Prince of Wives

by Jason Hale

  "What do you think? Who do you think? After bringing the wolf into the fold, you should not be surprised to hear the sheep squeal."

  As a Transcendent Knight, Zamira's senses were sharp enough that the noise didn't escape her attention.

  "You mean…?"

  Wolfgang's eyes widened with the sudden realization, and he went red from fury!

  "Under my roof? The gals! Butcher…I must butcher him!"

  He summoned his energy battle-ax and was about to free himself from Zamira's grasp when…

  "Are you sure you're mentally prepared for what you're about to see?"

  …her sleepy words echoed within his ears and stopped him dead in his tracks with droplets of sweat soon trickling down his forehead.

  "Tomorrow…I will butcher him…tomorrow!"

  ...

  The rest of the night was uneventful, Ilaina rested nude within her bedsheets while Konnor sat cross-legged in silent cultivation. He was initially very close to the sixth step, and upon refining Ilaina's primal essence through his incubus blood, he was ready to break through!

  The sky-blue spiritual energy swirling around his body took a lighter shade while his bones and muscles were remolded to a higher level. The density of his spiritual energy also rose to new heights, and he finally broke through the sixth step Grand Knight Rank.

  As the breakthrough came to an end, he drew a deep breath, then relaxed his muscles in a long exhalation before resuming silent cultivation until dawn announced the end of night.

  And so his cultivation came to a halt. Unwilling to interfere with Ilaina's sleep any further, he stood up, walked out of her room, and took the road back to his assigned quarters.

  ...

  With the arrival of the sunlight, activity resumed within the Kracht mansion. Servants carried on with their daily tasks while the Kracht kinsmen assembled for breakfast.

  Konnor who pulled off an all-nighter was quick to prepare himself and join the others in the hall. Ilaina would soon awaken and join the gathering, but as soon as Konnor's eyes locked on hers, she turned to avoid his gaze while not being able to prevent her cheeks' temperature from reaching an unhealthy threshold.

  But how could he allow her to escape that easily? In the blink of an eye, he crossed the distance separating them and brought his face dangerously close to hers while staring deep into her eyes.

  "What? Going to pretend nothing happened?"

  The feeling of his breath grazing her lips, and the proximity of their faces caused her heart rate to accelerate, and her already reddened cheeks to burn brighter. During that night, she had said too many things and produced too many sounds that caused her to feel like she had no face left.

  If possible, she wished she could find a place to bury herself and hide for a lifetime!

  However, seeing that pair of eyes that openly teased her, Ilaina found a new source of courage and brazenly puffed out her chest.

  "Hum, hum! What is done is done. I am not so weak as to try to evade reality. Since we've already done the deed, you need to take responsibility for me."

  "The first step is to swear off mistresses. You are now my man and future husband. Daphne included, there is no way in hell you can keep having all those women swirling around you."

  "Huh?"

  For an instant, Konnor's eyes widened with incessant blinking.

  "Even you don't believe what you just said. Knowing full well the nature of my blood, you know that's not going to happen."

  And that was precisely what she was waiting for.

  "That being the case, we must sign a contract. Last night was not bad, but there are more experiments to do. You ought to reserve me at least four nights a week. Five would be optimal."

  "Don't misunderstand, this is all for the purpose of research and…cultivation!"

  "As for the others, as long as they don't forget my status of the first legal wife, I can…tolerate them."

  She elaborated with courage neither of them knew she possessed, causing Konnor to stagger and be overtaken by violent coughing.

  *Cough* *Cough* *Cough*

  But at that time, an ear-splitting roar thundered within the vast Kracht mansion.

  "Unruly lecher, surrender your life!"

  Wolfgang's roar alarmed the entire household, and before he could reach the bewildered Konnor, his two younger brothers were blocking him by the waist.

  "Aargh, elder brother, what is wrong with you? Yesterday night you announce their betrothal and the next morning a funeral?"

  "Do you want to make your daughter a widow?

  Viscount Wulf, the eldest of Wolfgang's two younger siblings and Daphne's father, asked in consternation while blocking his older brother by the waist.

  "Quick, quick, we need more manpower!"

  Konnor realized that the situation was taking a turn for the worst, and was prepared to make a run for it.

  "Wulf you damn son of a bitch, let go of me!"

  "We have the same mother!"

  "Im…Impudence!"

  Wolfgang sent his two brothers flying with slaps and kicks, and was about to pounce on the runaway Konnor when suddenly, an authoritative voice silenced the commotion.

  "Enough!"

  Zamira walked in, locking her stern gaze onto Wolfgang who in her presence didn't dare take another step.

  "Wolfgang, I warn you. Since the rice has already been cooked, that boy is now my son-in-law. Should you harm him in any shape or form, I will never let you in my bed again!"

