Currently…
After the talk with Selene, Delphine’s mind was an absolute mess.
She kept thinking and overthinking everything, replaying the conversation in her head over and over again. Selene’s words had hit her much harder than she had initially thought, and what made it worse was that she had actually witnessed Aria showing interest in Aether.
That moment had been like a slap to her face, forcing her to connect Selene’s ridiculous words, and the more she thought about it, the more her brain felt like it was being wracked apart.
And then, just as if fate wanted to mess with her further, she spotted Aether and Xara approaching. The instant she laid eyes on them, all the swirling thoughts in her head exploded at once, and before she could stop herself, she shouted,
“HOW DARE YOU BETRAY ME?!”
Her furious voice rang through the air, causing both Aether and Xara to flinch violently. Their heads snapped in her direction, their faces immediately twisting into confusion as they frowned at her.
‘Ah, fuck… this is it…’ Aether muttered inwardly, his gut tightening as if he were about to smash headfirst into a brick wall.
With heavy, deliberate steps, Delphine marched toward them like an executioner closing in on her prey.
Instinctively, he clenched his muscles, bracing himself for whatever storm was about to come. He was fully prepared to dodge, deflect, or do anything if necessary… but to his complete shock, Delphine walked right past him.
Instead, she stopped directly in front of Xara.
“I cannot believe this… You of all people… My own sister-in-law… How could you do this to me?” Delphine’s voice was steady but filled with unmistakable betrayal.
Aether blinked. ‘Oh shit… She’s seriously pissed off…’
He immediately started racking his brain, desperately trying to come up with any bullshit excuse that could save their asses from whatever was coming.
Xara, on the other hand, visibly flinched under Delphine’s intense gaze. Her throat felt dry as she gulped, a strange sense of guilt creeping up her spine. She had no idea why she was feeling this way.
After all, she hadn’t done anything wrong… right?
“W-What the hell are you even talking about?!” Xara stammered, trying to compose herself. “I never betrayed you!”
Delphine’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Then explain this,” she demanded, pointing directly at Aether.
Xara’s body went rigid. Her shoulders stiffened as her mind scrambled for an answer. “W-Well, w-we didn’t do—”
Before she could even complete her sentence, Delphine cut her off, her voice rising with frustration.
“I was supposed to adopt him!!!”
Silence!
For a second, both Xara and Aether just stood there, blinking blankly at Delphine, as if their brains had completely short-circuited. Then, almost at the same time, they let out a heavy sigh.
“Oh… Oh…” they muttered in unison, finally realizing what this was all about.
Aether let out a deep breath, feeling a wave of relief wash over him, ‘False alarm… thank fuck…’
But then a thought hit Xara, and she frowned slightly, ‘Wait… Why the hell am I even sighing in relief?’
She blinked in confusion, realizing that there was absolutely no reason for her to feel guilty or worried in the first place. It wasn’t like anything inappropriate had happened between her and Aether.
Xara shook off the weird feeling and crossed her arms. “So let me get this straight… You’re making this whole scene because of adoption?”
Delphine, still visibly worked up, nodded aggressively. “Yes! I was supposed to adopt him and take him away with me, but then you just had to go and—”
“You can take him.”
Delphine froze.
Her mouth hung open slightly as she blinked in surprise. “…What?”
Xara sighed, rubbing her temple before speaking. “I took him in because, at the time, it felt like the right thing to do. I didn’t want you to bear the burden all by yourself, so I adopted him instead.” She paused, giving Delphine a pointed look. “But if you really want him, then fine, take him.”
Delphine stared at her, processing her words.
Then, just when it seemed like the issue was settled, Xara frowned thoughtfully before adding, “Actually… we can share him.”
Delphine’s brain short-circuited for the second time that day. “…S-Share him?”
Xara nodded firmly as if she had just come up with the best solution in the world, “Yes. I take care of him for five days, then you take care of him for the next five. That way, we can split our responsibilities evenly, and neither of us has to worry too much.”
Delphine mulled it over for a second.
“Oh?… Okay,” she said, nodding slowly.
Xara’s logic actually made sense. And more importantly… she would get to keep Aether with her.
And it wasn’t like they were going to act like a normal mother and son…
A grin stretched across Delphine’s face, and a small drop of drool slipped from the corner of her lips…. they could do a lot in those 5 days~
Xara squinted at her suspiciously, “What the hell was that just now?” she asked, clearly disturbed. But then she shook her head and yawned. “Anyway, if that’s all, I need to go rest. I’ve been walking around in the daylight too much today, and it’s exhausting.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked past Delphine.
Delphine nodded absentmindedly, still lost in her own thoughts.
Meanwhile, Aether stood there, watching the two of them with a look of sheer disbelief. ‘Wait a damn second… Don’t I get a say in this?!’
He blinked in shock, realizing that they had just casually decided to share him like he was some kind of property.
Not even a single word of hesitation!
But then again… Aether knew Xara well enough to understand that she was just using this as an excuse to keep her distance from him.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
‘Let’s see how long you can keep pushing me away, Xara…’
His eyes then flickered toward Delphine, who was still absentmindedly staring up at the sky…. as if she made the right decision… or just messed up again? she wondered!
Aether took a quick glance around, making sure that no one was watching before he slowly crept closer to her. And then, in one swift motion, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her into a tight hug.
Delphine stiffened, completely caught off guard. “!!!”
Her eyes widened, and she quickly looked down, only to see Aether gazing up at her with a sweet, innocent expression.
“Mommy~” he called out in a soft, almost angelic voice.
A violent shiver ran down Delphine’s spine… her legs trembled!!
Aether’s lips curled into a sly grin. “I don’t mind roleplay, perverted Mommy~” he teased, his voice dropping into something much more suggestive as his hand shamelessly squeezed her ass.
