Supreme Spouse System.

Shadows Beneath the Velvet Jewel

The world felt as though it was holding its breath.

On the eastern border, steel and strategy clashed in silence before swords could ever meet. Moonstone's decision had been made—King Aurelian would march himself. His banner, which for decades had remained inside the high spires of Moonspire, was unfurled again, carried eastward under his command. In the minds of both his subjects and his enemies, that choice meant one thing only: Aurelian would not send others to die in his stead—he would stand in the fire himself.

Across from him, Vellore braced like a beast forced to defend its den. King Gary's fury was infamous, his cunning sharper than most gave him credit for, and though his army had bled terribly in recent days, his mind raced faster than his healers' hands. The war would not be won with numbers alone; it would be won with teeth sunk into the enemy's throat before they realized the jaws had closed.

Two kings, two wills, two fates gathering momentum toward a single collision.

Yet while their shadows lengthened over Moonstone's eastern border, the heart of another land pulsed to a different rhythm.

Far to the east, beyond rivers and mountains, nestled the kingdom of Siryate.

---

Siryate had long been known not for war, but for wonder.

By day its valleys glimmered with the sheen of gemstones pulled from veins older than memory. By night, its artisans lit the streets with floating lamps of crystal, each one refracting light into a hundred colors. The kingdom was famed for its hand-crafted ornaments, jewels wrought so delicately that even the most hardened warriors coveted them as heirlooms. But beauty in Siryate was not only carved—it was lived. From the slow, precise dances in marble courtyards to the painted silks that clung to its nobles, the kingdom moved like a work of art set into motion.

At its center lay Vel, the capital—often called The Velvet Jewel.

Vel was unlike any other city of the east. Its walls did not rise like harsh gray stone but gleamed with polished white marble, streaked with veins of gold that caught the light of the twin moons above. Towers spiraled upward like frozen whirlpools, their tips capped with crystalline domes that glowed faintly with enchantment. Streets curved in gentle arcs rather than rigid lines, lined with shops and workshops where goldsmiths bent molten metal into filigree as easily as breathing.

Tonight, under the twin moons—one pale yellow, the other cold blue—the entire city shimmered as though it were carved from starlight. The moons' glow washed over tiled roofs and rippled across the river that ran straight through the city's heart, a ribbon of liquid light.

The soldiers of Vel walked their rounds beneath that glow, their armor polished bright, each plate engraved with the sigil of Vellore—a roaring lion's face cast in profile. The sound of their steps echoed steady, their spears glinting, banners fluttering lazily in the soft wind. For a kingdom at war, the capital was strangely serene.

At its core rose the castle.

---

The castle of Vel did not loom like a fortress of stone—it soared like a dream. Carved from pale granite streaked with silver, its walls were veined with enchanted vines of crystal that pulsed faintly with magical light. Dozens of towers climbed upward, their windows spilling candlelight into the night, while bridges arched gracefully between them. Its gardens spilled with flowers that glowed faintly in the dark, their petals kept alive by woven enchantments. To outsiders it looked like something from a fairy tale—a vision of a kingdom untouched by blood and fire.

Yet within those walls, reality whispered harsher truths.

In one secluded wing, guarded more heavily than any treasury, lay the private chambers of Queen Natty of Vellore—sister to Natasha.

Four guards stood at the entrance to her chamber, armor immaculate, spears upright, their posture regal and unyielding. Their faces betrayed nothing, eyes fixed forward, yet tension rippled subtly through their bodies. They stood as though carved from stone, and yet the weight of their duty pressed invisibly upon them—protecting a queen meant that no blink, no lapse, could be afforded.

The corridor was quiet, the glow of enchanted lanterns painting the stone walls in warm hues. Then… footsteps.

Soft, measured, deliberate.

The guards did not turn, their discipline forbidding them to even glance at the sound. Yet their ears sharpened, hearts steadying. Whoever walked here walked with purpose.

A figure emerged at the end of the corridor.

---

She was a woman of striking presence—blonde hair coiled neatly behind her head, her yellow eyes sharp yet weighed with an expression dusted in fatigue. Her uniform was unmistakable: the crisp black and white of a maid, though the fabric clung to her body in ways that made her curves all the more evident. Her breasts pressed against the fabric as she walked, her hips swayed with natural grace, her thighs strong and thick beneath the hem of her skirt. She was alluring, but her allure was not intentional—it was simply there, undeniable, like the shape of a sculptor's masterpiece.

What drew more attention, however, was not her body, but her bearing. The air bent differently around her. This was no common servant.

The four guards reacted instantly. Their spears shifted, points lowering slightly in acknowledgment as they stepped in unison and bowed.

"Greetings, Head Maid," they intoned together, their voices steady, respectful.

The woman—head maid of the castle—paused before them. Her gaze softened, her lips parting with a voice calm and clear, touched with quiet authority.

"Please, step aside. I bring food for the queen."

Only then did the guards notice the trolley she pushed before her—laden with covered dishes, the faint warmth of steam still rising through the lids. Their brows flickered, just briefly, as realization struck—they had not seen the trolley until this very moment. The fact unsettled them, but none dared question her.

One guard stepped aside first, then the others followed, opening the path with fluid precision.

"As you will," the lead guard said.

The head maid inclined her head slightly, a soft nod that carried both gratitude and command. "Thank you."

Her hands gripped the trolley as she pushed it forward, the wheels rolling quietly across the polished stone floor. The light from the lanterns touched her hair, her eyes glimmering gold for the briefest moment as she passed between the guards.

None of them looked at her again—not out of disrespect, but because the weight of her presence demanded it. She entered the chamber's threshold, the guards stepping back into their rigid stances as if nothing had disturbed the silence.

But the silence had changed.

Behind those doors, in the queen's chamber, lay the heart of Vellore's truth.

And tonight, beneath the fairy-tale beauty of Vel, reality was about to show its teeth.