Thea stood in silence for a long moment after Elena finished speaking.

The weight of the words pressed down on her chest so suddenly that her thoughts seemed to scatter. Her fingers slowly curled into her palm as she tried to piece everything together. "So you're saying that not only has my husband become a secret Talisman Master, but he also became an important partner to House Griffin," she said slowly, disbelief woven tightly into her voice. "And on top of that, he fought Prince Zion and won. A rank-seven expert, the same rank as me."

She let out a quiet breath that almost sounded like a laugh. "That Icarus… the man who had nothing but a beautiful face and a quiet temperament, is actually a heavenly genius. Are you sure this isn't just some exaggerated rumor that spread out of control?"

Elena shook her head without hesitation. Her expression was calm and unchanging. "It is all true. The city tried to suppress the news at first, but it reached almost every higher circle. The duel was real. The outcome was real. Only the details were buried."

Thea's shock deepened rather than easing. Her brows knit together as a familiar memory surfaced in her mind. "Then could this be because of the Black Phoenix Tears I gave him back then?" she murmured. "I truly thought it failed. There was no reaction at all at the time. If this is really a delayed awakening, then…"

She slowly lifted her head again, a faint brightness appearing in her eyes.

"Then this is nothing but good news." The shock in her heart began to shift, giving way to excitement that she struggled to contain. After a brief pause, she bowed slightly toward Elena.

"Master, I will return home first."

Elena did not stop her. Thea turned and left the chamber at once, her steps far quicker than when she had entered.

The long corridors of the Immortal Guild passed by in a blur as she moved toward the exit. Yet before she could reach the final stairway, someone hurried up from the opposite direction.

The man stopped right in front of her path, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to catch his breath. Sweat dotted his brow, and his expression was urgent.

"Senior, are you alright?" Thea asked as she steadied herself.

Ryder straightened with a deep breath. "I heard you came out of seclusion," he said between breaths. "So I ran all the way to find you."

Thea studied him for a moment before speaking again. "Is there something important?"

Ryder hesitated briefly before continuing. "In a few months, the annual imperial festival will begin. All experts under thirty will participate in the battle competition. This year, it's a team-based format." His voice lowered slightly. "I was wondering if you would be willing to pair with me. That's all."

Thea's reply came without delay. "I'm sorry, senior. I already have a partner in mind."

Ryder looked stunned for a brief moment before quickly recovering. "Vanessa is strong, I admit that," he said. "But you and I would be a better match. She exceeds me in raw power, but our fighting styles complement each other perfectly. We trained under the same lineage. We can guard each other's blind spots in a team battle."

Thea shook her head again. "It's not Vanessa, senior," she said quietly. "It's my husband."

Ryder blinked in confusion. "Your husband?" he repeated. "But isn't he just a plainfolk?"

"Didn't you hear about his battle with Zion Fireheart?" Thea asked.

Ryder blinked twice before answering. "Wasn't that just a rumor. Who told you it was true?"

"Master," Thea replied simply.

Ryder fell silent for a moment. "I really thought that was an absurd story House Griffin spread to raise their influence," he admitted. "There were no witnesses. Most people dismissed it as nonsense."

Thea's gaze sharpened slightly. "Then I will go and see whether it is true or not with my own eyes."

With that, she stepped past him and continued walking toward the exit of the guild, her pace calm but her heart already far ahead of her.

After watching Thea's figure disappear down the long corridor, Ryder remained where he stood.

His fingers slowly curled into tight fists at his sides, the knuckles whitening as his breathing grew unstable.

The words she had spoken refused to leave his mind. Her husband. Zion Fireheart. Victory. Each thought gnawed at him like a thorn beneath the skin. "Did that trash husband of hers really defeat Zion Fireheart?" he muttered under his breath, his tone heavy with disbelief and irritation.

"How did he do it. What kind of tricks did he use?" His eyes narrowed further as another thought surfaced. "And Thea… did she really change after the marriage?"

In his memory, she had returned to the guild barely a week after the wedding, hiding herself in closed-door training as if fleeing from something.

He had always believed she was escaping from her married life, escaping from that useless man.

His chest tightened as a darker thought formed. "So now that Icarus is strong, she's returning for him. Is that it?" The answer that formed in his mind made his expression turn even colder. "If that's the case," he said quietly, "then I'll just turn him into a real cripple."

A low, bitter smile touched his lips. "Without House Phoenix backing him, I doubt anyone will truly step forward for his sake. If he is broken beyond repair, Thea will naturally be freed from that ridiculous marriage."

His gaze hardened with twisted resolve. "I didn't act before because I believed she intended to stay far away from him. But now, it seems I need to save her with my own hands."

Thea, unaware of the thoughts forming behind her back, left the Immortal Guild without hesitation and headed straight for Moonvilla instead of returning to Griffin Estate first.

The moment she passed through the gates, familiar servants hurried forward and bowed in greeting. Their surprised voices followed her as she moved through the courtyard, her steps quick and purposeful.

Vanessa soon appeared along the path and stopped in front of her, her expression openly startled by her sudden arrival.

Thea returned her greeting with a brief nod and did not slow down, continuing directly toward the southern wing where Qin Wei resided.

When she reached the entrance, she finally paused and turned slightly to Vanessa. "Where is my husband?" she asked.

Vanessa hesitated for half a breath before replying, "Master Icarus is in his bath."

Thea remained still for a moment before speaking again. "I heard many things about him while I was away. Tell me honestly," she said, her voice steady, "are they all true?"

Vanessa met her gaze and nodded. "Yes."

Thea's steps halted completely this time. She turned fully toward Vanessa, her brows drawing together. "So he directly stepped into rank seven just like that."

Vanessa shook her head. "No. Master Icarus is still a plainfolk. He hasn't stepped into the true ranks. But he has gained some very mysterious abilities. Even Lord Kaelan does not know their full nature." Her eyes flickered with something difficult to define. "And becoming a talisman master so suddenly… it was as if he became an entirely different person overnight."

Thea's expression grew quieter as she listened. "Then… the only thing that changed before all of this," she said softly, "was our marriage."

Vanessa let out a slow sigh. "If only he didn't have that heavy lust," she said, her voice tinged with frustration. "I would have kicked that maid of his out long ago."

Thea's calm shattered in an instant.

"What maid?" she demanded, her voice rising sharply. "What heavy lust?"

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