Delphine’s expression turned utterly horrified upon hearing the story. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard… she felt as if her heart had almost stopped for a second, her breath hitching in disbelief.
“Del? Are you alright?” Aether asked in a cautious tone, leaning closer to her, his gaze scanning her face for any sign of reaction.
He had told her what needed to be told!
Delphine took a deep, steadying breath before adjusting her glasses with a slow, deliberate motion. Her blank stare drilled into Aether as if he had just committed an unspeakable crime right in front of her.
“Y-You… you didn’t love… her, right?” Her voice trembled, each word laced with hesitation and tears that threatened to come out at any moment!
Aether nodded softly, his warm fingers reaching out to gently rub her cheek as he leaned in closer, whispering, “Don’t worry… I’m not leaving you. Never.”
Delphine finally let out a deep, drawn-out sigh, as if she had been holding it in for a painfully long time. She forced a small smile as she rested her forehead against his shoulder and mumbled, “Well… you did save her when she was being forced… sigh… but seriously, was kissing really necessary?” She pouted, her expression shifting ever so slightly into something more unsettling—something that hinted at a madness lurking beneath the surface.
She wasn’t a yandere, so that wasn’t a problem…
Right?
Aether inwardly gulped as he caught the way her eyes gleamed in a way that sent a nervous chill down his spine. ‘That was anger, right?’ he questioned himself, but the longer he stared at her, the more uncertain he became. As time passed, Aether found himself struggling to distinguish between Delphine’s anger and yandere tendencies… because honestly, both looked dangerously similar.
Anyway…
“That was the only way to stop Velc’s power-hungry insanity, and Selene was crying so much… I… I really didn’t have any other choice, you see… I… I am so—” Aether stammered, his voice laced with guilt as if the very thought of what he had done sickened him to the core.
Before he could even finish his sentence, Delphine’s intense gaze softened, and before he knew it, she pulled him closer, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead.
“It’s fine. I’m not going to be angry at you or anything…” she said with a soft, reassuring tone. But then, she suddenly paused, her lips pressing into a thin line as she reconsidered her words. After a moment, she nodded to herself and added, “Maybe just a little bit… since you did kiss my niece, anyway… I understand that you didn’t have any other options… I completely understand.”
Her words were understanding, but her actions? Her grip around him tightened, her arms locking him in place as if she was terrified of him slipping away from her grasp.
And Aether? He had absolutely no complaints—especially since his face was currently being smothered by two soft, warm mountains and a divine milky scent that was doing things to his mind.
Nothing. Beats. This.
What the fucked-up bullshit had he just spouted now?
Well… it was simple. He had simply told the truth!
Truth?
Yup… Velc, a dangerously wicked man, forced his daughter to marry a nobleman so that he could climb the ladder and gain even more influence through his power-hungry wickedness…
The poor girl had been utterly helpless, left with no means to resist.
Seeing that pitiful, helpless girl who was unable to be saved by anyone, who was crying in the corner in fear, who had lost everything in hope… that’s when MC appeared.
Save the woman in distress but in reality, he was actually,
“W-What would Del feel? Wouldn’t she hate me if I didn’t help her niece?”
MC was lost… What would her aunt think if she found out?
Wouldn’t Delphine be devastated if he had just turned away?
Wouldn’t she be heartbroken?
Wouldn’t she, too, be crushed beyond repair?
So that’s why… in order to make her happy, in order to protect the aunt’s tears! and not break her heart… and in order to shield her from the pain of losing her niece—Victor had made a great sacrifice.
He had kissed Selene in front of everyone, sealing her fate, and in doing so… he had saved her from being forced into marriage with that wretched nobleman.
However, that one moment—that one single act—had completely changed everything.
Selene had fallen in love with him…. The MC!
And now, Velc had even prepared their marriage invitation!
So… those were the things Aether told Delphine…
There wasn’t a single lie in what he had said… right?
No matter how one looked at it… Aether hadn’t told a single lie!
Delphine, still hugging Aether, slowly nodded, her eyes turning misty as she listened to him. Her heart clenched with emotion as realization struck—Aether had done all of this… for her. Just for her!
‘I shouldn’t be proud of this, but… he protected my niece, so…’ she thought, biting her lip. She wanted to be angry—really, she did—but hearing his words, sensing the weight of his sacrifice, she couldn’t bring herself to blame him.
So instead, she whispered,
“I love you even more, Aether,” her voice dripping with tenderness. Then, with a reassuring smile, she added, “And don’t worry about Selene… I’ll talk to her. She’s an understanding girl, okay?”
