The Spy Who Chose Chains
"I..." She regarded Leon once more. Bit her lip. Then finally breathed out through her nose.
"...Vellore," she stated at last, her tone husky. "I am from the Vellore Kingdom."
Leon’s brow creased. "That’s far from here."
She nodded slowly. "Too far for coincidence."
Leon’s eyes leaned in. "And your name?"
There was a moment of hesitation. A flash of something crossed her face—defiance, or perhaps shame. Then she breathed out.
"Natasha, here. Queen of Vellore’s sister... and wife to the King himself."
Nova’s eyes snapped closed, a shiver running into her tone. "Vellore."
The name was heavy. Heavy with old wounds. Broken promises.
Natasha went on, voice deadpan but strained, like a person treading a thin blade. "I was sent by the King of Vellore to infiltrate Moonstone Kingdom... and undermine it from the inside."
Leon’s jaw tightened. His thoughts whirled—not so much at the betrayal as at the consequences. Vellore... they were renowned for their skill, not espionage. But they were old foes as well.
The chains encircled Natasha’s heart glowed with a gentle blue light, then erupted. She clenched her teeth as agony blasted down the back of her ribs. With a hiss, she went on, voice strained. "I was commanded to Infiltrate the kingdom. Sabotage internal alliances of kingdom. Stir and conflict within the court. Manipulate important nobles."
Her gaze flickered—first to Nova, then Leon. "And if the situation calls for it... kill central players. Eliminate great warriors gradually. One at a time."
Nova’s eyebrow arched, her face impassive.
Leon’s fists curled at his sides. His words were low and bitter. "Vellore promised peace. That agreement wasn’t pen and parchment on the wall—it was founded on the skeletons of men who perished thinking the war had a terminus.
It all came flooding back—blood on stone walls, battlefields soaked in blood, the wails of the wounded, That final battle in which the old Leon had been given the title War Hero of Moonstone. That war between Moonstone and Vellore had almost destroyed the kingdoms. And after it ended, there had been a fragile peace treaty signed. Fragile, for even then both kingdoms realized it would not hold out forever.
Leon stepped forward slowly, his words low and laced with steel. "So, the peace treaty was broken by Vellore. Huh."
Natasha didn’t contradict him. Her silence was answer enough.
Nova’s tone was even, like a knife. "Trade: craftsmen. Tradition: murderers."
They never intended peace to endure," Leon growled, recollections rising up out of the past—of red soil, of flags shredded on the wind, of the title War Hero etched into his marrow at far too steep a price. "The instant that war was over, they fell into planning the next. They’ve been waiting it out.
"And you were sent to the palace," Nova declared, staring hard at Natasha. "To clear the way. To set up for the perfect blow."
"And to observe us," Leon interjected, tone cold as stone, "under the guise of an ally."
Natasha’s breathing became shallow. "I didn’t want to—"
The slave chains flared, glowing red for a second before vanishing. Her jaw locked as she gasped from the pain, the mark on her collarbone burning faintly.
Leon knelt, just enough to meet her eyes. His voice was quiet, almost cruel in its clarity. "So, what was the next step? Poison the king? Burn the military supplies? Start a civil conflict and let your people walk in while we’re divided?"
Her jaw shook. "No... The scheme was already under way when I got there. I was just one of many. There are spies inside your cities. Within your borders. I was just posted to the palace."
Nova’s face set. "Then the war’s already on. Stealthily. From within."
Leon nodded grimly. "We’re not only facing one spy. This is the first move."
A heavy silence hung between them, fraught with consequence.
Then Leon shared a glance with Nova, silent but filled with knowledge, before he focused his gaze on Natasha once again.
"Tell me," he pressed on, tone flat. "What did they promise you in exchange? What prize was worth betraying and defying an entire kingdom?"
Natasha’s smile was bitter, hollow.
"My sister’s freedom."
Leon’s eyebrow shot up, stunned—but he did not speak.
"Vellore’s king... he’s been torturing her. He’s a psychopath who enjoys torturing females—and his aim is my sister," said Natasha, words spilling from her mouth like shattered glass. "I found out what he was doing and I insisted on her release. He refused. He said she was being used as leverage to maintain me in line. But I couldn’t bring him down—he was stronger than I was. A Monarch Realm practitioner."
Her voice became tighter with each utterance.
"So I departed. Went to the Empire. Trained. I nurtured ruthlessly until I burst into the Monarch Realm. My intention was to come back powerful enough to kill him and rescue her myself. But when I returned..."
She swallowed, something brittle shattering behind her eyes.
"...he was already more powerful than me. A zenith Monarch kingdom, resting in a sea of power I could not reach. I dared him anyway."
Leon and Nova both did not move.
"He nearly murdered me," she breathed. "He would have. But instead... he made me another proposition. To live. On one stipulation."
Her voice fell to a tortured whisper.
"I would go to Moonstone. Infiltrate. Follow his orders. And in return, he would set her free."
Nova blinked in shock. Even Leon’s pinched face relaxed, just for an instant.
The slave seal pulsed softly under Natasha’s skin, verifying each word. There was no place for deception—not with magic tied to her soul.
"She’s innocent," Natasha whispered, looking away. "She doesn’t know anything about any of it. And I thought... perhaps if I played his game long enough... I could release her and disappear."
Nova’s voice was soft, unsure. "But you knew what you were doing might ruin us."
"I did," Natasha croaked. "But I wasn’t doing it for Vellore. I was doing it for her."
Leon’s gaze rested on her. Cold. Calculating. But in his eyes, a flicker of something more—recognition. Understanding. And perhaps, just a little sympathy too.
Nova breathed out slowly. Her voice, brittle a moment before, softened—just a little. "And now?"
Natasha stood looking up at her. The defiance was gone, shed like worn armor. Pain hung on her face. And resignation.
"Now... I have nowhere left to run."
There was a heavy, taut silence after that.
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Authors Notes: Dear Readers, Thanks so much for joining me on this adventure! Your enthusiasm, feedback, and encouragement really keep me motivated to keep bringing *Supreme Spouse System* into existence. If you’re loving the Chapters, I’d love it if you Keep reading on NovelHub - where stories come alive! I look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to share!
Creator of Supreme Spouse System