Supreme Spouse System.

Chapter 163: Future Sisters, Present Hearts

Future Sisters, Present Hearts

”Because I missed you.”

Leon’s words caressed her ear, gentle and warm like the wind of night blowing through an open door. Nova froze. They weren’t romantic or over-the-top, but somehow, they cut deeper than she was wasn’t prepared for.

Her heart—steady even amidst the fray of combat—traded on her now.

Thump.

Thump.

The noise resonated inside her, booming and urgent, as if it were trying to tell her something. She was sure he would be able to hear it, but her face hardly changed at all. A faint flush spread over her cheeks, one she quickly denied.

Of course, she’d already agreed to be his wife. But that didn’t mean she’d revealed her softer spots to him. She was Nova—the storm of battle, the unflinching Grandmaster realm cultivator, the type of woman who didn’t bat an eyelid when blades were out. Vulnerability? That was a luxury she rarely granted herself.

So rather than responding to his sweetness, she cocked her head and smiled, arms looping carelessly over the shoulders as if not giving a fig.

”Oh? You missed me?” she teased, voice laced with feigned suspicion. ”Those women in your mansion... finally get tired of your charm and finally throw you out?”

Leon blinked, and then laughed—a rich, amused sound that vibrated through his chest, totally untroubled. Amusement danced in his gold eyes, warm and knowing. Her barb did not come as a surprise. Having shown up in the capital surrounded by several stunning women, the gossip had spread like wildfire. Whispers dogged him everywhere—of the mysterious, notorious Duke Moonwalker and the beautiful companions who turned heads wherever they went.

He’d known the gossip was genuine—Black had told him so, anyway—and half the capital was certainly abuzz. But he hadn’t given a damn.

And Nova, then? Naturally, she’d heard. As the powerful Duchess of her province, with informants in every backwater of the empire, there was no way she could have avoided hearing. But being Nova, she’d likely laughed and disbelieved it on the spot.

His smile changed—still playful, but now tinged with something darker, more wicked. His arms wrapped tighter around her waist, drawing her in so that she sat snugly on his lap, close enough to sense the heat of him seeping into her own skin.

”They’re not women, Nova,” he whispered against her ear, his voice low and slow. ”They’re my wives. And your future sisters.”

She stilled.

The words struck home more than she anticipated, slamming into her like a renegade wave. Her breath was suspended, eyes going wide—only briefly.

”Your... wives?” she repeated, incredulity seeping into her normally firm voice.

Leon saw it all—the hesitation, the change in her stance, the flash in her green eyes before she covered it up with a cold look. He smiled even wider. Oh, he’d spotted it. That elusive break in her demeanor. Even a person like her—keen, experienced, and hard to get rid of—hadn’t anticipated that one.

Most people didn’t. They assumed the women at his side were staff, maybe suitors, perhaps honored guests. But wives? No one in the kingdom believed that. After all, Leon Moonwalker—the charming, untouchable Duke who’d turned down every high-born proposal sent his way. The kingdom’s most elusive bachelor. secretly married?

And now?

Nova, seated in his lap, had just found out the truth.

She blinked rapidly, clearly trying to process what he’d said.

Leon smiled gently at her face, then moved in to give her nose a tease.

”Oi—!” Nova’s forehead creased as she automatically wriggled her nose and swatted at his hand. ”What’s that for?”

”You zoned out into some strange place,” Leon said feigning innocence. ”Thought I’d snap you out of it.”

Nova glared at him a beat longer before she scoffed and shook her head, smiling. ”Tch... I was just... surprised. You were the most stubborn bachelor in the whole kingdom. And now you’re married? That’s some serious news.”

Her eyes narrowed a little—half teasing, half contemplative. ”When you said wives... I thought I was hearing things. I mean, from all I’ve known or heard of you, Duke Leon Moonwalker was still, the kingdom’s most eligible bachelor. And now you’re telling me you already have multiple wives?”

Leon’s smile lost a little bit of its brightness—not altogether, just softened around the edges.

He knew why she stared at him that way. All of them thought he was unmarried. And until recently, they weren’t mistaken.

The old Leon never let himself accept love. Not after he discovered the reality about his condition—an ailment no healer, mage, or alchemist could ever heal. It was simpler, he’d believed, to keep people away than to bring them near only to lose them.

