Celestia looked at the list of items Aether had requested her to buy, her curiosity piqued. “What are these for?” she asked, her voice tinged with intrigue.
Aether smiled a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, “Long-distance relationships are really hard, you know,” he replied, his tone both wistful and knowing.
Celestia tilted her head, trying to understand the deeper meaning behind his words. Before she could ask more, a familiar voice broke the quiet of the corridor.
“F-Father!” Kaelen called out, his voice carrying a mix of urgency and respect.
Aether’s lips twitched in mild annoyance as he turned to face Kaelen, who handed him another bouquet. Aether shook his head slightly, bemused, and took the flowers. He unfolded the attached letter, his eyes scanning the words.
Kaelen watched intently, his mind flashing back to the night he had delivered Aether’s letter to his mother.
‘I-I never saw her smile before…’ he thought, recalling the night after delivering Aether’s letter. It had been the first time he had seen his mother smile like a young girl, a sight even his father had never elicited. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Kaelen’s eyes drifted to Aether, filled with a mix of wonder and confusion, ‘Is he really that great?’ he mused. It baffled him how a mere servant could evoke such a reaction in his mother, something not even his father had achieved.
The thought left him unsettled, yet oddly fascinated!
Aether, finishing the letter, handed a large package to Kaelen, “Here, give this to your mother,” he said, slipping his own letter into the package with a thoughtful expression.
Kaelen nodded, his face neutral. He didn’t need to know the details; as long as his mother was happy… he would be happy and safe!! All he wanted was a rest from her relentless training sessions.
“You know, you can call me by my name,” Aether said, a slight awkwardness in his voice. He never felt comfortable being addressed as ‘Father’ added, “And it’s not like Liora was watching us”
Kaelen hesitated but then nodded, turning to leave.
…..
..
Aether’s steps led him towards the girls’ dormitory, his thoughts a tangled mess of strategy and concern, ‘Helena… she’s not even responding to my call. What should I do now?’ he pondered, trying to devise a plan.
It was clear Helena was avoiding him for some reason and it made it difficult for him to approach her.
‘Tsk, How should I deal with her now…?’ He wondered.
Just as he was about to enter the dormitory,
“Aether?”
“Aether?”
“Ae—”
“Aether?”
Four voices, each distinct and laden with emotion, called out to him in unison. He turned around, finding himself face-to-face with…. Selene, Aria, Helena, and Lia.
His mind momentarily blanked, overwhelmed by their sudden group appearance, ‘Everything is going according to the plan… right?’ he reassured himself, though a part of him wasn’t so sure.
Before he could react, he was swept into a nearby restaurant.
He found himself seated between Aria and Selene, while Helena and Lia sat across from them.
“So, that girl, right? She really pissed me off,” Selene began, her voice dripping with annoyance.
“Yeah, I’ve never seen a woman who flirts so blatantly with strangers!” Aria added, her expression mirroring Selene’s displeasure.
“Isn’t she?!” Selene agreed, recalling the incident where Kenley had touched Victor. If not for Ashara’s intervention, Selene might have killed that bitch!
“I think she’s is the real whore!!” Aria spat, her voice filled with disgust. She remembered the scene vividly and however, she didn’t want to kill that bitch instead, she thought about putting a few arrows through Kenley to ‘increase the holes in the bitch’s body.’
Aether, feeling the weight of their words and the intensity of their emotions, quietly ate his food, ‘When did they become friends?’ he wondered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
The situation was spiralling, and he needed to keep these two yandere in check otherwise… Destruction!!
“Hmm? Why are you silent, Helena?” Selene asked, noticing her ‘New’ friend’s quiet demeanour. She quickly realized that Helena’s attention was focused solely on Aether. “It’s fine, Helena. He’s more like family to me than a servant; there’s no need to hesitate.”
But Helena wasn’t silent because of hesitation. It had been days since she last saw Aether and her heart was pounding in her chest…. Really crazy!
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…..
…
Her heart raced, as if she had just run a marathon, ‘Why is he so handsome?! W-What am I thinking!! Please forgive me Archprie—KYAAAAAA!!!!!!! He’s looking at me!!!’ she screamed internally, though outwardly she maintained a composed and serene expression. She took a napkin, placed it delicately on her lap, and smiled before starting to eat.
Aether, catching the subtle changes in Helena’s demeanour, smirked inwardly. ‘Not bad… Not bad at all!’ he thought, pleased with the turn of events. He glanced at Selene, giving her a quick wink, silently thanking her for creating an opportunity he thought was blocked.
Seeing him wink, Mistook for his flirting, Selene blushed and telepathically communicated with him,
/C-Come on, Aether! People are here! W-We can do it later~/
Despite her words, Aether could sense her excitement and arousal.
He shook his head in amusement. The situation was both amusing and complicated.
Complicated?
Yes, When Celestia had informed him that Selene was attempting to brainwash Helena, he had been shocked.
He had asked Selene and Celestia to keep an eye on Helena and that was enough for them to understand she was one of his targets.
Thus, Selene had devised a cunning plan!!
A plan to keep Helena under her control.
Selene wasn’t naive; She understood why Aether kept details about the other women from her; he didn’t want them to hurt each other.
She clearly understood that…
And it’s not like she was going to hurt those bitches or anything… She just needed to have a talk.
Just talk! That’s all!!
Aether was nothing like Kai; he was honest with her, sharing his intentions and plans.
He wasn’t cheating; he was on a mission to save these women who might die. He had a gentle heart and couldn’t bear to see them suffer, so he was doing this for their sake and his freedom.
Aether wasn’t like Kai!!
Aether had told her everything, so it wasn’t considered cheating. But she worried, ‘What if he really develops feelings for them?’ She was concerned because Aether, with his gentle nature and a soft spot for women, might fall for them.
This was the part she loved most about him, the reason for her love and yet now hated the most! If things got out of hand, she feared there would be a side chick sitting beside Aether, which was surely dangerous… not knowing there was already someone beside him.
‘What if she tricks him and makes him forget about me?’ she wondered in fear. That’s why she had decided to brainwash the women who were Aether’s targets with the simple message:
‘Aether belongs to Selene! Others below Selene!!’
That’s all!
Yet, she couldn’t brainwash Helena.
No matter what she tried, Helena’s will remained unbent, as if a stronger belief was blocking her. Experience tales at
‘Archpriestess…’ Aether thought amusedly.
He was the only one who knew Helena had already been brainwashed by the Archpriestess. Helena was an insanely devoted follower of the Archpriestess.
So, no one could brainwash her!
“!!!”
Aether suddenly flinched, feeling something touching his thigh.
Meanwhile, Lia glared at Aether, remembering his words, ‘I donated the money for the greater good!’ When she had heard that, she had almost punched his face.
‘My money… ‘sob” she cried inwardly, unable to believe his reasoning.