Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

My sentence was finished for me by Ayame, whose eyes gleamed with a devilish glint: “You’ll make sure conflict occurs no matter what they do to maintain the current fragile peace. The twins are the perfect tools to make the duke lash out.”

I nodded with an evil grin flashing on my face as well, “That is indeed the case.”

“The most powerful figures of the country, like my father and the Obsidian Circle Members are dancing to your tune without even knowing about it… This is so hot…” Lucille purred into my ears before giving me another kiss on the cheeks. She was visibly getting needier by the minute.

“Someone seems to have a thing for bad boys.” Jasmine giggled while watching Lucille get hornier by the second.

“Only for a specific bad boy…” she purred. I would’ve loved to take her, but I believed it was time for me to depart. “Keep it in until I return.” My statement earned me some strong pouting, but for now I elected to ignore my needy woman as I turned toward Jasmine. “Before heading back, I would like to know what your father holds over your head. Ever since we first met back in his silk shop, you’d been alluding to some blackmail material that forces you to do his bidding. It’s time you no longer keep it a secret; I want to help. If you would rather speak in private, just say so.”

Jasmine froze for a second, evidently not expecting me to broach the topic, before sighing sadly. “No, there’s no need for secrecy. Although you’re the only person I’m in a relationship with, all people present are members of my new family. As for my story… to sum things up, my mother wanted to separate from Aurelion because she was unhappy, which doesn’t surprise me; he’s a real scumbag. I don’t know what she saw in him to begin with.

Anyhow, he took her wish to separate as a personal offense committed against his person and jailed her. She gave birth to me in captivity, and I only get to see her on my birthday, as she’s still a captive 23 years afterward. Aurelion likely would’ve executed her a few decades ago, but when he noticed that I had a brain that made me stand out among my peers as a child and often even correct my tutors…

He saw great potential in me, so he decided to keep her around as blackmail material instead. This way I have no choice but to help his accursed Gilded Exchange faction grow richer and richer, or he’ll kill her. Part of the reason why I’m still a measly Twilight Apprentice after spending a decade as a Consortium member while he’s an esteemed Shadow Vanguard is because he keeps stealing credits for the highly valuable deals I orchestrated, ensuring I’ll always live in his shadows.”

“Wait, did he… force himself on your mom while she was in prison?” Ayame tried to act with as much tact as she could.

Jasmine shook her head. “I don’t know. She was pregnant with me before her imprisonment, so I’m at least not the result of a successful rape attempt. But whether he left her alone after my birth is questionable at best…

Tears welled in her eyes before she continued, “On the day of my birthday, which is the only time I get to spend a few hours with her, we exclusively speak about happy things, so I don’t know the truth… She often tells me I should just ignore the blackmail and let her die, and the worst thing is that I feel I’m tormenting her by doing my best to keep her alive, but I’m a greedy woman who doesn’t want to lose her sole family member she loves… Which just makes me feel even shittier about the whole situation. Spending 23 years in captivity is no way to live for an animal, let alone a human.”

Lucille demonstrated why she was the perfect candidate for the harem head position when she got out of my lap and rushed at Jasmine to give the weeping girl a big motherly hug.

I spent the next two minutes watching Jasmine calm down with a heavy heart. She was now my woman whose bright smiles made my days better whenever she graced me with them. Her tears had an entirely different effect, as this was the exact moment when Aurelion was spared of death.

For the sweet release of death was a mercy he would not get to taste.

“Quinlan, before you open a gate and try to strangle him, please calm down.” Jasmine stated between two sobs while examining my features, fully aware of my current feelings. “Ever since Raika threatened him with bashing his skull in if he doesn’t cease trying to recruit you, he’s been begging Broker for protection. Sadly, his cries were heard; a strong detail of multiple Shadow Vanguard combatants is protecting him at all times. Furthermore, now that the center of this giant-scale conflict will be Winterwood County, I would assume his detail will be further strengthened. Maybe even a Veil Walker will be sent… The faction leaders of Braedon are going to be important figures in the upcoming conflict.”

Damn it. If only I had known of Jasmine’s story earlier, I could’ve easily orchestrated his kidnapping. Now that I think about it, I sent Blossom to snatch Jasmine for me when many Shadow Vanguards were present… I almost sent my dog-girl to her death. Thankfully, Jasmine’s room was on the complete opposite end of the mansion from Aurelion’s; thus, her sneaky break-in went unnoticed.

“Do you know where your mother is kept?” Sylvaris asked an important question. Maybe we don’t even need to interact with Aurelion to free her. Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire

“No…” Jasmine shook her head dejectedly. “I don’t know who her captors are or where they keep her. Whenever we’re allowed to meet, multiple guards are always present to ensure she doesn’t say anything important or try to make a run for it. She’s most likely not kept in Braedon or Shadowhold; I would’ve been aware of that through my numerous investigations.”

“I see. Don’t worry, Jasmine. We’ll rescue your mother soon enough. Bear with it just for a tiny bit longer.” She accepted my promise with a sad, weak smile before clearing her watery eyes with her fingers.

“Just to sate my curiosity, can you tell me if he ever was a good father? It makes no sense to blackmail you if your mother was already imprisoned before your birth; he could’ve never talked about her and simply pretended to be a good father to you, getting you on his side by mere kindness. If he had never shown you his true self, you would’ve been his ally.”

She let off a mocking scoff as if the mere idea of mine was ridiculous. “No, Aurelion is a complete sociopath whose only goal in life is to further his career. In his head, spending many hours with his child is a horrible waste of efficiency when he can just spend a few minutes setting up his blackmail that will keep me in check forever.”

“What a wretched scumbag!” Ayame cursed. Her sentiment was shared by all present.

I clapped my hands together, drawing the attention of everyone to me. “Alright. We didn’t need it, but we have one more reason that will motivate us to keep growing in strength. Let’s put our grievances aside for the time being and focus on the Greenvale conflict. Once we slay enough walking, talking experience packs, we will revisit this problem.”