The corridor on the 50th floor abruptly fell into a terrifying silence. The woman stepped out of the elevator, and every step she took on the glossy tiles produced a dry, rhythmic tapping sound.
She didn't need to raise her voice, yet the natural authority radiating from her body made even the fiercest bodyguards subconsciously lower their weapons.
She wore a pitch-black, custom-tailored three-piece suit that hugged her tall frame and sharp curves perfectly.
The stiffness of the formalwear didn't hide her femininity. On the contrary, it only further accentuated the invasive beauty and power of the woman who stood at the top of Tera City.
Her pale golden hair, like melted moonlight, spilled over her shoulders, a complete contrast to the noble black suit. Under the dazzling chandelier lights, her icy blue eyes swept across the scene with undisguised disgust.
Selvia stood there, alone yet overwhelming, like a massive iceberg blocking the path, making the air around her seem to freeze with her presence alone.
This was Selvia — the youngest Judicator, the "Ice Queen" of Tera City.
Selvia looked at Kael. Her face carried no emotion as her cold voice rang out, "Kael, this is Tera City, not your home."
Kael was a little surprised by Selvia's beauty, but his gaze lingered more on her status panel.
…
[Selvia]
[Role: Heroine]
[Position: Judicator of Tera City]
[Affection Points: 20]
[Talent: Administrative Management; Drafting Legal Frameworks.]
[Halo: Trust (Mid-grade); Loyalty (Mid-grade); City Management (Advanced)]
…
Seeing that status panel, Kael sighed inwardly. 'Another Heroine. And not only that, this Heroine's status is terrifying. Looks like… the Protagonist's Halo really is unreasonable.'
Kael only thought for a second before he smiled and said, "Judicator Selvia? You shouldn't falsely accuse me either. I was originally enjoying a happy time with my girlfriend, and I didn't expect a bunch of thugs to come ruin it. This is nothing more than legitimate self-defense."
Selvia frowned, wanting to say something, but Alex immediately spoke up, "Sister Selvia, don't listen to him. He kidnapped and raped Catrina. I want to report him. I want him to die. I want him to die!"
Alex crawled on the floor with his face smeared in blood, crying and screaming with hatred. His hand reached toward Selvia's pant leg, but when she saw it, she shifted aside to avoid him, making Alex embarrassed to the extreme.
"Good!" Kael laughed. "If you say I kidnapped your girlfriend, where's the evidence? Catrina, look at that. Your friend is slandering me. It's really making me tired."
Catrina looked at Alex with eyes full of disgust. Ever since Alex said he only saw her as a friend, all the Affection Points and feelings she had for him had already shattered.
Now, seeing him still shamelessly trying to cling to another woman made Catrina despise him even more. She felt Kael's earlier words weren't wrong at all. Alex was just useless, relying on women to achieve his goals.
"Alex…" Catrina spoke then, her voice icy to the extreme. "I won't allow you to slander Young Master. I truly love Young Master. I was the shameless one who climbed into his bed. He didn't kidnap me, and he didn't rape me."
"You..." Alex ground his teeth, feeling his heart ache as if an invisible hand was squeezing it tight.
Catrina... fifteen years of feelings... and now she was throwing everything away for some bastard, tossing aside all the love she had for him. Yet at this moment, the Protagonist's Halo shone, as if it were trying to heal something.
Alex thought to himself, 'No! Catrina isn't that kind of person. She must be threatened by that bastard, that's why she's saying this. It has to be like that.'
Selvia frowned and said, "Even self-defense doesn't mean you can beat people into this state."
Kael shrugged, looking at Selvia the way he'd look at an idiot. No, more accurately, the Male lead's Halo had lowered her intelligence to an unbelievable degree.
He curled his lips and said, "Look at those thugs. They brought blades that big. If I don't break their arms and legs, then after they leave, if they get the chance, what if they come back for revenge? Judicator, don't tell me you know these thugs, so you're siding with them, right?"
Selvia jolted, inwardly cursing that this was bad. But Alex was like a rabid dog. Without thinking, he immediately yelled, "So what if it's true? We're all friends of the Judicator. We work for her. If she doesn't protect us, is she supposed to protect you instead?"
Hearing Alex say that, Selvia held her forehead and let out a sigh, feeling that Alex was truly stupid to an unbelievable degree.
After all, she was a Judicator, the person at the top of the city. If it were discovered that she had ties to thugs, the reputation and image she had built over the years would collapse.
Worse, her enemies would seize on that weakness to attack her, even stomp her from the city's highest position down into filthy mud.
"Wow!" Kael put on a look of surprise. His voice carried a hint of threat, but also a touch of teasing. "Judicator, you and these thugs... Ah! Hahahaha... looks like tomorrow the city news will have another dazzling headline. I wonder... if those people find out, just how excited they'll get."
Selvia shuddered. In her calm, resolute eyes, a slight tremor flickered, something others could hardly notice.
Even the smallest business owners had enemies. Naturally, Selvia had enemies too.
Even if she hadn't done anything wrong, there were still people lurking in the dark, jealous and eager to see her fail. They only dared to stay in the shadows because she hadn't revealed a single weakness.