  The threat was too much for the mighty Uradel count to bear, and instantly, he went from tyrant to chicken.

  "Yes…my lady..."

  As for Konnor who witnessed the scene, his eyes went back and forth between Zamira and Wolfgang.

  "Father-in-law, I have lost all respect for you."

  "A man who doesn't wear the pants, fully subjugated by his woman and oppressed under her skirt!"

  "What a disgrace!"

  ...

  With Wolfgang pacified, Zamira led her daughter and son-in-law into a private study and motioned for them to sit.

  "Unlike the people of the Holy Continent, we from the Barbarian Continent care very little about the so-called rules of "propriety." Since you've already taken Ilaina as your woman, as per my tribe's rules, I've something to give you."

  She then pulled out a bronze box adorned with strange markings and pushed it toward Konnor. From it, Konnor could feel a strange but potent energy signature.

  However, before he received it, Konnor first tackled the question that sprang within his mind.

  "You're from the Barbarian Continent?"

  While he had heard of Zamira initially being a human maid of house Kracht, he didn't believe that Count Wolfgang would be so bold as to take a barbarian woman as his consort within the heart of the Holy Flame Empire.

  But Zamira's next words confirmed it.

  "That is no secret. I was the chieftain of the Borxan tribe. In a battle opposing the Northern Tribes to the Holy Flame Empire, we were defeated by Wolfgang's armies and my entire tribe was subjugated."

  The casualness of her reply made Konnor question the nature of her feelings toward her original land.

  "Apparently, Wolfgang was impressed by my bravery and honor on the battlefield and brought me back to house Kracht to avoid me turning into some malicious nobleman's toy."

  "And then, I subjugated him."

  Chapter 38 - Miniature Skeleton

  Ilaina fidgeted within her chair with shame clear on her flushed face and not knowing where to hide. The fact that last night's events had failed to escape her parents' attention and were likely to spread within the mansion through rumors and gossips caused her to feel like she could no longer keep her back straight within house Kracht!

  Konnor, however, was too focused on what he had just heard to spot her unease. To think that Wolfgang truly had the audacity to take a former Barbarian Chieftain as his consort without destroying her cultivation, within the capital of the Holy Flame Em
pire, was simply astounding.

  Even those margraves and dukes would probably think twice before making such a move.

  But Wolfgang dared.

  This alone was testimony to how much he cherished Ilaina's mother.

  Still, there was something odd in the way Zamira told the events. Outwardly, it felt like she was past her tribe's subjugation, but within her eyes, Konnor found a glint that seemed to be saying otherwise. A glint that worried him.

  "There is something I've meant to ask. How exactly did the previous lady take your arrival?"

  It was well known that the day Wolfgang took Zamira as his consort was the day Elvira Leitner, Alex's mother left to join the Holy Flame Church as a priestess. But Konnor felt there was likely more to the story. And indeed, Zamira's next words confirmed his suspicions.

  "She never cared. That woman had always been looking for an excuse to righteously enter the Holy Flame Church while at the same time turn her puppet bastard son against Wolfgang. You can say that no one was more pleased with Wolfgang's decision than her."

  Zamira replied in an indifferent tone. But her words shocked Ilaina who previously wasn't aware of those facts.

  "The Semi-Saint Priest that took her under his wing wanted to use Alex to take control of house Kracht from the inside. They bet Wolfgang would never dare reveal Alex's true parentage to the outside world due to the great embarrassment that would bring to his name. After all, the higher the rank, the more sensitive one is to scandals. And to keep Alex's rage unspoiled, they hid the truth from him."

  Konnor was taken aback, and his eyes shone with doubt.

  "Can a Semi-Saint of the Holy Flame Church truly brave such a scandal for the uncertain possibility of taking over this ancient house?"

  "This is nothing new. The Holy Flame Church has always been looking for ways to take control of the empire's assets and nobility. In fact, many powerful noble houses are in the shadows ruled by them. The methods they used over the years vary, but as long as they can obtain what they want, there is nothing they are not willing to do."

  "And according to Wolfgang, since Olrich Von Juras became emperor, the church's infection of the empire has been rising at breakneck speed. If the trend is not stopped, another century will be all it takes for the precarious balance to collapse."

  Those words caused Konnor's doubt to turn into incomprehension. And before he could voice it, Ilaina spoke his mind.

  "That being the case, why is dad so opposed to the Holy Consort's rising influence? I don't think him narrowminded enough that the thought of a woman taking over the empire would trigger such a reaction from him."

  To this, Zamira replied with a helpless sigh.

  "Truth be told, given a choice, your father truly wishes a person of Else's caliber could take the reins of the empire. But that cannot be allowed to happen."

  "Anyone can do it; the church will not care. Anyone except house Metze. There is great conflict between the church and the Metze, for it appears the Metze possess a secret artifact that has been eyed by the church for thousands of years."

