a whole day here. Use that time to rest,” he said, restraining himself from scolding them. Atlas couldn’t scold Slater because he knew the latter hadn’t wished for any of this to happen. He couldn’t lecture Hugo, because of course his Second Brother would rush in to rescue Slater.

But Penny and Zoren?

Those two should have just waited outside like Atlas had. Things would have been much simpler if they had just sat still and exercised patience. Even though Penny was capable—and perhaps Zoren as well—the fewer people involved, the better. If only they had reminded themselves to stay put, they wouldn’t have gotten hurt.

Atlas drew a deep breath and rose to his feet. “Go. Rest now.”

Penny pressed her lips together and slid her eyes to the side. “K.”

“Hugo.” Ignoring Penny’s dismissiveness—she was still slightly out of it—Atlas shifted his attention to Hugo. “Will you be alright?”

Hugo smirked. “Me? Of course I will. I’ll just take a shower and then a long, long nap.” With that, he reached for his cup of tea and downed it in one go.

Meanwhile, Atlas turned to Slater. “You. Come with me.”

“I’m fine.”

“Now.” With that, Atlas walked off. Slater rolled his eyes.

“Tch.” He clicked his tongue but followed languidly.

Hugo, on the other hand, remained on the couch. He glanced at Slater’s retreating back before setting his eyes on Penny and Zoren.

For some reason, Penny was watching Slater leave with curiosity.

“We should go back to our room too,” Zoren’s gentle voice caressed Penny’s ears, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Can you walk?”

“Of course. The good thing about stabbing myself is that I know where to stab,” Penny quipped, but Zoren only frowned.

“Love life, don’t worry about me. I’m okay. Are you?”

“I am. Don’t worry about me,” Zoren nodded. “Let me help you up.”

“Hmm…” Penny casually placed her hand on her husband’s arm, but a thought struck her. “By the way, is it really okay that we left Benjamin in town? After everything that happened, wouldn’t it be safer to keep him here with us? Especially since Mint is going to be busy with everything.”

“Don’t worry about him.” Before Zoren could respond, Hugo stretched his legs over the couch and lay back. With his eyes closed, he spoke coolly. “What happened was crazy—even for me. No matter how experienced or skilled a person is in battle, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t weigh on their heart.”

Penny pressed her lips together, staring at her Second Brother.

Hugo might have sounded indifferent and unaffected, but the fact that he had chosen to sleep in the living room rather than be alone said otherwise.

“You should sleep in our room, Second Brother,” Zoren offered, making Penny glance at him in surprise. “I think it’s better if we all stay together for now.”

Hugo peeked at them with one eye and smirked. “Are you guys feeling sorry for me?”

“The way you phrase things makes me feel worse,” Penny clicked her tongue. “Just get up and sleep in our room.”

“Haha. It’s fine.” Hugo laughed, closing his eyes again. “I’m not letting my baby sister and baby brother-in-law carry the burden.”

“If you don’t want us to share the burden, then at least let us make it feel lighter,” Penny retorted in frustration.

But Hugo just smiled. “I like listening to this house sing. Don’t worry about me. I’m okay. And the last thing I want right now is Zoren sneaking around with my sister. Just go—shoo! I’m going to sleep.”

Penny and Zoren exchanged a sigh, watching him. But since he was adamant about staying in the living room, they gave up.

Glancing at each other, they shrugged and wished him “good morning” instead of “good night.”

With that, they left to rest in their room. As they did, Hugo partially opened his eyes, staring up at the grand chandelier hanging from the high ceiling.

He just lay there, listening to the birds’ morning praises and the subtle noises of life in the castle.

“…”

After a while, he noticed someone standing nearby in his peripheral vision. When he turned his head, he found Butler Lee watching him.

Hugo smiled and let out a soft chuckle. “I guess I’ll never get used to it.”

Butler Lee returned his smile. “No one ever does—unless their heart is so cold it could freeze the world. It just gets easier.”

“Well.” Hugo shrugged. “But I’m still glad everyone’s safe.”

He paused, gaze drifting upward. “My family’s life… weighs heavier than a hundred—a thousand enemies.”