Free Web NovelChapter 15: Because He’s My Darling
"Impossible..." Ignis opened his mouth wide, unable to believe what he was sensing. His eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, tracing the line of his jaw before dripping onto the stone floor.
He checked again, but he received the same result.
It wasn’t that Lucien’s cultivation was strong, or that he had an ancient aura.
His cultivation was... weak.
It didn’t correlate with the physical strength he had released.
He was at the fourth level of the Initiate Realm, the most basic and beginning cultivation realm for all Originators.
Cultivation began from the Initiate Realm, then progressed to the Origin Realm, Spirit Realm, Master Realm, Grandmaster Realm, Throne Realm, Ancestral Realm, Emperor Realm, and finally the legendary God Realm.
Each of the realms had nine levels. As for the God Realm, it was something more of a legend, spoken of in whispers, never confirmed.
Ignis stared at Lucien, his mind struggling to reconcile what his senses were telling him with what he had just felt. His hands, calloused from years of gripping weapons, hung loosely at his sides, trembling slightly.
"You..." Ignis’s voice was low, almost a whisper, his throat dry. "Your cultivation is weak. Yet your physical strength defies that. What are you?"
Lucien remained silent, a faint smile playing on his lips. His dark hair clung to his forehead, damp with sweat from the training. A thin sheen of moisture glistened across his bare chest and shoulders, catching the faint torchlight of the training ground. The muscles in his arms, still developing, tensed and relaxed as he stood there.
There was no way he could say he had awakened a system and pulled Gacha rewards that changed his life.
All he had to do was play clueless, scratching his head like someone who was confused. His fingers ran through his damp hair, pushing it back from his face.
---
Meanwhile, in the throne room, Seraphina sat upon her throne. Below her stood the elders of the castle.
The throne room was vast, its ceiling arched high above with pillars carved with intertwining dragons and phoenixes. Torchlight flickered along the walls, casting long, dancing shadows across the polished marble floor. The air was cool and still, heavy with the weight of authority.
But all of the elders stood behind an old lady, who supported herself with a walking stick of dark, gnarled wood. Her silver hair was tied in a tight bun, and her face was lined with age, but her eyes, sharp and clear, held the wisdom of centuries. The elders stood behind her respectfully, their heads bowed slightly.
Even Seraphina had a meek aura before her. Her usual commanding presence softened, her shoulders relaxing slightly as she regarded the old woman.
Above them was a large screen, depicting the training session of Ignis and Lucien. It was as if they were there, watching it happen in real time. The edges of the screen shimmered with faint Originat energy, pulsing like a heartbeat.
The conversation and the shock of Ignis reached their ears. Even the elders were shocked by what they witnessed. Murmurs spread through the hall like ripples in still water.
The strength that Lucien had shown from his physical prowess made them think he was at the peak of the Initiate Realm, or even at the Origin Realm.
But reality was shocking.
"Granny Cherry, what do you say?" Seraphina asked, her voice carrying a hint of tension beneath its calm surface. "I am sure you have no objections."
The old lady’s eyes flickered, her gaze fixed on the scene before her. Her fingers tightened slightly around the worn handle of her walking stick.
"The Empress, Even though I have to admit his strength was baffling," Grandma Cherry replied, shaking her head slowly, "he’s too weak."
"So, Granny Cherry, what are you implying?" Seraphina’s gaze began to turn cold, a chill creeping into the air around her.
"You know what I mean," Granny Cherry said, her voice steady and unyielding. "I can still accept him as a candidate, but he cannot help with our plans."
"So, Granny Cherry, why do you think so? Because he’s... weak." Seraphina’s voice dropped, each word sharp and deliberate, like ice cracking under pressure.
The elders in the hall were already shivering under the aura Seraphina was releasing. The temperature in the room seemed to drop, their breath misting faintly in the air. Some lowered their gazes, unable to meet the cold fury in her eyes.
But their hearts held more surprise. This was the first time that the Empress had gone against Grandma Cherry to the extent that she was releasing such coldness.
Even Granny Cherry raised an eyebrow in surprise, sensing the shift in Seraphina’s tone and aura.
"I know he’s weak now, but let me say a fact. He’s my husband, my darling, till I die. And nothing is going to change my mind, not even death."
Seraphina’s rebellious words were like the shattering sound of a cup hitting the stone floor, sharp, final, and echoing through the hall.
Granny Cherry’s expression turned cold. "The Empress, are you planning on destroying everything? Disobeying me because of a single guy you have just met in three days? Have you forgotten about your past?..."
"Yes..." Seraphina’s reply came without hesitation, shocking everyone. She didn’t even bat an eyelid or think about it. Her response was instant, as if the answer had been carved into her soul long before the question was asked.
"Oh, Granny Cherry, you are mistaken about something..." Seraphina said, rising from the throne. She walked slowly, deliberately, until she stood before the old woman, their gazes locked, face to face.
"I haven’t known him for three days," she said, her voice low and steady. "I would say I know him longer than I know you. And also..." A pause, her lips curling into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "I can destroy the whole world for him. Talk less of this."
Everyone was confused by her words, but her last sentence caused their faces to turn pale. The blood drained from their cheeks, leaving them ashen.
They looked at their Empress, who was becoming unfamiliar to them. Her face was flushed, red with excitement, her breathing slightly quicker than before.
It was as if they could see her pupils had transformed into a heart shape, dark, burning, and utterly obsessed.
She chuckled as she walked off, wanting to leave the hall. Her footsteps echoed against the marble floor, each one measured and deliberate.
Granny Cherry staggered from the shock. She couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Her walking stick trembled in her grip, her knuckles white.
"Seraphina!" She roared out in anger, her voice cracking through the hall like thunder. The elders’ bodies shook; this was the first time Granny Cherry was calling Seraphina by her name, showing just how furious she was.
Seraphina, who was walking off, stopped.
"Are you really going to abandon everything for just a man?" Granny Cherry’s voice was sharp, cutting through the silence. "There are many men out there who are surely better than him. According to his history, he’s just a trash, even though his physical strength is strong and he made such phenomena in the awakening ceremony, the future is still uncertain."
Seraphina slowly turned and faced her, her gaze cold yet carrying an enchanting aura. The air around her seemed to still, her presence commanding the room.
"I am sure I have told you my answer," she said, her voice soft but unyielding. "As for other men, they are nothing to me. I can call them trash, because that’s what they are to me."
Her eyes narrowed, a dangerous smile playing on her lips. "And anytime you call my husband trash again, I am sure you wouldn’t like what I will do."
Her cold voice was like whispers from hell, sending chills down every spine in the hall.
After she said this, she walked off, just a step away from the door of the throne room.
Granny Cherry looked at her figure, her voice cracking as only one word came out from her mouth.
"Why?"
Seraphina paused, letting out a soft chuckle.
She turned her head backward, her forefinger pressed against her lips, her eyes beheld an unknown energy, wild, burning, and utterly devoted.
"Because he’s my darling."
She let out an excited laughter, the sound echoing through the hall as she stepped through the doorway and disappeared from sight.
