Chapter 70: A Quiet Meal, City in Chaos
Ding!
[Your wife, Seraphina Drax, had spectated your assessment and was impressed with your actions. You are rewarded with 5 Random Gacha Tickets.]
Ding!
[For your sake, your wife, Seraphina Drax has done villainous actions by exterminating the entire Voss Clan to protect you. You are rewarded with 1 Super Rare Gacha Ticket and 2 Rare Gacha Tickets.]
Lucien, who was still wrapped in Seraphina’s arms, was suddenly startled by the System notifications. His body stiffened as the words registered in his mind. He felt tongue-tied as he listened and read them, his thoughts scrambling to process the weight of what had just been revealed.
He slowly separated from her embrace, his hands gently pushing her back as he looked at her from head to toe. His eyes searched her face, her clothes, her hands, looking for any sign of what she had done.
An insane headache struck him. He had just fought Kaelen and humiliated him, thinking that would be the end of it. But Seraphina, his obsessive, devoted, terrifying wife, had gone far beyond that. She had exterminated the entire Voss Clan. Not just Kaelen. Everyone.
"Seraphina..." he said slowly, his voice strained. "What did you do?"
Seraphina felt confused by his words, as if she had done something wrong. Her expression shifted from warmth to concern, her golden eyes searching his face for answers.
"What happened, Darling?" she asked, her voice soft, tinged with genuine confusion. She tilted her head slightly, like a curious bird, completely oblivious to the weight of her actions.
Lucien stared at her, his headache pounding, his mind reeling. She stood before him, looking so innocent, so pure, as if she hadn’t just wiped out an entire clan.
He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again, unsure of where to even begin. How could he explain to her that what she had done was not normal?
"Seraphina..." he said slowly, "The Voss Clan... did you... are they really...?"
Seraphina blinked with an unchanged expression. Then, as if realizing what he was asking, she smiled gently.
"Oh, that?" she said casually, waving her hand dismissively. "Yes, I took care of them. They dared to have ill intent toward you, Darling. I couldn’t let that slide."
She said it as if she had simply tidied up a messy room, not committed mass murder.
Lucien’s headache intensified as his mind was caught between shock, frustration, and a strange sense of helplessness. What was he supposed to say to her?
If before, when he had been colder and distant, he would have yelled at her, scolded her for such reckless actions or do something worse. But now? Now everything had changed.
She was reminding him, whether she knew it or not, that he hadn’t married an ordinary wife. He had married an obsessive one. A yandere. A woman who would burn the world to ashes if it meant keeping him safe.
He held his head in helplessness, letting out a long, defeated sigh. "Okay, okay," he said, his voice soft, resigned. "Next time, I’d like to take revenge myself. With my own hands."
There was no way he could reprimand her. Kaelen could only blame his own fate and arrogance for offending him. And besides, this was the world they lived in, the strong preyed on the weak. If he and Seraphina had been weak, their fate would have been no different.
Seraphina’s face immediately lit up with joy, her golden eyes sparkling. She nodded eagerly, a warm smile spreading across her lips. "Of course, Darling. Next time, I’ll let you have all the fun."
Lucien could only nod. At least it was better if things were in his own hands.
"But how did you know I was the one who did it?" Seraphina asked, her curiosity piqued. Her clone had just given feedback that it had destroyed the Voss Clan, and not a second passed before Lucien’s expression changed and he questioned her.
Lucien pursed his lips, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "It’s a secret. I also know that you were watching me during the assessment."
His words left her stunned. Her golden eyes widened slightly as she became curious about how he had known. She began to press him, asking how, but Lucien kept it a secret, his lips sealed with a playful smile.
For now, he didn’t want anyone to know about the system. That secret was his alone.
"Well, I’ve cooked dinner for you," Seraphina said, giving up on extracting answers from him. "I’m sure you must be famished after everything."
She grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the dining hall. When they arrived, Lucien’s eyes widened at the sight before him, different delicacies were served across the table, each dish more elaborate than the last.
"How did you cook all of this within such a short time while watching me and also exterminating the Voss Clan?" Lucien asked, his voice laced with genuine bafflement and curiosity.
Seraphina’s lips curled into a mischievous smile. "Bring your ear closer," she said.
