“What’s wrong?” Aria asked with a curious expression, leaning in closer to Selene. She couldn’t help but notice the odd expressions on the faces of those guys. Even Selene mirrored the same shock and horror she had first seen when encountering Aether. The confusion in her eyes was palpable.
“Well—” Selene began, her voice tinged with hesitation, but before she could continue, they were interrupted.
“Oh! Aqua~ How are you? Did you miss me already?~” Aether interrupted, his voice dripping with a tender tone. His eyes sparkled with a flirtatious glint that was completely out of character for him.
“See…” Selene sighed.
[+8000 AP]
Aqualina’s face turned a vivid shade of red, her lips trembling. She was desperate to say something, anything, but seeing his unusually charming and teasing demeanour left her speechless. Aether was never like this; he was always dense to her feelings….. Yet She couldn’t believe what she was witnessing.
Even so, she needed to keep her act together, she stammered, “H-How dare you call me—”
“YOU BASTARD!!” Kai’s face contorted with rage. He couldn’t comprehend how this insolent slave had the audacity to address his beloved Princess so intimately, and with such a flirtatious tone! His fists clenched at his sides, trembling with suppressed fury.
Even he didn’t have the privilege to call her by nickname!
“Who do you think you are?!!!” Kai bellowed, stepping forward with fury blazing in his eyes.
Aether, unperturbed, cast a lazy indifferent glance at Kai….. Kai flinched when he saw the same eyes that once almost ruined his engagement, stepping back involuntarily, which drew surprised gasps from the onlookers.
Aether’s gaze shifted to Vesperine, and a dark, twisted grin spread across his face, “Oh~ What do we have here?” he drawled, his voice dripping with mockery.
Vesperine frowned, confusion clouding her features. Before she could react, Aether made a gesture with his fingers, “How is your ‘fucking’ life going on?” he sneered, glancing back at Kai.
Both Kai and Vesperine’s faces flushed bright red. Kai sputtered, “W-What are you—” but Aether cut him off.
“A ‘Hic’ Arcane King who betrayed his fiancée and is screwing around with some random bitch… Hahaha… How amusing, isn’t it, Victor?” Aether laughed, his tone full of drunken arrogance.
Victor, Aether’s clone, dressed in a black outfit opposite Aether’s white, nodded with a small, knowing smile. Celestia was the one who had clearly instructed him to alter the clone’s attire for certain reasons.
Gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd as everyone looked at Aqualina, Kai, and Vesperine with wide eyes.
Veins bulged on Kai’s forehead as his anger peaked, and Vesperine’s face burned with shame, tears welling up in her eyes.
“AETHER!!!” Kai roared, grabbing Aether’s shirt and yanking him away from Victor.
Aether, swaying slightly under the influence of alcohol, stared at Kai with a disdainful look. “I hate when others touch my collar,” he muttered darkly. Explore more stories at freewebnovel
“And what of it?” Kai snapped back, his resolve hardening. He was determined to put Aether in his place, even if it meant resorting to violence.
Aether’s expression twisted with annoyance. His hand shot out, gripping Kai’s wrist with a crushing force.
Crack, Crack
Kai’s eyes widened in shock, pain shooting up his arm. Just as the situation seemed ready to explode,
“Aether, stop!” Delphine’s authoritative voice cut through the tension. She arrived on the scene, her old sweater and spectacles giving her the appearance of a strict professor.
The sight of her brought a collective sigh of relief from the students.
Aether sighed, releasing Kai’s hand reluctantly. However, Kai wasn’t ready to let it go. He wanted retribution…. an apology for Vesperine!!!
“I demand he apologize to Vesperine!” Kai declared, his voice filled with righteous anger.
Delphine stood firmly before Kai, her presence radiating authority, “You can discuss that later, but right now, this situation is more important.” freeweɓnvel.com
“I don’t care!” Kai shouted, his voice cracking with emotion and frustration. He couldn’t bear the thought of his beloved Vesperine being upset and humiliated.
Just then, Aqualina stepped forward, “Stop, Kai,” she said, her voice calm yet resolute.
“H-Huh, Princess, you too?” Kai’s face contorted with a mixture of disbelief and betrayal. He couldn’t fathom why everyone seemed to be siding with Aether, who had just spoken so vulgarly about a girl. All he wanted was for Aether to apologize and restore some sense of dignity.
“I just need to ask him one question,” Aqualina stated, her tone firm and unwavering, leaving no room for argument.
Seeing her serious expression, Kai clicked his tongue in frustration before reluctantly releasing Aether. Aether, brushing off his shirt with exaggerated disdain, sneered, “Fucker, next time you hold my collar, I will fucking cut your hands off!”
“YOU!!!!” Kai’s anger surged, but Leon quickly intervened, holding him back and urging him to calm down and see what Aqualina wanted to say.
Aqualina turned to Aether, her gaze piercing and intense. “Where have you been? And… how did you get in here?” She looked pointedly at Victor and Delphine, her eyes demanding answers.
Delphine’s face turned pale, clearly caught off guard and about to speak when Victor stepped forward, “I took him to the party, and after it was over, we came back and saw Professor Delphine looking around….” Victor explained smoothly, repeating what Celestia had instructed him to say earlier.
Celestia, now Taylor, watched the scene unfold from within the crowd, his eyes sharp and calculating. He sighed in relief, seeing the plan fall into place.
Delphine quickly interjected, “And I was visiting an old friend,” she said.
Everyone was taken aback, even more surprised by the implication that Aether, a mere servant, was friends with Victor.
Especially Leon and Kai, whose faces turned even more suspicious and ugly.
Meanwhile, Aria and Selene giggled softly, finding amusement in the chaotic turn of events and wondering what scheme Aether was cooking up now.
“And he is the one who got us in,” Delphine added.
“…”
The entire crowd fell silent, processing the information. Whispers and murmurs began to spread as they tried to make sense of the situation.
“What the hell!! There was no way a servant able to do that!!” someone shouted, breaking the silence. However, Delphine’s deadly glare quickly silenced the murmurs.
“You mean you did, right?” Kai asked with a deep frown, struggling to understand how a slave could manage such a feat.
Victor shook his head slowly. “I… helped him. He was the one who came up with the idea,” he admitted, his voice steady and convincing.
All eyes turned to the drunken Aether, who leaned heavily on Victor’s shoulder, his eyes hazy and unfocused. They wondered how on earth he had managed to pull off.
This was all part of Celestia’s intricate plan…. Yes, using Victor would make everyone believe… Because he was Victor.
However, Aether had a critical role to play…. seducing Helena, which was the most important part of the plan.
Just as Celestia had anticipated, Helena, who had been supporting an elderly woman from the infirmary to aiding others, stopped and looked at Aether with curious eyes.
“S-So, can we leave now?” one of the students timidly asked, breaking the tension.
Aether, still leaning on Victor, his voice slurred but authoritative, demanded, “Bring me a map of the Academy!”
Meanwhile,
Meanwhile, in a secluded room, Alaric stared intently at a…. bald man!!