Aether stared blankly at her, his mind racing. He knew he needed to tread carefully, especially considering how Lia’s uncle had always reacted whenever he was around her.
Lia, noticing the intense glare her mother was directing at Aether, immediately stepped in, her voice shaky. “W-What are you talking about, Moth-Mommy? I don’t even know hi—”
Before she could finish, Mary’s cold voice cut through the air, “I heard… you’ve been getting close with some servant?” Lia visibly flinched, her face pale white!
Mary’s lips curled into a slight smirk as her eyes locked onto Aether, who stood in plain servant clothes, “Let me ask you one last time… What exactly is your relationship with my baby?” Her voice was deceptively soft, but the threat was unmistakable.
Aether glanced at Lia, who was shaking her head vigorously, her eyes wide with fear.
He sighed, “Well, I’m her frien—” But before he could finish, Mary’s hand shot out, gripping his neck in a vise-like hold. In an instant, they vanished from the ground and reappeared high in the sky.
“MMMMMOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMYYYYYYY!!!!” Lia screamed in panic, her heart pounding in her chest.
She had to act quickly; her mother wasn’t one for hesitation. If she didn’t do something now, Aether would be dead in seconds.
The reason?
Because Aether had dared to speak to her.
That was all it took for her mother to lash out. Lia knew just how fiercely overprotective her mother could be, and Aether was now in grave danger because of it.
Without wasting another second, Lia sprinted off to find the one person who could stop this madness.
Meanwhile, up in the sky,
Aether stared into Mary’s glowing, murderous eyes as her hand remained clamped tightly around his neck, squeezing with an eerie calmness. He could feel the deadly intent in her grip… it would take just a flick of her wrist to end his life.
“Pretty boy~” she whispered her voice a chilling mix of seduction and menace. Her sharp nails grazed his cheeks lightly, leaving thin trails of blood in their wake.
Her blood-red eyes glinted, the darkness around her form swirling as she muttered, “Crimson Elixir of the Null~ It’s such a waste to kill you… tsk, tsk…”
!~Ding~!
[Manipulation Blocked]
Aether gripped her wrist tightly, refusing to give in.
As he slowly drew in a breath, careful not to appear panicked, he reminded himself that showing fear would only hasten his death…. the thing in front of him was… The monster that thrived on fear and weakness. One misstep, one moment of hesitation, and it would be over.
“Why did you approach my baby? What do you want from her? Are you trying to deceive her with your blood?” Mary’s grip on his neck tightened as she hissed, her eyes narrowing dangerously, “Tell me, boy, so I can end you peacefully.”
!~Ding~!
[Manipulation Blocked]
[Manipulation Blocked]
[Manipulation Blocked]
Aether’s voice remained steady, even as he felt the pressure increase,
“If you really wanted to kill me, you would’ve done it already, Mary Scarlet. You’ve seen the look on your baby’s face—she’s worried about me. If you kill me now, all you’ll do is earn her hatred. What you’re doing right now… is nothing more than an empty threat.”
Mary’s smirk grew wider, more sinister. “Not bad… Not bad at all… But even if she’s angry with me, it won’t last forever. A few months, maybe a year or two… but in the end, she’ll come back to me, as she always does.” She squeezed his neck even tighter, placing her other hand on his chest, feeling for his heartbeat.
Ba-dump, Ba-dump…
To her surprise, it was calm.
Steady!
Not the frantic pounding she expected from someone facing death.
He wasn’t afraid…. He wasn’t pretending, either.
There was no fear of dying in his heart!
‘What the hell is wrong with him?’ she thought, her smile faltering for a brief moment.
‘She’s not going to listen…’ Aether thought grimly, realizing words weren’t going to resolve this. With a casual shrug, he created a sharp shard of ice into his hand and, in a swift motion, stabbed it into her wrist.
Chucck!
Mary’s hand instinctively released its grip as Aether plummeted through the air.
She stared at her wrist, where the ice had pierced her skin, only for it to melt away moments later. The wound healed almost instantly, leaving no trace, ‘That’s it?’ she thought with a smirk. Stay connected through empire
Looking down, she saw Aether falling…. a cocky grin plastered on his face as he showed his middle finger.
“Fuck you, bitch~” Aether taunted, his grin widening as he plummeted towards the ground.
Mary’s lips twitched with amusement. “Someone’s feeling haughty, aren’t they?~” she said with a teasing lilt, instantly appearing beside the falling Aether, reaching out to grab him mid-air.
However…
Ssshhhhh!
What she caught wasn’t Aether at all—it was nothing more than a clone.
