/I cannot believe you just told her./
/And I cannot believe you just set me up with your own mother./
Selene and Aether were locked in a telepathic exchange while kneeling before Xara, who wore an elegant robe, her authoritative presence making both of them shrink under her piercing gaze.
“How could you be so reckless, Aether? Playing around as if your life isn’t constantly on the line!” Xara’s voice was sharp and scolding. Then her attention shifted, her tone growing sterner,
“And you, Selene! I never imagined you’d stoop to doing… everything… before even being married. Do you even realize how close your father’s room was? What if he had caught you? Do you know the chaos that would ensue if he found out what you and Aether were up to?”
Xara’s hands clenched her robe as she struggled to comprehend the situation. ‘I raised her to make her own choices, but losing her virginity before marriage? Argh… that man would kill her! Not to mention Aether!’
Selene sighed, her voice low and filled with forced remorse, “I’m… sorry, Mom,” she muttered, her words clearly saying… ‘I don’t care!’ Discover more content at My Virtual Library Empire
Xara’s sharp eyes narrowed, but she let it slide for now, turning her attention to Aether, who looked everywhere but at her…. His avoidance only fueled her frustration.
“And you…” Xara’s face flushed, her cheeks blooming with embarrassment. “Y-You could have at least checked who was in the room before d-doing anything so… improper!”
Aether cleared his throat awkwardly, “Well… you could have at least turned on the lights! Seriously, why were you even in Selene’s room in the first place?”
Xara’s lips twitched in annoyance, “Look who’s talking, as if you’re blameless! And for your information, it’s not like I didn’t want to turn on the lights. Selene told me they weren’t working!” She shot a pointed look at Selene, who coughed into her hand, feigning innocence.
Xara crossed her arms as she continued, “And my previous room was already turned into a storage space for that husband of mine! I had no choice but to use Selene’s bathroom!”
Aether raised an eyebrow at Selene, his telepathic voice dripping with disbelief. /So, you orchestrated this on purpose?/
Selene cutely winked at him, her mischievous grin making his lips twitch in frustration. He swore under his breath. She was definitely getting her butt spanked later.
Xara sighed deeply, her tone softening as she addressed Aether. “Anyway…” She paused, her gaze lingering on him. “Aether…”
“Hmm?” he murmured, bracing himself for whatever was coming next.
“Tomorrow… your fate will be decided. The Empress will most likely come to take you away.” Her voice carried a somber note, tinged with regret.
“What? No way! I won’t allow it!” Selene snapped.
Xara shook her head slowly, her voice calm but firm. “I don’t think your father will let you leave the family, and even if he agrees, the process of officially removing you from the household registry is lengthy. It won’t be done by tomorrow.”
Selene’s fists clenched at her sides, her teeth grinding in frustration.
Xara turned her sorrowful gaze back to Aether. “And… I want to apologize.”
Aether blinked in surprise. “Apologize? For what?”
“My family is responsible for your current situation… and for that, I am truly sorry. I know no amount of apologies can make up for it…” Her voice cracked slightly, her guilt palpable, she really worried after Aether become lively he would hold any grudge against her for leaving him.
Aether offered a small, reassuring smile. “It’s fine. Honestly… if it weren’t for my current circumstances, I don’t think I’d have ever met Selene.”
Hearing this, Selene’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson, her eyes softening as she looked at him.
Xara smirked slyly, her mood shifting. “Oh, I’d love to hear all about your love story! Come on, let’s have a proper nighttime chat,” she declared, pulling both of them onto the bed with her.
The three of them lay on the bed, Aether on one side, Selene on the other, and Xara in the middle, her hands clasping their shoulders tightly.
“It’s been so long since we’ve done this…” Xara murmured, her expression nostalgic. Selene nodded in agreement with softness in her gaze…. For Aether, however, the situation was far from comfortable.
His face hovered dangerously close to Xara’s chest, the faint scent of her milky perfume teasing his senses.
‘Damn it, I want to run away!’ Aether groaned internally, beads of sweat forming on his brow.
It wasn’t that he didn’t find Xara attractive…. In fact, her beauty was undeniable.
It’s fucking MILF!!!
But there was something about her—something maternal, something that reminded him of how she’d cared for him during his most vulnerable moments—that made his thoughts come to a screeching halt.
Mother who take care of him when he needed!!!
That feeling was the one causing so much struggle for Aether to move forward or not. And most of all…
‘She hasn’t given me any affection points yet,’ Aether thought with a twinge of doubt.
Xara genuinely seemed to care for him, but for some reason, no points ever recieved. It was as if something about her was… off.
‘Log?’ he called inwardly, but the system remained silent as always.
Meanwhile, Selene was recounting their love story with vivid detail. Her face turned pink as she described their first meeting, shifting to red as she talked about their most intimate moments. Her animated expressions ranged from shy to fiery, making Xara laugh heartily. It had been years since she felt such joy.
As Xara listened, her gaze occasionally flickered to Aether, who seemed unusually tense. She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “What? Are you shy after slapping my butt earlier?”
Aether’s face turned beet red as he glared at her, his reaction only fueling Xara’s amusement.
“Haha! Look at you! How cute you’ve grown, Aether~!” Xara teased, her laughter ringing out melodiously.
Aether groaned internally. ‘Lady, if only you knew this isn’t my real form…’ He was dangerously close to dispelling the illusion that concealed his true self.
