“One room, please,”
“…” The receptionist remained silent, her gaze fixated on Thalia, who stood beside Raven holding an unconscious man draped over her shoulder.
“Excuse me?” Raven snapped her fingers, irritation flashing in her eyes.
The receptionist blinked, snapping out of her daze. Her eyes darted nervously between Raven and Thalia, then settled on Aether’s limp form. She pointed hesitantly, “Uh… is he…?”
Before Raven could respond, Thalia jumped in with a sheepish grin, “Oh, him? He’s her husband,” she explained smoothly. “He just had a bit too much to drink, you see. And I’m his sister… Family reunion gone a little wild.” She chuckled awkwardly.
The receptionist’s eyes widened in understanding, “Oh, I see!” she said, nodding sympathetically. Without further questions, she arranged the room key, passing it to Raven.
Raven glared daggers at Thalia as they walked toward the room, but Thalia just shrugged innocently, smiling like she hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary.
Once they entered the room, they carefully laid Aether on the bed. Raven turned to Thalia, her eyes blazing. “What the hell do you mean, ‘my husband’?”
Thalia gave her a casual smile. “It is what it is,” she said with a light laugh. “Now, go ahead and finish it,” she added, reaching for the hem of Raven’s clothes.
“W-Wait!” Raven immediately recoiled, her cheeks flushing in shock, “This is wrong! Shouldn’t we buy him first? And—most importantly—what about his consent?”
Thalia shrugged nonchalantly as she continued to slowly peel away Raven’s clothes, “Yeah, we’ll buy him eventually. As for consent… do you honestly think he’d object after all the flirting he’s done with you? Let’s face it, Raven, he’s clearly into you.
And let’s be real, he’s a good guy. If anything happens, he’ll take responsibility. I have no doubt he’d raise your child with his life on the line… even if you were not there! Just trust your instincts!”
Raven pressed a hand to her forehead, unable to respond… For weeks now, Aether had been playful, almost flirty with her—his innocent comments and subtle actions not going unnoticed. He was a good guy, kind-hearted. Anyone observing them might easily believe he was deeply interested in her.
But still… mating with him to produce offspring, without his clear consent? That was a line she wasn’t sure she could cross.
Meanwhile, Aether lay perfectly still, his breathing steady but his mind racing, ‘Damn, these two really are something else,’ he thought, his consciousness far from knocked out.
Thalia’s earlier attack hadn’t been anywhere near enough to render him unconscious; it had felt more like an ant bite. He’d been wide awake from the start, carefully listening to everything.
‘Well, let’s see where this is going,’ he mused inwardly, ‘Maybe I can use this to break through her walls even more…’
As Raven stood there, lost in thought, Thalia took a step back, admiring her handiwork. “Good…” she said with a satisfied nod, eyeing Raven, now stripped down to her white underwear and bra.. decorated with a playful bear print.
“Pffft!” Thalia barely stifled her laughter.
“What?” Raven asked, her face clearly showing annoyance.
“N-Nothing,” Thalia replied, waving her hand dismissively, though her eyes lingered on the bear print. ‘So childish,’ she thought with a smirk.
She then motioned towards Aether, who lay ‘unconscious’ on the bed, “He’s all yours. Go on, make it happen.”
Raven frowned, glancing at Thalia suspiciously, “You’re not leaving?”
Thalia shook her head, “As much as I am disgusted to watch this show unfold, I know you too well. You’ll back out the second I’m gone. So yeah, I’m staying to make sure you go through with it. I’m not leaving until that seed is inside your womb.”
Raven’s face twisted in disgust. “Are you hearing yourself right now?” She couldn’t believe the absurdity of Thalia’s words. But Thalia remained unmoved, her expression dead serious and shrugged, “Go on!”
Raven hesitated.
“Please, Raven,” Thalia’s voice softened, and her expression grew sombre, “We don’t have time. Our death is inevitable and the least we can do is ensure the future of the Phoenix bloodline… Your little sister always dreamed of reviving it, didn’t she? You owe her this much… to give the world a chance for that future.”
Raven bit her lip, her resolve wavering as the weight of Thalia’s words sank in. She let out a long sigh, then nodded, albeit reluctantly. Slowly, she approached Aether.
“Wait!” Thalia interrupted, “Let’s not forget him.” She quickly stripped Aether down to his underwear, leaving his muscular frame exposed to the cool air of the room.
“Wakey wakey~” Thalia teased, gently tapping Aether’s cheek.
