Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 1019: Dissatisfied Queen

He stepped forward.

Every instinct told him to stay in the background. Stay low. Be invisible.

But that chance had passed the moment the announcer said his name, and Felicity’s jest hadn’t helped either. The princess didn’t mean to put him in a difficult position. On the contrary, she adored him. But she had no way of understanding just how precarious his and the others’ presence truly was here. To her, this was all harmless fun —a lighthearted jab to break the tension.

To him, it was a noose tightening around his neck.

He could feel the shifting weight of the room. The curiosity. The animosity. The suspicion. His party had drawn more attention than a pack of wolves at a sheep auction, and now every pair of eyes—noble and royal alike—were watching to see how the stranger would move.

So he did what a predator biding his time did when surrounded by other predators.

He smiled.

Calm.

Controlled.

Polite.

Then, with the smoothness of someone who had practiced such formality to perfection, Quinlan stepped forward. He bowed with one hand across his chest and the other behind his back.

His voice was smooth but strong. ”Your Majesty. Your Grace. I thank you for the honor of this invitation and your generous hospitality.”

Behind him, his girls followed suit. In perfect timing, they dipped into identical curtsies.

They said nothing.

It was what tradition dictated in the Vraven Kingdom. Only the acknowledged head of household addressed the royalty. Wives, children, or companions were to bow quietly unless spoken to.

King Alexios observed the presentation and returned Quinlan’s words with a nod. ”Welcome to the royal court.”

But beside him, Queen Morgana did not speak.

She sat in her cold beauty, observing the bowed party.

She didn’t speak.

She didn’t nod.

She didn’t blink.

She simply stared at Quinlan as if already unweaving the threads of his soul with each passing second.

And Quinlan, though smiling outwardly, could feel the weight of her inspection drilling into his mind. It was not hard to gather that the woman wasn’t fond of him.

Though to be fair, Morgana seemed to hate humanity in general, but Quinlan definitely enjoyed a special amount of her scorn, most certainly due to the fact that her young daughter thought of him so highly. Ṟã₦ȱ𝔟ȧ

She was a mama bear busy debating if it was the correct decision to let Felicity befriend this strange man. It was one thing to let her speak with him using artifacts, but meeting in person...?

Queen Morgana turned her head toward King Alexios. And for the first time in a long time, the steady swirl of elements within her eyes faltered.

Fire surged to the forefront.

Gone was the calm equilibrium of harmonized elemental affinity, replaced by smoldering crimson that flared like burning coals. The court mages stiffened. Even the nobles seated at a distance took note, though they dared not react too openly. Most had never seen the queen’s balance break.

Alexios did not react to the hostility sent his way, but he did notice. How couldn’t he? His warrior’s instinct flared, telling him a mighty entity was prowling nearby.

Her voice was quiet—barely above a whisper—but it carried, as magic saturated every syllable. ”You invited him here.”

It wasn’t a question.

It was an accusation.

Quinlan could barely hear it with his high-level and primordial senses, so most, if not all, nobles missed what she was saying.

he told the others.

Lucille released a worried exhale. This was bad.

The king’s features remained composed, but a small shift passed through his expression. ”You were the one to allow their friendship.”

”You’re mistaken. I allowed them to speak, strictly through artifacts, and only as long as a responsible adult was watching Felicity,” Morgana replied with that calmness that any husband would realize as the one that always preceded a storm. ”You invited him to spend time with her in person... without so much as a word to me.”

Alexios met her gaze. ”I didn’t realize I required your approval to permit guests into my own court.”

Morgana’s nostrils flared, but she didn’t move. Her posture was immaculate, her tone never rising. ”That’s not what this is about, and you know it. We share a daughter, whether you like it or not. It’s our responsibility to ensure she is surrounded by the right people while growing up.”

The king’s gaze softened, hearing what she was saying. ”I do like it, Wife. I wouldn’t want anyone else to be the mother of my children. And, naturally, I tested these people before I let them meet our daughter in person. They passed.”

His statements didn’t change Morgana’s expression. She didn’t blush even slightly. In fact, she didn’t display a single bodily reaction at all. She simply pressed on, cold and composed.

”Is that so? And what did you do once you tested them? Since you arrived much before Felicity, who did you leave behind to watch this man and ensure your judgment was correct? You wouldn’t happen to...” Her already fiery eyes turned into overdrive.

If he had left no one...

Then the king of the Vraven Kingdom had gambled with their daughter’s safety.

Alexios didn’t answer.

Instead, he turned his gaze toward Quinlan.

”Lord Black, be seated. It is time we greet the Duke families.”

He gestured to a table that had been left conspicuously empty until now. It wasn’t on the royal platform where the king, queen, and princess were going to be seated during the feast, nor even near the ducal tables that lined the flanks in organized tiers. No, Quinlan’s seat was tucked among the normal nobility, a quieter cluster close to the main aisle.

A message, if not a warning.

He may have earned the princess’s favor. He may have been allowed his mask, his name, his mystery.

But he was no prince. No duke.

His privileges were limited, and the court was watching.

Felicity snapped her head between her parents and Quinlan’s retreating figure. Her brows furrowed, and she puffed out her cheeks in visible frustration. When her pout got her nowhere, she gave her parents a glare of protest.

Alexios didn’t even glance her way.

But Morgana did.