Lucien leaned in, his curiosity getting the better of him.
She whispered in a low, teasing tone, "A secret."
Lucien instantly felt as if he had been given a taste of his own medicine. He looked at Seraphina, who was already laughing as she walked toward the kitchen, her golden hair swaying with each step.
Lucien didn’t know when he burst into laughter watching her figure retreat toward the kitchen. It felt so warm having such a person, someone who could cook for him after such a long and grueling battle. The sight of her moving with purpose, her golden hair catching the light, filled him with a quiet contentment he hadn’t expected.
Not long after, Seraphina returned with two more dishes, placing them gently on the table. The aroma wafted toward him, rich and inviting, blending with the other delicacies already laid out.
Lucien watched all of this with a smile tugging at his lips. As an Originator, hunger was rarely felt, the body sustained itself through Originat, and food was often more of a luxury than a necessity. But seeing this spread before him, the effort and care evident in every dish, he felt a genuine pang of hunger. An urge to taste, to savor, to appreciate.
He slowly sat down and picked up his utensils. "Thanks for the food," he said softly, his voice carrying a warmth that surprised even him.
Meanwhile, in the world beyond their peaceful dinner, Draktharion City had been turned completely upside down.
The Voss Clan had been exterminated. Where their grand mansion once stood, only ruins remained, everything had consumed by her flames that had left nothing behind. The entire estate had been reduced to nothing, as if some ancient, hungry force had devoured it whole.
What shocked the city the most was that no one had sensed a thing. There was no battle aura, no shockwaves, not even cries for help. The Voss Clan had simply ceased to exist.
Security was immediately tightened across the city. Guards patrolled every street, and formation runes were activated at every gate startling the residents. The unknown enemy that had exterminated an entire clan without a trace had thrown the city into a state of high alert.
In an unknown location deep within Draktharion City, the powerhouses of the city had gathered. The atmosphere was tense, heavy with unspoken questions. The situation that had unfolded had alarmed everyone, while they concealed the news from the residents.
The leading figure broke the suffocating silence. He was a pure-blooded dragon, his presence was commanding, his brown eyes radiating authority with his brown hair that complemented his figure. He was the City Lord of Draktharion.
"How is everyone’s investigation going?" he asked, his voice was low and steady as he cut through the tension like a blade.
The entire meeting hall fell into a suffocating silence. The weight of the question hung in the air, unanswered, until the City Lord’s frustration began to simmer beneath his composed exterior.
"We aren’t able to trace the enemy," someone finally spoke, their voice helpless. "It felt as though everything had been consumed whole. No traces. Even the Originat in the surrounding area had been completely drained. There wasn’t even a whiff of blood or a single dead body. It’s like a mystery."
The words echoed in the hall, voicing what everyone had been thinking but too afraid to say.
"Even using divination?" the City Lord pressed, his eyes narrowing.
"Yes, City Lord," another person replied, their voice tinged with defeat. "We have tried everything within our means, divination, tracking arrays, even consulting ancient records. But it all resulted in nothing. Every attempt we made, all we saw was nothing. Whoever the person is, they are far beyond our reach."
The City Lord’s frown deepened. His fingers drummed against the armrest of his seat, a rare display of agitation. After a long, contemplative pause, he spoke again, his voice carrying an edge of command.
"I want you to find the person. Check the activity of the Voss Clan, see if they had offended any forces. No one can do this in my city and go scot-free. And remember, this city is hosting the Aethel Academy’s assessment. If it’s not safe, the Academy may be disappointed. And that is something I will not tolerate."
His voice was full of arrogance and command, brooking no refuttal. The others in the room could only nod helplessly, their shoulders became heavy with the weight of a seemingly impossible task.
---
Meanwhile, the culprit responsible for the chaos was sitting at a dining table, a warm smile on her face as she lifted a spoonful of food toward her darling’s lips.
Seraphina fed Lucien with gentle care, her golden eyes sparkling with joy, completely oblivious to the turmoil she had caused. To her, the only thing that mattered was the man before her, the warmth of the moment, and the peaceful dinner they shared.
Lucien, chewing the food she offered, had no idea that the entire city was turned upside down because of the woman beside him, or that the most powerful figures in Draktharion were desperately searching for a ghost that no one could find.