  "In fact, for centuries, they have been fighting in the shadows, and at more than one occasion, Else was almost abducted by the Holy Flame Church. Was it not for the many hidden Saint Ancestors of house Metze, her current fate would at best be ghastly."

  "Wolfgang even mentioned that ten years ago, while Else was visiting her relatives with the emperor's permission, the church brazenly dispatched its troops in an attempt to abduct her. Many died, and she was grievously wounded. It took a whole eight years before she reappeared within the palace."

  "Thus, if the Metze are allowed to overthrow the Von Juras, the Holy Flame Church will immediately use it as an excuse to deploy the full might of its forces and drench this country's soil with its citizens' blood."

  Those were shocking news. But within them, Konnor found a reassuring piece of information. If in the nearby future he was forced to clash with the church, at least there was a chance he could count on Else's support.

  "But those are boring things you can learn about on your own. Why don't you take a look at my gift?"

  She asked with her lips curled into a radiant smile that made her captivating figure look more enticing.

  Ilaina and Konnor's eyes fell upon the bronze box from which they could both feel that strange, eldritch power that seemed to belong neither to the spiritual nor to the demonic.

  "What is it?"

  Ilaina asked, unsure of what that gift could be.

  "It's a defensive artifact refined by the chieftains of my tribe for their sons-in-law as a wedding gift. I refined this one decades ago when I became chieftain."

  She explained as Konnor pulled the box closer toward himself and opened its lid. Instantaneously, dazzling light gushed forth, revealing the palm-sized miniature skeleton of a lion-headed bird around which fire, water, and storm clouds swirled.

  "What kind of creature is that supposed to represent?"

  Ilaina asked perplexed.

  "It's an Anzu demonic beast. My tribe worshiped the demon god Anzu and took the demonic beasts bearing his name as its totem. We refine the bones of deceased Anzu beasts into totems to protect ourselves. This one can ward off any attack, martial or spiritual, beneath the Transcendent Rank."

  Demonic beasts were the lowest echelon of the Infernal Realm. They were not "demons" in the proper sense, but creatures endowed with demonic blood and abilities often derived from a specific lineage. And unlike demons who could only be summoned from the Infernal Realm, demonic beasts had populated some areas of the Ancient Crystal World since the beginning of times.

  And for the barbarians who worshiped the Demon Gods, those beasts were seen as totems and sometimes even used as companions and protectors.

  But Zamira's words didn't reach Konnor. As soon as his eyes laid on the miniature skeleton, his pupils turned violet, and his purple flame mark was set ablaze.

  Purple flames burst from his body, his violet eyes glittered with demonic light, fiendish glyphs swirled around him, and the miniature lion-headed bird skeleton flew right into his chest, bypassed his clothes and disappeared into his body.

  The sudden eruption of demonic energy took both Ilaina and Zamira aback. Ilaina was horrified, not knowing why Konnor suddenly revealed his darkest secret while Zamira looked at him with a mixture of bewilderment and excitement.

  "You are…a demon?"

  But Konnor still couldn't hear her. He stared dazed into the box where his gaze had remained locked while within his body, the miniature skeleton merged with his bones, and its power spread through his flesh, blood, and mind.

  Three new sources of energy then spread within him to refine his bones, flesh, blood, and spirit!

  Chapter 39 - Are You Willing?

  The reason why Zamira did not doubt the purity of Konnor's demonic blood was simple. Only pureblooded demons could resonate with totems, absorb, and refine their powers into their own.

  While totems usually served as defensive artifacts, that wasn't their only purpose. Their mainstream use was to serve as offerings for the Demon Gods worshipped by the barbarians. They were also used to earn the favor of summoned demons who could then grant them rewards and wishes matching the totem's quality.

  Thus, Konnor who currently was refining the Anzu Beast totem could only be a true demon.

  "But how can this be…?"

  Zamira couldn't understand how her newly received son-in-law had suddenly turned into a pureblooded demon. Even within the Barbarian Continent, successful demon summoning was a rare sight requiring countless preparation. As for the Holy Continent, with the control of the Celestial Church, it had been millennia since a demon appeared in its midst.

  "Konnor, Konnor!"

  Ilaina who didn't understand what was going on desperately shook the dazed Konnor, but to no avail.

  She then turned a gaze filled with puzzlement and worry toward her mother who didn't seem too concerned by the strange situation.

  "W
hat's going on?!"

  To Ilaina's apparent apprehension, Zamira replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.

  "Leave, and make sure no one steps inside this study until we walk out of it."

  Zamira ordered, and Ilaina didn't dare delay. Her father might be tolerant toward the barbarians, but should he become aware of a demon's presence within his household, he would execute him before asking any question.