It was all Aether’s mistake!
To be honest, he should have been more aware of his surroundings before acting recklessly, especially when he was surrounded by such stunning beauties…. His judgment had completely slipped, and now he was paying the price for it.
He had already suffered unbearable humiliation when Emberlyn saw him naked before… and now this… this was simply too much for his pure heart to endure!!
He had played with her daughters right before her very eyes!
That was, without a doubt, the most repulsive and outrageous thing he had ever done!!
And Yet,
Aether looked ahead, his gaze settling on the orange-haired woman kneeling before him. She bowed her head so low that it was nearly touching the ground as she spoke in a trembling voice, “Please forgive this insolent one, Your Majesty!”
Aether furrowed his brows and shifted his gaze toward Raven and Thalia, who were both looking away—deliberately avoiding his eyes as if they refused to acknowledge the situation.
Because those two knew damn well that this was entirely their fault!
They should have warned him about their mother beforehand!
“Tsk, why the hell didn’t you tell him?” Thalia leaned in and whispered to Raven, her tone laced with frustration.
Raven shrugged nonchalantly, whispering back, “I totally forgot about that…” Her expression was surprisingly honest, but in reality, she had been too caught up in lust to remember such a crucial detail. Initially, she had been worried, but after things escalated, her mind had been too clouded with pleasure to process anything else.
Raven narrowed her eyes at Thalia. “And what about you?”
Thalia coughed, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She had completely forgotten as well.
Their Poor Mother!
But still,
“It’s not that big of a deal!” Thalia huffed, crossing her arms as she glanced at Aether, acting as if nothing major had happened.
Aether was taken aback. “Not a big deal?” He stared at her, his thoughts instantly turning chaotic. ‘What the actual fuck is she talking about?!’
Her mother had seen everything—literally everything—and yet she was acting like it was nothing more than a trivial incident…
Raven sighed and started explaining, “There’s really nothing unusual about this, Aether. You see, dragons—”
Before she could finish, Aether raised his hand, cutting her off. “I know, I know… Dragons don’t feel shame, and they practically flaunt their bodies with pride! Isn’t that what you’re about to say?”
Both Raven and Thalia exchanged a quick glance before nodding in unison.
Aether exhaled a long, deep sigh… He already knew all of this.
He had read about it countless times in books.
For dragons, the body was simply a creation of nature—something to be embraced, not hidden.
Nudity held no significance to them…. Heck, he even saw a few male and female dragons walking nakedly in some local corner villages during his travelling to the Summit!
Hell, thousands of years ago, they had walked around completely naked without a shred of shame… To them, the body was a divine gift from the gods, nothing more, nothing less.
That was all!
And yet,
His mother-in-law hadn’t just seen him naked… but—
‘Fuck!’ Aether clenched his jaw, his body tensing as shame washed over him like a tidal wave. He knew he was making a bigger deal out of this than necessary, but damn it, this was humiliating!
Aether took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, ‘Well, what’s done is done… no point dwelling on it now.’ After steadying himself, he looked at Emberlyn and spoke, “Let’s just forget this ever happened.”
Emberlyn blinked, then slowly raised her head, her gaze meeting his. Aether was wearing an awkward smile, a clear sign that he didn’t want to drag this conversation any further. Emberlyn studied him for a moment before giving a soft smile and nodding, “As you wish, Your Majesty. I will forget it.”
However, just as relief started to settle in, her face suddenly turned deathly pale.
“I-I…”
Aether immediately frowned. “What now?”
Emberlyn hesitated, then shakily reached into her pocket, pulling something out. Her fingers trembled as she slowly uncurled them, revealing… ashes.
“Hmm?” Aether frowned, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of what he was looking at.
Emberlyn’s hands quivered as she stammered, “I-It’s… gulp… it’s your M-M-Mask, Your Majesty! Please forgive me!!” She dropped to the ground again, bowing even lower than before.
Aether blinked, staring at the ashes in stunned silence. The memory of Dora’s sly, mischievous grin instantly flashed through his mind.
He sighed. “It’s fine…”
“B-But—”
“I said it’s fine!” His voice took on a sharp, authoritative edge.
Emberlyn flinched, her head snapping up as she nodded furiously like a startled woodpecker. Even though he had told her it was fine, her face remained pale, as if she still feared that he was secretly furious but holding back because of her daughters.
