The indigo light screen extinguished at Lin Xi's fingertips, the crystal stone returning to its icy coldness. Yet the line of cryptic text pierced her mind like poisoned ice shards—Container.
Had she been deliberately sent to Lucifer? Was that blood clan spy's "greeting" no coincidence? Had everything, beginning at the altar, been part of a deeper conspiracy targeting Lucifer?
A chill crept up her spine, yet strangely extinguished her earlier panic. Extreme danger had instead cooled her mind like immersion in ice water. The system task prompt [Analysis Complete] flashed, but a greater enigma gaped beneath her like an abyss.
She clutched the crystal in her palm, its icy touch numbing her fingertips. No time for hesitation. She must report to Lucifer immediately. At the very least, she needed to demonstrate her worth in "intelligence analysis." More crucially, she needed to gauge Lucifer's reaction to the term "vessel."
She pushed open the door. The guards followed silently, like ghosts. The clank of shackles echoed through the empty corridor. This time, each step tread upon the unknown mist.
The study door stood open, as if anticipating her return. Lucifer wasn't seated at his desk but stood facing away from her, gazing out the massive floor-to-ceiling window at the heavy night beyond. He'd shed his military coat, wearing only a black silk shirt that traced the broad sweep of his shoulders and the sharp curve of his waist, the outline of his muscles faintly visible beneath the fabric. An Alpha pheromone hung heavier and more volatile in the air than before, carrying the scent of fir trees and the storm before the storm, an oppressive weight in the atmosphere.
Lin Xi paused at the doorway for a moment, steadying her breath before stepping inside.
"Your Majesty, the 'Shadow Eye' has been fully decoded." Her voice was steady, betraying no hint of unease.
Lucifer did not turn around, his deep voice carrying a barely perceptible hoarseness: "Speak."
Lin Xi swiftly and clearly recounted the border map and encrypted message she had seen, omitting details about patrol routes. Finally, she mentioned in the calmest tone possible: "There was also a message transmitted in ancient bloodline cryptography. The content is incomplete, mentioning... the 'Vessel' has arrived, and instructions to observe energy interactions."
The instant the word "vessel" left her lips, the already taut pheromones in the room froze solid, like tangible ice.
Lucifer slowly turned.
His crimson pupils were deeper than ever before, churning with indistinguishable currents—desire, savagery, scrutiny, and a hint of... almost cruel amusement. His gaze settled upon her, drifting from her pale face to her hands trembling slightly around the crystal, finally resting on her slender neck, wrapped in the velvet robe.
"Vessel..." He repeated the word with deliberate relish, stepping toward her. His military boots made no sound on the carpet, yet each step felt like a stomp on Lin Xi's heartbeat. "An interesting designation."
He stopped before her, so close she could feel the scorching heat radiating from his body. His unstable pheromones formed an invisible net, enveloping her with fierce aggression, attempting to pry open her defenses and probe her slightest reaction. Lin Xi's legs grew weak, forcing herself to stand straight as her fingernails dug deep into her palms.
"You think," he leaned closer, his scorching breath brushing her earlobe. His voice was low, like a lover's whisper, yet laced with deadly danger, "what kind of... 'energy interaction' they wish to observe?"
His fingertips lifted, not touching her, but tracing the curve of her neck through the air, gliding past her collarbone, and finally resting over her heart. A wave of scorching, possessive energy pulsed through the velvet robe, gently brushing her skin.
Lin Xi's body jerked violently, nearly giving in to the urge to retreat. She understood. What the Blood Clan sought to observe was the energy shift triggered when Lucifer marked her! They had sent her to him specifically for him to brand her!
"It seems you understand." Lucifer saw through her shock, a cold curve lifting the corner of his mouth. "Then tell me, 'Vessel'... should I now fulfill their expectations and complete this observation?"
His palm suddenly pressed against the spot over her heart. Though he applied no force, the scorching heat and overwhelming energy pressure instantly suffocated Lin Xi. The threat of the mark had never felt so clear and immediate. Once marked, not only might the system's mission be completed in some uncontrollable way, but she could become a complete sacrifice to this conspiracy—even falling under Lucifer's control over life and death.
No! She absolutely could not be marked in such a passive, treacherous situation!
Fear transformed into desperate courage. Lin Xi jerked her head up. Her eyes no longer held submission or calm—instead, they blazed with the savage glare of a cornered beast. She stopped resisting the suffocating pheromones and instead rode their force, stepping forward half a pace, nearly crashing into his embrace!
"Your Majesty wishes to mark a... 'vessel' who doesn't even know what she is?" She tilted her head back, staring into his crimson eyes mere inches away. Her voice cracked under the pressure, yet carried a sharp edge of scorn. "Or are you, like them, merely seeking an... 'experimental subject' for observation?"
She raised her unrestrained hand, not to push him away, but to seize the wrist pressed against her heart with astonishing force.
"My Majesty," she fixed him with a gaze, enunciating each word like an oath, yet like the most venomous temptation, "If you cannot discern whether what lies hidden within my soul is poison or treasure, then what... right do you have to mark me?"
The air froze. The torrent of pheromones surging around her momentarily stalled at this act of utter defiance.
Lucifer's crimson pupils abruptly contracted, the desire and savagery churning within them nearly erupting. The spot where she gripped his wrist throbbed with sharp pain. This woman had, once again, pierced the core of his pride with the most brutal precision.
Qualification?
No one had ever dared question his right to mark!
He wrenched her wrist back with a force that nearly crushed her bones, his other hand snapping around her waist and slamming her hard against the cold desk! Files and ornaments scattered with a clatter.
"Qualification?" He lowered himself, his scorching body pressing against hers, fangs glinting against the exposed skin of her neck. His voice was hoarse and dangerous. "I'll show you what qualification means right now..."