After meticulously arranging everything, Aether decided to retrieve a few essential items from his dorm.
As he mentally checked off his list, he suddenly realized he had forgotten someone…. or rather, something.
Aether, now disguised as Victor, stood silently before the infirmary, He had just heard that his clone had been brought here.
Selene, Lia, and Aria were gathered around the infirmary bed, their faces etched with deep concern and worry.
“What happened to him?” Aria asked, her voice trembling, barely a whisper.
“I don’t know,” Lia replied, her voice filled with frustration and anger. She clenched her fists, “When I found him, he was lying on the ground, heavily wounded.” Her tone dripped with barely contained rage.
Selene stared blankly at Aether, her expression unreadable as if she were trying to process the gravity of the situation. Her normally vibrant eyes were distant, lost in thought.
‘Gulp’
Victor gulped, ‘Aether, you really messed up this time!’ he thought, mustering the courage to step inside the room. The floorboards creaked under his feet, echoing in the silent room.
The trio turned to look at him, their expressions shifting from worry to surprise, then to suspicion as they saw the white-haired, mysterious boy.
They flinched instinctively, their bodies tensing as they adopted a more defensive demeanour.
“What do you want?” Aria asked with a pronounced frown, her voice icy and distrustful.
Victor remained silent, choosing to maintain his arrogant and aloof aura.
Lia stepped forward, raising her hand to block his path. “What. Do. You. Want?” she repeated, emphasizing each word.
“He is my saviour,” Victor declared, his voice steady as he ignored her obstruction. He walked towards Aether…. his clone.
He reached out and touched Aether’s forehead with a sombre expression, feeling a mix of relief and guilt.
“He helped me when I was in grave danger,” Victor cooked on the spot, his mind racing to concoct a plausible reason for his presence and his interaction with the clone.
“Danger?” Aria frowned deeply, her scepticism growing. She crossed her arms tighter, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized Victor.
“It was during the attack on Valysar city,” Victor continued, his voice tinged with a convincing melancholy, “He was the one who saved me from the chaos.” He let his gaze drop as if recalling a painful memory.
Lia nodded, her expression softening slightly as she remembered that Aether had been separated from them for a few crucial minutes, “I see… He helped you,” she said warmly, looking at Aether with soft expression.
[+100 Affection]
Aria, however, still had a doubtful gaze, her mistrust evident. She needed to hear it from Aether himself before she could believe it.
Meanwhile, Selene continued to stare blankly at Victor, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she were trying to see through something.
Victor felt a cold sweat trickle down his back under her intense scrutiny, ‘D-Did she find out?’ he screamed internally, feeling a rising panic.
Victor then asked who had hurt Aether. When he heard that no one knew, he sighed with visible relief, a small weight lifted off his shoulders.
He then proclaimed with fierce determination, “I will ensure everyone pays for hurting my saviour!” He gritted his teeth, feigning intense anger and righteous fury.
“Is that so?” A voice interjected.
Suddenly, a person who had been lying on a nearby bed slid the curtain open silently….. It was none other than Aqualina.
Her eyes were sharp and accusatory as she glared at Victor, “Then care to explain why you had ten flags, including mine and Kaelen’s, which were supposed to be in Aether’s hand?”
The trio’s eyes widened in utter surprise, and they turned to Victor with clear killing intent in their gazes.
!~Ding~!
[Survival rate: 31.3%↓]
Victor didn’t get flustered; he had already concocted a plan.
He just didn’t expect Aqualina to still be here, “I got them from… Jack… Yeah, Jack Sparrow. Didn’t you hear he attacked a weak person after retiring?” he said, inwardly asking for forgiveness, ‘I don’t know who that pitiful child is, but I bless him with luck!’
[Survival rate: 31.4%↑]
Everyone stared at Victor for a moment, their minds processing the logic and Principal’s words who did say that… before slowly nodding their heads.
