Harem System In A fantasy World - Chapter 137: I won’t kill him, but I’m going to break one of his limbs!

Chapter 137: I won’t kill him, but I’m going to break one of his limbs!

A similar scene was unfolding in Stormbay City, the great port city that faced the eastern continent across the ocean.

Inside Lord Moon’s manor, the loud bang of a door echoed through the dining hall as Aria stormed out without so much as touching her food.

The heavy wooden doors trembled slightly before settling back into place, leaving behind an uncomfortable silence and a table laid out for a meal that was now missing one of its guests.

Lord Moon remained standing at the head of the table, staring at the closed doors for a long moment. Slowly, he lifted a hand and began massaging the bridge of his nose, as though he could knead away the frustration building inside him.

“This girl…” he muttered under his breath.

Across from him, his wife sat composed, her posture relaxed as she reached calmly for her teacup.

She was a vision of refined allure in her late forties—long, blue hair swept into a loose chignon that exposed the graceful curve of her neck, her skin a warm olive tone glowing under the chandelier’s light.

Her gown, a deep emerald velvet that hugged her full, mature curves, dipped low enough to hint at the generous swell of her bosom, rising and falling with calm breaths

A faint chuckle slipped past her lips, clearly amused by the entire exchange.

He had confronted Aria the moment she arrived at the manor earlier that day. The escorts he had sent to receive her had reported everything in detail—how she arrived, who she was with, and most importantly, the young man who stood beside her, as well as the affection they shared before separating.

A boy in plain clothes, no noble crest, and no visible wealth or status on his person.

And to make matters worse, there had been another woman at his side!

Another woman! Whom he seemed to share the same relation with as his daughter! To say he was unfuriated was an understatement. Not at Aria, not even. He couldn’t bring himself to be angry with her—that sweet girl.

So he directed all his rage at that boy who dared seduce his daughter! How dare he ensnare her? He might have thrown some not-so-kind words at the absent boy, and maybe, he might have wished death upon the boy, and the result of that was what you were seeing now.

Aria had not taken kindly to his remarks. In fact, she had reacted far more strongly than he expected. She had raised her voice, defended the boy openly, and even gone as far as cursing her own father for speaking ill of this Elion.

“I was only trying to make her see reason,” Lord Moon said now, his tone heavy with irritation as he began pacing slowly along the length of the table.

His wife lowered her cup, her full lips curving into a knowing smile, and her eyes sparkling faintly with amusement.

“Reason?” she echoed gently.

“Yes, reason!” he replied, turning sharply toward her. “This young man is clearly nothing special, and yet she defends him as if he has already claimed her! And he has the gall to parade another woman at his side, as if cavorting with her is perfectly acceptable while he woos my daughter.”

“I know you don’t want to hear this, darling, but I have every reason to believe that she has already been ’claimed,’ as you so colorfully put it.” Her words hung in the air, laced with a subtle sensuality, as if she were sharing an intimate secret rather than stoking his ire.

Lord Moon’s face darkened, veins pulsing at his temples, his fists clenching at his sides until his knuckles whitened. He leaned forward, palms slamming lightly onto the tablecloth, rattling the silverware. “If he so much as touched her—if that scoundrel laid a single finger on my Aria—I’m going to kill him myself,” he vowed.

Mistress Moon rose gracefully from her chair, the emerald velvet of her gown whispering against the floor as she approached him, her hips swaying with a natural, unhurried sensuality that spoke of years of quiet confidence.

Placing a gentle hand on his arm, she met his stormy gaze with steady eyes. “I don’t think Aria will like that,” she said softly, her voice laced with a warning that cut through his rage like a cool sea breeze. “She will hate you forever if you harm him. You saw the fire in her eyes—she’s not a child anymore, my love. She’s chosen him, and forcing your will on her could shatter everything we’ve built with her.”

Lord Moon flinched as if struck, his broad frame recoiling slightly under her touch. The words landed like a sudden squall, dousing the flames of his fury and leaving him adrift in doubt.

He searched her face, the lines of anger etching deeper for a moment before uncertainty crept in, softening the hard set of his jaw. His hands unclenched, falling limp to his sides as he turned away, staring once more at the closed doors where his daughter had vanished.

Hate him forever? The thought twisted in his gut like a knife, conjuring images of Aria’s bright laughter turning to cold silence, her warm embraces replaced by icy distance. He had always been her protector, her guiding star in the turbulent seas of nobility and politics.

To lose that—to become the villain in her story—is unbearable. He rubbed his temple again, the earlier kneading now a futile attempt to massage away the ache of second-guessing.

“What would you have me do, then?” he murmured, his voice rough, stripped of its earlier thunder. He glanced back at her, vulnerability flickering in his eyes for the first time that evening. “Let her throw her life away on some nameless wanderer who can’t even keep his affections to one woman?”

She squeezed his arm reassuringly, her touch warm and grounding. “Watch and wait, perhaps. Or better yet, meet him yourself. See if this Elion is truly the scoundrel you imagine. Aria’s judgment isn’t as flawed as you fear—she has your strength, after all.” Her lips curved into a small, encouraging smile, bridging the gap between his protectiveness and the reality of their daughter’s growing independence.

He gestured toward Aria’s untouched plate.

“She even left without eating,” he added, sounding almost more offended by that than anything else.

His wife only shook her head softly.

“She has always been strong-willed,” she said calmly.

“That is not the point,” he insisted, stopping his pacing. He exhaled sharply.

“Maybe I won’t kill him, but, I swear, when I meet that boy, I am going to break one of his limbs.”

His wife laughed openly this time, the sound light and musical in the otherwise tense room.

“You will do no such thing,” she said with certainty.

Lord Moon did not immediately respond. He simply stood there, arms crossed, still simmering.

Of course, he would not truly harm the young man.

But he would test him.

Any boy bold enough to earn Aria’s loyalty—and stubborn enough to keep another woman at his side while doing so—would need far more than good looks and decent posture to survive under Lord Moon’s roof.

…

Meanwhile, in Haven(the capital of the Veloria Kingdom…)

Another storm was unfolding, once again, thanks to Elion.

Inside Duke Dawncrest’s manor, in the vast marble-floored dancing hall, the sharp crack of a slap echoed violently against the high ceilings.

The sound rang out like thunder.

A young man was sent stumbling across the polished floor, his body skidding before collapsing hard onto his side. William Dawncrest slowly pushed himself up, one hand pressed against the ground, the other clutching his burning cheek.

He looked up at his father with terror in his eyes.