Aqualina Naiadia would never let others trample on her, so it was impossible she wasn’t aware of what was happening to her servant; she had heard everything from Taylor in great detail.
Thus, she knew her servant was being ghosted and was being looked down upon, but she didn’t take action immediately. She was waiting for Aether to complain, to come to her with his grievances, to speak up and reveal his troubles.
She wanted to hear from him directly about what was happening so she could take action, but to her surprise, Aether wasn’t like others. He remained silent and ignored everyone, carrying on as if he didn’t care, as if the slights and insults meant nothing to him.
There was a calm and indifferent gaze in his eyes, suggesting he had already endured everything. This resilience made her proud, knowing her servant was stronger and more composed than others.
Yet, it also annoyed her.
Why hadn’t he come to her for help? Didn’t he trust her enough?
But now,
“Princess, how did you know all this?” Aether asked with wide, curious eyes, looking at her like a peeking bird, his innocence shining through.
Aqualina hurriedly walked into the corridor. After dealing with John, the Principal had warned both John and Aether not to cause any more ruckus. She had turned a blind eye to the situation since John withdrew his complaint again, but if Aether hurt anyone else on campus, both he and Aqualina would face severe consequences.
But now was not the point because,
“Princess, you really know what was happening around… ah,” Aether mumbled in a surprised tone, then added innocently, “Are you, by any chance… worried about me?” Before he could finish, Aqualina halted her steps, her cheeks turning red.
She glared at him and snapped, “Don’t you dare imagine anything stupid!” before quickly walking away.
She was getting annoyed by her servant.
Feeling a sudden silence, Aqualina glanced back at Aether, who wore a sad expression. His usually bright eyes were now downcast.
“M-Maybe a little,” she mumbled quietly, almost inaudibly.
[+500 Affection]
Aether smirked inwardly as a smile returned to his face.
He followed her happily, then asked with a little curiosity, “Princess… are you… are you wearing Master Kai’s gifts?”
Aqualina’s face turned bright red as she glared at Aether and said, “Don’t ever speak about that disgusting thing again, or I will throw you to the monsters!!”
Aether’s lips trembled as if he might laugh at any moment. Controlling his emotions, he maintained his innocent act, “Disgusting? Then why did Master Kai gift you that?”
“Gggrrrr,” Aqualina couldn’t even lash out at him seeing his innocent face. She grumbled in anger. She never thought a being innocent could make her this angry, but as calm and mature, she composed herself and said, “Those are for filthy men’s desires, useless worthless desires… You better not become like him and should not think about that… ever in your life, got it?”
Though she calmed, her cheeks remained beet red.
‘Come on!! Aether!!! Control yourself!!’ Aether told himself inwardly, managing to maintain his composure before nodding innocently and saying, “If the princess says so, I will..” and stopped teasing her.
[+500 Affection]
Soon, Aqualina arrived at a bench in the training area where a few students stood waiting for her, their expressions eager and respectful.
“Princess!!” The group suddenly bowed their heads in unison.
“Good. So, you all decided to take my offer?” Aqualina asked, her gaze sweeping over the five individuals before her.
“Yes,” they chorused in unison, their faces lit with determination.
She started to discuss a few things with them, outlining the plan and their roles. Aether listened to the group intently, understanding they were her teammates for the upcoming contest.
After dealing with them, the students left with smiles, clearly motivated.
“What are you doing, princess?” Aether asked.
Aqualina then told him the details. After hearing Aether ask, “Those were the members of your team, ah… What about me? Did you forget your own servant?”
Aqualina sighed, seeing his puppy eyes, and said, “Servants are not allowed to participate in the contest, only other students.”
“Tsk”
“D-Did you just clicked your tongue?” Aqualina frowned.
“No” Aether frowned and asked, “But I heard a few servants saying they were eager to enter the contest… though I wondered what they were talking about?”
Hearing that, Aqualina nodded, “Those were attendants.”
“Attendants?”
“Simply put, attendants are commoner students in the academy who don’t have much hope for their future. They choose top-ranked students or nobles to become their attendants, hoping to win their favour before they become unreachable,” Aqualina explained patiently.
“I see…” Aether nodded in understanding. He thought his life was hard, but to think those guys not only worked as servants but also needed to maintain their academics. It was a sobering realization.
As a servant, Aether needed to pick her up from the dorm, prepare for her classes, know her timetable, guide her to the next class, collect notes from the professors, buy the materials she wanted, safeguard her from other students, do menial tasks for her, make sure she ate every time, and finally leave her in the dorm… What a pain!
‘To think attendants not only do this but also take care of themselves… sigh,’ Aether inwardly sighed, feeling exhausted just thinking about it.
“Aqualina!” Kai suddenly shouted as he hurriedly approached, his voice cutting through the air.
“Hmm?” Aqualina frowned, not just because of seeing him… maybe a little, but more importantly because he was surrounded by five beautiful girls, their presence almost suffocating.
‘Aether had no words when he saw beautiful girls and only thought, ‘Damn, He already built his harem!!’
“Have you prepared your team?” Kai asked as he stood before Aqualina, his eyes gleaming with confidence.
“Yes…. You?” she asked with a slight pause.
“Me too… See, these girls are so eager to fight for me,” Kai said with a proud face, looking at the girls with a sense of ownership.
“Y-Yes, we are ready to fight for Sir Kai,” one girl declared, her voice filled with unwavering determination.
“I-I am ready to even sacrifice myself,” another girl added, her voice trembling with emotion.
“I will help him however necessary,” said a third, her eyes shining with fervour.
“I can do anything for Sir Kai,” the fourth girl chimed in, her voice filled with resolve.
“Yes!!” the fifth girl exclaimed, her face glowing with adoration.
Aqualina’s lips twitched as she saw their obvious sparkling eyes, ‘Is he serious?’ she thought, then asked, “So, you just chose them because they asked? Are they even talented enough for the contest?”
“””””Of course we are!””””” the five girls said in unison, their voices harmonizing in a strange, almost eerie way.
Aqualina’s lips twitched even more as she glanced at Kai with an annoyed expression.
Kai smiled, misinterpreting Aqualina’s annoyance as jealousy. He couldn’t be happier that his friend Leon gave him this advice to make Aqualina jealous, hoping she would forget the past incident.
“Pfff—” Aether immediately covered his mouth he couldn’t believe those girls fanning over him.
Kai then glared at Aether, who simply averted his gaze and whistled nonchalantly. Aether had already apologized when Kai complained, saying he asked the shopkeepers what made girls’ hearts flutter, and they packed those weird gifts.
“Grrrrr,” Kai gritted his teeth, frustration bubbling up inside him. He should have at least checked the gift. He knew it was his mistake to ask an illiterate slave to buy gifts, and now he was the one who suffered.
Anyhow,
“We shall fight, Aqualina!! The loser has to do whatever the winner says!” Kai said with a confident smile, his eyes blazing with determination.
“Oh? Okay then,” Aqualina nodded, her gaze flicking over to the fierce eyes of the girls who stood behind Kai.