Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 1065: Call

A new voice slipped into the fray, serene and motherly.

”Your unsightly side is showing, daughter... Is this what became of the hundred years I spent teaching you manners?”

Sylvaris, the moon elf, drifted into view with her usual quiet grace. She stepped up behind her daughter and embraced her from behind, slender arms wrapping gently around Seraphiel’s shoulders. Her silver hair spilled over her child’s back as she murmured, ”I was worried.”

”Unsightly side?” Seraphiel scoffed, her lips twitching in indignation. ”I have no unsightly side! I only have a side that looks at life with an open mind. And in case anyone forgot, we’re already criminals.”

”You are?!” Felicity yelped, nearly tripping backward on her own skirt.

Seraphiel winced and cut her eyes toward Quinlan with a look that asked for help. She clearly didn’t want to explain.

Quinlan sighed and stepped in. His voice was calm, steady, as he deflected the question.

”No matter what we were before, we’re criminals now. The queen of our nation personally attacked us. And now... we have her daughter. Morgana can spin that story however she wants. To the public, we’ll be monsters. She can make Lord Black sound as if he were the most heinous criminal alive.”

Felicity’s expression hardened as the words sank in. At first, her lips trembled, her eyes darting all over the place, looking for a solution, a way to deny it. But then her face twisted, and all softness burned away in an instant.

She wasn’t upset. She wasn’t hurt.

She was utterly furious.

Her violet eyes lit up like amethysts catching fire, her delicate hands curling into white-knuckled fists as her chest rose and fell with ragged breaths. The anger wasn’t directed at Quinlan or his words. No. This fury had only one target.

Her mother.

”I always knew she was an antisocial, greedy, and frankly, a bit crazy person, but this is too much! I-”

A sharp, piercing ring cut Felicity off. The crystalline sound reverberated through the chamber, alien in its clarity.

Her breath caught. Her hands, trembling with rage a heartbeat earlier, now shook with a different kind of dread. Slowly, unwillingly, her fingers reached for the necklace at her throat.

Quinlan’s eyes instantly widened.

”Shit!”

Realization struck him in an instant, and judging by the gasps and sudden movements around him, he wasn’t the only one.

”No!” Lucille cried.

They all lunged together.

And Quinlan himself was a blur of motion, his portal already tearing open like a hungry maw. His hand shot out, seizing the jewel at Felicity’s neck. He was one breath away from ripping it free and hurling it into the void forever.

If the artifact was transmitting its location... their sanctuary would be compromised. Their hideout, everything they’d built, would be gone. Furthermore, thanks to Rosie’s great tree being rooted so deeply into this land, whether they could even make their escape was dubious at best. The little driad girl was tethered to the fantasy tree, which sustained her life.

Rosie did not need to eat or drink with her dryad body; all of that was done by the tree. In exchange, however, the tether had to be maintained, which could only be done with her being in close proximity. The maximum distance she could be from the tree increased as she got stronger.

But then, before Quinlan could tear the chain free, a calm, lilting voice cut across the tension.

”Relax. I disabled it.”

Yoruha’s voice. Feminine. Playful. But it carried with crystalline sharpness, echoing across the stronghold as though she stood among them. Yet everyone knew she wasn’t here, probably already curled up into a ball somewhere, busy being pampered by Celeste, her handmaiden.

”The necklace is veiled now,” the foxkin continued. ”It’s nothing more than a communicator. No location-sharing, no tracking, no listening ears. I made sure of that much.”

Quinlan froze, his fingers still wrapped around the jewel, the portal swirling hungrily beside him. Slowly, he exhaled, retracting his arm before releasing the chain. The portal snapped shut with a heavy thoom. ꭆÂ₦ỗＢЁṠ

Felicity staggered back a step, pale as chalk. Her eyes were wide, utterly lost as to why they had nearly torn her throat open without warning. She trusted this group a great deal. One could easily argue that she trusted them far, far too much. But such was the mind of a child. Logic wasn’t always their strong suit.

Her lips parted in confusion until Yoruha’s words clicked in her brain.

The princess’s trembling eased as understanding dawned.

There was a good reason why her group of friends used masks and aliases. They wanted to remain unknown. An artifact that broadcast the location of their home went against their wishes.

She swallowed hard, feeling extreme guilt for what she’d done, and whispered a silent ’thank you’ toward the direction she saw Yoruha dip in.

Then, Felicity looked up at Quinlan. Her eyes asked a silent question.

’Should I...’

His gaze held hers for a long moment. Then, at last, he gave her a steady nod.

Felicity’s hands reached for the glowing jewel and lifted it close to her lips.

”Yes... Father?”

Silence. The courtyard seemed to hold its breath.

”Felicity.” The voice broke through, deep, steady, unmistakable. King Alexios. His words carried a weight that pressed down on every heart present, yet beneath it was a warmth. Relief, so raw it cracked through his kingly composure. ”Are you well?”

The girl’s grip tightened on the jewel. ”I... I only have a few bruises.”

”Good,” he replied, exhaling heavily as if he had been holding his breath for days. For a heartbeat, he was not a king but a father. But that warmth cooled quickly. His voice hardened, steel returning to every syllable he uttered. The gentle tone was gone. What remained was authority. Dominion.

”Is he there?”

The air grew heavier. Everyone turned toward Quinlan.

His tone was calm as he spoke into the silence.

”I am.”

A pause came. Then Alexios answered.

”Then I greet you, Black...”

”Or should I call you Devil?”