Reincarnate as the Villainess's Husband - Chapter 96

Chapter 96: Conqueror’s spoils
Neonidas fell into silence, as if listening to a prophecy carved into the stone walls of the palace. In that moment, at the marble table of the grand hall, among the golden filigree details, an awareness trembled between the shadows of the past and the uncertain hopes of the future.

“This is a pleasant attitude. I approve,” Allea responded.

There was one important fact to understand: this world differed vastly from Neonidas’s previous one. Especially in this male-dominated society, it was highly unlikely for a man being with multiple women to be considered a problem. In fact, because of the traditions of the empire’s central religion, it wasn’t even deemed proper for a woman to tell her husband not to be with another woman.

As an atheist, Allea naturally didn’t care about religious doctrines, yet she still didn’t find this situation abnormal. In fact, for her future plans, she saw Neonidas gaining more power as a positive outcome. In the past, she hadn’t considered him her equal, and because of that, she certainly didn’t want him to be with another woman—it would have been an insult to her.

But now that she had accepted him as her partner, she wouldn’t act with the thought of restricting him. Yet, for some reason, there was an unease stirring inside her. She couldn’t quite understand why, but the idea of Neonidas being with other women unsettled her.

Neonidas narrowed his eyes slightly as he weighed the weight of Allea’s words. In that moment, the silence resonating between the gilded columns of the kingdom palace resembled the uneasy stillness before a battlefield. With the cold-bloodedness of a commander analyzing every possible outcome, he tried to suppress the turmoil within him. Yet still, he noticed the tremor of uncertainty in Allea’s voice, the flickering shadows in her eyes.

“Then,” Neonidas said, his voice measured and certain, “there is no need to discuss this matter any further.”

However, neither Allea nor Neonidas truly believed that these words were final. The unease boiling within Allea, combined with Neonidas’s instincts, created an invisible yet palpable tension in the air. Allea was strong enough to rise above her beliefs; she was a woman who acted on her own free will. Yet the fact that she couldn’t pinpoint the source of this disturbing emotion irritated her.

Neonidas had sensed the storm within Allea. Just as he could recognize the scent of blood and bone on the battlefield, he could also perceive the tension people tried to conceal. But this tension was not as clear as anticipating an enemy’s strike. The emotions swirling in Allea’s gaze shimmered indistinctly behind a haze—and that uncertainty was one of the rare things that tested Neonidas’s patience.

For a moment, he took a deep breath. His gaze flickered to the gold-embellished wine goblet on the table before returning to Allea. Her upright posture and the questioning expression in her eyes were different from her usual defiance. Neonidas carefully weighed his thoughts before putting them into words. Then, in an unexpectedly soft tone, he spoke.

“What concerns me is not what you have said, but what you haven’t.”

Allea didn’t avert her gaze. The fact that Neonidas had so directly touched upon her weak point ignited a spark within her. But she didn’t want to put this discomfort into words. Because if she couldn’t define it, then she wouldn’t have to confront it.

So she merely shrugged. “It’s not as complicated as you think,” she said. “I’m simply accepting reality. If there’s something that will make you stronger, it would be foolish to oppose it.”

Neonidas furrowed his brows slightly. The words were logical, but the emotion behind them was not. As always, Allea was strong, but this time, she was using her strength as a shield. Seeing this so clearly unsettled him. Because facing her was like fighting with a sharpened blade. Yet this was one of the few times he had felt her retreat into a defensive stance.

As the silence stretched, the only sound echoing through the marble walls was the crackling of the firewood in the hearth. Finally, Neonidas lowered his head slightly, as if making a heavy decision, and rose from his chair.

“If this is truly how you feel, then let’s put this matter to rest here.”

There was an unusual distance in his voice. As Allea watched him stand, that undefined discomfort within her grew stronger. But why? Everything that had transpired was merely the confirmation of a fact she already knew. She never claimed a right to own Neonidas for herself. So then, why did she feel this inexplicable weight on her chest?

As Neonidas walked toward the door, Allea stirred slightly, driven by a sudden impulse, but the words stopped at the tip of her tongue. Should she say something to stop him? Did she even have anything to say? Worse—did she even have the right to?

