I Only Summon Villainesses

Chapter 347: White Feather

Silence settled over the hall. And for a while nothing moved.

Then laughter broke through it, pearly and cascading, like a handful of gemstones scattering across marble. There was something absurd about the sound, and something beautiful buried inside the absurdity.

The Matriarch stifled it after a moment and placed her long, slender fingers beneath her chin, leaning forward.

"It’s been a while since I met someone endearing..."

She rolled one shoulder and let the sleeve of her robe slide down her arm. The fabric pooled at her elbow, baring the side of her breast, ivory skin without a single blemish. Linen tape wound across the lower curve, concealing her nipples but still, the stubborn thing formed contour around the area.

She wasn’t hiding. She was showing me exactly how little she cared.

A pipe appeared between her fingers. She set it to her lips, leaned back, and exhaled. Smoke curled from her nose and mouth, carrying a floral sweetness so thick it crowded out every other sense. The kind of scent that made you forget you had a body, or that you’d ever wanted to use it for anything but breathing this in.

"Sir Cade... as generous as your words are... I am an aged woman. I already promised to marry you to my daughter. That alone should be enough for a man of your caliber."

A small smile settled on my lips. The kind of smile that spat on what had just been said.

Because I kind of was.

’I’m here trying to get my way with a lady that destroyed an Empire eight thousand years ago, and you think your daughter will satisfy me? I will break her.’

"Of course, I’m not asking for your daughter to be thrown out of the prize pool. I’m just saying... that won’t be enough."

The Matriarch stopped puffing. The pipe hung idle between her fingers.

"And it’d take me, an old lady, to satisfy you?"

I held her gaze.

"I can only hope you don’t break."

Silence fell again. This time it was colder and stretched for longer.

She giggled, soft and insidious, like glass scraping against stone.

"Sir Cade... to dare ask for me as a reward. Do you have the skill to back up your words?"

I kept my gaze and tone level.

"Do you want to find out?"

She didn’t respond. Instead, she turned her head slightly.

"Shuǐyáo... step in."

The sliding door opened and the attendant who had led us here walked in. The Matriarch’s eyes rested on the girl for a moment, but the attendant kept her own head bowed., her silvery hair still.

Then the Matriarch spoke with an emotionless tone.

"Kill him."

I don’t think the words had finished landing when Shuǐyáo moved.

Cherry blossom petals scattered across my vision and the next instant, my Enhanced Senses screaming, something viciously fast was already inside my guard in a fraction of a second... or even less.

I matched it.

Dodging or retreating would have made killing me easier for her. So, I seized the tea table and shoved it into her path. A silver hairpin punched through the wood, its tip a hand’s width from my chest. I twisted the table, using its bulk against the pin’s momentum, wrenched her hand sideways, and drove a blurring kick into her ribs.

I reversed and connected my shin with the side of her skull before she could recover. She flew sideways, crashed through the door, and tumbled into the corridor beyond.

I straightened, cocked my head at the Matriarch, and let the disgust settle openly on my face.

"You’ll need more than an attendant to kill me, Matriarch."

She was silent. The pipe rested on her raised knee now, like she had forgotten about it for a moment. Her other hand lay across her lap, loose and unhurried.

The doors she’d crashed through exploded inward. Shuǐyáo came in a whirlwind of cherry blossoms and killing intent, the air itself buckling under the pressure. I raised my hand, white flames coiling at my fingertips, ready to take half her face off.

The Matriarch spoke before the collision.

"Stop."

White feathers scattered where Shuǐyáo had been. Then she was gone. As if she had never existed.

"I never expected a Sovereign to walk into my clan to receive a commission."

The Matriarch paused, her eyes settling on me with a different weight now.

"And now you want to have me? Have all the pieces come to the board? Is the stagnant flow of power beginning to move once more?"

’Huh? What is she saying... how did she know I’m a Sovereign...’

Before I could even open my mouth, she waved her hand.

"Matters of the Sovereigns are none of my concern... I have no choice but to latch onto this opportunity for the safety of my clan."

She rose from her seat and descended the stairs toward me. Three meters away, she stopped. Her features were sharper at this distance, and in the depths of her crimson eyes I could see it: a flower pattern, layered and intricate. I’d never seen anything like it.

"I will share the details of the commission over a cup of tea."

She gestured at the floor.

A pillow seat appeared beneath each of us, far more luxurious than before, along with a tea table, a porcelain jug, and two cups.

We sat. And the Matriarch took the jug and poured for me first, her thin fingers wrapping around the handle like chopsticks.

"A new Clan Leader of one of the three major clans in the Waterlands has surfaced. The Water Moon Clan."

She poured for herself and set the jug down.

"They have decided to join hands with our enemies to destroy us. It’s despicable."

Her eyes did not waver.

"I want to take this opportunity to either control the two clans or destroy them."

She sipped from the small cup and returned her gaze to me.

"Will that be too much of a hassle for you, Sir Cade?"