This wasn't the first time Valeria had seen Lord Selene.

  Back when the southern succubi entered the city, she had caught a glimpse of her from afar. Standing among the crowd, Valeria had watched that lone figure cross the street and felt a suffocating sense of pressure—not just from her status, but from the undeniable aura of a true powerhouse.

  She didn't smile, didn't need to speak. Just by standing there, you could tell who the true ruler was.

  From that moment, Valeria understood: Selene was different.

  She had almost instinctively fallen to her knees—not out of fear, but from a deep, bone-deep reverence.

  What surprised her was that Selene didn't immediately bring up Freya. Instead, she bluntly asked how Valeria had met the werewolf leader—whom she referred to as "your master."

  Kneeling on the floor, head bowed, Valeria didn't dare hide anything. Selene's presence was overwhelming, like storm clouds pressing down from the heavens, so heavy it was hard to breathe.

  She recounted every detail of that rainy night. She spoke clearly and thoroughly—even the part where she had offered herself to him, she told the truth. No embellishments, no attempts to gloss over anything.

  What Valeria didn't notice was that, as she spoke, several veins had begun to visibly bulge on Selene's otherwise calm forehead.

  Her perpetually composed expression had turned uncomfortably stiff.

  Perfect. Just perfect.

  Suppressing her anger, Selene didn't explode immediately. Instead, she shifted the topic and began asking questions about Freya.

  Valeria continued to answer. She explained that Freya had originally been just a low-ranking handmaid to the southern succubi leader. Then, for reasons unknown, she had suddenly risen to power, rescued them, and forcibly took over southern affairs.

  She also mentioned that before the rescue, Freya's strength had been no more than mid-tier leader level.

  "You're certain she was only mid-tier back then?"

  "Yes, Lady Selene," Valeria replied firmly, still not daring to lift her head.

  Upon hearing that, Selene's fury seemed to cool abruptly. A faint, icy smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

  "So that's how it is..."

  At the same time, outside the Lord's estate, Draven was preparing to act. He had just learned that Valeria had been personally detained by Lady Selene. The news stunned him.

  "What did you say? She's still inside?" he asked with a frown.

  Gregor shrugged, looking a bit helpless."I don't know what's going on either."

  "Forget it. I'll go see her myself." Draven looked up at the night sky—the moonlight was cold and pale. He wasn't sure if now was the right time to disturb her, but he didn't have a choice.

  Fortunately, it seemed Selene had already made arrangements. When Gregor arrived, he had been greeted by a maid, suggesting Selene had anticipated this visit. Draven followed the silent, expressionless maid through the back door and into the Lord's estate.

  The estate was built behind the main temple, a cluster of circular buildings made of black stone. The largest and tallest structure at the center was Selene's residence.

  Draven hadn't expected Selene to summon him to her private quarters. He had assumed it would be in the main hall or a reception room—not in a place so clearly personal.

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  He was a bit nervous, walking in with his head respectfully lowered.

  Selene's room was quiet, with none of the usual hearths or altars typical of subhuman dwellings. At the entrance stood a tall bookshelf filled with scrolls bound in animal hide—perhaps symbolic of knowledge, or simply placed to obscure the view.

  Past the shelf was a long table with six chairs. Selene sat at the far end, relaxed in posture, but her expression cold as ever.

  Draven stood properly in the center, not daring to lift his head.

  Beneath his feet, the beast hide rug was thick and soft—definitely from a magical creature, and a rare one at that. Looking down, he could even recognize the distinctive fur of a snow-maned lion.

  This woman was outrageously extravagant.

  Selene sat behind the table, casually flipping through a beast-hide scroll. After a moment of silence, she closed it and said, with a hint of mockery,"Weren't you always the bold one? Why so quiet now, head down and all?"

  He decided to play dumb and changed the subject boldly."It's late. Since you've called me here, why don't we just get straight to the point?"

