This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

At this point, Zoey still needed the protection of the Lopez family.

Even though her level was now in the top tier, and she had plenty of attack skills, her attributes were still far too low. She couldn't protect herself properly. Her S-tier Divine Gift was both a treasure and a danger.

Unless she left the Lopez family and immediately joined another powerful faction, the treatment she'd receive elsewhere would never be as good as what the Lopez family provided—not even from the Special Affairs Bureau.

But knowing this didn't help. Sometimes, people don't act purely out of reason; they live driven by a fire inside. If things were going well for Zoey, she might have been able to bear it all, knowing that by enduring short-term humiliation, she could later reclaim more.

But she wasn't doing well right now, and that made it impossible for her to force herself to endure any more—it would be too cruel to herself.

Two years ago, she had already bowed and endured once. This time, she couldn't play the obedient "good girl" or the "daddy's sweetheart." Giving up the dragon now would mean giving up her chance at turning things around.

Zoey raised her hand and gently wiped away the nearly invisible tear marks on her face, her voice calm as she spoke, "Aren't you already trying to do the same thing? Lock me up, treat me like a tool or a piece of equipment."

"If you want the dragon, then go ahead and disown me from the Lopez family first."

Rick led Zoey out of the study, out of the main house of the Lopez estate, and toward their small villa.

Neither of them spoke along the way. The warm summer breeze blew, making their tightly clasped hands even hotter, but neither let go.

Rick's mind was a mess. He had never seen Zoey so heartbroken. He felt that even when Zoey lost her last ear, she hadn't been this devastated.

Back then, Zoey had been more angry than hurt. But tonight, the pain overwhelmed the anger—there might not have been any anger at all, just profound sadness and disappointment.

Later that night, they lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Rick suddenly broke the silence, "You know, I kind of hate you."

Zoey replied, "Want to get whipped again?"

Rick sighed, "I know I was the one who wronged you first… I just… can we renegotiate the terms?"

Zoey sat up, raising an eyebrow, "So, you're really craving a beating, huh?" She grabbed a whip from her game inventory and pointed to the floor. "Get over there and kneel."

Rick quickly rolled away, distancing himself from her as he spoke rapidly, "I have a feather. I got it before our contract, and it can absorb someone's luck. If you're willing to renegotiate our deal, I'll give it to you. At least let me keep some dignity, like only giving you half my earnings each month. I don't want to be treated like a tool or a piece of equipment either."

Zoey's hand froze mid-motion, her eyes glinting in the darkness as she stared at Rick for a long time. "You're really calculating, aren't you? You deliberately chose to bring this up now, thinking I'd sympathize with you because of what I've been through? Ha, sorry to disappoint you, but I won't. People like you, once you rise to power, the first thing you'll do is kill me."

She was already too busy trying to take care of herself; there was no way she'd feel sorry for Rick.

Rick sighed, "You really are smart… I realized I can't find a single weakness or flaw in you."

Zoey put away the whip and lay back down, "Give me the feather. You only need to hand over half of the gear and items you get in September."

Rick's body relaxed, his limbs sprawled out in a star shape as he lay on the bed, "Fine, go ahead and beat me to death."

Zoey: "..."

Had she actually whipped him into enjoying it?

Rick sighed again, "After you get the dragon, you'll need to find a way to get me one too—any kind of dragon, even a fake one like a wyvern. Then I'll give you the feather."

Zoey extended her hand, "Deal."

Rick placed the feather in her palm.

They didn't bother signing a new contract. Rick lay back, his arm behind his head, inwardly cursing himself. In the end, he was the one who had backed down first. Zoey, on the other hand, had only shown vulnerability for a few brief seconds.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Half an hour later, Zoey's voice broke the silence in the dark, "This feather… you originally intended to use it on me, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"So, are you pitying me?"

"Maybe."

Rick stared at the moonlight outside the window, unsure how to describe his feelings. He did hate Zoey—he still hated her, even now. He had been calculating, trying to use her vulnerable moment to his advantage.

Zoey's blood wasn't easy to get. She was constantly on guard, fearing that her illness would be discovered. She always made sure her blood never leaked, even burning her sanitary products. That feather had no use on her.

Rick had thought she'd be fragile in this moment and that he could use a useless feather to bargain for some benefits. But Zoey had seen through his plan instantly.

Yet, it wasn't entirely cold calculation. Deep down, Rick had a small glimmer of sincerity.

As much as he hated to admit it, he was attracted to Zoey's personality.

This was truly maddening.

Outwardly, Rick often echoed Samuel's views on how women should behave, but deep down, he had always been drawn to strong, assertive women—those with ambition and power, who never gave up or bowed down.

If things hadn't gone so wrong, if they had both been fine from the start, maybe they could have been happy together.

Even people like Rick, with all their flaws, still craved love. People like him, more than anyone else, longed for true affection, because for them, it was such a rare and distant thing.

…

Rita had no idea Rick had such preferences. Otherwise, she might have tried to talk Zoey out of whipping him, fearing that it might actually make Rick enjoy it.

Experience more tales on empire

The next morning, Rita woke up to a shock. In front of her was a huge, translucent projection of Nivalis, taking up the entire room.

Unlike the usually cute and docile dragon, this Nivalis was fully unleashed. Her eyes glowed with ice-blue dragon flames, the fire extending to the corners of her eyes, burning fiercely despite the lack of wind. Magic surged within her, and every scale shimmered with a flow of magical light.

Instinctively, Rita Phantom Shifted out of the room, landing on the floor outside in her pajamas.

A second later, Nivalis's laughter echoed from inside.

Rita: "…"

After taking some time to give Nivalis a thorough beating, Rita began preparing her backpack for tomorrow's trip to Moonfox City. With the dragon raid scheduled for September 1st, she needed to handle Apache's task before that.

She had already learned the customs and etiquette of the Moonfox tribe and had memorized the magical runes Apache required. The map of Moonfox City was firmly etched in her mind, and she had even prepared escape routes. Tools to carry the books? Check. A ladder to climb and reach higher shelves? Check.

Nivalis floated nearby, munching on an ice cream. "Where are you going?"

"Moonfox City. You know where that is?"

"The main city of the Moonfox tribe?"

"Yeah. If all goes well, I'll be back by tomorrow night."

"And if it doesn't?"

Rita wasn't about to jinx herself. She wasn't going to say anything like "I'll be back for dinner" or "Don't worry, everything will go smoothly"—she wasn't about to tempt fate with that kind of talk!

"Haha, well, you know, who can say? We'll see."

Thinking Rita was lacking confidence, Nivalis decided to encourage her. "Don't worry! It'll all be fine. Everything will work out. You're my friend, after all, and I'm Nivalis! Go on, I'll be waiting here for you to come back and have dinner with me!"

Rita raised her hand to stop Nivalis from talking, but it was too late.

She sighed.

"Thank you. Really, thank you."