When he reached the threshold, Neonidas hesitated for a brief moment, as if expecting something. But when Allea remained silent, he left without another word.

As the door closed, Allea narrowed her eyes slightly. The unease within her was now much clearer.

And that was what disturbed her the most.

—

As Neonidas moved from corridor to corridor, a smirk formed on his lips. Until now, he had been focused on expanding his backup plan. But after tonight’s dinner, he realized he no longer needed it.

Plan A had already succeeded.

Allea was slowly beginning to fall in love with him.

And that meant half of the obstacles in his path had already disappeared. The influence and power Allea wielded in this world was not to be underestimated. She was the heir to the strongest empire, and her position was unshakable… at least for now.

At first, Neonidas had considered whether he could use Avelina for his backup plan. But that was an extremely dangerous idea. As the protagonist of this story, Avelina was most likely busy gaining strength and acquiring new abilities at this very moment.

And among those abilities, there was surely one that allowed her to see a person’s stats.

Controlling a woman who possessed such a powerful and dangerous set of abilities would be incredibly challenging.

And then, of course, there was Plan C. Among all of Neonidas’s strategies, Plan C was the bloodiest and the most exhausting. It was, in essence, the scenario where Neonidas stood against the entire empire.

As he moved through the corridors, his steps were nearly silent. The sound of his boots against the marble floor was so light that only someone listening carefully would notice. His thoughts were like an intricate game of chess—pieces falling into place one by one, possibilities being calculated, probabilities weaving into each other. Plan A had initially been nothing more than a hunch, but now it had solidified into a concrete victory. The uncertainty stirring within Allea would, in time, draw her closer to him, forcing her to question, to understand herself.

When Neonidas opened a door and stepped inside, he cast those thoughts aside. Inside the lavishly decorated chamber, two women in ornate dresses awaited him—Elenora and Celeste, the prized princesses of the Hindonpon Kingdom. Though they had different mothers, both had unique qualities of their own.

As Neonidas entered with measured steps, the air in the room was thick with tension. This was one of the palace’s most luxurious suites. The golden engravings on the ceiling, the elegant tapestries adorning the walls, and the silk curtains woven with intricate patterns all spoke of its former royal grandeur. But this place no longer belonged to the princesses of a conquered kingdom. It was now a symbol of Neonidas’s victory.

At the center of the room, Elenora stood tall, her curvy yet regal figure exuding both tension and grace. Her dark brown curls cascaded over her bare shoulders, and her black eyes studied the man before her with quiet defiance. The thin fabric of her gown draped elegantly over her tanned skin, preserving the elegance of a princess—but she was no longer one. She was now the spoils of a fallen kingdom.

Beside her stood Celeste, yet her stance was quite different from her sister’s. Her dark hair gleamed under the moonlight, but what stood out most were the feline ears perched atop her head, a distinct feature of her lineage. A long, slender tail flicked slightly behind her, betraying her tension. Her golden eyes, gleaming with a near-predatory sharpness, locked onto Neonidas. There was something different in her blood—perhaps the mystical heritage of her ancient lineage, or maybe the instincts of a hunter.

Both their mothers had once been close friends, but a devastating illness had spread through the kingdom, taking their lives. Thus, ten years ago, the Hindonpon Kingdom had lost both of its queens and had gone without one for a time. Fortunately, the two sisters had formed a strong bond with their new stepmother, Queen Lysandra.

Neonidas slowly shut the door behind him, his gaze sweeping over them with a faint smirk. It was a smile of victory, of power, of possession. His eyes locked onto Elenora.

“When I was told you would be waiting here for me, I expected a bit more resistance,” he remarked, his voice carrying a subtle challenge.

Elenora lifted her chin slightly, meeting his gaze with a defiant glare. “How much resistance do you think a woman left at the mercy of her conqueror can show?” Her voice was firm, but beneath it lay an undeniable pride. She still carried the dignity of a princess.

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I have added Elenora’s pic and I will add Celeste’s sometime.