While Aether was busy with his so-called date, meanwhile, back in the Pyra Empire…
“Hmmm…”
Aqualina groaned softly, feeling an ache in her head as her consciousness slowly returned. Her eyelids fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was an unfamiliar ceiling. Her brows furrowed as a deep frown formed on her face. The last thing she remembered was talking to Victor before—her eyes darkened—someone had knocked her out.
“Fucker…” she muttered under her breath, her annoyance clear as she pushed herself up.
Just as she was about to fully get up, her gaze landed on something—someone—that made her freeze for a moment.
“Mom?”
Her voice came out in a mix of confusion and disbelief as she stared at the woman sitting on a chair, smiling warmly at her.
It was Sandra… Her mother!
“How is my sleepyhead?” Sandra asked gently, her voice soft with affection.
Aqualina’s eyes widened before she immediately jumped into her mother’s arms, hugging her tightly as if she feared she would disappear, “I-I missed you, Mom… I reaaallllyyy missed you so much,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly as she buried her face in Sandra’s embrace, inhaling the familiar scent she had longed for.
Sandra chuckled warmly, running her fingers through Aqualina’s hair before wrapping her arms around her daughter protectively. Her gaze shifted slightly toward Celestia, who stood quietly in the corner, observing them without a word.
After a few moments of holding onto each other, Aqualina finally pulled back, her expression quickly shifting from relief to concern. Her brows knit together as she looked at her mother more carefully.
“Mom, are you alright? Did they hurt you?” Her eyes flickered with worry before darting around the unfamiliar place. “And… where the hell are we?” she asked, her voice sharp with suspicion as she tried to piece together what had happened.
Sandra let out an awkward chuckle, rubbing the back of her neck. “Well… about that…” she hesitated before sighing. “We were imprisoned in the Pyra Empire.”
Aqualina blinked. Surprisingly, she didn’t react with shock. Instead, her expression remained eerily calm, as if she had already expected something like this. But then, her lips curled downward in irritation.
“I can’t believe that bastard actually kidnapped me… right in front of the Principal,” she muttered, her voice laced with disbelief. Her expression darkened as her mind raced, “And the Principal… what the hell was she doing? Just standing there, watching?!” Her voice grew harsher, her frustration evident as her trust in the Principal wavered.
Sandra coughed weakly before nodding, “Anyway—”
Before she could continue, Aqualina cut in with a serious expression. “Mom, getting out of the Empire isn’t an easy task. Dragons here are annoyingly loyal to their Emperor, and they won’t just let us waltz out the front door.” Her fingers tapped lightly against her thigh as she started thinking. “For now, we should stay put and observe… but don’t worry, I already have a plan to escape.” A small smirk tugged at her lips as she thought of a certain someone. ‘I just need to call Aether…’
Sandra tilted her head slightly, watching her daughter. Then, after a moment, she asked, “Aqualina… aren’t you going to ask why we were imprisoned in the first place?”
Aqualina barely hesitated before shaking her head. “No, I don’t need to. Whatever you did… I believe you had a good reason. You’re not reckless, and you don’t make stupid mistakes. I trust you, Mom.”
Sandra’s breath hitched slightly at those words, her lips trembling as emotion washed over her. Without thinking, she pulled Aqualina back into another hug, holding her even tighter than before.
“You…” she whispered, her voice full of emotion.
But despite the touching moment, she couldn’t let Aqualina act recklessly here, so she finally spoke, “You see… I was the one who told Victor to bring you back.”
“H-Huh?”
Aqualina blinked, her expression shifting into confusion. “Wait… you’re saying… you actually told that bastard to bring me here?”
Sandra took a deep breath, nodding. “Yes… I did. We’re in a very dangerous situation right now, and staying here is actually the best option for us.”
Aqualina narrowed her eyes, analyzing her mother’s expression carefully… Then, after a second, she sighed, “That makes sense now…” she murmured.
“That’s why even the Principal didn’t do anything to stop Victor… ah.” She leaned back slightly, crossing her arms. “Fine. I get it. But I still have one question—why here? And…” her eyes darkened, “Victor isn’t someone who does things out of kindness. What does he want from you?”
Sandra smiled, her expression unreadable. “Nothing.”
Aqualina scoffed, not buying it for a second. “Nothing? Yeah, right. That’s total bull— ahem, I mean, there’s no way that’s true.” She folded her arms. “I know he wouldn’t just help you out of the goodness of his heart. He must want something in return. But whatever, I’ll just confirm it myself.” She straightened up, determination flashing in her eyes. “I’ll contact Aether telepathically. Since they were friends, he should be able to help us out.”
Sandra weakly chuckled. “There’s no need for that… Wait!” But then her eyes widened slightly as something dawned on her. “You can communicate with him too?”
“Too?” Aqualina’s brows shot up, her mind immediately catching onto something. “Wait… what do you mean ‘too’?” Her frown deepened as she stared at her mother, a sinking feeling growing inside her.
