Captured Hearts: The Substitute Bride's Gambit - Chapter 262 - High-Risk Surgery

Nine Characters, all bound to the whims of a 'Deranged Entity.'All the clues they have are the vast differences they have with those that bore them.His Madness has seeped into them, crowning them with Glory. They shall come to know the price of Sin & Virtue by Sacrilege & Madness:Krael _My Pride can overturn Creation, drowning it in the madness of an unwilling. And yet I have to offer servitude to one who will always be beneath me, in the twisted guise of learning Humility - If only she knew how I long to grind her bones, she would know to control her tongueBorn to Pride, servitude to Humility.:Kaelan_My Hunger can consume the very foundations of existence leaving behind an abyss born from my will. And yet I have to exercise temperance lest I lose meaning. Why do the gods mock me so...to give me all I can ever eat, and yet never to touch any satiate my growing hunger. I have seen the cruelty of the divineBorn to Gluttony, raised by Temperance:Zaen_My Envy stalks the might of existence, wishing for its grandeur to be mine. And yet, my envy is never allowed to fester for Kindness plagues me like a curse. Compassion that was never mine, empathy I could care less about, heavens know I would rather drown in my own spit than to share goodwillBorn of Envy, chained by Kindness:Xaelan_My Greed clouds the hearts of even gods, from the mortal coils to the vastness of the cosmos chaining the 'Old Ones to sin. I feel the sickening embrace of her love, and yet I can never have it, for whatever is mine, I must give. To know Charity—that bustard—is the punishment I was accordedBorn in Greed, defiled by Charity: ...My Wrath burns the Heavens and fuels the pits of hell, bringing the end to all, as I ride my mount to Herald the storm. -Oops, this is not my stage. Sorry, but worry not my progeny will carry the mantle on my behalf. As they unleash the wrath stocked in their blood. But soon they will learn just how deep my Lord intends to go and that only Patience is the key to his games...hahaha...poor children, if only I could march alongside you in misery.Born to Wrath, burial by Patience:Thaen_My Sloth... uhm mm... well, I am too exhausted to think of a monologue.But Yah, blah blah...something Diligence... All I know is that I am more hard working than all of them combined... that 'guy was truly not fair when dishing them out_Born to Sloth, death by Diligence:Laen_My Lust fuels the passion of Creation, all beings lost in the throes of my splendor, indulging in desires so dark, and yet I am the purest of them all, abstinence is second nature. I weep for desires unfulfilled and yet Chastity that horrendous bi*** mocks me with laughter. Yet it seems only I suffer this cruelty; others are free in indulgence only I am a slave to virtue_Born in the flames of Lust, sustained by Chastity:Haelan_My Hatred runs so deep that the abyss is flooded; the rivers of the underworld are mere streams to my Hatred. I hold nothing but hate in my heart and yet 'he wishes I hold onto compassion. In 'his twisted form of madness, 'he has left me with no other choice. I shall let 'it fester until the day I make 'him pay_Born in the depths of Hate, Compassion my Love and my Death:Raelin_My Despair has seeped into the cracks of existence, corrupting the Light' of the 'Creator. All I feel is the despair and sorrow of all those born and chained in the embrace of 'the sisters' misery.'Unlike them, I search for her, elusive like the wind. I despair for the sight of her, and yet she will always elude me, shunning my pleas_Born in Despair, mourning for Hope...I feel the twisted love 'he holds for us all and yet they do not see it, blinded by Sin and Virtue:>Long but necessary:) what is the story about? Simply it's about the interplay of Sin and Virtue with a hint of Madness and Malevolence. Complicatedly, what makes sense may not actually make sense.

