Starting With an SSS-Rank Goddess Summon!

The beat-up yellow public transit cab rattled loudly as it pulled away from the curb with its failing combustion engine coughing a thick cloud of dark exhaust into the late afternoon air.

Silas and Evelyn were securely in the back seat, leaving the quiet manicured streets of the Silverleaf apartment complex behind them.

Just seconds after their terrible ride turned the corner and disappeared from view, a completely different class of vehicle glided smoothly into the neighborhood.

A sleek elongated luxury limousine, plated entirely in polished obsidian and trimmed with silver runic etchings, pulled silently up to the curb.

The vehicle came to a flawless stop directly in front of Silas’s apartment building.

The driver’s side door opened, and a tall impeccably dressed butler in a tailored black suit stepped out onto the concrete.

He walked briskly around the rear of the vehicle and respectfully opened the passenger door.

A young woman stepped out into the Valoria City sunlight.

Seraphina Bloom adjusted the collar of her designer crimson blazer with her movements radiating the undeniable elegance of high-society nobility.

She reached up with a manicured hand, smoothly running her fingers through her vibrant cascading crimson hair.

Her sharp beautiful features were locked into an expression of intense focused determination.

’He left his location tracker on earlier, even though it just turned off,’ Seraphina thought to herself, her mind racing as she stared at the front door of the apartment building. ’That was a clear indication that he was around here. I know I have the right address...’

”I wish you the best of luck, Lady Seraphina,” the butler offered politely, bowing his head as he held the limousine door.

Seraphina completely ignored him.

She didn’t have time for pleasantries with the hired help as she clutched a thick leather folder filled with legal documents tightly against her chest and walked forward with her expensive heels clicking sharply against the paved stone walkway leading up to Silas’s porch.

She had been searching for him for quite a while now.

Ever since the chaotic events inside Ititius’s Secret Realm, Silas had seemingly vanished from social circles.

The Lord had practically fallen off the grid, retreating into the depths of the Sovereign to build his territory.

Seraphina had been genuinely worried about him, though she would never willingly admit that vulnerability out loud to anyone.

She continued walking up the porch steps with her mind flashing back to the specific compromising incident that had tied their fates together.

During the Secret Realm expedition, Silas had seen her entirely naked. He had witnessed everything, completely stripping away her noble dignity just to pee.

In the traditional rigid culture of the elite noble families, an event like that carried massive consequences.

She had already talked it out at length with her Mother and Father. The conclusion was unyielding.

Silas Graves would have to marry her to preserve the honor of the Bloom family.

’I am fully prepared to treat you exactly as you deserve to be treated,’ Seraphina thought with a sudden wave of warmth spreading through her chest as her thighs pressed together slightly.

Despite the forced nature of the arrangement, she didn’t actually hate the idea.

Silas was fiercely strong, incredibly capable, and undeniably handsome.

As long as he treated her well and fulfilled his duties as a proper husband, she would treat him incredibly well as a wife.

She would manage his household, support his territorial expansion, and maybe, eventually, she would even bear his children to secure their legacy.

She certainly wouldn’t end up like her own parents.

She silently swore that she would never publicly disgrace Silas online like her mother, Etilga, had done to her father.

Those two had a bizarre toxic dynamic that constantly spilled into the Valoria City tabloids.

Seraphina wanted a stable powerful partnership.

’I want Silas...’ Seraphina resolved fiercely in her heart, gripping the leather folder even tighter. ’And I will get him.’

She reached the heavy front door and raised her hand. She knocked firmly three times on the thick wood, projecting an aura of complete confidence.

She waited, fully expecting the rugged dark-haired Lord to open the door and look at her in surprise.

She had her opening lines perfectly rehearsed... She was going to be assertive and irresistibly charming.

CLICK!

The heavy brass handle turned, and the door slowly swung inward.

Seraphina’s elegant smile instantly died on her face.

Standing in the doorway was not Silas Graves. It was a stunningly beautiful woman with vibrant purple hair.

To make matters infinitely worse, the woman was currently wearing an oversized comfortable dark hoodie that clearly belonged to Silas, hanging loosely over her shoulders in a deeply intimate manner.

Harper stared back at the red-haired noble, her glowing purple eyes narrowing into a fierce territorial glare.

She instantly recognized Seraphina.

The air on the porch instantly dropped twenty degrees, crackling with the invisible suffocating pressure of two powerful jealous women.

Seraphina’s grip on her leather folder tightened until her knuckles turned white.

Her crimson eyes flared with pure hostility as she took in Harper’s disheveled comfortable appearance inside Silas’s home.

”Bitch,” Seraphina spat venomously, completely dropping her noble elegance. ”What the hell are you doing at his house?”

...

A long distance away from the brewing domestic war zone at the Silverleaf apartment, the beat-up yellow public transit cab violently hit a massive pothole.

”Ugh,” Silas grunted, bracing his hands against the sticky peeling vinyl of the passenger seat to keep from bouncing his head off the low ceiling.

The suspension on the vehicle was shot.

Every single bump in the Valoria City asphalt sent a jarring uncomfortable shockwave directly up his spine.

The air conditioning was broken, blowing lukewarm, musty air that smelled faintly of cheap stale beer into the cramped back seat.

Silas turned his head, glaring at Evelyn.

The black-haired Lord of The Unmovable Wall was sitting next to him with her knees pulled up slightly in the cramped space, staring casually out the smudged window as if this were a perfectly normal way to travel.

”I have a very serious question,” Silas stated, his deep voice carrying a heavy layer of judgment over the rattling engine noise.

Evelyn didn’t look away from the window. ”What?”

”If you are supposedly so incredibly rich,” Silas pointed out, gesturing wildly at the terrible interior of the cab. ”Why in the world are we riding in a metal deathtrap that smells like a wet dog?”

