Xara was searching for Aether… not just for an hour or two—she had been searching for him for nearly an entire day without rest, without food… not that she actually needed those things. She could absorb Arcane energy to refresh herself for a day, but that wasn’t the issue.
The issue was that she wasn’t just searching—she was worried.
No, beyond worried!
Her mind was a chaotic mess, filled with every possible worst-case scenario. What if the Slave Mark started blinking? What if something truly dangerous had happened to him? The more she searched, the more restless she became. Her thoughts spiralled into panic, and the fear of what she might find was eating away at her sanity.
And after all that? After spending nearly a whole day frantically searching for him… she found him in his room? Without a care in the world?
She was beyond furious. Annoyed, angry, and overwhelmed—that’s why she was punishing him.
“45, 46, 47…” She blankly muttered, her tone flat, yet her emotions seething beneath the surface, as Aether struggled through his sit-ups, his face twisted in pain.
She watched him through the corner of her eye, taking in his strained expression. It should have softened her—should have—but instead, she snorted, crossing her arms and looking away. “48, 49…” she continued without a hint of sympathy.
Aether inwardly sighed. The sit-ups weren’t the problem. He could handle hundreds of them without breaking a sweat. The real issue was that he needed a way to calm her down. Xara wasn’t just pissed—she was on the verge of crying.
And that? That was something he had no clue how to deal with.
‘Come on, Aether, think! Do your usual!!’ He screamed inwardly, desperately trying to summon his legendary rizz. But this opponent was different—stronger, scarier. He had never faced a challenge like this before!
“M-Miss Xara… I-I can’t… please… It’s too h-hard,” Aether groaned, his voice cracking as he let his body tremble, his legs visibly shaking from exhaustion. Sweat trickled down his forehead, making him look utterly helpless.
Xara’s stern expression faltered for a split second. Just a second. But then she sighed, rubbing her temple as if she were dealing with a troublesome child. “Fine… You can relax.”
The moment those words left her lips, Aether collapsed onto his butt, panting dramatically, as if he had just run a marathon. He wiped the sweat from his forehead for added effect before sneaking a glance at Xara.
“Are you… angry by any chance?”
“Hmm… Why would I be angry?” Xara said as she stared at the wall instead of looking at Aether while answering.
‘Yeah, she’s mad. Definitely mad.’ Aether muttered inwardly.
He didn’t expect this. Of all things, he never expected Xara to be out there searching for him in the middle of a crisis.
The world was falling apart, the empire on the verge of collapse—life and death were uncertain. And yet, instead of focusing on survival, she had been looking for him.
A slave?
That… That hit differently!!
Due to the empire’s situation, Aether hadn’t left his clone behind as a substitute. He knew something unpredictable could happen, and he needed to be ready for anything dangerous. He had assumed that no one would even notice his absence during such chaos. And for the most part, he had been right.
Kai? Didn’t give a damn… like usual!
Velc? Too busy fangirling over Vector’s greatness.
But Xara…?
Xara had been the only one.
So, when he finally arrived and got caught… the only excuse he could come up with was—he had tried to run away.
Aether let out a slow breath before inching closer to Xara. He needed to say something. Anything.
“Madam Xara… I really am sorry,” he said gently.
But Xara simply turned to the other side, crossing her legs and huffing, making it clear she wasn’t going to make this easy for him.
Aether sighed inwardly before reaching out and taking her hand. She didn’t pull away. That was a good sign.
“I didn’t mean to worry you,” he said softly, his fingers brushing against hers. “It’s just… the world is falling apart. I was scared. I thought… if I was going to die, I wanted to at least feel free before that happened.” His voice grew quieter with pain and sadness.
Not knowing he was playing two sisters,
Xara’s heart clenched at his words. Her frustration melted in an instant, replaced by something deeper, something raw. Without hesitation, she pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly.
“Y-You idiot!” she stammered, holding him as if she could shield him from everything. “Do you have any idea how worried I was, brat?!”
Aether stiffened, awkwardly twitching under her embrace as she poured her emotions out.
“I know… I know you feel betrayed,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “You don’t trust anyone. You don’t want to believe in people anymore. But I… I really worried about you, brat! How could you just leave without saying a word to me?… Huh?” Her breath hitched, her nose twitching as if she were holding back tears.
Aether swallowed hard, guilt and fear appeared! But… he still didn’t feel any spark toward her.
Sensing his silence, Xara blinked, realization dawning in her eyes.
“I see…” she murmured, her grip loosening. Gently, she pushed him away from her embrace, her face suddenly unreadable.
“I… I’m sorry,” she said, her voice quieter now.
Aether raised an eyebrow, confused by her sudden shift.
Xara took a slow breath before continuing, “That day… when you needed me more than anything… I left.” She looked down, pressing her lips together as if the words physically hurt to say. “I know I left that day… I know I betrayed you… But… Hmm…” Her lips parted, then closed again, hesitation flickering in her eyes.
She wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell the truth about Delphine’s vision.
But could she? Nope, that’s something Delphine’s secret that could not be said to others!
Aether, hearing her words, let out a soft sigh before replying, “It’s fine… I’m not angry with you at all. Not even a little.”
Xara shook her head, a weak smile tugging at her lips. “You might not realize this, but that day… you looked at me with such painful eyes,” she murmured, her voice trembling slightly. “I can still remember it, Aether. Those eyes… they trusted me. They believed I would protect them. And yet… I left them behind. I turned away to protect something more important.”
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Aether blinked…. He knew what she did wasn’t wrong. She had done it for her family. Even though he was close to her, her family had to come first. That’s how a mother should be—it was natural, instinctive, undeniable.
So he wasn’t blaming her. Not even for a second.
Xara let out a weak chuckle, “Saying sorry won’t bring back what we lost, but… it’s all I can offer now. If you really don’t want to talk to me, I’ll accept that. And don’t worry about your freedom—since that old bastard is dead, it won’t take much effort to knock some sense into the remaining idiots running the show.” She smiled weakly, her fingers gently ruffling his hair, her touch unusually tender… as if saying, ‘I will take care of everything!’
Aether stared at her, studying her expression closely.
She was looking at him like… like he was her child?
And that was the fucking problem here!!
Aether gritted his teeth inwardly before tightening his grip on her hand. His voice softened, almost trembling with emotion, as he said, “I could never hate you. No matter what happened… no matter what you did, I know you did it for this family. You were just trying to protect them, even if it meant hurting me.”
Xara’s eyes widened slightly before lowering, her fingers twitching in his grasp. “You’ve grown well, Aether…” Her voice cracked as she smiled through the tears welling in her eyes. “I… I… hmm… I’m happy.” Her lips quivered as if she wanted to say more but held herself back.
But then—
Aether hesitated for a moment before leaning closer, his cheeks growing noticeably pink. “And… I didn’t run away, to be honest.” His voice was quiet, almost nervous. “I left because… there was something I needed to find before I lost it forever.”
Xara tilted her head, amused by his sudden shyness, “Oh? And what exactly was that?” she asked, her curiosity growing as she noticed the deepening blush on his face.
“Well…” Aether hesitated, but before he could overthink, Xara reached forward, grabbing his collar and pulling him even closer, her teasing smile never fading.
“Tell me~ Pretty please~?” she purred, winking at him playfully.
Aether swallowed hard, “I… I wanted to give something before disaster struck. I didn’t want to die with regrets…”
Xara’s grin widened, sensing something interesting brewing. “Oh? And who was it for?”
Aether averted his eyes, his heart pounding… his acting was really good!
“Come on, Aether…” Xara coaxed, nudging him with a smirk.
“Well… the person I l-love,” he finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper, but it carried weight, raw and unfiltered.
“Oh?” Xara raised an eyebrow, mild surprise flickering across her face, though she had already suspected the answer. Smirking, she leaned closer and slyly asked, “For Selene?”
Aether blinked, his face shifting into pure confusion. “Selene? Of course not!”
“H-Huh?” Xara was taken aback.
Aether’s face turned an even deeper shade of red as he suddenly burst out, “F-F-For you, Madam Xara!!!” The moment the words left his lips, he immediately covered his face in sheer embarrassment, his fingers gripping his cheeks as if trying to push the heat away.
‘Kill me now!’ Aether screamed inwardly, feeling like he was acting like some blushing maiden in a romance novel.
Xara blinked, completely stunned before a slow, sly smile crept across her face. And then—she laughed.
“Ahahaha! How adorable!!” she cooed, her voice dripping with amusement. “For me? Really? You love me? That’s so cute, Aether~!” She leaned in without hesitation, raining playful kisses all over his flustered face. “I love you too~! Chu~ Chu~ Chu~!”
However—
Aether suddenly pushed her back, his expression shifting in an instant. His playful embarrassment was gone, replaced by something much deeper.
“No… Not that kind of love,” he said, his tone low, firm, and deadly serious… It sent a ripple of surprise through Xara, making her pause for the first time. She had never seen this look on his face before…
The brief silence that followed felt heavier than it should have.
And then—
Taking advantage of the stunned moment, Aether leaned in without hesitation—
And softly pressed his lips against hers.
It wasn’t just a kiss… It was his answer!
When he pulled back, his face was burning red, but his eyes didn’t waver. His voice was barely above a whisper, but it carried everything he felt.
“I-I l-love you… like this!!”
“…”
Xara sat frozen, her mind completely blank, struggling to process what had just happened.
Then, her face contorted into a mixture of shock, confusion, and sheer disbelief.
“Eh?… Ehhhh? EEEHHHHHHHHHH???”
And then—
SLAP!!!