Alex roared, "You dare threaten Sister Selvia, I'll—"
"Enough!" Selvia snapped, her voice icy to the extreme. She took a deep breath, then said, "What do you want?"
Kael shrugged and smiled. "Don't act like you're the victim here. After all, it's my first time in this city. I just want to have a drink with a beautiful Judicator like you. Is that not allowed?"
Hearing that, Selvia understood exactly what Kael wanted to do, but right now she had no choice but to comply, because he had her weakness in his hands.
"Fine!" Selvia nodded.
"No!" Alex shouted, "Sister Selvia, why are you agreeing to him? He's a devil, he'll—"
"Alex!" Selvia frowned, anger clear on her face. When Alex saw Selvia's expression, he immediately shut his mouth.
She looked at Kael and said, "Let them go. I'll drink with you."
Kael gestured for Selvia to enter the room. She took a deep breath, then stepped into the luxurious suite in front of her, her mood heavy as if she were walking into hell.
"Sister Selvia..." Alex ground his teeth and muttered, but he didn't dare lift his head, his hands clenched so tightly they turned white.
Bob hurriedly dragged Alex away. Even though his body was still bleeding from injuries, and there were even blackened burns where the electric batons had struck, he only wanted to get out of here as fast as possible.
Alex watched Selvia's back as it vanished behind the closing door, grinding his teeth as he rasped, "I swear... Kael... I swear I'll kill you, tear you into a hundred pieces..."
SLAP!
"AGH!!!"
A hand instantly slapped Alex across the face, leaving him ringing with dizziness. A tooth fell out, along with a bit of blood.
He looked up in terror at the blonde maid, whose eyes were cold as she spoke with blatant menace, "If you dare badmouth my Young Master again, I'll break every one of your teeth and tear your mouth open."
Alex shuddered. Rage boiled in his chest, but he didn't dare say anything. He could only let Bob drag him away.
…
Inside the room, Catrina knew her own status, so she immediately hid in the bedroom.
In the living room now, only Selvia and Kael remained.
Kael poured a glass of wine, then handed it to her with a smile. "So? Do you hate me?"
Selvia glanced at the wine, her eyes cold, and said indifferently, "Kael, what do you want? Don't think you can cover the sky with one hand. This is Tera, not Carol."
"I'm just offering you a drink. Why are you talking so much nonsense?" Kael pushed the glass toward Selvia, feeling a little annoyed. Were all Heroines and Male leads this talkative?
All useless lines. Did any of it even matter?
Selvia took the glass, her gaze wary as she looked at Kael. "What do you want to do? I suspect there's something unclean in this wine."
"Hahaha..." Kael snorted with laughter. "Don't worry. I'm drinking too. It's not just you."
"Where's your wine?" Selvia frowned.
Kael didn't answer. He pointed at Selvia's mouth.
Selvia was an adult, already thirty. Of course she understood what Kael meant.
"You... I won't—"
"What a pity." Kael sat back on the sofa, his expression one of deep disappointment. "Then I'll have to send the security camera footage to your enemies. I guarantee that overnight, you'll fall from heaven into hell. When that happens, don't say it'll be me. Even a dog wouldn't dare come near you."
Hearing that, Selvia's hand tightened around the glass until her knuckles turned white. If this glass weren't designed to be extremely sturdy, it would have shattered, and the shards would have dug into her palm.
Kael took out his phone and dialed some number. He put it on speaker. From the phone came the voice of a middle-aged man. "Young Master…"
The moment Selvia heard that voice, she shuddered. The icy expression on her face now showed a trace of worry and fear.
She clenched her teeth and immediately said, "I agree!"
Hearing that, Kael hung up at once and smiled. "Come here. Don't make it look like I'm bullying you. I'm a decent man anyway. I just want you to see clearly that this society is complicated, very dangerous."
Hearing that, Selvia cursed Kael's entire family in her heart. This is what he called decent?
But she had no choice but to bow her head.
She could only force her rage down into her chest and slowly walked toward Kael.
Kael patted his thigh and said with a grin, "Sit here."
Selvia bit her lip until it bled, her eyes wet, comforting herself inwardly, 'It's fine. Just treat it like kissing a dog.'
She took a deep breath and slowly sat down on Kael's lap. At that moment, she could clearly feel the warm breath and masculine scent coming from him, along with a faint smell that was a little fishy, though not very strong.
Kael looked at Selvia with teasing eyes.
Her lips trembled. In the end, she took a sip of wine but didn't swallow it, holding it in her mouth instead. Then she lowered her head and slowly leaned in to kiss Kael's lips.
But right then, Kael's hand blocked Selvia's mouth. He laughed in a teasing tone. "Selvia, are you a chicken? Your movements look exactly like a chicken pecking at rice."
Selvia: "…"
"Besides..." Kael's expression carried a hint of disgust as he tilted his head slightly to the side. "Have you brushed your teeth? Do you have cavities? A sore throat? If not, then... go brush your teeth and come back."
Selvia: "…"
"KAEL!!!! I'LL BITE YOU TO DEATH!!!"