Supreme Spouse System.

Chapter 396: The call to the Queen

The call to the Queen

The great manifest house door creaked and swung open. Leon moved out, the dim lamplight falling from within illuminating his form at the same time. The gentle light clung to him, reflecting off the dark folds of his cloak, catching in the jut of his jawline and the blaze of his golden eyes. The darkness of the tunnels behind him seemed to writhe as if reluctant to let him go.

For an instant, the light of the lamp painted him in a motionless picture—black cloak flowing over wide shoulders, golden eyes unwavering, his very presence demanding the way.

Not too far in front, a figure stood tall, unmoving and unspoken. Muffled in a dark hood, Alpha waited like stone, the light of the lamp casting a faint dance across the razor’s edge of his masked face. Nova had brought Leon here, but Alpha had stayed back, waiting. His devotion was an anchor—unspoken, unstoppable.

Leon’s boots clicked on the gleaming stone floor as he moved forward. His shadow fell long on the ground until it reached Alpha’s feet.

The warrior beneath the hood lowered his head far, his voice sounding deep and rumbling as if sculpted from ground itself. ”My Lord.”

Leon’s face relaxed slightly. His eyes darted toward the door, then to Alpha. ”You didn’t follow me in.

”It was not my duty,” Alpha replied bluntly. His wide shoulders did not inch, his voice laced with deference. ”I watch where I am required.”

Leon’s lips twisted, the barest hint of a smile, but he spoke no further. Rather, his eyes drifted towards the massive doors of the subterranean tunnel. Two guards stood guard in front of it, dressed in shining silver armor. Their spears were upright, polished points glinting dimly in the light of the lamps.

As Leon walked towards them, both men straightened immediately, heads bowing low. ”My Lord.” Their voices chimed as one, full of respect and obedience.

Leon did not slow down. His golden eyes swept over them with a glance and he nodded curtly in greeting. His authority needed no more.

Alpha’s thudding footsteps followed as Leon took the lead. The air was cool here, the quiet dense but never hollow—borne on the heft of presence, obligation, and the soft flare of torches embedded in the stone walls.

Leon then stopped, turning his head a little to glance over his shoulder at Alpha. ”Now,” he said, his voice low and controlled. ”Let us ascend. I have finished my affairs here.”

Alpha’s hooded head nodded. His response rumbled like thunder—deep, steady, firm. ”Yes, my Lord.

Leon focused his attention again to the two silver-clad guards. His molten gold sharp eyes stayed focused on them. ”Take care,” he said, voice even but laced with authority that sliced through armor like a hot knife.

”Yes, my Lord!” The two replied as one, voices firm, fists pounding plated chests in salute.

Leon cast one last look, then turned. His cape rustled across the stone floor as he headed towards the corridor that would take him upward.

The air below ground changed as they moved, cool gusts streaming through the etched stone tunnel. The wall torches danced as Leon’s shadow fell long behind him. The silence between them was dense, full of respect instead of nothingness. They didn’t require words.

The way sloped upward gradually, chiseled steps ascending, twisting through the secret conduits of the mansion. Their boots hit stone in a slow cadence—Leon’s firm, Alpha’s heavier step close behind without faltering.

The stillness was shattered not by noise, but by consideration.

Something flared in Leon’s mind. A bright spark, then a steady thrum as he reached out—not with his hand, but with the leash of his will.

A telepathic connection opened. His mind spanned distance, breached by wards, sliced through space until it made contact with the presence it had been seeking.

”My love.”

The words left him speechless in the material world, but they echoed within, intimate, unshakeable.

Through the connection, heat replied at once, tinged with a teasing edge. ”Oh my... you’ve suddenly remembered me. I thought you were too preoccupied being reunited with your other wives to give me a thought.”

The voice was unmistakable—smooth, refined, and yet imbued with the fire of authority. Queen Sona. His wife, a thousand miles away in the capital.

Leon’s lips creased slightly into a chuckle, his golden eyes dropping as he walked up the stone steps. ”You wound me, my love. I am occupied, yes. But even when time is unkind to me, I do not forget you.”

”Mmm.” Sona’s response was gentle, yet the edge of her smirk tinged the sound. ”A nice excuse.”

Leon laughed again, a low, rasping noise. ”Maybe. But I didn’t call just to spar.” His voice took on a heavier, steadier tone. ”I require you here. In Blackthorn City. Tomorrow.”

The connection throbbed with a sudden quiet.

Sona’s voice came back, tinged with incredulity. ”What? Are you mad, Leon? Do you remember the distance? From the capital to Blackthorn, even with a special artifact, three days travel.”

Leon’s brow creased, but his pace did not waver. His voice had a quiet conviction. ”It would take three days... for anyone else. But not for you.”

He could nearly see her lifted brow, the flash of her refined eyes slitting. Her voice was low, inquiring. ”And why is that?”

Leon’s golden eyes grew cold as he walked the last step of the stairway. ”Because you are not alone. Do you forget, my love? You have one Monarch cultivator by your side—Natasha.”

Sona’s breathing hitched lightly along the connection. For a moment, there was silence. Then, a half-shaken, half-reprimanded whisper. ”Ah... yes. I remember.”

Her voice shook with the confession, but pride cut in again swiftly. ”Still, Leon—

”No buts.” His words hit like steel, cutting short her indecision. ”Take Natasha. With her training, she can bring you quicker than any artifact. Come morning, you will be here. I need you. And I have work with her as well.”

The line went silent again. He could sense the tempest within her—the outrage, the incredulity, the unvoiced concern. Then, very gradually, it altered. Her voice, when it finally emerged, was gentle yet resolute.

”Leon... if it is really what you desire, then I will be there. Tomorrow at dawn, I will be by your side.”

Leon’s lips curled into an infrequent, genuine smile. ”Good. That is all I demand.” His voice dropped, gruff with warmth. ”And Sona... I would give much to see you. Tomorrow, my love.”

Her breath caught softly, the sharp Queen’s mask falling into the softer cadence of a woman. ”Yes... tomorrow.