Free Web NovelChapter 14: I will reduce Lucy to nothing more than a concubine
As if... as if her feet had been driven into the ground by eternal nails.
A useless existence, capable of being erased at any given moment—that was exactly what Sylvia felt as her very soul seemed trapped beneath Cain’s grip. He stood there with an expression that displayed nothing but absolute, unyielding tyranny, looking down at her as if she were a mere speck of dust.
"Have you forgotten who I am? Without my wealth and my protection, you would all be slaves by now. Do not act as though we stand on equal footing."
Sylvia’s gaze dropped as she desperately racked her brain. He was entirely right. If he hadn’t invested his fortune and granted them his absolute protection, she, her siblings, and her uncle would currently be nothing more than common servants and concubines.
Yet, she knew a crucial secret.
She knew that Cain hadn’t done any of this out of the goodness of his heart. He had done it because he believed she was the woman he had shared that fateful night with in the past. But now, with Lucy’s sudden appearance, Sylvia deduced something else...
She believed he was merely beginning to suspect Lucy was that woman because of Amelia’s existence. In Sylvia’s mind, he was only suspicious, not entirely certain. After all, if he were absolutely sure, why hadn’t he withdrawn his massive investments yet? Why hadn’t he married Lucy already?
Therefore, according to her own logic... he was still emotionally attached to her. There was no other explanation. When you invest your emotions into something, even if the reality turns out contrary to your expectations, those lingering feelings don’t just vanish.
In other words, she still had a chance.
’I was far too hasty...’ she thought to herself.
If it weren’t for her deeply entrenched intelligence network, she would have never discovered that the woman standing right before her was actually Lucy. Even though Cain was a supreme Celestial Level being, Lucy’s concealment techniques were completely flawless.
This meant he still didn’t know that the woman standing by his side was Lucy!
And since Lucy was actively hiding her identity, it meant she wasn’t confident that Cain would willingly accept her presence.
Sylvia almost leaped with joy right then and there, if it weren’t for the crushing pressure threatening to break her..
She had an opportunity. If she could exploit this rift before this duo could ever reconcile, she could be the one standing permanently by Cain’s side. She could reduce Lucy to a mere concubine. The infamous Blood Empress, Lucy Montgrad, ranking second, while she ruled supreme over her!
To be completely honest, despite being absolutely certain that she stood zero chance against Lucy—who outclassed her a thousand times over, and who would undoubtedly turn her into a mere "beautiful memory on the wall" if she ever caught wind of what she was plotting...
Sylvia knew she wasn’t playing games with just anyone; she was dealing with the Blood Empress herself.
Yet, that was exactly what made it so incredibly thrilling. In her eyes, no one else in the world was truly worthy of being her rival except for Lucy.
Meanwhile, Lucy stood in place, with Amelia right beside her, silently gloating and mocking Sylvia’s pathetic display.
’Hah... a insect trying to cling to my powerful father,’ Amelia thought sneeringly. ’Even across the entire Celestial continent, there are countless women stronger and far more beautiful than you, yet none of them are worthy of my father except my mother. Actually, now that I think about it... nobody is truly worthy of my mother either. Hmph. If that man presents me with a good enough gift, I might reconsider the idea of letting him stay by my mother’s side. Perhaps... something on the same level as the Pendant he gave me.’
As for Lucy... frankly, she never viewed Sylvia as a rival in the first place. To even consider her a rival would be lowering her own magnificent status to match someone so far beneath her.
Although she had been temporarily irked by the phrase "future wife," empty claims were entirely free, after all. Besides, Cain didn’t seem to treat that woman like a future wife in the slightest.
Ultimately, they were all just a bunch of fools desperately trying to grab onto a thick thigh.
At the very end of the corridor stood the royal throne room.
"Follow behind me."
Since they were already so close, Cain decided to wrap up this business as quickly as possible.
Within moments, Cain stepped into the throne room. Moving with absolute grace and elegance, he walked straight up to the dais and seated himself directly upon the throne. King Roman and Sylvia remained kneeling before him on the floor, while Lucy and Amelia stood watch from a short distance away.
"What are your commands, My Lord?" the King asked, his voice trembling.
Cain glanced at the holographic system notification hovering before his eyes.
[Quest Successfully Completed!]
[Reward Obtained: Forbidden Star Technique Package — Left behind by the Ancestor of the Starry Empire in the Celestial Continent. Realm: Royal Level.]
The ancient technique was promptly deposited into his system inventory.
Cain turned his cold gaze down toward the two kneeling royals.
"What is it that you truly wanted? It doesn’t seem like you summoned me here just to deliver a simple speech."
The King and Princess Sylvia nodded in unison.