Aether let out a small, relieved chuckle as he nodded. “Thank you for understanding… I was seriously terrified, you know,” he admitted, flashing her a weak, grateful smile.
But seeing that fragile smile—the way his lips curved yet his eyes held a lingering fear—something within Delphine stirred. Her motherly instincts flared to life, and before she could stop herself, she showered his face with a flurry of soft, loving kisses.
Aether’s smile only grew wider…
What?
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What did you expect?
For him to tell her the whole fucking story…?
He couldn’t possibly just sit her down and say, ‘Hello, Del. You see… I banged your niece, and then I banged you, and soon, I’ll be banging your sister-in-law. And… well, if there’s even a one percent chance, maybe your mother too… If she was not weak of course~ So bless me!.’
That was fucking ridiculous!
That would be fucking disastrous!!
Aether knew exactly what he was doing. He would tell the truth eventually… but not now.
For now, he needed her to accept the situation, to accept him with the others. He needed to lay the groundwork first—to build the path toward the inevitable truth.
One step ahead… just like in the game!!
Aether had already planned out this solution, and now, he was executing it flawlessly…
He was lying—there was no denying that.
Especially to Delphine…. Deep down, he knew he could never tell her the full truth, not yet… because in the heart game, he had seen her leaving him—walking away, taking their baby with her.
That single moment alone was enough.
He didn’t dare take that risk!!
He was doing all of this so he could keep her with him, to keep them together.
Whatever anyone else thought—manipulation, deception, disgust—it didn’t matter.
For Aether, there was only one thing that mattered.
He just wanted her.
That’s it!
Since most of the members were from the same family (something Aether found rather peculiar), his first step toward solving this complex and delicate situation was simple—he needed to group the family together.
Yes, group them… as one!!
Aether’s initial plan was straightforward—if there were multiple members from the same family involved, it would be far easier to make them accept each other in the future without resistance.
That way, once things progressed, there would be no backlash or unnecessary conflicts….
To unite the family and do the honours…. The second extraordinary co-female actor—Selene—would undoubtedly fulfil her duty with utmost dedication to protect her husband’s life!
Feeling Delphine’s soft lips pressing against his skin with each gentle, teasing kiss, Aether smirked slightly before leaning in and capturing her lips in a deep, slow, thoroughly intoxicating kiss of his own.
“~Hmm~”
Delphine’s cheeks instantly turned scarlet as she whimpered in protest, weakly pushing against his chest. “A~Aether… w-we can’t… everyone will hea~Hmm~” But just as she was about to give in to the pleasure, allowing herself to melt into his embrace—
Swissppp!
Aether took the book!
Delphine’s eyes widened in sheer horror, “W-Wait!!”
Aether blinked as glanced at the cover… then at Delphine, saying absolutely nothing, yet,
“I-I’m not a pervert!!!” she shouted, her voice filled with raw desperation—as if she was trying to convince herself more than him.
Her face burned even redder as she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, looking like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
Aether slowly opened his mouth, “I didn’t say anything…” but the way he stared at her—completely unreadable, almost grinning—made Delphine’s stomach twist into knots.
And then… he flipped the pages.
“W-Wait!!” Delphine lunged forward, trying to snatch the book from his hands, but—
Step.
Aether vanished.
He used his fucking skill for this!
“W-What?” She gasped, completely taken aback. One second he was in front of her, and the next… he was behind her, casually flipping through the pages like it was just a casual morning newspaper.
“What in the…” Aether mumbled under his breath, his expression shifting as his eyes scanned the words. His brows twitched… then his jaw clenched.
The content was erotic—way too erotic to be honest!
His entire body tensed, and before he could even process it, he felt a twitch in his lower half.
“What the fuck…?”
His cheeks flushed red.
This… this author was god-tier!
This writing was so damn fucking good.
Like… finger-licking good!!
The kind of writing that could break any man and woman… especially women!
It was so dangerously seductive that Aether almost felt like he was committing a crime just by reading it.
But then—
Snap!
Aether quickly shut the book, taking a deep breath to steady himself. If he read any more of this sinful, depraved masterpiece, he knew he might end up beating his meat right here and now.
He needed to calm the fuck down!
Lifting his gaze, he turned to look at Delphine, who had her head lowered, her entire face burning red from sheer humiliation and absolute embarrassment.
Her hands clenched into fists on her lap, trembling slightly, as if she wanted to dig a hole in the ground and throw herself into it forever.
Aether’s lips curled into a mischievous smirk, his eyes gleaming with amusement as he teasingly whispered,
“You know… if you want, we could try—”
“NNNOOOOOOO!!!!!”
BOOOOMMMMMM!!!!