“….”
“….”
The heavy silence hung between Aether and Mortimer, casting a solemn atmosphere over the room.
Aether received a summons from Mortimer Frostblade to his ice room, an unusual request considering he had been ignored for a week.
When he made his way to Mortimer’s chamber, he couldn’t help but notice that the room appeared slightly different than usual, though the presence of snow still adorned its surroundings.
“So, you don’t know anything about what happened?” Mortimer’s voice, gentle like that of a grandfather, broke the silence, his brow furrowed in concern.
“No, Mr. Mortimer. I don’t even know what happened after I was punched by someone,” Aether replied, his tone tinged with defeat.
Mortimer nodded understandingly, his hand patting Ether’s head with a comforting gesture.
“Why don’t you show me your Log?” Mortimer suggested, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.
“Sure,” Aether nodded, retrieving his Log and presenting it to Mortimer for inspection.
As Mortimer examined the Log, his expression remained unreadable, his brows furrowing slightly in contemplation.
Aether waited anxiously, anticipation evident in his demeanour.
“Well, there’s nothing different except… your strength has increased,” Mortimer remarked, raising an eyebrow in surprise as he studied Ether’s figure, noticing a subtle change in his physique… Even though Ether was still skinny, there was a subtle change in his figure like he was more mature and had a broad figure.
“Heheh…” Aether chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. “I’m not sure what happened, but when I woke up, I was surrounded by that ugly substance,” he added, his face contorting in disgust at the memory.
“Oh!” Mortimer’s surprise was evident, prompting him to inquire further. However, Aether simply stated that he couldn’t remember anything.
“I see… then can you call forth that Arcane Card?” Mortimer inquired, his gaze soft yet filled with anticipation, intrigued by what he had heard from his son and butler, ‘They said some kind of terrific black entity that never witnessed before…’ he thought.
“Arcane Card? What’s that? Empress also asked me about it,” Aether replied, confusion evident in his voice as he tilted his head in question.
Mortimer’s expression shifted suddenly, a flicker of horror crossing his features before he quickly composed himself.
“Empress? She visited you?” he questioned, his demeanour shifting from concern to a carefully guarded demeanour.
“Yes, yesterday, at midnight she visited me,” Aether confirmed, his tone serious, unaware of the underlying tension in Mortimer’s reaction.
“W-What did she ask?” Mortimer inquired, his tone fraught with tension as if Aether’s response held the key to his fate and his family’s fate.
Aether recounted the Empress’s requests, his words weighed with uncertainty, “Well, she asked me to summon the Arcane Card, but I couldn’t comply with her request, so she left.”
“Is that all?” Mortimer’s scepticism was palpable, his brow furrowing with concern.
“Nop… Oh, there was another thing” Aether hesitated a little.
“What is it?” Mortimer’s patience wore thin, his voice tinged with urgency.
“She also advised me to eat well and strengthen my body, as she mentioned she would visit again soon,” Aether fabricated a lie, his expression betraying no hint of deception.
Mortimer’s eyes widened in alarm, his mind racing with apprehension, ‘Fuck! She’s onto something!’ he silently exclaimed, struggling to maintain his composure.
“I-Is that so…” Mortimer’s voice faltered slightly as he gently grasped Aether’s shoulder, his touch seeking reassurance, “Regardless of who it was, you should always inform Velc first, understood?”
“Yes, Mr. Mortimer,” Aether nodded earnestly, his smile masking any true intentions.
“Now, are you absolutely certain you cannot summon the card?” Mortimer pressed once more, his curiosity undiminished.
He truly wanted to see the Arcane card that once ever occurred in this world.
Aether shook his head, attempting once more to call forth the Arcane Card to no avail. With a resigned sigh, Mortimer conceded defeat, bringing their conversation to a close.
“Ah, don’t worry about the room. I’ll have Alfred take care of it,” Mortimer reassured Aether, offering a gentle smile as he tousled Aether’s hair affectionately.
“Heheh…” Aether chuckled softly before taking his leave from the ice room.
