10x God-Tier Stealing System: Pumping S-Rank SuperHeroines Daily!-Chapter 169 - Cruxius’ First Insult in the Queen’s Palace
Seleyena stood completely frozen in place.
Her chest rose and fell, her breaths coming slower and slower as the shock paralyzed her lungs. Her dark pupils quivered erratically as she stared at the bloody heart.
She had just begun to genuinely fall for Cruxius. She was being driven by the intoxicating high of last night, those few wild, dirty hours where something fragile had finally cracked open inside her soul.
But seeing this...
This wasn’t just simple devotion.
This was clinical insanity. It was absolute, unfiltered worship.
Seleyena suddenly felt incredibly puny. She felt far too small standing in front of this quiet woman who seemed to represent the absolute, terrifying pinnacle of obsession and twisted love.
And yet... this same, insanely jealous woman seemed to openly allow Cruxius to sleep with her? It made no logical sense.
Darithi slowly turned to face her. Her golden eyes seemed to actually glow in the dusty, yellow light of the shrine.
She took a slow, deliberate step closer. Her pale lips curled into a quiet, victorious smirk, her delicate chin tilted ever so slightly upward in absolute pride.
"So, Seleyena..." Darithi whispered, her tone sounding almost sickeningly kind.
"Tell me... what exactly do you have to offer... that I haven’t already fully given to our Master?"
Seleyena couldn’t form an answer. The words died in her dry throat.
Because for the very first time in her pampered, arrogant life, she genuinely didn’t know if she was looking at a romantic rival—or if she had already arrived far too late to even compete.
"I—I"
Outside, the massive, citadel-like architecture loomed like a nightmare carved from a single, jagged mountain.
The dark stone was etched with delicate, intricate symbols that stretched across the towering walls, forcing Ytrisia to tilt her head back in sheer discomfort just to glimpse the endless, sharp spires piercing the thick clouds above.
"How can something like this even exist here?" she muttered, clear bewilderment bleeding into her voice.
The overwhelming physical presence of such a massive structure, completely unnoticed by the global government or any modern media, deeply unsettled her.
It stood in the absolute middle of nowhere, in a geographic location that should have been clearly mapped out by satellites—yet it remained perfectly hidden from all mortal eyes.
She glanced nervously around, first checking on Cruxius, then looking over at Lira. Finally, her violet eyes landed on the terrifying woman leading them.
The silver-haired Queen paused, her blood-red eyes locking with Ytrisia’s for a brief, freezing moment.
"Ordinary humans do not possess the power to perceive things concealed by high-tier Blood Art," Evangeline spoke. Her voice was as sharp and cutting as her gaze, which now drifted back to rest on Cruxius. "Especially if they lack special eyes—like those of the Awakened—meant to perceive magical energy vibrating on that specific frequency."
She seemed to expect a reaction from him. Shock. Awe. A bit of healthy confusion.
Yet, Cruxius remained entirely impassive. He looked around as if the oppressive, blood-soaked architecture were deeply familiar. As if he had walked these dark halls before.
As if he belonged here.
Intrigued by his lack of fear, Evangeline watched him move forward of his own accord. He suddenly bent down, his broad shoulders shifting under his ruined coat, to pick up something from the dirt.
A faint glint caught the moonlight—gold, maybe.
"I never expected the man I chose to be my consort to be a filthy ragpicker," Evangeline scoffed loudly.
She folded her pale arms under her chest, genuine disappointment flickering in her crimson eyes as she watched him lift the piece of scrap gold. It spoke volumes about his supposed, pathetic human materialism.
And she, an ancient Queen who had just formally declared him as her consort, now had to stand there watching this... peculiar, lowly act.
’!’
"C-Consort!?" Ytrisia blinked rapidly, her voice cracking in shock.
She had initially dismissed the terrifying woman’s words back at the mansion as some kind of twisted ploy—a dramatic, mocking act to lure them into a trap. But hearing her claim him again, so casually, made Ytrisia falter. She was truly shaken.
She couldn’t understand why every single powerful, gorgeous woman around them seemed magnetically drawn to this infuriating man.
Overwhelmed by the situation, Ytrisia watched the silver-haired Queen gaze at Cruxius as if he were some rare, exquisite prize. And for a brief, shameful moment, Ytrisia’s own eyes followed suit.
Bathed in the pale moonlight, his sharp, aristocratic jawline stood out. His unblemished skin, those deep black eyes that looked like the midnight void, and his raven hair dancing wildly in the cold breeze—he was undeniably mesmerizing.
Her chest tightened painfully. She quickly looked away, suddenly feeling hyper self-conscious and grappling with something strange—something she hadn’t invited into her heart.
Jealousy.
It deeply confused her. Especially considering everything he had done. How he had ruthlessly manipulated and broken her trust. Her battered heart had once solemnly vowed never to love again, to never even look at this treacherous man with affection.
But now... now, something fundamental inside her was shifting.
From the exact moment he had recklessly leapt into danger to save her life in that hospital corridor... up until this very second.
There was something unresolved burning inside her—something she couldn’t quite name. A stirring emotion, soft but terrifyingly persistent.
Maybe it was that invisible wall of rigid dignity she had carried for so long, the one that stubbornly refused to allow her to see the man she cared about with another woman.
But tonight, under the shadow of the vampire citadel, that heavy wall cracked. And with it, her core principles began to crumble.
The strict principle where she had sworn she would never, ever share her man. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
And funnily enough, she could guess that it was merely his overwhelming presence making her feel this vulnerable. She stubbornly folded her arms beneath her heavy breasts, averting her gaze as if she couldn’t care less about him being claimed as a vampire’s consort.
Ding
[Kino Control: Rank C ⇒ B+]
"I will truly hate you, Miss Evangeline, if you call me that again," Cruxius replied smoothly.
His dark eyes flicked to her for a moment. He casually shrugged his broad shoulders as he approached, slipping the gold stone he had found deep into his coat pocket.
His gaze then slid sideways, catching Ytrisia’s flustered profile, a hidden smirk tugging at his lips as the system notification pinged in his mind, confirming her emotional attachment to him was steadily increasing.
"Hate? What a childish, mortal thing to say. And all because I called a literal ragpicker... a ragpicker?"
Evangeline just shook her head in mild disgust as she moved toward the massive front gates.
The huge, reinforced metal doors began to slowly slide open, revealing two towering individuals standing guard in full black armor. The grinding sound of the doors swinging open was far too loud to ignore, highlighting the sheer, crushing weight of the magical metals they were forged from.
"Nah, because by calling me a ragpicker, you’re pointing a rather insulting finger right back at yourself—the Queen who willingly chose this ragpicker to be her consort...."
Cruxius spoke much calmer now, shaking his head.
He could observe that the current political climate here seemed much more peaceful than he had originally anticipated.