Aether shifted his gaze to Emberlyn, who was still trembling slightly. He let out another sigh. ‘It seems like she’s never going to act normal around me like the others do…’ he thought with a bit of frustration.
He had genuinely believed that Emberlyn would eventually grow comfortable with him. But even after all this time, she was still so stiff and uneasy in his presence.
Aether slowly leaned back in his chair, exhaling as he motioned for everyone to take a seat. He wanted to discuss something important, and as expected, Emberlyn hesitated at first.
But since it was a direct order from him, she had no choice but to comply, reluctantly sitting down with a stiff posture, as if still unsure whether she should really be there.
“Anyway, the Empire’s situation is still far from over,” Aether said, his sharp gaze scanning the trio before continuing,
“Now that the Empire has officially joined us, I have no doubt that others will try to take advantage of this opportunity. They might attempt to cross our borders, disrupt the balance of our lands, or worse—engage in illegal activities that could endanger our people. That is why I want Thalia to take charge of this matter and handle border security from now on.” His voice carried both authority and expectation.
His gaze shifted to Thalia, watching her reaction closely.
Thalia paused for a moment, tapping her fingers on the table as she considered his words. ‘If it’s about the borders, then that means fights… and a lot of them…’ A grin slowly crept across her lips as excitement flickered in her eyes. Many powerful individuals would undoubtedly make their way to test their luck or cause trouble, and that meant only one thing—she would get to crush them.
Clenching her fists, she smirked.
“Well, I don’t mind taking on the job of protecting the borders,” she admitted, her tone dripping with confidence. “But… I’m just Raven’s sister…” She hesitated for a brief moment, then subtly glanced at Aether before shifting her gaze toward her mother. It was almost as if she was silently asking for permission or confirming something with her eyes.
Aether chuckled inwardly, understanding her intentions all too well. Without wasting another moment, he turned to Emberlyn, straightened up, and, to everyone’s surprise, slightly bowed his head before speaking in a deep, sincere voice.
“My name is Aether, and with the deepest respect and sincerity, I stand before you today to ask for the hand of your second daughter, Thalia Crimsonclaw… or Pyra Noirix… as my lifelong partner, bound together from this day forward.”
“KKKKKYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAA!!!”
Before Emberlyn could even process the weight of his words, Thalia let out a high-pitched scream of pure excitement, her entire face flushing bright red as if she had just won the ultimate prize.
With her fists clenched tight, she triumphantly threw her hands toward the sky, her joy bursting out in a way that made the entire room shake with her energy.
Emberlyn sighed deeply, shaking her head at her daughter’s exaggerated reaction. However, despite her daughter’s over-the-top response, a soft, warm smile formed on her lips as she respectfully bowed her head toward Aether. “P-Please raise your head, I am just no body…. to be honest, I am more than happy to give her to you, Your Majesty. Please take care of my daughters and cherish them always.”
“KKYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAA!!”
Once again, Thalia screamed in pure delight, this time slapping Raven’s shoulder repeatedly in her overwhelming excitement.
Raven, at first, smiled at her sister’s enthusiasm. But as the slaps started getting more forceful, her expression darkened, and she glared at Thalia with barely concealed irritation.
Cough,Cough
Thalia quickly cleared her throat, suddenly realizing she was getting carried away. Her face was still flushed as she awkwardly lowered her head, trying to play it cool.
“That settles it, then,” Aether said with a grin, his eyes locking onto Thalia.
Thalia snorted, crossing her arms as she muttered under her breath, “Pervert~” though she could not hide the undeniable joy gleaming in her eyes and the faintest smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Aether shook his head. He would make sure to properly show her the true meaning of being a pervert at another time…
For now, he turned his attention to Raven, his expression soft yet serious. “I assume Lyirrs has taught you most of the political affairs and how to manage diplomatic negotiations, correct?”
Raven nodded firmly without hesitation.
“Good. Then, as the Empress of this Empire, you will meet with Empress Marisandra Naiadia to discuss border regulations, trade routes, transportation, goods, and services. We are preparing to open our economy to the outside world, and we shall begin by testing our partnership with their Empire.”
Raven nodded again, this time with even more determination, clenching her fist as if sealing her resolve.
“Wait! I’m going with her!” Thalia immediately interjected, her voice sharp and filled with sudden urgency.
Emberlyn frowned at her daughter’s outburst. “What are—”
But before she could finish, Aether interrupted, turning to Thalia with mild curiosity. “Do you… like Marisandra Naiadia?”
