From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 374: Chapter 374

Maybe it was the new place, or maybe the Barnes family's odd vibes had her on edge—either way, Serena slept fitfully.
She kept slipping in and out of dreams where a massive snake slithered up from her feet, winding over her body. That cold, slimy feeling made her shiver, pulling her awake bit by bit.
She didn't open her eyes right away—just lay there, calming her racing heart from the nightmare.
Elara's soft snores filled her ears. Back in their dorm, they slept head-to-head, and she fell asleep to that sound almost every night. Knowing Elara was right there steadied her nerves.
She was about to drift off again when something felt off. That cold, slimy sensation from her dream—it wasn't just in her head. It was real.
A hand was touching her calf, slowly sliding upward. And it was a rough, broad man's hand.
Serena's breathing quickened. Her mind screamed at her to stay calm, racing to figure out who this man in the room could be. But before she could steady herself and think of what to do next, the man in the room spoke first.
"Heh heh, wife, I want this wife." That voice—it was Lenore's brother, Damon.
Serena's eyes snapped open. She grabbed her pillow and smashed it hard into Damon.
The pillow was stuffed with wheat husks, so it had some weight to it. With Serena's forceful swing, Damon yelped in pain, clutching his face and howling by the bedside. His cries instantly woke Elara and Lenore, who were also in the room.
"Oh my, a creep!" Elara screamed, grabbing anything within reach and hurling it at Damon.
The barrage sent Damon scrambling in a panic, but the room was dark, and with his muddled mind, he tripped over the bed frame and crashed face-first to the floor.
Then the room lit up—Lenore had gotten out of bed and flipped on the lights. She stared at Damon sprawled on the ground, her expression unreadable.
"What the—" Elara froze, throwing clothes over herself and Serena while frowning at Lenore. "Lenore, why's your brother here? What was he trying to do?"
Lenore didn't answer right away. She just stood there, silently staring at the pathetic Damon with a complicated look in her eyes. Serena watched her and saw it clear as day—there was hate in Lenore's gaze toward Damon. Deep, burning hate.
"Lenore, Lenore!" Elara raised her voice.
That snapped Lenore out of it. She turned to Elara and Serena, but before she could speak, her parents burst in from next door, alerted by the noise.
"What's going on? What happened?" Olivia came in first, glancing at Serena and Elara on the bed before looking at her son, still struggling on the floor. Her brows furrowed slightly, but she didn't rush to help him up.
Fyodor, though, saw his eldest son down and immediately went to him. "Damon, you okay? Come on, let me check you out."
But the first thing he checked wasn't Damon's face—it was his crotch. Seeing nothing odd there, he finally looked at his son's face. "Crying, crying—what's a grown man crying for?"
"Dad, Dad, it hurts, hurts!" Damon whined, clutching his face as he complained to his father.
Serena's face darkened. "Shouldn't we figure out why he was even in here?"
Both parents turned to Serena, their movements eerily in sync.
"You're fine, aren't you?" Fyodor said.
Serena let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, I'm fine now, but if I wasn't, it'd be too late. When the lights were off, he was at the bed, touching my leg, calling me his wife. Don't I deserve an explanation for that?"
"What? That's disgusting!" Elara blurted out, then realized she was in Lenore's house and that creep was her brother.
She looked at Lenore. "Lenore?"
Lenore bit her lip, her shoulders trembling, her eyes red with frustration.
"Mom, Dad, you knew my classmates were here—why didn't you keep an eye on him? He's not right in the head and always says crazy stuff. It's one thing when it's just us, but now you didn't watch him. Are you trying to ruin the wedding on purpose?"
Fyodor, who'd been acting like it was no big deal, suddenly seemed to grasp the gravity of it. "No way, no way—I'll take Damon out right now."
With that, he dragged Damon toward the door. Damon clearly didn't want to go—his eyes were practically glued to Serena. "Dad, Dad, I don't wanna go! I want my wife, my wife!"
"Shut up!" His dad yanked him out, half-dragging him, then called back to Lenore, "Don't worry, I'll keep him in line until then."
Elara and Serena exchanged a glance. That last line from Fyodor sounded off.
Meanwhile, Olivia just stood there the whole time, watching silently, offering no opinion. But when she looked at Serena, there was a flicker of disappointment in her eyes.
Serena didn't get it. She was confused and thought, 'Disappointed about what? Damon didn't get away with his creepy stunt? Or that we didn't beat him to a pulp?'
Noticing Serena studying her, Olivia looked away. "Alright, it's almost dawn. You all get some more sleep. Once people show up later, you won't get the chance."
Then she left the room. Back in the room, it was just Serena, Elara, and Lenore again.
Lenore stood with her back to them for a few seconds before turning around, looking uneasy. "Sorry, Rena, Elara. You saw how my brother is—he's not right in the head and does stuff that makes no sense. Don't worry, he won't come back. There's some time before dawn—get some rest."
That's what she said, but after that mess, no one could sleep. Even Elara, who was usually pretty chill, couldn't drift off now.
Still, out of two years of dormmate loyalty—and because Lenore really was great back at school—neither Serena nor Elara said much more. They took the pillow Lenore picked up and lay back down.
But neither of them slept—they couldn't. This whole Barnes family situation felt weird from top to bottom.
Finally, Serena couldn't hold back. "Lenore, what's the wedding process like around here? Why hasn't your house been decorated at all?"
From the moment she stepped into the house, something felt off, but she hadn't paid it much mind—her focus had been on the family's bizarre behavior.
Now it hit her: if Lenore was getting married, how come her family's place didn't have the slightest hint of wedding prep?
She got that weddings varied by region, but no matter the differences, there'd at least be some cleaning or decorating. Yet inside and out, the house had zero signs of celebration.
Elara caught on too. "Yeah, Lenore, why's that?"