  Selene gave a faint smile. There was little emotion on her face, but her eyes seemed to pierce right through him. She folded her hands on the table and spoke in a low, steady voice."Alright, let's get to the point."

  She didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the matter. Selene explained that the person backing Freya possessed at least mid-lord-level strength, which meant she likely had powerful support.

  Even though Selene could draw strength from faith within Selene City, victory was still not guaranteed. To avoid complications, she needed Draven's help.

  Draven was a little confused after hearing that. He glanced up at Selene and met her sharp gaze—startled, he quickly lowered his head again. His sneaky demeanor was truly infuriating.

  Of course, Selene wasn't about to tell him the real reason. The succubi's oathbinding magic was beginning to restrict her, and Draven's unique bloodline just so happened to neutralize it temporarily.

  So she casually made up a story, saying that the werewolf leader's bloodline was unique and could have a special effect.

  As soon as Draven heard that, a hint of smugness appeared on his face. He had never thought much of it before, but now that Selene said it herself, he was eighty percent convinced.

  Combined with the time he transformed into a massive dark demon wolf, his mind began to wander.

  I knew it—there's no way I'm just an ordinary guy.

  He even started imagining: if he and Selene had children, maybe this powerful bloodline could be passed down through generations.

  But before he could go too far, Selene suddenly interrupted his daydream.

  "Enough. Stop letting your thoughts run wild. Your bloodline is only useful to us succubi when you're at lord level."

  Draven's mouth twitched. He couldn't help grumbling internally:

  Just say you want to use me as a tool.

  But seriously, how the hell did she know what I was just thinking?

  "A hidden enemy is already troublesome enough," Selene continued, her voice turning colder."Now there's Freya too. She's also reached lord-level strength. You think I can let her hang around getting in my way?"

  As she said that, her tone became heavier, as if suppressing some emotion. After a short pause, she added,

  "We need to figure out a way to deal with her first."

  Draven shrugged, looking indifferent. He totally understood that Selene had her reasons.

  If she couldn't guarantee victory even against that mysterious backer, of course she didn't want Freya unexpectedly interfering.

  But what did that have to do with him?

  "You're not seriously asking me to take her out personally, are you?"

  Selene frowned at his careless attitude. Her emotions were clearly unstable, and there was heat behind her words.

  "Do you not understand how destructive a battle between two lord-level beings can be? This is Selene City. If she senses I'm hostile toward her, the whole plan is blown.

  We need to lure her out of the city—somehow."

  Draven blinked. That was a crucial point, but he couldn't help grumbling again in his head:

  If you need to lure her out, why not just say so? Why the whole song and dance?

  Don't tell me succubi have mood swings too?

  He felt like Selene was acting different tonight—her emotions were erratic, her words not as sharp, even a little impatient.

  "Luring her out isn't impossible," he said aloud, though inside his mind was spinning.

  Then he suddenly thought of something. Narrowing his eyes at Selene, he asked,

  "You haven't actually come up with a plan to lure her out, have you?"

  Selene's face darkened. She didn't bother hiding her irritation.

  "What do you think? You and your people have already alerted Freya and her backer. She's more cautious than anyone now. Do you really think she'll just waltz out of the city?"

  Draven finally understood. She called him here not just for his bloodline—more importantly, she wanted him to come up with an idea.

  So that's what this is about.

  "Alright then. You want me to be the idea guy."

  He didn't say it out loud, but cursed silently to himself.

  Just like when your boss suddenly calls on you during a meeting—you can't dodge it.

  Still, Draven wasn't stupid. He began seriously thinking. He ruled out the idea of using Sylvia as bait—that was too risky. If it triggered Freya's suspicions, it would only make future actions harder.

  Selene glanced at him, her eyes showing a bit of anticipation.

  Draven's eyes lit up. He leaned closer and whispered a few words to her.

  Selene's tense expression slowly eased. A gleam appeared in her eyes.

  Finally, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

  "Now that is a pretty good idea."