In the silent solace of a forest on an unknown island, a middle-aged man awoke to a world brimming with vibrant life. A stark difference between the preceding sceneries of the concrete jungle that shrouded his life.As his mind emerged from the murky depths of unconsciousness, he was greeted by the gentle sunlight filtering through the lush canopy above.His name was Abraham Shepherd, an office worker.When he salvaged a tinge of his lucidness and calm, Abraham found himself grappling with the fog of memory and the weight of his recent demise. However, he found comfortin the tranquility of his surroundings.Though initially disoriented by his newfound state, he gradually reclaimed his composure and clarity of mind.But Abraham's respite was short-lived, for he soon realized the extraordinary circumstances of his existence.Transmigration.Transmigrated from his former life as an ordinary office worker, he now stood at the threshold of an unfamiliar realm, teeming with possibilities and unknown dangers.Recalling the horrific experience of his untimely demise during a heated gaming session, the helplessness, fear, and loneliness. A flicker of determination soon ignited within his soul.Driven by a newfound resolve to seize control of his destiny, Abraham embarked on a journey of self-discovery and survival. With each step forward, he embraced the uncertainty of his new reality, determined to carve out a place for himself in this fantastical world.But as fate would have it, Abraham's path would intersect with a revelation beyond his wildest imagination yet should have been expected to come.| Initializing Naval Building System… |―――――Do you want to read a story about a protagonist summoning modern warships into a fantasy world? Well, here it is! The Naval Gacha System: It's Time To Monopolize The Seven Seas!

Madeline “Maddie” Brownwood is a nineteen-year-old college student and lives an ordinary life with her aunt. Her mother was dead, and her father was unknown to her until one day, she found herself in confusion when she arrived at her aunt’s house surrounded by gentlemen with black suits. One man approached her and told her to come with him to the Divenson Mansion to prepare for her wedding.

Hunter Divenson is the handsome and hot engineer and CEO of the largest mining company in the country, the Divenson Mining Corporation. He got entangled with his driver’s last dying wish to marry his estranged daughter when his car was hit by a drunk driver. He agreed to his request to stop his parents from forcing him to get married.

“I’m sorry, Maddie, Mr. Divenson already paid all of our debts, and you know my debts filed up when I accepted you and your mother in this house, and I am not going to lose this house anymore. You should come with them so that we will be all happy, and you will have a better life.” Her aunt said.

Maddie was left no choice, and go to the Divenson mansion where she meets her future in-laws, Mr. Divenson’s parents were super strict and showed to her face she doesn’t belong to their family, while her future brother-in-law always looks at her with lust that made her scared every time they cross paths, and her other sister loathes her. And only a twelve-year-old girl, his younger sister, loves and adores her, and carried out her stay at the mansion bearable.

The moment she meets Hunter, she falls in love with him. He is so sweet with her every time a member of his family is around, but he is so different when they are alone, and his actions sometimes contradict his words, but his remarks haunted her in her dreams most of the nights.

“We are only married on the paper since I don’t have time for love, business success is the only thing that makes me happy, and I can’t love someone like you. Don’t expect if something happens to us in bed; I will love you. I only need an heir of my empire.” He said coldly that made her entire body shivers, and she hated herself for falling in love with her husband every day, until one day she realized she couldn’t take it anymore.

Maddie asked Hunter for a divorce in a stern tone, and it made Hunter’s entire body turned cold. This is the first time his wife appeal to talk with him, and he couldn’t believe she was asking for a divorce. Her words drove him understood what a fool he had been, and now, all he can see in her beautiful eyes are hatred. He realized he couldn’t let her go because he loves his wife with all his heart.

Can Hunter win back his wife’s affection?

Is Maddie’s love for Hunter totally gone? Or it was still there and she is just trying to forget and move on? Can she give her husband another chance?

Lothair is a serial killer who detest imperfection on human’s facial features, which resulted in him having a compulsory behavior of wanting to strip people’s faces.After he dies, he finds himself as Narcissus, a beautiful and adorable female NPC inside a state-of-the-art VRMMO world of the latest craze called Fallen Carcosa Online.But despite being a fantasy-filled game, the world feels strangely realistic.Too realistic, even.Game-like systems and magic exist but so do plagues, politics, economy, and the horror hidden in plain sight.When pried open, an actual human-like anatomy can be seen beyond the skin of the NPC’s face—with little to no censor.Everything feels too immersive.Except Narcissus, Lothair’s new identity.When Narcissus tried to scrape off the face of her new adorable body, she found an abyssal void with little to no end.This story marks the birth for the King in Yellow.Warning, this story contain: Male-to-Female Genderbend, GL/Yuri, Occasional Futa MC, Yanderes, Harem, Self-Cest.Follow the creative and attentive Narcissus, a nuanced former serial-killer who will gradually becomes stronger, experienced, maddening, horrifying, but also mature, wise, conflicted, and complex—in this near-endless journey.Where souls unsung and tears unshed.In the land of Lost Carcosa.