A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night

Kael and Laura stood still, their bodies pressed together as they gazed at the energy being that saved them and then the lifeless corpses sprawled across the floor.

The eerie silence was broken by the slow dissipation of the energy being, its presence fading into the air.

Kael's eyes then flickered to the strange artifact lying on the floor—the pyramid-shaped object covered in glowing runes. Without hesitation, he reached down, gripping it tightly. A wisp of mana flickered from his fingertips, intertwining with the runes.

Almost instantly, a wave of relief washed over Laura as she felt the suppression of her magic lift. She turned to Kael, her expression puzzled. "What was that thing?"

Kael suddenly threw his arms up, his voice rising with frustration. "How the f**k should I know?! One moment, I thought I was going to lose my dignity, and the next thing I know, that—thing—just came out of nowhere and massacred them!" His breaths were still uneven, the residual adrenaline making his muscles tense.

Laura fell silent, staring at him, then lowered her gaze. "Sorry." Normally, she would feel suspicious as the timing of its appearance itself is very strange, but seeing her husband flare up in anger, she chose to believe him instead. Moreover, she was also aware that her husband wasn't remotely strong enough to confront them and there was no way he could conjure such a thing.

Kael blinked. His anger melted in an instant, replaced by guilt. He ran a hand down his face and sighed. "No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped."

She shook her head. "I understand." She stepped closer, gripping his hands tightly. Her eyes shimmered with an intensity that made his breath hitch. "But I swear to you, Kael—you will never have to go through something like this again. Ever."

Kael stared at her, seeing the fierce determination behind her words. Then, exhaling softly, he pulled her into a firm embrace. "Things happen, Dear," he murmured into her hair. "You can't blame yourself for this."

Laura's grip tightened on the back of his neck.

"And besides," Kael continued, pulling back just enough to look her in the eye, "everything worked out in the end, didn't it?"

Laura let out a small, breathy laugh, shaking her head. "I swear, only you would say that after something like this."

Kael smirked, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "That's why you love me."

She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway.

Very soon, as the tension in the room settled, Kael became acutely aware of something.

They were hugging. Naked.

And, as if his body had a will of its own, he felt the unmistakable sensation of his arousal. His face heated up instantly, and his manhood became a stiff tower.

Laura, still pressed against him, tensed. A second later, she pulled back slightly, her eyes flickering downward before locking onto his face. "Are you serious right now?" she asked, her voice caught between disbelief and mild complaint.

Kael turned an even deeper shade of red. "I-I'm not at fault here!" he stammered, averting his gaze. "Your body is at fault! And—and earlier, we didn't even get to finish!"

Laura's jaw dropped slightly before she let out an exasperated laugh. She playfully smacked his chest, her cheeks tinged pink. "Kael, there are corpses on the floor. Corpses! And you're thinking about that?"

Kael groaned, running a hand through his hair. "It's my body's automatic response! Neither my fault nor my intention!"

Laura sighed dramatically, shaking her head before giving him a teasing smirk. "I swear, your level of lust is something else."

Kael grumbled under his breath but couldn't deny it. His timing was horrible.

Laura huffed, then took a step back, bending down to retrieve the discarded bedsheet and wrapping it around herself. "First things first," she said, glancing at the remains of their unexpected guests, "we deal with this mess.'"

Kael swallowed hard, rubbing his neck. "Yeah… good idea."

But even as they prepared to clean up, he couldn't shake the embarrassment. Of all the times for his body to betray him…

As soon as they were clothed, Laura wasted no time in kneeling beside the corpses, reaching down to remove the masks.

What they saw made her blood run cold. Kael furrowed his brows, muttering. "Brianna and Hilda?"

Two of the five mercenaries were assigned to protect them. And the taller one who attempted to violate his dignity was none other than the leader of those mercenaries.

Laura's golden eyes burned with fury as her hands clenched into fists. "Those bi*ches," she snarled, her voice trembling with rage. "They dared to do this?"

Kael, though equally furious, kept his expression neutral as he turned over one of the bodies, searching for any hidden weapons or clues. He glanced at Laura before quietly handing back her storage ring. "Here."

Laura snatched the ring from his hand, still fuming. Kael didn't bother to calm her down and instead shifted his attention to the pyramid-shaped artifact on the ground—the one that had suppressed their mana earlier. He picked it up, his eyes narrowing as he studied the intricate glowing runes inscribed on its surface. "This thing is dangerous." This is the first thought came to his head.

The fact that it had sealed his spectral summon, Nyx, meant it wasn't an ordinary artifact. His mana had also been restricted, although not entirely—he was still able to summon his energy clone and had his prowess of a Tier-9, unlike Laura, whose magic had been completely cut off. That meant one thing.

It doesn't just block mana. It suppresses it based on the user's power level.

Kael's reserves were far beyond Tier-7, meaning the artifact had only affected a fraction of his strength. But Brianna and Hilda were Tier-7… which made him wonder:

"If I use this, can I suppress someone at Tier-9 or below?"

The possibility sent a thrill through him. If he could somehow modify the artifact so it wouldn't affect his summoning seal, then he could use it not just as K, the noble assassin, but also as Kael Moonstone. Like suppressing others and sending the spectral wolf at them.

His fingers tightened around the artifact as a small smirk played on his lips. "This might be the most useful thing I've ever looted from the enemies I killed." He thought in his head.