Aether groggily opened his eyes, blinking in confusion. “W-Where am I?” he asked, his voice weak, before his eyes landed on Raven, standing near him, almost naked. His lips curled into a warm, sleepy smile. “Even in my dreams… she looks beautiful~”
[+100 AP]
Raven blinked, momentarily stunned by his words. She glanced over at Thalia, but Thalia caught the hint of a smug smile creeping onto Raven’s face, despite her best efforts to hide it.
Still half-asleep, Aether reached up and gently caught Raven’s wrist, his touch sending a jolt through her.
She froze her heart skipped a beat, her body stiffening like a statue. His hand tried to pull her closer, but Raven remained frozen in place, unsure of what to do.
Thalia sighed, clearly exasperated by Raven’s hesitation. With an impatient huff, she gave Raven a firm push, sending her stumbling forward onto Aether’s chest.
Raven fell onto Aether, their faces mere inches apart, the palpable heat between them intensifying with every breath. In his half-sleepy state, Aether’s hand moved softly, brushing her cheek as he mumbled, “I really want to bite those lips of yours~”
Thalia, watching closely, nodded in approval. “Oh~ Oh~,” she whispered to herself, clearly impressed by Aether’s natural ability to flirt even when barely conscious.
As Aether’s fingers lightly grazed the edge of Raven’s sunglasses, he murmured, “I wonder what you’re always hiding behind those glasses… They say eyes are the windows to the soul, and yet, I’ve never seen your soul… but I feel so drawn to it.”
[+100 AP]
Raven’s cheeks flushed a deep red, her usual composure faltering. Discover exclusive tales on empire
Thalia’s grin widened, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
However, just as Aether’s hand was about to remove the sunglasses, he whispered again, “At least in this dream, show me your soul…” His fingers reached closer to the frame.
“ROARRRR!!”
Raven suddenly roared, her ferocious growl echoing through the room. Aether snapped out of his half-dreamy state, staring at her in pure horror, “R-Real?” he stammered, his voice barely audible.
Raven remained silent, but Thalia, trying to suppress her laughter, chimed in. “Congratulations, Aether, your dream just came true!”
Aether blinked, confusion written across his face as the weight of the situation settled in, “K-KYYYAAAAAA!!” he screamed.
Both Raven and Thalia froze, startled by his high-pitched reaction. Thalia, recovering first, quickly slapped her hand over his mouth, “Shut up, you idiot!”
Aether’s wide eyes stared at her as he nodded frantically. Thalia cautiously removed her hand, and he took a shaky breath before blurting out, “W-What’s going on?”
Thalia and Raven exchanged a brief glance, a silent conversation passing between them, before Thalia spoke. “We’ve finally figured out what’s happening to your body.”
“Oh? Really?” Aether asked, feigning innocence but fully aware they were trying to trick him.
“Yes,” Thalia said, her expression grim. “It appears you have the Phoenix bloodline.”
“Phoenix?” he echoed, trying his best to sound clueless.
“Yes, and that’s why your body’s been acting strangely. If we don’t resolve this soon, your body will… disintegrate,” Thalia explained with a grave expression.
Aether’s eyes widened in mock horror. Inside, though, he was laughing. ‘Oh, look at them trying to pull this off… how cute,’ he mused inwardly. But outwardly, he wore a mask of terror. “W-What?
Disintegrate?!”
Thalia nodded seriously, “Yes,” before softening her tone, “But don’t worry. Raven is going to help you.”
Aether turned his gaze to Raven, her face unreadable, “R-Raven…” His hand gently touched her cheek, and she flinched under his touch.
Thalia nodded encouragingly, “And to heal you, she needs to… well, you know… mate with you.” A slight blush crept across her cheeks, despite her usual bold demeanour.
Aether’s expression twisted into one of disbelief, his eyes growing misty, “Y-You’re really doing this… for me?”
Raven remained silent, her emotions unreadable until Thalia playfully slapped her on the butt, jolting her back into the moment. Raven flinched and finally nodded. “Y-Yeah, I’m doing this to help you… That’s all.”
Aether’s eyes softened even more, the hint of a smile curling his lips. “I… I understand. You really are an angel, rowdy girl~”
[+100 AP]
[+100 AP]
Both women froze, momentarily caught off guard by his sudden shift in mood. Before anyone could react, Aether smoothly pushed Raven down, rolling them so that he hovered over her. His eyes gleamed with determination as he leaned closer, his voice soft but filled with intensity, “Since you’re doing this for me… the least I can do is make sure it’s done right. I won’t hurt you. I promise.”
