After checking around the twin mountains, both Sandra and Aether left the place. Sandra, ever vigilant, ordered her most trusted servants to keep a watchful eye on the Ebon stone, ensuring that no one entered or disturbed it under any circumstances, especially if anything unusual occurred, they needed to inform her!
Meanwhile, Aether decided it was better to appear as himself—Aether—rather than Victor. He used an illusion spell scroll that Nightfire had given him…. As the magic took effect, his body transformed, becoming the lean, weak version of Aether that was more familiar to him.
He appeared in the storage room, a place he still recognized and felt accustomed to, “Tell me everything that happened. Don’t leave out a single detail.” he asked, his voice sharp as he looked at his clone.
The clone recounted the events meticulously. As Aether listened, his expression grew more serious.
He was taken aback by what he heard. “So… his body reverted to its prime state before it was destroyed? How peculiar,” Aether murmured, ‘Interesting,’ he mused inwardly, his brow furrowing as he inwardly sighed, ‘Who would thought my blood was this much potent…’
Leaving the storage room, Aether stepped out into the hallway. His sharp eyes scanned the sombre faces of the other servants. Their expressions were heavy with sadness and pain, their grief palpable. Aether shook his head inwardly as he walked with measured steps toward the mansion’s entrance.
As he reached the entrance, his gaze fell upon…..
Velc and a few others stood gathered around, tears streaming down their faces as they huddled before a massive block of ice.
Aether’s eyes narrowed as he tried to make sense of it…. He glanced at Selene, who stood beside Kai, her face pale and her hands trembling. Then his attention shifted to the ice block itself. Within it, there was nothing but a small pouch—the only remains of Mortimer.
‘Fuck… Is this really all that’s left of him?’ Aether thought with surprise and disbelief etched themselves onto his face.
The ice block was enormous, nearly the height of a person, but its contents were painfully sparse: a palm-sized pouch and an old photograph of Mortimer, his wrinkled face staring back at them from the past.
Selene noticed Aether’s presence, and her tears flowed even harder. “Aaawwahh…” she whimpered, her voice breaking as she turned and bolted toward her room.
Velc exhaled deeply, his shoulders sagging as he stepped in front of Kai, effectively blocking his path. “Let her be, Kai. She needs time to grieve… alone.”
Kai nodded reluctantly, yet, his mind was a storm of conflicting thoughts, haunted by his grandfather’s words, ‘Could Selene really be more powerful than me? And why… Why would she want to destroy our family?’ The questions churned within him, his frown deepening as doubt took root.
In her room, Selene slammed the door shut, her chest heaving as she tried to suppress her sobs. Moments later, Aether appeared silently and wrapped his arms around her trembling body.
Selene buried her face in his chest, and Aether simply held her, his hand moving gently up and down her back.
He didn’t speak.
What else could he say?
Apologize?
No… He wouldn’t. This was his choice, his decision, and Selene had long ago accepted that.
She was the one who would decide what to do next.
Selene, despite everything, wasn’t entirely broken. After learning the truth about her grandfather and how he had nearly decided to end her life just before, she had come to understand who he really was…. But even so, he cared for her when she was a child.
There had to have been at least some happy memories, right?
Those memories were what made her soft. She wanted to hold Aether, to seek comfort, and to let the overwhelming pain slip away, even for just a little while.
Aether, sensing her need, softly pulled her into the bed with him, lying beside her as he gently patted her hair.
He said nothing…
After what felt like an eternity, Selene let out a weary sigh and mumbled, “Since Grandfather was the Hero of our Empire, Father has decided to hold a grand ceremony. He wants the people and all the high-ranking officials to have a chance to pay their respects before… before the final departure.”
Aether nodded, his eyes fixed on her tear-streaked face. The sight of her raw pain made his heartache. “And… what’s everyone saying about all this?” he asked softly.
“Well… Father explained it as the result of old age and weakness,” she replied, her voice flat but steady, “He said Grandfather’s body was overtaken by the unknown curse he received from Arcane. That’s how he justified the sudden changes and… his death. It’s the most logical explanation, I guess. But…” She hesitated, her brows furrowing. “It seems Kai doesn’t believe it entirely. Grandpa said some things about me before he passed, and now both Kai and Leon are wary of me… as if they’re waiting for me to slip.”
“I see…” Aether nodded softly, his gaze lingering on Selene’s teary red eyes. He thought to himself, ‘Well, I will take care of the situation…’ but as he looked at her, seeing the pain reflected in her eyes, he bit his lip in frustration. His heart clenched, a deep ache spreading through him at the sight of her in such distress.
Aether forced a soft smile, his voice gentle but firm. “Don’t worry… I won’t hurt your family anymore.”
Selene blinked, her eyes wide with surprise. She knew all too well the horrors Aether had endured, the pain and suffering he had gone through. Yet, even now, hearing his words… she couldn’t help but wonder.
Her eyes shimmered with tears, “W-What do you mean?” Her voice trembled.
Aether smiled weakly, his thumb brushing gently over her cheek. “Because it hurts more to see you like this… So…” He shrugged, his voice trailing off as if the words themselves were too heavy to carry.
Selene’s eyes widened in shock. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she threw herself into his arms again, hugging him tightly.
Tears rolled down her cheeks…
Aether, his heart trembled, softly patted her back. He could feel her relief as she clung to him, and it made something inside him ache even more, “Yeah… it’s more painful than anything I’ve suffered,” he murmured softly, pressing a gentle kiss to her head as his hands continued to soothe her.
To be honest, after the incident with Lia, when he had mistakenly thought she had been killed and sought revenge… Aether had felt an emptiness in that moment. It was as if nothing truly mattered anymore, a hollow feeling that lingered long after the storm had passed.
That was why he had let Mortimer go, instead of killing him on the spot…
And now, he didn’t feel relief from what he had done; instead, the only emotion that remained was the painful sight of Selene’s tear-filled eyes.
Seeing her in such pain was like a dagger to his soul.
He wasn’t interested in killing Velc or Kai, not after everything that had happened. In some twisted way, Velc had helped him by foolishly using the Eternal Contract, which was the reason Aether even existed in this place now. So, as long as they didn’t do anything foolish, he would probably let them live. He was certain Velc wouldn’t stir trouble after Victor had beaten him into submission. However, Kai… That guy needed a different kind of treatment.
‘Well, for now, let’s focus on my mission—’ Aether’s thoughts were interrupted suddenly, jolting him out of his reverie.
Thud!!
“Selene!!”
Selene flinched at the sound, immediately pulling away from Aether and standing on the ground and turning toward the door…. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw someone enter the room.
Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire
!~Ding~!
[Mission: Seduce Xara Seraphine]
“M-Mom?”
Aether blinked in disbelief. His gaze snapped toward the entrance, where a woman with long, black hair and a worried expression stepped inside.
“Oh… fuck…” he muttered, almost subconsciously, as the situation suddenly became a lot more complicated than he had anticipated.
Hearing Aether’s exclamation, Selene glanced back at him with a slight frown, she saw his ‘fucked up’ expression as he stared at her mother, She looked at her mother, then back at Aether, her face morphing into one of horror,
“Oh… Fuck!” she exclaimed in disbelief.
“Hmm?” Xara tilted her head, her eyes narrowing in confusion. She couldn’t quite understand why the two of them were staring at her with such dreadful expressions.