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Thalia grinned widely, her eyes gleaming with unrestrained excitement,
“Who wouldn’t?! Come on, Aether, you should already know… she killed two Chosen Ones! And more importantly—” her voice grew even more animated, her enthusiasm reaching new heights,
“She’s just a blank card holder! I’ve never seen or even heard of a blank card holder managing to take down two Chosen Ones! That’s insane! Of course, I’d want to meet someone that powerful!” She practically radiated admiration, her entire demeanour resembling that of a fan girl obsessed with her idol.
Aether blinked slowly, watching her with a blank expression.
‘Don’t tell me… this was the real reason they so easily invaded our Empire in the previous timeline…?’
The thought alone made him feel like coughing up blood. If Thalia had been too distracted fangirling over Marisandra rather than focusing on actual border defence… then it all suddenly made a disturbing amount of sense.
He sighed deeply, rubbing his temple. He definitely needed to rethink putting Thalia in charge of border security. ‘Maybe I should just let the Drakhairs oversee that instead…’ he thought, before shifting his gaze to Emberlyn.
“I know I’m putting a lot on your plate,” he admitted softly, his voice carrying a rare trace of guilt.
Emberlyn immediately shook her head. “It’s fine. More than anything, I am happy to be of service to you, Your Majesty. Nothing would bring me greater joy.”
Aether gave her a small nod of appreciation before adding, “Then please take care of my lovely idiots.”
“I-Idiots?”
“How dare you call us idiots?!”
Both Raven and Thalia gasped, their eyes widening in disbelief as they felt thoroughly offended!
They were not idiots!!
Aether, however, ignored them, focusing solely on Emberlyn as he continued, “Try to clarify the amount of new leg…” His words trailed off when he noticed something—a small sticky-like substance caught in Emberlyn’s orange hair…. His face immediately turned pale.
“Your Majesty?” Emberlyn tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. She wondered why he had suddenly stopped talking and why his expression had changed so drastically.
Aether snapped to attention, leaning forward, his eyes fixed on her hair with growing horror.
Emberlyn flinched as Aether moved closer, and an even deeper wave of fear washed over her when he raised his hand toward her.
‘H-His he finally going to punish me for my actions?’ she thought desperately, tightly closing her eyes in fear, bracing herself for what she assumed would be a strike. But to her surprise, she felt a soft hand gently graze her hair instead.
Emberlyn blinked, her heart still racing from the fright.
Aether awkwardly chuckled, trying to ease the tension, “A-A dust… Yes, dust,” he said quickly, and in one swift motion, he clenched his fingers into a tight fist, burning whatever had been in his palm.
Emberlyn was left stunned for a moment. ‘Just dust? He’s too kind… He’s still trying to take care of me and my daug–‘ she thought, feeling a warm sense of gratitude towards him. However, before she could fully finish it, she heard a loud, obnoxious voice.
“Haha… It’s just his jizz that stuck in your hair!” Thalia laughed loudly, her voice still laced with the excitement of earlier confession,
“It must have been when I sucked his balls, and he came like a bucket, spraying everywhere… ahahah! All because me~” she added with a wicked wink, teasing Aether in a way that made his stomach churn.
Aether’s face turned a deep shade of horror, ‘Did she really just say that?’ His mind screamed in disbelief, his entire body frozen as he turned his head mechanically toward her, only to see Emberlyn’s face turn an alarming shade of crimson before she turned and bolted out of the room, running away in utter humiliation!
Raven slapped her sister on the back of the head, clearly exasperated. “You shouldn’t have said ‘came like a bucket’ in front of our mother!”
Aether’s lips twitched, “She shouldn’t have said anything at all, you idiots!!!” he shouted.
Just when he thought he was beginning to understand the extent of their shamelessness, it had somehow escalated to an entirely new, overwhelming level.
Rubbing his forehead in exasperation, they still didn’t understand what they did as they just speaking with each other as if nothing happened…. Aether was at a loss for how to face his mother-in-law after that.
He felt completely drained, his mind spiralling as he tried to figure out how to salvage the situation.
Just then,
“YOUR MAJESTY!!”
Drakhairs’ voice suddenly echoed from the palace gates, loud and urgent.
Aether let out a long, exhausted sigh, “Sigh… what now…” he muttered to himself.
Give him a break!!