Aether knew one undeniable truth: Xara saw him as nothing more than her son.
That realization made everything infinitely harder.
Even if he wanted to seduce her, he wasn’t sure how to go about it. The tangled web of emotions and circumstances left him utterly lost.
Suddenly—
Knock, knock.
“Sister? I’ll be on the balcony,” Delphine’s voice echoed from the hallway, sending a chill down Aether’s spine. His face turned pale. ‘Ah, fuck!’ he cursed internally.
Thankfully, Delphine didn’t enter the room. Xara sighed and got up from the bed, her expression softening into a bittersweet smile. “I’m sorry, you two. I really need to talk with your aunt. It’s been years since we’ve had a proper conversation,” she explained before leaving the room.
Aether let out a sigh of relief, wiping his forehead. ‘Thank goodness…’
But then—
“Did you fuck her?” Selene asked, her tone cold and dead serious.
Aether froze, turning to look at her. The intense seriousness on her face made his jaw drop. “Are you kidding me right now?!” he exclaimed, his disbelief clear.
Selene didn’t flinch. Her expression didn’t shift; she was dead serious!!
Aether groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Come on, Selene. I know you’re worried about the mission, but that doesn’t mean you should take it this far. It’s your damn mother! Honestly, maybe the mission isn’t even worth all this stress. I’ll manage, okay? Nothing is going to happen to—”
“BUT YOU WILL!” Selene’s voice cracked as she interrupted him. Her eyes glistened with tears, her emotions boiling over,
“You’ll be in danger. You’ll die if you don’t complete the mission. Didn’t you say that yourself?! You almost died last time!!” Her voice broke, and her lips trembled as she added, “I would rather… I would rather let you seduce my mother than stand by and watch you suffer alone again!”
Aether couldn’t quite grasp the depth of what Selene was feeling. Only she truly understood how painstakingly she had orchestrated the situation between him and her mother… As much as it tore her apart to push things this far, she knew she couldn’t stop now.
She remembered all too vividly the fragile line Helena had walked between life and death. She had seen the devastation—so many lives lost in the academy and he saw how much Aether suffered to seduce Helena… he wasn’t doing it for fun, He was doing it for both him and others.
He was not playboy… He just want to live!
Selene knew the pain of loss, and she knew the unbearable fear of standing on the brink of losing someone you love…. If she stopped Aether from seducing her mother, she risked not just her mother’s life but his as well.
It wasn’t a choice anyone else could understand—not even Aether.
The pain, the fear, the torment of imagining a world without her mother or him… It was unbearable.
She clenched her fists, her chest heaving with suppressed emotion… To her, losing one of them would shatter her heart in ways she couldn’t recover from.
Selene made her choice. She would rather let Aether have her mother than lose either of her most beloved people.
Aether stared at her, his lips parting to speak but no words came. Her teary, desperate gaze was like a knife to his chest. After a moment, he sighed heavily, nodding. “Fine. Just… let me think about it, okay?” he murmured, leaning back against the bed.
Selene’s tense face softened into a small, relieved smile. She climbed onto his lap, straddling him, her posture assertive, “I’ll do anything for you,” she said, her voice unwavering, her dark eyes burning with possessiveness that made his pulse quicken.
Aether swallowed hard, staring into her eyes…. They were darker than the depths of a black hole, pulling him in.
‘Shit… I got turned on,’ he thought helplessly as he felt his shaft harden under his pants.
Meanwhile, somewhere far away…
“Calm down, Princess!” Celestia shouted, her voice echoing in the stark, white room.
Aqualina, was pacing furiously, her delicate thin sword in hand as she attempted to strike the unyielding walls. “Calm down? Do you even realize what’s going on?! We were kidnapped! That wasn’t the Principal—it was a fake! Damn it, I should’ve known when I saw that tail! Curse my stupidity!”
Her anger flared as she swung her sword again, the sharp blade glinting, but the walls remained untouched. She clenched her fists, glaring at the pristine whiteness that surrounded them. “I can’t even contact Aether. The space is blocking everything! What the hell is this place?!”
Celestia frowned as she tried to make sense of the situation. Someone had infiltrated the academy—no, worse, the Principal’s office itself—and fooled everyone, including her, ‘How did I not sense it? Who could pull this off? And why kidnap the Princess of all people?’
She tried reaching out to Aether as well, but something blocking their connection… Her teeth clenched as frustration mounted. ‘So this is why Aether warned me to stay vigilant… Damn it’
Aqualina sat on the edge of the bed, biting her nails nervously. Her anger simmered, but fear was starting to creep in. “Are they after ransom? Is this about my mother’s wealth? Or… or something worse?” she whispered.
Elsewhere, in a garden…A garden that Victor so familiar with,
The garden was lush and serene, filled with vibrant flowers and towering trees. In its center was a large rectangular table surrounded by six ornate chairs.
Two figures sat opposite each other,
One was a breathtakingly beautiful woman with flowing purple hair, her expression calm yet commanding….. The other was a mysterious cloaked figure, their face obscured,
“Welcome back… Marisandra Naiadia,” the cloaked figure said, their tone laced with dark amusement.
Marisandra’s violet eyes narrowed. Her voice was cold, devoid of emotion, “It’s been a while…. Master.”