He had loved twice in his lifetime.

The first one was Sona—refined, fierce, and full of passion. But she had wedded the king, and Leon had released her without a word. It wasn’t her fault. He never even informed her of his condition.

The second... was a childhood girlfriend. Warm, obstinate, and gentle. She had been present in the most still moments of his life, always out of reach. When he understood the reality of his condition, he had pushed her away too—without reason, without farewell. Years had brought her face to blur in his mind. Not only hers—but his mother’s face, as well.

It was odd. His inherited recollections, the ones that came from old Leon, had become indistinct around her face. As though something—someone—was keeping them from view. Or perhaps... waiting for the proper moment to show them.

His father’s face was sharp in his mind—serious, proud, unshakeable.

But his mother?

Only a silhouette now. A gentle, lovely outline shrouded in darkness.

Only a silhouette now. A gentle, lovely outline shrouded in darkness.

Once, he’d questioned the system on it—why parts of his inherited memory seemed broken up, far away, nearly. sealed off.

And the system had replied in its typical flat, uncaring voice:

[Host, this is your new life. Some memories are for you to find anew by yourselves. It is your path—so I do not intervene.]

So he dropped it.

Or at least, attempted to.

And now, in the present... he sighed—soft, nearly undetectable.

His gold-colored eyes, normally bright with mischief, lost their luster by just a fraction as he gazed beyond the moment.

Beyond Nova.

Beyond the room.

Stretching for something in his head that was just beyond reach—memories that refused to coalesce. But his gut told him that they did count. That hidden somewhere in that haze was something that was connected to his future.

Something significant.

”Leon?”

His thoughts broke like glass.

The soft pressure against his cheek surprised him. He blinked, snapped sharply back to the moment. His eyes darted down—and locked.

Her hands.

Nova’s hands were across his face. Her thumbs stroked just below his eyes. A bit rough from years of fighting, but so gentle with tenderness it caused his chest to constrict.

He blinked at her once more.

Nova’s face was near, her green eyes locked on him, seeking. Her brow was slightly creased, her tone soft, full of concern.

”Are you okay?”

Leon blinked again. Then again.

She was always aggressive. Always acerbic. Always a fight freak.

But in this instant—with her body twisted into his lap, her heat molded into him, her ink-black hair spilling over her shoulder, and her touch surprisingly gentle—she seemed heartbreakingly and lovely woman.

But in her eyes... he saw concern.

Leon blinked and frowned slightly, confused by the shift in her expression, and asked, a bit amused, a bit touched, ”...You’re worried?”

He reached up and gently took the hand she’d placed on his cheek, holding it there.

Nova didn’t pull away. Her cheeks flushed from the intimacy, but she scoffed, rolling her eyes like she could shrug it off.

”Hmph. You just went all quiet and looked like someone punched your soul. It’s not like I care or anything,” she grumbled.

Her voice was softer than normal. Her eyes stayed on his a moment longer.

And Leon, gazing at her—not the warrior, not the battle freak, but simply Nova—felt something rise up in his chest.

A slow, real smile crept across his face. ”You’re really cute when you try to act tough,” he whispered.

She blinked. ”H-Hah?! Try? I don’t try—I am tough!” she stuttered, her voice breaking, even as a huge smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.

Leon laughed at her ruffled response. Before she could push him away or hurl another comeback, he firm grip of his hand lightly over hers—the one still on his face—and administered a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

”I’m okay,” he said softly, golden eyes meeting hers. ”Especially now that I’m with you.”

Nova opened her mouth... but no words came.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Her eyes dropped. Her fingers twitched slightly in his grasp. And then—just barely—she smiled.

”Tch... Idiot,” she whispered, the faintest curve on her lips.

Moonlight spilled through the open window behind them, spreading a soft light over the space. The air between them stilled, as if even time had waited to see what would unfold.

Her warmth against his, her leg against his, her smell wild and soft—like rain on steel and fire in the wind.

Leon’s fingertips lay lightly on her waist, yet every inch of him vibrated with the closeness of her.

She hadn’t yet withdrawn her hand.

And Leon—his heart was racing.

But for once, it wasn’t in fight.