"The traitorous Hero,Hykes, who defected to the Great Empire... has threatened to launch a devastating assault on our kingdom’s borders unless... unless I submit and become his wife," Sylvia confessed, her head lowered. "We had no other choice. Furthermore, the sudden news of you standing in the tax queue and waiting like a commoner made us question your intentions as well, My Lord..."
Cain remained silent, thinking to himself, ’I was literally just trying to run away from that terrifying yandere...’
Meanwhile, Lucy crossed her arms, a look of profound realization washing over her face. ’Of course... he was simply teaching his daughter the value of humility and modesty.’
As for Amelia, her thoughts went in an entirely different direction. ’A supreme being of his caliber would never do something as ridiculously absurd as running away. Surely, his presence there was tied to something monumental... like saving the entire planet from the terrifying creatures of the Void.’
Cain briefly pondered, digging through his memories to recall Haix—the designated "Hero" of this world. In the original trajectory of fate, Hykes was actually destined to marry Sylvia and become the savior who rescues the kingdom. However, because Cain had utterly humiliated and crushed him multiple times in the past, the guy had eventually fled the realm in disgrace.
And now,Hykes mistakenly believed that Cain had abandoned the path of absolute power, assuming his strength had stagnated at the mere Noble Level. Meanwhile, Haix himself had recently broken through to the Celestial Level. In his mind, there was simply no competition between them anymore.
Then again, the Hero was precisely that brand of brainless fool.
"Very well. I will deliver my piece today, and we can discuss the finer details tomorrow," Cain said with a faint smile. He couldn’t help but reminisce about the old days when he used to insult and humiliate the Hero so effortlessly, leaving Haix to whine his classic line: ’I’ll come back stronger and get my revenge!’
Two hours later... freewёbnoνel.com
Cain stood atop the high balcony of the royal palace, facing a massive sea of citizens and reporters gathered below.
Speaking from the elevated podium, his voice remained calm and composed, yet it subtly carried an unspoken, absolute majesty and a cold, captivating charisma.
"Standing in long queues has officially become an obsolete trend. Due to the rapid growth of our population, we must make administrative matters far more efficient for every single citizen. Therefore, we will introduce a system where every citizen acts as their own clerk. You will finalize your own official paperwork according to precise, streamlined instructions, and submit them directly via the postal network."
This revolutionary declaration instantly triggered a massive uproar among the crowd below.
"Does the Duke believe that this is the future the rest of the continent should rally behind?!"
"Is the Duke subtly implying that the other nations are backward and primitive?!"
As usual, the journalists were desperately fishing for sensationalism and scandalous headlines. However, Cain was far too intelligent to give them what they wanted. He deftly handled every single inquiry with a masterfully diplomatic approach.
While he was wrapping up his speech on the podium, Sylvia gracefully stepped up to stand right beside him, a perfectly crafted smile plastered on her face.
"Thank you for your invaluable presence, Lord Duke... and we thank our beloved people for listening to us today."
Cain didn’t care for her flattery in the slightest and was already preparing to withdraw. He knew that what usually followed was the standard, bloated political nonsense about the importance of the citizenry and national duties.
"We all know," Sylvia’s voice suddenly echoed through the magic amplification system, "that after our kingdom was plunged into absolute ruin by a certain individual who shall remain nameless... our people were left to starve to death because of it."
Cain froze in his tracks.
A short distance away, Lucy’s eyes narrowed instantly. Those words were glaringly directed at her.
"We were once a prosperous kingdom," Sylvia continued, her tone dripping with dramatic sorrow. "But due to that violent, bloodthirsty tyrant, we were subjected to famines and utter chaos. Yet, as the saying goes—from hardship, prosperity is born. We have proven, and we continue to prove to that monster, that our willpower is far stronger. We are a resilient people by nature. Even if only a single speck of ash remains of us, we will persevere for a better tomorrow!"
Frenzied, thunderous cheers erupted across the entire plaza.
"Damn that monster! May a supreme curse fall upon her!"
"I hope she rots and tortures in hell for eternity!"
’Damn it... she really is clever,’ Lucy thought, her fists clenching so tightly her knuckles turned white.
She stood there, forced to endure this blatant public humiliation without her name even being explicitly uttered. She was being blamed for atrocious crimes, while these ignorant fools had absolutely no idea that their previous kings were the ones who had actively sold out their lands, bled them dry with taxes, and ultimately engineered their demise.
"But let us harbor no hatred, my people," Sylvia added smoothly, playing the saint. "For we are the ones who carry glory, not malice."
Looking at her, Cain internally admitted that Sylvia truly deserved to be called a cunning, dangerous woman. She was literally walking a tightrope while performing acrobatic stunts.
He was furious. Yet... he absolutely could not act or show even a hint of an immediate reaction. If he intervened now, he risked exposing the fact that he already knew Lucy’s true identity, or he would end up looking completely irrational to the public.
