Primordial Villain With A Slave Harem - Chapter 1022: Show Anger

Chapter 1022: Show Anger

Blossom gave her a tiny nod while her tail flicked against her chair. She was trying not to wag it too obviously.

Ayame straightened her back as a sudden burst of strength returned to her spine. Her hand no longer trembled.

<I’m okay,> she decreed, and then again with more resolve, <I’m okay.>

She looked back toward the duchess’s table.

There was steel in her tone now. Not the sharp, brittle kind. This was tempered. She was back in control.

From across the table, Quinlan smiled.

<That’s the spirit.> He was immensely proud to see the sisterly bond the first two women he’d bonded with in Thalorind reach such a depth. And then, with playful sincerity, he added, <You’re still the best girl, Blossom. Always will be.>

<…> Vex narrowed her eyes instantly.

Blossom blinked in surprise at the unexpected praise, then ducked her head shyly into Ayame’s shoulder.

The Skysplitter just chuckled under her breath.

<Stop your aura from flaring, Vex…> Jasmine sighed. <You know damn well Quin meant that she’s the most adorable, not that he loves her more than us.>

<Haaah… Vexie is still an overly emotional creature…> Kitsara sighed with mock exasperation.

<You once again said that to everyone present here, Foxy.> Quinlan’s announcement made the foxkin freeze up on the spot. <You remind me of my grandma, who couldn’t get used to any new technology I showed her. It’s really adorable.>

<Well, she’s not much younger…> Jasmine and Aurora chirped together, then burst into giggles in each other’s minds.

Unlike the other noble families, Kaede sat alone at her ducal table.

No family, no advisors. No entourage to back her, no fiancé at her side.. It made sense in a way. She was single. She had no direct siblings left whom she hadn’t forced into slavery.

But even so, there was something calculated about the isolation. She could’ve brought someone, such as an extended family member, a distant cousin, even a handmaid or a steward. Instead, she chose to be the lone peak on a sea of mountains, impossible to miss.

She was the focus.

And that seemed to be exactly what she wanted.

Then, the trumpet call changed.

“Now arriving, House Thornhollow! Duke Harland Thornhollow, his wife, Duchess Adelira Thornhollow, and their esteemed sons, Sir Garric and Sir Theon!”

There was polite clapping. Nothing more.

Even the herald’s voice, while boisterous, lacked warmth. His cadence was perfunctory, like a bureaucrat listing out names in court. Thornhollow’s delegation marched in with the typical solemn pride. It seemed they were used to a lack of flourishing presentation in the king’s court.

But then…

A brighter fanfare of trumpets sounded. Louder. Sharper. Heroic.

“Announcing, House Ravenshade! Duke Tharion Ravenshade, Duchess Maerina, Lady Selendra, and Lord Ardent!” The herald’s tone swelled with amazement. “The House that stood against the tides! The victors of the Battle of Twilight Glen! The family that repelled the Alliance of Elvardia! Heroes of our time!”

Applause erupted with newfound energy.

Ravenshade entered in full stride.

Duke Tharion walked with the swagger of a man who knew his name would be recorded in history books. Duchess Maerina’s back was so straight it could’ve served as a measuring rod. And Selendra, their bratty daughter, outright glowed in the attention. They basked in it.

Maerina and Selendra sent glances toward Greenvale’s table, eyes full of thinly-veiled triumph. Victory. Recognition. Everything Greenvale once held was now being dangled in front of them like a trophy. The king’s favor. The kingdom’s adoration.

And while Duke Tharion and his son Ardent remained reserved, their gaze slid toward Alastair Greenvale’s table as well. They weren’t smirking outright, but the weight of supremacy in their eyes was palpable.

Alastair Greenvale’s jaw tightened.

Beside him, Ophira didn’t hide her disdain. Her smile froze at the edges, and her eyes remained fixed on Ravenshade, as if willing them to burst into flames.

The twins, however, seemed utterly disconnected. Detached.

Until a thought ran through their minds with cold, unquestionable authority over their very existences.

That was all Quinlan needed to say.

Both twins shifted at once. Their eyes, previously glassy, now narrowed. Their expressions hardened. Their fists clenched. This was not enough to draw suspicion, as both their parents showed visible scorn. Instead, it was just enough to say ’we are not amused.’

It was flawless.

A ripple of tension spread across the room. The court was beginning to sense that the relations between the two frontier duke families weren’t quite as stable as they used to be.

Then came the king.

Alexios stood from his elevated dais. When he raised a hand, the room obeyed.

His voice rang clear, carefully sculpted to be precise, not passionate.

“Nobles of Vraven. Lords, Ladies, and scions of bloodlines old and honored. Today we gather not only to commemorate the passing of another year, but to reaffirm the unity of our realm beneath one crown.”

A pause came. No one even dared to cough.

“This evening’s festivities will begin shortly. A feast shall be served. Wine shall flow. There will be time for revelry.”

Another pause.

“But for now, you are all present. Every major family that calls this land home sits beneath this same roof. Take this rare occasion to speak. To see. To understand what binds us… and what might one day break.”

There was an eerie kind of warning in that.

“Let the hall be open.”

He sat back down without fanfare.

All around the banquet hall, nobles rose from their seats. Conversations began. Quiet at first, then steadily growing louder. Muted chuckles, sharp whispers, strained courtesies.

And Quinlan, together with his family, stood, just like the others.

But unlike the other families…

He was about to experience something that no amount of soft lullabies whispered into his ear by his beloved wives could soften.

No warmth, no touch, no stolen kisses could dull what was coming.

*Slap!*