Due to Lia’s presence, the chaotic situation abruptly calmed down. Nobody was attempting to kill anyone anymore, though the tension in the air remained palpable.
“I am telling you, Morgana was with me the whole time! Heck, she wasn’t just with me; she was even playing with Lia! You can ask her yourself if you don’t believe me,” Mary said with an exasperated tone, reclining on the throne. She held her daughter snugly on her lap, almost like a cherished yet strangely possessed doll.
“M-Mom… Everyone is here,” Lia muttered, her voice tinged with embarrassment. Her cheeks flushed, especially when her gaze met Aether’s.
He stood there with an amused expression, clearly entertained by her.
“Hmm? So what if they are?” Mary retorted, her tone laced with indifference. “I am hugging my daughter. Does anyone here have a problem with that? Especially that servant boy!” Her crimson eyes narrowed sharply at Aether, and she snorted in disdain as if daring anyone to object.
!~Ding~!
[Charming blocked!]
Aether’s lips twitched, ‘This woman… she’s really determined to mess with me,’ he thought, a mixture of amusement and irritation flashing across his face.
The Principal’s face, on the other hand, twisted with visible annoyance. Her gaze shifted to Lia, silently seeking confirmation.
Lia gave a hesitant nod and said, “Yes, Aunt Morgana was indeed with me the entire time.”
Even so, the Principal wasn’t buying it entirely. Her instincts screamed otherwise. That unmistakable scent lingering in her office—it belonged to a succubus. She just couldn’t pinpoint who it was.
“Then tell me, who’s responsible?” the Principal demanded, her voice sharp and unwavering.
‘This bitch has some nerve!’ Mary thought, her face reflecting her irritation. Still, the warmth of her daughter nestled in her arms helped her keep her composure. “I don’t know,” she replied coolly,
“Even if it was a succubus, as you claim, there are thousands upon thousands of them living here. Why don’t you go ahead and ask each and every one of them?” She waved her hand dismissively as if shooing away a bothersome pest.
The Principal clicked her tongue in frustration. She realized reasoning with Mary was an exercise in futility. Just as she prepared to take a more ‘direct’ approach again, Aether leaned in close and whispered something into her ear.
The Principal’s expression shifted from irritation to curiosity. She blinked, then frowned deeply, and without another word, the two of them vanished into thin air.
Alaric, startled by their sudden disappearance, glanced nervously at Mary. His throat felt dry as he gulped. Though he was confident he could hold his own against her, the thought of facing her alone didn’t sit well with him.
High above the clouds, where the Principal and Aether hovered amidst the serene black skies,
“What do you mean you know who the kidnapper is?” the Principal asked, her frown deepening, “If you knew this all along, why did you even bother coming here and engaging with that annoying bitch?”
“Well… technically, I’m not entirely sure,” Aether admitted, his voice hesitant. After a moment’s pause, he continued, “But… I have a hunch it might be Jack.”
The Principal’s eyes narrowed. “And what makes you think that?”
Aether held her gaze for a moment longer before letting out a resigned sigh. “You see, it’s not me directly, but Victor was involved with the Arcane Hunter Organization. I just received a message from them, and Jack happens to be one of the people who introduced me to them….”
The Principal’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, “Why haven’t you told me about this before?” she asked, her voice quieter… for some reason.
Aether sighed again, bracing himself for the inevitable, “Well, I thought it would be better to keep silent,” he admitted.
The Principal raised an eyebrow, her tone softening yet carrying a trace of hurt. “Do you… not trust me?”
Aether closed his eyes briefly, exhaling deeply. “Come on now… You know it’s not about trust,” he replied gently.
“Well, I don’t know. Enlighten me,” she said, her words dripping with sarcasm but betraying a hint of vulnerability.
“….” Aether chose not to reply, knowing anything he said might only deepen the hate…. It’s not like the Principal was bitchy rather… she felt annoyed that he hid that from her even though she helping him every way possible.
The Principal clicked her tongue, snorting lightly as she had a thoughtful expression. After a brief silence, she said, “Fine. Let’s use Victor, then….”
….
…
Back at the castle,
“Have you two finished plotting, or should we wait longer?” Mary asked with a mocking tone, her amusement evident as she watched Aether and the Principal return.
“Let’s ask everyone.” The Principal said.
“Huh?” Mary tilted her head, her expression a mixture of confusion and intrigue. “Did I hear you correctly?”
The Principal smirked, her grin almost predatory. “I said, let’s go and interrogate every succubus in the empire.”
For a moment, Mary stared at her in stunned silence. Then, she burst into laughter. “Hahaha! Oh, I underestimated you. I thought you were all bark and no bite, but you do know how to keep things interesting.” Her crimson eyes gleamed with excitement as she waved for Morgana to step forward. “Alright then, let’s see where this goes,” she said with an amused grin.
