“Here… Father” Kaelen said, his voice tinged with fear!
He held out a bouquet of vibrant, exotic flowers, their colours and fragrance filling the air.
Aether blinked in surprise, his eyes darting between the bouquet and Kaelen. “Father?” he echoed, pointing to himself in disbelief.
It was a strange and uncomfortable title for him… Yes, he did love children… but they were children, not a full-grown adult calling him father.
Kaelen’s face flushed with embarrassment and a touch of fear and pitiful expression, “M-My mother told me to call you that… or else… ‘gulp'” He gulped, visibly uncomfortable. “Please… Father,” he added, forcing the word out, feeling both awkward and ashamed to be addressing a younger man in such a manner.
Aether sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if trying to ward off a headache. He took the bouquet from Kaelen, glancing at the flowers before meeting Kaelen’s eye, “You don’t have to force yourself,” Aether said gently. “You can just say ‘no’ if it makes you uncomfortable.”
Kaelen snorted, a mix of frustration and resignation evident in his expression. “You don’t understand,” he muttered, “You haven’t seen bit—ahem, I mean, Mother. When she’s annoyed or if someone disobeys her… they either end up in a fight to the death or… reduced to a lowly servant,” he explained, his voice trembling slightly with the fear of past experiences…..
His eyes hinted at the trauma he had either witnessed or narrowly escaped.
“Pfft–” Aether stifled a laugh, covering his mouth to hide his amusement, “Well, sounds like you need to stand up for yourself, young man,” he advised, as if imparting fatherly wisdom.
Kaelen’s lips twitched, clearly not finding the situation as amusing as Aether did. Sensing the tension, Aether decided to take his leave, still feeling awkward about being called ‘Father’.
However, Kaelen quickly stopped him,
“You need to respond… Father,” Kaelen insisted, motioning to the bouquet where a small note was tucked among the blossoms.
Aether raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He carefully pulled out the note and unfolded it, reading the message written in elegant, flowing script:
__________________________
Hello, My Dear Husband,
How have you been? I hope this message finds you well. As for me, I am doing well.
I heard humans enjoy receiving flowers as a token of affection, so I hope you like this and…. I picked these with my own hands, just want to point this that’s all!
Today, we had a meeting with a few tribe elders. Only one was wise enough to see reason and join our cause. The others… well, they won’t be causing any more trouble…. I just finished off, Praise me!!!
But, It seems I’ve pissed off Maelona again…. she’s such a sensitive soul.
Hahaha….. Watching her squirm in discomfort over my mistake, was quite the entertain-ahem…. anyhow, we are doing fine, it will be a matter of time before we take down Alaric.
Anyhow… Hmm… Well, I love you, I guess.
I’m sorry, I heard people say ‘I love you’ here and there to prove their love which is something I don’t believe… Anyhow, so I just wrote it for the sake of it.
And… I want to mate with you…. So, Pretty please~ fall for me, Darling~
The wait is becoming unbearable, and all I want you inside him…. Please fall for me faster!!!
And then we can mate to our hearts’ and…. bodies’ content!
__________________________
Aether chuckled softly, shaking his head in amusement, ‘She is so bold and really true to her desires,’ he thought, a warm smile spreading across his face as he imagined the beautiful, fierce wolf woman who had written the letter.
“She certainly trying her best….” Aether murmured to himself, his voice filled with a mixture of admiration and amusement.
Actually, He had planned to visit her soon anyway, as she was one of his targets and maintaining a minimum of 10 affection points daily was crucial for the seduction process. He decided he would surprise and tease her later.
“Okay, then I will answer it lat—”
“I need to deliver it today,” Kaelen interrupted, his face filled with dread.
His mother had been very clear: the response had to be delivered by the end of the day, and any delay would result in severe punishment….. He was already losing precious time.
Aether blinked, surprised by the urgency, ‘Is she for real?’ he thought, sighing heavily, “I don’t have a pen or paper—”
“Here,” Kaelen interjected immediately, taking a pen and paper seemingly out of nowhere.
Aether sighed, shaking his head at the boy’s eagerness. He glanced around for a surface to write on, but before he could decide, Kaelen bent down, offering his back as a makeshift desk.
