Damn, I Have to Marry the Strongest Antagonist at the Start?-Chapter 568 - 18-The Duke’s Mansion Conspiracy

"Yo! Elena's already started her cultivation journey? Then as her father, doesn't that mean I'm one step closer to dominating the continent?"

"Raising a daughter really pays off!"

Owen sat under the oak tree in his small courtyard, munching happily from the plate of food in his hands.

Without his clingy little bundle-of-joy around, life somehow felt a lot more peaceful.

Though he had no idea where his daughter was adventuring these days, just seeing her doing well brought a sense of comfort to him as a father.

As for the system's occasional mockery, calling him a weakling, Owen didn't pay it any mind at all. With his thick skin, what kind of ridicule could possibly faze him?

After stuffing himself full, Owen washed his plate and set it aside.

With his physical needs taken care of, he washed his hands and finally sank his consciousness into the system, pressing the lottery button.

With his notoriously bad luck, washing his hands before a draw had become a sort of final ritual—just a little psychological comfort.

The pointer on the glowing golden wheel of fortune began spinning faster and faster, starting slow but quickly picking up speed. Owen's heart lifted with anticipation as he chanted under his breath:

"Elven maid!"

"Demon butler!"

"Even just a legendary hero's sword would do!"

But alas, it seemed the system had no intention of answering his prayers this time. The pointer gradually slowed down and came to a halt.

[Ding! Congratulations, host! You've won a top-tier Drawing Skill!]

"Drawing Skill?" Owen squinted at the reward screen, frowning.

"In a world dominated by magic, what use is a Drawing Skill supposed to be? Back in the day, I might've used it to teach Elena how to draw, but now? Owen the Great is a Tier-Two Mage! I'm on the road to conquering the continent, and you give me Drawing Skill? Am I supposed to poke people with a paintbrush in battle?"

He was clearly unimpressed, but still—better something than nothing. Maybe he couldn't use it, but his daughter might.

After all, nurturing her into an elegant and artistic young lady had always been one of his dreams.

He had been teaching her to read and recite poetry since she was little. Truth be told, that was about the extent of what he could teach anyway.

"Whatever, I'll just send this Drawing Skill to Elena through the system. As for me, Owen the Great… it's time to test my terrifying strength!"

After transferring the Drawing Skill to his daughter, Owen began scanning his little courtyard for a target to practice on.

Now that he was a mid-level warrior, he felt ten times stronger—and stood up straighter with pride.

After some searching, he finally locked eyes with a wild boar tied up in the corner of the courtyard, one he had caught from the nearby forest.

"Prepare to die!"

Owen rolled up his sleeves and marched toward the beast.

The boar, still brimming with untamed ferocity, bared its tusks with hatred for the man who had captured it.

With a savage snort, it charged—thus began the great battle between man and pig.

Owen had even thought of a name for the fight:

"Tier-Two Warrior vs. Gluttonous Boar!"

Ten minutes later...

Owen was launched clean out of the courtyard by a single tusk strike, landing face-first in the dirt.

"Argh! Looks like the Gluttonous Boar isn't to be underestimated!"

"Maybe I really am more suited to painting and poetry. I'll leave the bloodshed to Elena!"

He dragged himself up from the ground, brushing off the dust, and quickly abandoned the idea of further sparring.

After a refreshing bath, he flopped onto bed and quickly drifted off to sleep.

While Owen was enjoying a relaxing evening after his "promotion," elsewhere, in the Duke's Mansion, Thunder Knight Commander Yelude was losing his mind in a fit of rage.

"Damn it! Damn it all!"

"How is it that woman can just randomly pick up a girl by the roadside, and she turns out to have such terrifying talent?!"

"Elemental Affinity Bloodline!"

"A legendary bloodline that only appears once in ten thousand years—who in the entire continent could rival her once she grows up?!"

"And now this girl, with her Elemental Affinity Bloodline, has been adopted by that woman and even been crowned a princess. Those sly old foxes in the Empire will definitely see her value and side with Yevna!"

He recalled how he had been publicly rebuked by the Empress earlier in the royal palace, utterly humiliated. The fury inside him exploded.

Yelude smashed every object he could reach—cups, vases, all shattered into pieces.

The servants nearby didn't even dare to breathe loudly, cowering in corners in terror.

Meanwhile, the High Priest of the Dark Altar, Mordred, and the Ogre King sat nearby drinking wine, completely unfazed by Yelude's outburst.

"Don't look at me," Mordred sneered. "I'm just a guest adviser you hired. We're partners, not subordinates."

"If it weren't for that pile of rare magical materials—and the promise of the Light High Priest's severed head—I wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess at all."

Yelude's expression darkened even more at Mordred's flippant reply.

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You took my resources and now you're acting indifferent?

Just as his fury was about to erupt again, a sultry laugh rang out beside him.

"Hehehe… No need to fret, Commander. A legendary bloodline means nothing if the girl doesn't live long enough to mature."

"I have a plan. One that will shatter the Empress's newly earned prestige, and also ensure that Elemental Affinity Bloodline never gets the chance to grow!"

All eyes turned toward the voice, and from behind the screen stepped a curvaceous woman dressed in a revealing outfit, her every movement oozing seduction.

She swayed her hips as she approached, then collapsed into Yelude's arms like melted butter.

This woman was none other than Luna, the former disciple of Grand Archmage Eldritch—who had betrayed her master and joined Yelude's cause.

Yelude's eyes flickered with a trace of disgust as she leaned against him, but he chuckled heartily on the surface and slid his hands over her body without restraint.

"Hahaha, Luna, what brilliant plan have you got this time? Speak freely! If it's good, I'll reward you handsomely!"

Luna giggled inwardly and replied in a soft, sultry voice:

"Commander, I don't need lavish rewards. I've always solved your problems, haven't I? And you don't even have a consort yet… How about…"

"Hm?" Yelude's brows creased.

"You promised me once," Luna whispered, "that you'd make me your consort. You're the great Commander—surely you wouldn't go back on your word? I've missed you so much..."

She clung to him like honey, every inch of her drenched in allure. Even the Ogre King licked his lips as he watched.

Yelude's expression darkened again. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he gripped her harder.

"What's the plan? Don't waste my time. Or else…"

Luna blushed at the rough treatment. "You're so mean, Commander! You can do whatever you want with me later! That little girl with the Elemental Affinity Bloodline has never seen the real world—she's an easy target."

"If we just arrange a few skilled assassins to lie in wait, she'll be killed in no time. Once she's dead, that woman loses her greatest bargaining chip. In this political tug-of-war between you and the Empress, the nobles won't dare to pick sides recklessly."

"Isn't that the simplest way to turn the tables? What do you think, Commander? As for the consort position…"

As she spoke, she sensually rubbed her body against his again.

But in the next second—

SMACK!

Yelude backhanded her across the face, sending Luna flying several meters across the room.

Blood sprayed from her nose, and several of her teeth clattered to the floor.