However,
“NO!” Lia’s voice rang out sharply, startling everyone in the room as the sheer intensity of her objection echoed through the halls.
There was absolutely no way she would allow Aether to step foot into the den of succubi alone.
Who knew what dangers lurked there?!
“I will go with them,” Lia declared firmly, her determination unwavering as she prepared herself to leave…. but her mother’s protective instincts flared immediately.
“It’s far too dangerous to roam around on your own like that, my dear!” Mary declared, her tone a mix of worry, authority, and desperation.
“Aunt Morgana will protect me, won’t she?” Lia asked softly, her voice carrying a note of pleading that struck right at her mother’s heart.
Her imploring gaze locked with Mary’s, leaving the blurred woman visibly conflicted. Mary’s lips twitched in frustration. She could see clearly that her daughter was absolutely dead set on joining that brat.
With a reluctant sigh, she finally nodded and turned her crimson gaze toward Morgana.
“I will protect her,” Morgana affirmed with a calm yet resolute expression.
Mary’s fiery eyes then darted toward Aether, her tone sharp and biting, “Don’t you dare get anywhere near my daughter!” she barked.
Aether let out a weak chuckle, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. ‘Damn, this daughter-con,’ he thought to himself.
Soon, the group departed from the castle. As they walked through the empire, Aether found himself taken aback.
The empire was vastly different from what he had seen so far with other empires…. Its beauty was surreal, with a chaotic dark energy that seemed to pulse through every corner–
“Victor?” Lia’s voice cut through his thoughts sharply as she suddenly frowned, pointing toward someone near the castle gates.
The Principal turned her gaze in the same direction, her sharp eyes narrowing. “What is he doing here?” she asked in a surprised tone, yet Her piercing gaze flicked to Morgana, who remained unfazed, her expression had neither surprise nor fear.
‘Could she really not be involved?’ The Principal’s frown deepened… She turned to Aether, who gave her a slight nod and began to speak, “What is he doi—”
“I bet that bastard is the one who kidnapped Aqualina!” Lia interrupted fiercely, her voice filled with fury as she clenched her fists tightly.
Everyone raised their eyebrows at her sudden outburst, exchanging glances. Meanwhile, Aether sighed inwardly, ‘Damn, she’s still holding a grudge against Victor…. Well, it’s not entirely a bad thing… for now’ he thought.
“What do you mean by that?” Aether asked calmly with shocked expression.
Lia snorted, “Don’t you know? That bastard—no matter how much you treat him as a friend—He sees everyone as nothing more than his puppets! Heck, I’m pretty sure he’s involved with some dangerous organization too!”
Cough, cough.
Aether coughed awkwardly… The Principal, on the other hand, couldn’t hide her amusement as a sly grin spread across her face.
But then, Alaric’s expression turned serious as he noticed someone approaching Victor…
“Jack?” he muttered under his breath, his tone laced with suspicion as his sharp eyes followed the figure.
Meanwhile, near the castle gates, Victor stood waiting, his posture relaxed and casual….Jack approached him, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Man, I can’t believe you came all this way for me~! I’m so touched!” Jack exclaimed, his voice dripping with cheerfulness. But in the next moment, his tone shifted to something more serious and urgent,
“But seriously, why did you choose here of all places? We need to leave before those bitches find out. Come on, we need to move faster!”
Victor nodded silently, his expression unreadable as he fell in step behind Jack.
From a distance, the group watched carefully. Aether smiled faintly but quickly turned serious as he opened his mouth to speak. “Maybe we shou—”
“They’re moving! We need to follow them!” Lia interrupted, already moving before anyone could stop her.
“But Her Majesty said—” Morgana started to protest, but Lia had already begun trailing behind Victor and Jack like a sneaky little shadow.
Aether blinked, then shook his head in disbelief. His gaze shifted to the Principal, who was staring intently at Jack with a blank yet calculating expression.
The plan had been simple: Aether used his clone disguised as Victor to lure Jack into a meeting…. They staged a coincidental encounter with them…. But Lia’s impulsiveness had effectively kickstarted the next phase without much need for theatrics.
Alaric and Morgana weren’t even supposed to needed, However, the Principal had insisted on bringing them along. She believed it was safer to have at least one person from Mary’s side present, given the unpredictability of the situation.
Morgana shook her head with a resigned sigh, muttering under her breath, “Her Majesty is going to kill me for this…” She finally relented and followed Lia’s lead.
He could only hope this trail would lead them to Aqualina and Celestia soon. Discover more content at My Virtual Library Empire