‘Really?’ Aether’s lips trembled with barely suppressed laughter. The situation was so absurd, it was almost too much. Nonetheless, he took the pen and paper, writing a response.
He decided to use some cute and playful words, aiming to boost her affection points without needing to visit in person.
After a few moments of scribbling, Aether finished the letter. He folded it neatly and handed it to Kaelen, “Here, do not open it!” he warned, his tone serious.
“Of course… Father,” Kaelen replied hurriedly, taking the letter with a nod. He transformed into his wolf form, the shift was seamless and swift. Within moments, he was speeding off down the corridor, a blur of fur and motion, eager to complete his mission and avoid his mother’s wrath.
Aether blinked, then chuckled softly, shaking his head in disbelief, “She’s really turned her son into a personal courier boy… and he’s okay with that,” he muttered to himself. It was both amusing and sad to see Kaelen so resigned to his role, seemingly unfazed by his father’s death and now helping(Forced) his mother in her pursuit of a new husband.
Truly amusing family!
And Aether got involved with this!
Aether wasn’t sure whether to be amused by Kaelen or saddened by his cowardice.
He decided not to dwell on it and walked away, his mind shifting to more pressing matters. He needed to think about the 50,000 ˀ amount he had received.
Yes, he had sold the crystal to Raven, though he still wondered why she needed it so desperately.
With the substantial sum now in his possession, he resolved to advance his plans, ‘But for that, I need those tools… Should I ask the principal?’ he pondered….. just as Alaric appeared, walking in the opposite direction.
Aether’s expression hardened, eyes narrowing slightly as he watched Alaric approach.
Alaric didn’t even glance at him as he approached…
Step, Step, Step…
The corridor echoed with the sound of heavy footsteps, and nothing more…. Not even the breeze dared to move.
They were inches away from each other and…
…. Step, Step
… passed each other without a word, the tension palpable.
Neither man broke stride.
Just as they were about to leave, Alaric paused and spoke without turning, “Don’t think you’ve escaped,” he warned his voice cold and laced with menace.
None of them spoke anything just walked away…. However, they halted at the same time and without turning back, Alaric said, “Don’t think you have escaped?”
Aether responded with a low, eerie chuckle, “Hehe…” The sound was unsettling, as he continued walking without looking back.
Alaric snorted, trying to provoke him, “I dare you to complain to your master,” he sneered.
Alaric, who believed Aether was Empress Marisandra Naiadia’s servant, was a little worried…. no, really worried. He didn’t want Aether to report the Empress anything that could cause trouble for him.
That’s the reason trying to provoke as he knows Aether has a huge ego for a servant!!!
If the Empress got wind of it, Alaric might face severe consequences, and even the principal might get involved.
Aether merely shook his head, his voice cold and dismissive, “Don’t worry; your end isn’t in my hands or the Empress’s…” He walked away, leaving Alaric glaring after him.
[Survival rate: 36%↑]
Alaric glanced back and watched Aether retreating back, eyes narrowed, “We’ll see about that…” he muttered, his voice filled with icy determination as he turned and walked away.
Returning to Aqualina’s side, Aether fell into his usual routine, helping her with various tasks. However, today felt different… Aqualina, with an uncharacteristic seriousness, insisted that he recount everything that had happened in the Faerie Arbor city.
As a servant, Aether, of course, said everything…. mixed with tales.
As he stepped out of her room, Aether sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. ‘I hope everything goes as planned…’ he thought, glancing towards Helena’s room. His mission indicator wasn’t blinking, which offered a small comfort.
He quietly knocked on her door and softly called her name but there was no response, After a few seconds of trying he sighed, ‘She must be somewhere else…’ he thought and decided to postpone her plan. Experience tales with m v|l -NovelFire
He exited the girl’s dorm and was about to call it a day when a familiar voice rang out.
“Aether!” Lia’s voice was bright and cheerful, startling him slightly. Before he could react, she rushed up and playfully covered his eyes with her hands, “I have a surprise for you~” she whispered slyly, her breath warm against his ear.
“Surprise?” Aether’s lips curled wondering what she was talking about and…. really curious.