‘Thud’
As the door closed behind him, Aether’s countenance shifted from that of a giggly child to one of stern resolve, “That fucking old bastard is really a piece of shit, isn’t he?” he muttered bitterly to himself.
Despite Mortimer’s outward displays of love and tenderness, Aether could discern no genuine affection in his actions.
He meant…. No affection points!!
Every gesture seemed calculated to deceive, a fact that left Aether feeling a mixture of frustration and contempt…. he couldn’t believe he had fallen for the trick before.
Even the girl who had shown him pity had offered affection points, yet Mortimer, with all his supposed care, remained cold and manipulative.
Aether understood how easily the body’s original owner could have been swayed by Mortimer’s deceit.
If not for the affection points as evidence, even Aether might have fallen prey to Mortimer’s facade.
Suddenly, a stern voice echoed from behind Aether, startling him from his thoughts.
“What happened?”
Velc inquired, his tone commanding.
With practised deference, Aether bowed his head and turned to face Velc, adopting the posture of a dutiful servant.
“….. I am not sure what you are asking, Master?” Aether replied respectfully, his demeanour composed despite the annoyance within him.
Velc scrutinized Aether’s expression,
“What did my father say to you?” Velc pressed, his tone brooking no evasion.
Aether met Velc’s gaze, observing the bruises that marred his face and body, yet failed to diminish the arrogance in his eyes.
“Mr. Mortimer said that I need to eat more,” Aether responded dutifully.
“Hmm? That’s all?” Velc frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the response.
“Yes, Master,” Aether affirmed with a nod, his outward demeanour unwavering.
“Very well. You may leave,” Velc dismissed Aether, his tone dismissive yet tinged with an undercurrent of suspicion.
Aether offered a polite smile and retreated from Velc’s presence…
Inside the room,
Mortimer lounged on the ice chair with a contemplative gaze, addressing his loyal servant, Alfred,
“I told you, didn’t I, Alfred?” Mortimer began, his tone laced with smug satisfaction, “Even though I despise Velc for bringing Ether into the baptism, that incident has provided us with another…”
“A golden Egg?” Alfred ventured cautiously, unsure of how to respond to Mortimer’s apparent delight.
Mortimer’s smirk widened dangerously,
“Exactly,” he confirmed, “A golden egg!! Ripe for the plucking!”
“…” Alfred wasn’t sure how to react as he really wanted to scream that the ‘thing’ he saw was not really a golden Egg instead it was a rotten egg that takes life.
Alfred hesitated, his unease evident as he remembered his and Velc’s pleas to eliminate Ether, warnings that had fallen on deaf ears.
Mortimer nodded sagely before issuing his instructions. “Alfred, ensure that Ether eats well. The fact that the Empress herself has taken an interest in him is not to be taken lightly.”
“!!!” Alfred’s eyes widened in alarm at the mention of the Empress’s involvement.
“Yes, Master,” he stammered, feeling a shiver of apprehension.
“And while you’re at it, investigate his room and collect samples of anything unusual,” Mortimer added casually, as though discussing the weather.
“Understood, Master,” Alfred acknowledged with a respectful bow, preparing to depart.
As Alfred reached for the door handle, Mortimer’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “And remember, Alfred….” Mortimer’s tone turned stern, “…ensure that our golden goose never escapes our grasp.”
Alfred’s heart skipped a beat at the ominous warning, but he merely nodded in response before exiting the room, and closing the door behind him.
Soon thereafter, Alfred found himself standing before Ether’s room, bracing himself for what lay within.
However, nothing could have prepared him for the overwhelming stench that assaulted his senses upon entering.
“What the fu…” His eyes widened in horror as he took in the gruesome sight before him, and before he could stop himself, he retched violently, unable to contain his disgust.
… Alfred couldn’t help but,
‘VVoooooo!!’ He vomitted.
….. It would take considerable effort to clean the aftermath of Ether’s room, a task that Alfred dreaded with every fibre of his being.