Sandra coughed, realizing she might have let something slip. It wasn’t like she had it, but— ‘Come to think of it… my daughter doesn’t know about that jerk’s audacity…’ She suddenly grinned, as if a few plans were already forming in her mind. “You see, he is—”
However—
“So you have it too… ah,” Aqualina murmured, her expression turning gloomy as if she had just figured out something far worse than she had expected.
“Huh? What are you—”
“There’s no need to hide it anymore… I knew it. I knew this was going to happen…” Aqualina muttered in a dejected tone, shaking her head.
Sandra flinched slightly, a flicker of panic appearing in her eyes. ‘D-Does she know I know about her? Did Aether tell her something?’ Her heart pounded for a moment as her face turned pale.
But then she took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. ‘Yeah… I can’t hide it anymore. She must have remembered everything by now…’
Sandra knew that trying to cover things up would only make it more painful later. And besides, she needed Aqualina to have every right to know what was going on around her!
So she finally decided to come clean—well, except for the deal and the whole gods’ business.
“You are my mother—what?”
“You are in love with Aether—what?”
They spoke at the same time, their words clashing in perfect unison before they both froze.
An eerie silence filled the room as their eyes widened in horror, staring at each other.
“You knew?”
“You knew?”
“…”
“…”
“Pfff!!”
Celestia, who had been silently watching the entire time, finally lost it. She almost burst out laughing, barely able to contain herself as she covered her mouth. Their reactions were so identical, so synchronized—it was like watching a carbon copy of the same person. And yet, even she was shocked by what Sandra had just revealed.
Meanwhile, back in the Naiadae Empire…
Tuck, Tuck…
The rhythmic sound of the carriage wheels rolling over the stone-paved road filled the quiet air inside. The golden hues of the setting sun bathed the world outside in a warm glow, casting long shadows over the city.
Inside the carriage, Aether and Xara sat across from each other, both eerily silent, their thoughts lost in the same words…
‘Already in my hands…’
The Prophetess’s words echoed in their minds.
‘What did she mean by that? That he is the answer I’ve been searching for?’ Xara frowned, her fingers absentmindedly tapping against the window frame. She gazed outside, watching the shifting landscape, but her focus repeatedly drifted back to Aether, who sat deep in thought. His brows were furrowed, his fingers tightening slightly, as though trying to grasp something invisible in his palm.
“So… what exactly did she say to you?” Xara finally asked, unable to hold back her curiosity any longer.
Aether snapped out of his thoughts, his lips curling into an amused smirk as he looked at her. “Someone’s awfully curious about OUR future life together, huh?” he teased, his voice laced with mischief.
Xara’s lips twitched in irritation. ‘Tsk.’ She clicked her tongue, immediately looking away, crossing her arms in a huff.
Aether let out a soft chuckle before finally answering. “She said… it was all in my hands.”
Xara raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further. Instead, she leaned back against her seat, letting his words settle in her mind.
Aether, on the other hand, turned his gaze toward the passing scenery. His mind replayed the Prophetess’s cryptic message, trying to decipher its true meaning.
‘So… she meant to say my second option is the right one? That’s what she was hinting at?’ His first choice had been to seek out the Prophetess for process, yet it seemed like his second option had already aligned with fate. But still… something about it didn’t sit right with him.
Just then, as the carriage continued its steady pace, a particular sight made Aether freeze.
A strange tree swayed gently…
‘Isn’t that… the same one that appeared in my Empire?’ His frown deepened, his pulse quickening slightly. ‘So, it’s growing here too? But why? What does this mean?’
More questions flooded his mind, but the answers?
Fuck up!
Before he could dwell on it further, the carriage slowed, finally arriving at their destination—the Frostblade Mansion.
As they stepped out, Xara, who had been absentmindedly gripping Aether’s coat, rubbed the fabric between her fingers before casually asking, “So… where’s this surprise you promised me?”
Aether grinned. “Surprise? Oh, so you actually care about it? How cute—”
“Tsk. Forget it,” Xara huffed, turning away with an annoyed expression as if she had regretted asking in the first place.
Aether chuckled, shaking his head. “Come on now… the surprise I prepared is huge, you know? It’s not something that can just be handed over in an instant. It’ll take some time.”
“I don’t care,” Xara replied dismissively, pretending to be uninterested, though a small flicker of curiosity lingered in her eyes.
“You will care,” Aether said with a confident smirk. “Believe me, you’ll love it.” Then, with a playful glint in his eyes, he pointed toward the towering mountain in the distance. “Though by the time you receive your surprise… I’ll already be at the top.”
Xara blinked, her gaze shifting toward the peak before looking back at him. “You will—”
Before she could finish her sentence—
“HOW DARE YOU BETRAY ME?!!”
A furious, thunderous voice echoed through the air.
Aether and Xara both flinched at the sheer rage behind it. Their heads whipped around to see none other than…. Delphine.