Evelyn finally turned her head, offering him a completely indifferent shrug.

”We could have easily ordered a private guild-certified armored transport,” Evelyn admitted smoothly, not looking the least bit bothered by the sticky seats. ”But those premium cabs are just too costly for a simple cross-town trip... They charge a massive base fee just to unlock the doors, plus a premium rate per mile based on the threat level of the district.”

Silas stared at her in deadpan disbelief.

”Evelyn,” Silas said slowly, making sure she heard every word. ”You are a multi-millionaire... You own a fortress the size of a city block so I think you can afford a base fee.”

”Wealth is accumulated through strict financial discipline, Silas,” Evelyn lectured him dryly, leaning back against the uncomfortable vinyl. ”You don’t stay rich by throwing away credits on useless luxury when a standard transit cab gets you to the exact same destination.”

”This thing might actually explode before we reach the destination,” Silas countered, gripping the door handle as the cab violently swerved to avoid a stray utility drone in the street.

Before Evelyn could argue her stingy financial philosophies any further, the cab lurched forward and slammed to a halt.

The screech of the worn brake pads was deafening.

Silas looked out the front windshield.

The massive sprawling commercial district of Valoria City was completely deadlocked in a brutal afternoon traffic jam.

Hundreds of hovering transports, armored cargo trucks, and luxury sedans were packed tightly together between the towering skyscrapers, none of them moving an inch.

The cab driver, a gruff older man with cybernetic implants on his neck, turned around and slid the scratched plexiglass divider open.

”Central intersection is blocked by a guild parade, kids,” the driver grunted, chewing on a toothpick. ”We are gonna be sitting here for at least twenty minutes before the enforcers clear the lanes.”

Evelyn groaned loudly, letting her head fall back against the seat. ”Perfect. Just what I needed today.”

Silas let out a tired sigh, unbuttoning the top of his dark trench coat to vent some of the stifling heat trapped in the cabin.

He looked out his window at the crowded sidewalk.

Right next to their stalled cab, an entrepreneurial street vendor had set up a glowing frost-warded cart.

The vendor was actively scooping large, colorful servings of magically chilled ice cream for the pedestrians stuck in the traffic.

’That’s not a bad idea...’

If he was going to be trapped in a hot terrible-smelling box, he was at least going to be comfortable.

Silas rolled down his window, leaning his head out into the bustling street.

”Hey,” Silas called out to the vendor, holding up a crisp silver credit note. ”Two large cups of the frost-berry.”

The vendor eagerly trotted over, exchanging the cold treats for the currency through the open window.

Silas rolled the glass back up and turned to Evelyn. He held out one of the large, sweating paper cups filled with bright blue, magically chilled ice cream.

Evelyn blinked in surprise, staring at the offering.

”What is this?” Evelyn asked defensively, eyeing the cup like it might be a trap.

”It is ice cream, Evelyn,” Silas replied dryly, shoving it directly into her hands. ”Eat it before it melts all over your hoodie. Consider it a peace offering for dragging you out of the Sovereign Realm.”

Evelyn took the cup with her dark eyes narrowing suspiciously as she inspected the frost-berry treat.

She grabbed the small wooden spoon and took a cautious tiny bite.

The exact second the magical sub-zero sweetness hit her tongue, her entire demeanor shifted.

The stress of the Lord War and the crushing exhaustion seemed to momentarily melt away from her pale face.

Her eyes widened, and she immediately scooped a massive unceremonious bite into her mouth.

Silas watched her eat with an amused smirk.

For a Lord who commanded an army of heavy infantry, she looked surprisingly innocent eating ice cream in the back of a broken-down cab.

”Brain freeze,” Evelyn suddenly hissed, squeezing her eyes tightly shut and pressing a hand firmly against her forehead as the magical cold rapidly assaulted her sinuses.

Silas couldn’t help it.

He burst out laughing.

”You are supposed to eat it slowly, you idiot,” Silas mocked her playfully, taking a calm bite of his own treat.

Evelyn glared at him through one open eye with her face flushed from the cold.

”Shut up,” Evelyn mumbled irritably, though there was no real venom in her voice.

She took another significantly smaller bite.

They sat together in the cramped uncomfortable back seat, making surprisingly easy small talk as the traffic slowly began to crawl forward.

They complained about the absurd Valoria City zoning laws, mocked the garish, overly expensive outfits of the nobles walking past their cab, and shared a rare quiet moment of genuine camaraderie.

Despite their massive globally broadcast war just hours prior, they actually enjoyed each other’s company.

They both shared the same modern mindset that completely rejected the dramatic nonsense of the Sovereign Realm.

Eventually, the traffic cleared, and the cab sped up, weaving through the towering commercial sector.

”We’re here,” the driver announced, pulling up to the curb.

They had arrived outside the Valoria City Central Bank.

It was a massive intimidating structure built entirely from reinforced white marble and gleaming gold pillars.

Heavily armed security golems patrolled the front steps, and the entrance hummed with dense visible layers of anti-theft magical wards.

Silas and Evelyn stepped out of the terrible cab.

Silas tossed a few extra credits through the front window to pay the driver, not waiting for the change.

They walked over to a nearby public disposal chute, discarding their empty ice cream cups, and marched together up the grand marble steps of the bank.

”Finally...”

The interior of the Valoria City Bank was overwhelming.

The ceiling vaulted hundreds of feet into the air, painted with intricate murals of the founding Lords.

The main floor was packed with thousands of ordinary citizens, low-tier merchants, and mercenaries, all waiting miserably in endlessly long winding lines to see a teller.

Silas looked at the massive crowd, preparing himself for hours of mind-numbing waiting.

”Follow me,” Evelyn ordered smoothly, completely bypassing the massive crowd.