Even more killing intent was released, the intensity almost suffocating Victor.
“Stop it! You are hurting the patient!” the old woman in the infirmary shouted.
The group immediately withdrew their killing intent, their faces showing immediate concern as they hurriedly checked to see if they had inadvertently hurt Aether.
“Who are you?” Aqualina asked sternly, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Victor glanced at her briefly before looking at Aether, choosing his words carefully.
He knew Aqualina wasn’t aware of this plan since Taylor had informed him that the Empress had instructed her not to disclose anything. Only four people knew about this secret.
Seeing him not answer, Aqualina clicked her tongue in irritation, already convinced he was the one who had caused the ruckus in the contest.
Her distrust was palpable, and her eyes burned with suspicion.
Suddenly,
“Aqualina, Lia!!”
“Selene!!”
Kai and Leon burst into the room, their eyes wide with alarm as they saw Victor standing with their dear ones.
They immediately positioned themselves protectively in front of them, glaring at Victor like he was a dangerous enemy. Their muscles were tense, ready for a fight.
“What are you doing here, bastard?” Kai snarled, his voice low and threatening.
“Did you come here to torture the ladies?” Leon added, creating a scene in the once-calm infirmary. His eyes were filled with fury.
Victor looked at Kai and said in an icy tone, “Were your cheeks…. forget something?”
Kai’s cheeks twitched with a stinging sensation as he stepped back in fear, his confidence shaken.
Then Victor turned his mocking gaze to Leon, “Did your balls come back?”
Leon’s legs trembled, and his hand unconsciously covered his groin when Victor looked at it pointedly, the memory of past humiliation fresh in his mind.
Seeing them tremble before him, Victor sighed in satisfaction, “We are in the infirmary. Don’t make a scene.”
Both of them growled like wounded dogs before lowering their heads.
They then turned to Aqualina, asking about her health and what had happened. Afterwards, they checked on the other girls…
Yes, they didn’t even care about the servant who was lying down!
Especially Kai, when his eyes finally adjusted, he sighed in relief, thinking Victor was someone different. Then he focused on Lia, who simply ignored him, her eyes cold and indifferent.
Feeling constantly annoyed, the old woman in charge of the infirmary told everyone to leave. Her patience was clearly wearing thin.
Everyone reluctantly left the infirmary, their footsteps echoing in the hallway. With Selene’s help, Aqualina returned to the dorm, the two of them supporting each other.
Soon after everyone had gone, Aether suddenly woke up, his eyes snapping open.
“Young man, how are you—” Before the old woman could finish her question, Aether walked out, not sparing her a glance.
“???” The old woman frowned, perplexed by his new attitude, her brows furrowing in confusion.
Soon, Aether entered the restroom where Victor was waiting.
He deactivated his clone, feeling a sense of relief as the illusion dropped. He quickly changed his attire and waved his hand before his face as the mask flickered and transformed into a small ring.
His hair colour also changed to black, the strands shimmering in the dim light.
As long as he wore the ring, his hair colour would remain black, eliminating the need for dye.
He exited the restroom with a tired expression, his shoulders slumped, and slowly made his way towards the servants’ dorm.
Thud
“Taylor?” he called as he entered the dorm, but there was no response—just a silent, empty room.
‘Did she go with the Empress?’ he wondered, frowning. Suddenly, he felt someone behind him. His eyes widened, adrenaline surging through his veins as he swiftly turned and slammed the intruder into the wall.
“Oh? Look at you, able to sense me!” Taylor said with a smile, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she looked at Aether.
He was surprised at his own reflexes, ‘To think I could feel her presence… I suppose the Freedom skill is working well,’ he thought, loosening his grip and meeting her gaze. Her familiar face brought a wave of relief over him. “Where have you been?” he asked, his voice tinged with genuine curiosity and concern.
Taylor replied with a cheeky smile, her eyes sparkling with mischief, “What? Missing me already even though you proposed to the Empress?”.