Supreme Warlock System : From Zero to Ultimate With My Wives

Warlock Ch 333. No Word Games

Damian narrowed his eyes. "Do not play word games with me right now."

Her fingers twitched again.

Evelyn, still seated beside Damian, traced the rune in her palm absentmindedly, her eyes sharp. "What about Ralvek?" she asked.

Aria's lips thinned. "I can't say."

Cassius chuckled from his spot by the window. "Oh, you can." His eyes gleamed. "You just won't."

Aria didn't deny it.

Damian exhaled sharply, tapping his fingers against the chair's armrest. "Fine. Then tell me this—why did they want Selena dead in the first place?" His brows furrowed. "I mean… Selena will never be queen. They know that."

Aria's expression didn't change, but Damian saw it again—that hesitation, that split-second calculation happening behind her eyes. And when she finally spoke— Her voice was calm. "You're right," she said slowly. "Selena will never be queen."

Damian waited.

Victoria leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming with amusement. "And yet," she drawled, "someone wants her gone."

Aria exhaled. "Because someone doesn't care about the throne."

Damian frowned. "Then what do they care about?"

Aria's eyes flickered. "Power."

Evelyn was the first to speak. "Power… over what, exactly?"

Aria's gaze was unreadable. "Over magic itself."

Damian's fingers stilled against the chair.

Magic.

Itself.

Something about those words twisted in his gut. There were a lot of things he could brush off—being hunted, assassination attempts, political backstabbing—but this? This was different. And that meant things were about to get even more fucked than they already were.

Damian exhaled, rubbing his temple. "I need an explanation."

Aria hesitated. Which was not a good sign. Her gaze flickered, uncertainty creeping into her usually controlled expression. But after a moment, she let out a slow breath, as if coming to a decision. "Promise me you won't leak this out," she said quietly.

Damian huffed. "Yeah, yeah, fine."

Aria turned to the others.

Evelyn tilted her head slightly, the rune on her palm glowing faintly as she studied Aria. "I keep my word."

Victoria smirked, swirling her glass of definitely not wine lazily. "I have no interest in fae politics." She took a slow sip. "As long as it's entertaining, I won't say a word."

Cassius chuckled. "Oh, I love a good secret."

Aria took a moment, before finally speaking.

"Selena… even though she doesn't have an important position in the fae court, she still has fae royal blood," she said, her tone steady but laced with something careful. "There's a rumor… that the fae royal bloodline carries a power different from others."

Damian's brow furrowed. "Different how?"

Aria's gaze sharpened. "Her mana core."

Damian exhaled. "Of course."

Aria nodded. "It's not like other fae. It's—stronger. More… pure."

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Pure?"

Evelyn's fingers twitched slightly. "That's a very specific word choice."

Damian rubbed his temple. "Okay, let me guess." He huffed, lifting his hand. "Does this have anything to do with the evil faction?" He paused, then corrected himself. "Sorry—the evil faction disguised as the good faction?"

Aria's jaw tightened. "Yes."

Cassius smirked. "Oh, of course."

Aria exhaled. "They're after her."

Damian leaned back, rubbing his face. "Her mana core."

"Yes," Aria confirmed. "That exam was the perfect opportunity. They planned to kill her, secure her body, and—"

"Use that time to absorb her mana core," Damian finished, voice dripping with exhaustion. "Right. Because why would anything be simple?"

Evelyn muttered something under her breath. The rune on her palm flared briefly before dimming again. "That's… insane."

Victoria tilted her head. "Not really."

Evelyn shot her a look. "Excuse me?"

Victoria smirked. "Fae blood is powerful. Royals even more so. If their mana cores really are different, it makes perfect sense that someone would want to harvest them."

Evelyn's eyes darkened. "You say that so casually."

Victoria chuckled. "I'm old. I've seen worse."

Damian exhaled again, dragging a hand through his hair. "Alright. Fine. So they were trying to harvest her. Great. Love that. And let me guess—the senators knew."

Aria's lips pressed into a thin line. Which meant yes.

Damian let out a humorless laugh. "Oh, f*ck me."

Victoria grinned. "I would, but now's not the time."

Damian shot her a glare. "Not helping."

Evelyn smirked. "I think it is."

Aria sighed. "I don't know how deep the senators are involved, but they knew something. Whether they were actively part of the plan or just letting it happen—"

"It doesn't matter," Damian muttered. "They let it happen anyway."

Aria didn't argue.

Evelyn leaned forward, eyes sharp. "So what now?"

Aria inhaled. "Now?" She met Damian's gaze, something serious in her expression. "You stay here."

Damian narrowed his eyes. "For how long?"

Aria didn't blink. "As long as it takes."

Damian groaned, throwing his head back against the chair. "Fucking great." His fingers drummed against the armrest, his body still sluggish from exhaustion, but his mind? Racing. "So, I'm some kind of prisoner now," he muttered. "Right. I really have the worst luck."

Aria exhaled, her eyes steady but unreadable. "You know too much."

Damian let out a dry chuckle, rubbing his temple. "Oh, wonderful. So, I get thrown into a goddamn death tournament, nearly die, somehow survive, and now my reward is house arrest?" He threw up his hands. "Sounds fair."

Victoria smirked, swirling her glass of definitely not wine. "It is a bit poetic."

Evelyn, however, wasn't amused. She tapped her fingers against her knee. "But isn't silence the same as waiting? We're just sitting here, waiting until they decide to strike." Her sharp gaze flickered to Aria. "They'll kill him sooner or later."

Aria's jaw tightened slightly. "We're trying to find out who is involved. Investigating takes time."

Evelyn scoffed. "Time? They aren't wasting any."

Cassius hummed from where he leaned against the windowsill. "She has a point."

Aria turned to him, unimpressed. "You think we should just act without proof?"

Cassius tilted his head. "I think waiting for them to make the first move is a bad strategy."

Damian sighed, stretching his legs out. "Okay. So let's break this down."

Aria crossed her arms but didn't interrupt.

Damian tapped his fingers on the chair's armrest. "The senators—or at least some of them—are involved." He gestured vaguely. "Whether they were actively helping or just looking the other way, doesn't matter. They knew."