Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 1069: Negotiating with King Alexios

The air went still.

”E-EH?!” Felicity’s shriek could’ve destroyed glass. Her entire face flushed so red it almost matched Serika’s hair, and her head whipped toward Quinlan as if her neck had broken. ”F-F-F-Father?! What-what are you even-?!”

”You heard me.”

She could barely breathe, much less form proper words of response. Her chest tightened, and her cheeks burned hotter by the second.

Felicity was outraged because she was promised by her father that he’d not give her away for political gains, but that ship seemed to have sailed... She was betrayed. Yet, somehow, she couldn’t exactly come to hate the idea of being betrothed to this man... He was much better than any other suitor she had the displeasure of interacting with.

This was why every time the girl tried to glare at her father, or at least the artifact, as he wasn’t present... her eyes betrayed her, darting back toward Quinlan in stolen glances. Quick, shy, mortified. The girl hugged herself in an attempt to shield herself from the weight of what had just been said.

Jiai’s amused laughter died in her throat. For some reason, the oriental teen didn’t appreciate this new development.

’But why? Wasn’t she his daughter?’ Felicity thought. But then it clicked. ’Right! I would be her mommy! Little Jiai would have no choice but to treat me with respect!! Ehehehe!!!’

Quinlan, however, didn’t laugh, nor was he overjoyed with what he was offered. Because to him, the offer was poison wrapped in gold.

Felicity’s hand? Politically, it was powerful for sure. Marrying into the royal family would give him status and leverage beyond measure.

But personally? Meaningless. Quinlan had already decided a long time ago that he would only involve himself in romance for love. Felicity wasn’t in love. She wasn’t even close. She was a bratty teen. The thought of being engaged to her didn’t feel flattering; it just felt plain wrong. Being engaged to a child who was mentally so much younger than him would’ve been more of a punishment than a reward.

Felicity was a nice girl, no doubt, but Quinlan was not at all interested in her romantically.

The title of Count... now that was tempting. Power, legitimacy, and a foothold in the Central Lands. But it wasn’t freedom, at least not the way he wanted to be free. It was a leash.

A Count was still a vassal, bound to kneel when the King commanded. Restrictions, obligations, oversight.

Furthermore, Quinlan was already a lord in a sense because he had Miri Town, a growing settlement that answered only to him. It was the town he filled with Blackjack’s mistreated people. So why bind himself to another man’s throne when he could carve out his own lands with his own strength? If he grew stronger, he could even begin conquering land of his own, without having to ask another man for handouts.

Money wasn’t an issue either. Jasmine, freed from her father’s cruelty, was finally living up to her title of Tyrant of Trade. She had managed to gather enough gold to drown Greenvale’s auction if needed, in case they auctioned her mother off, and now that it wasn’t spent, they had capital overflowing. Investments, trade routes, influence... Jasmine would handle all of it. He didn’t need the King’s coffers.

As for the pardon... it sounded sweet until you bit down. A pardon only covered the past. Quinlan Elysiar, the Primordial Villain, would sin again. He knew it. Everyone knew it. The ink on that pardon would turn worthless the moment he acted, and Alexios wasn’t nearly stupid enough to absolve future crimes as well.

And finally... Alexios wanted his secrets. He wanted Quinlan bound to the court, his powers picked apart and dissected. That was the worst deal of all. Because even if everything else could be considered, it didn’t solve the one problem Quinlan couldn’t ignore.

”... You’re forgetting something important,” Quinlan said at last. ”Your lunatic wife. If I walk into your court as its mage, she’ll have a million chances to finish what she started. Your offer doesn’t protect me from her; it hands me to her.”

”So, no. The answer is refusal.”

Felicity’s jaw dropped. She wasn’t sure what stunned her more. The proposal itself, or the fact that Devil just rejected being married to her like it was nothing. It stung her heart like hell, even if she didn’t look at the man in that light. To her, he was her good friend, alongside his wives. But now that the topic of marriage was brought up and declined, she felt dejected. ʀаNốʙÈṠ

Suddenly, the girl felt a palm land on her shoulder. It was Feng’s. Felicity expected mockery for being rejected so thoroughly, but all she found in the oriental girl’s eyes was compassion and empathy. It felt as if the girl had already experienced a heartbreak and was now consoling her.

”...” Felicity sighed and accepted the silent support, leaning into Feng for a little hug.

”We’re at an impasse then.”

The king’s voice came.

”That we are.”

”Do you have a proposal of your own?”

”Kill your wife and her sister. Then we can talk.”

”I refuse.”

”Enslave them and give them the absolute command of never crossing my path.”

”I refuse.”

”I understand. No matter what horrible things my girls did, I would never have it in me to hurt them either.”

”We’re on the same page.”

”I propose we postpone the talks. Everything happened very quickly; we should take a breather. In the meantime, I’ll take care of Felicity as if she were my own daughter. I give you my word. No harm will come her way, even if people come to claim the bounty on my head. She will remain protected at all times.”

”...” Alexios remained silent for a long time.

Seconds passed, turning into dozens... and then an entire minute of tense silence went by.

Until, at long last, the king spoke. ”I accept your proposal.”

Now, it was time to introduce the royal princess to Quinlan’s real life, and then to deal with the consequences of being hunted.

His second meeting with Black Fang was on the horizon.