His form dispersed like particles of dust, vanishing in her grip. Her expression twisted into a deep frown of genuine surprise, “What the…” she muttered, her eyes narrowing as realization hit her.
Suddenly, A voice suddenly echoed above her,
“What are you staring at? I’m up here, woman!”
Mary’s gaze shot upward. There, hovering in the sky above her, was Aether, his foot radiating intense, indigo-coloured flames that flickered against the sky.
He looked down at her with a smug expression.
In the blink of an eye, Mary reappeared before him, closing the gap with terrifying speed. Yet, even as her hand darted forward, poised to pierce his chest, Aether’s smirk only widened…. He winked at her as if mocking her efforts.
BOOOOMMMM!!!
“What the hell are you doing, bitch?”
The voice was sharp and furious, just as Mary was about to strike.
Suddenly, the Principal appeared, her leg thrust into Mary’s stomach, piercing through it with terrifying force.
Blood spilt from the wound, splattering the air as Mary’s body trembled from the impact.
Aether blinked in shock, surprised to see the Principal intervening so aggressively… He knew she would intervene but not this aggressively!
But what startled him even more was Mary’s reaction. Instead of crying out in pain or even letting out a groan, Mary simply remained calm.
Her voice was steady as she said, “You’re here already? That’s fast, considering He is nothing but a servant.” Her expression was eerily serene as her stomach began to heal almost instantly, the blood drying up as her flesh mended itself in seconds.
The Principal yanked her leg back, her eyes burning with barely contained fury. “I asked you a question. What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Her voice dripped with anger as she grabbed Mary by the neck, but before she could do anything more, Mary’s body dissolved into blood-red particles, reforming a few feet away from them.
With a smug grin, Mary replied, “Just eliminating someone who dares to lay eyes on my precious baby.”
The Principal’s expression hardened as she glanced at Aether with a blank stare.
Aether immediately raised his hands in defence. “Whoa, whoa! I swear, I’m not lying to her! Lia’s more like a sister to me than anything else!” His tone was sincere… way too sincere that made Principal doubt him!
The Principal sighed, looking back at Mary with frustration, “You heard him, didn’t you?”
Mary chuckled softly, shaking her head in disbelief, “You seriously believe him? Just like that?”
The Principal’s lips twitched with annoyance, “I know my people. If you take even one more step toward him, I swear I’ll fucking kill you right here and now.”
Mary’s laughter grew louder, her amusement clearly escalating. “Hahaha… Unbelievable. I can’t believe you’re standing up for this boy. I don’t want him anywhere near my baby! What if he seduces her with his filthy, luscious blood?
I won’t allow it. Everything I do, I do for my child’s sake. Can’t you se—?”
“MOMMY!!”
The shout rang out across the sky.
Mary flinched at the sound, instantly recognizing the voice. She turned, and her gaze landed on Lia, who was flying toward her, black bat-like wings flaring out behind her
‘Wow, that’s… cute!’ Aether thought in surprise, nodding in appreciation as he watched the wings flutter.
“Hey, boy!” Mary snapped, her voice dangerous, “Take your filthy eyes off my baby’s wings!” Her tone was venomous, every word laced with threat.
Aether blinked, startled. ‘What the hell…?’ Was it that obvious? He hadn’t meant to stare… probably.
Lia, now standing between her mother and Aether, faced Mary head-on, her expression resolute.
She spoke only four words, but they felt like judging hammer
“I hate you, Mommy.”
Crack!
Something inside Mary shattered.
It was as if a kite string had snapped, sending her spiralling. She spiralled in the air as she fell down unable to process the weight of those words. Her once fierce expression melted into one of hollow devastation, ‘M-My baby… ha-hates me…’ The thought swirled in her mind like poison, ‘I need to die…’
‘Don’t kill her. Don’t kill her… She’s the Empress, for Fuck’s sake!’ the Principal thought, gritting her teeth as she let out a frustrated growl.
“Arghh! Fuck!” she cursed before diving down to catch Mary, who was slowly sinking from the sky, completely broken by her daughter’s words. Before leaving, she shouted, “Lia, take him to the infirmary.”
Lia, her eyes filled with relief, nodded and turned to Aether with an awkward, apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Aether. I… I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
Aether shook his head, “It’s fine, really… it’s not like you di—” Suddenly, his words trailed off as his vision blurred and his body swayed, nearly collapsing. Lia quickly caught him, her eyes widening in shock as she examined him.
“Your blood… It’s poisoned!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with panic as she looked at the small cut on Aether’s cheek, “W-We need to take you to Mommy!!”
“H-Huh?” Aether mumbled, his mind growing foggier by the second. His limbs felt heavy, and everything started spinning.
Before he could process anything further, the darkness overtook him.