Delphine’s entire body tensed. Her face turned a deep shade of red, her mind completely overloaded.
And then—
“NOOOOO!!!!”
BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!
…
….
Meanwhile,
Xara entered her dimly lit room, exhaling heavily as she shut the door behind her. It had been an exhausting day, and all she wanted now was to strip out of those suffocating uncomfortable clothes and feel like herself again. Without hesitation, she pulled off her refined attire and changed into a long, tattered robe. The fabric was rough and worn, but to her, it was the most comfortable thing in the world.
The moment she slipped into it, she let out a deep, satisfied sigh before flopping onto the bed, her limbs stretching across the cool sheets.
“Yeah… now this feels like home,” she murmured, relishing the way her old clothes hugged her body. There was something undeniably soothing about slipping back into her usual self after an exhausting day of dealing with everything and everyone.
“Today was a hectic one…” she mumbled to herself, rubbing her temples. A dull ache had settled in her head, but despite the overwhelming fatigue, a small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
A moment of silence, but soon, her gaze drifted across the room, and her eyes landed on a black coat draped over a chair.
The sight of it made her pause.
Her body stiffened slightly, and for a few seconds, she just… stared at it.
An unreadable expression flickered across her face before she slowly sat up, reaching for the coat. The material was cool against her fingertips as she carefully lifted it, her eyes studying every inch of the fabric as if searching for something unseen.
Her grip tightened.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve, brat,” she grumbled under her breath, irritation creeping into her voice. And then, without thinking, she clenched her fist and lightly punched the coat, as if scolding it would somehow make her frustrations disappear.
She could barely believe it.
A brat—a boy who was barely old enough to be considered a man—was actually trying to woo her.
“What a joke…” she muttered bitterly.
But even as she spoke, the words felt… off.
Her grip on the coat tightened further, and her chest rose and fell with a shaky breath.
“…This was my first time seeing a man approach me.”
Her voice was softer this time, almost hesitant as if the thought itself was fragile.
She lowered her gaze, gripping the coat a little tighter.
“Most either fear me or… find me disgusting,” she admitted, her words barely above a whisper. “But this… this is different, isn’t it?”
A strange chill ran down her spine, but it wasn’t fear.
It was something far more dangerous.
Something far more intoxicating.
Her eyes darkened slightly as she stared at the coat—the very coat he had worn.
That boy…. No, That Man…
His presence had been burned into her memory.
His face.
His expression.
Those eyes.
Those cold, indifferent eyes that had sent shivers through her body.
His obsession.
The way he had looked at her.
The way he had spoken to her.
It had made her tremble—not in fear, but in something entirely different.
Something thrilling… Something terrifying!
And yet, she wanted more of it.
She craved it.
She needed it.
‘Did I… find a mate?’
The absurd thought sent a jolt through her entire being.
She knew it was wrong.
She knew she shouldn’t be thinking this way.
And yet…
She was falling.
More and more, she was sinking into this strange, twisted feeling.
Those dark eyes—she wanted them.
She wanted them to look at her and only her.
She wanted to own them, possess them, consume them.
“I wonder… will he still say those things after seeing the real me?” she murmured, her tone laced with both amusement and a quiet twisted grin.
Her throat felt dry… She gulped.
Then, slowly, almost hesitantly, she brought the coat up to her face.
And then—
Snnniiffffffffffff!
She inhaled deeply, greedily taking in his scent as a deep, shuddering breath escaped her lips.
Her other hand, almost unconsciously, began to move.
Lower..
Lower…
Towards something far more dangerous.
The room grew darker, the lights flickering ominously.
Her face disappeared beneath the coat, but the silence was soon broken by an eerie sound.
“Heh… heheh… HEHEHEHEHEHE~”
A manic, eerie, uncanny laughter echoed through the room.
…..
…
Meanwhile…
Far away, Aether remained blissfully unaware of what he was truly playing with.
He stood deep within a dense forest, surrounded by fifty figures.
Each one looked like him… but slightly different.
Some had sharper features, appearing older. Some had rounder faces, looking younger.
And then… there were the ones with boobs?
Aether stared blankly for a long moment before violently coughing, nearly spitting out blood.
“What the actual fuck—?!”
His mind short-circuited as he processed the absurdity before him.
He turned toward the log, glaring. ‘Hey, you damn log, what the hell is that supposed to mean?!’
[You requested different variations. These are one of them.]
A vein popped on Aether’s forehead, but he forced himself to take a deep breath. He didn’t have time to argue with a system.
Groaning, he rubbed his temples. His head was throbbing, overloaded from maintaining so many clones at once.
“Fuck… this hurts like hell…” he muttered through gritted teeth. His brain felt like it was about to explode.
Of course, it would.
He was currently controlling sixty clones at once.
!~🔔~!
[❗️Notice: The required modification has been completed.]
!~🔔~!
[Remaining Affection Points: 9,997,899,950 ↓]
Aether exhaled sharply, trying to shake off the dizziness. “Damn it… I barely managed ten before, and now fifty? This is definitely my limit.”
His gaze shifted toward the clones.
They all stood silently, waiting for his command.
Finally, Aether straightened his posture and addressed them.
“Alright, listen up!” he commanded, his voice firm and authoritative. “All of you—spread out across every empire. Gather as much information as possible. I want updates on everything, no matter how small.”
The clones nodded in perfect unison. “Yes, Master!”
And just like that, they dissolved into mist, vanishing into the night.
Why was he doing this?
Simple.
Because he needed to know what was happening beyond his immediate surroundings.
He couldn’t afford to be blind.
He couldn’t afford to be caught off guard.
Not after what had happened to Aqualina.
If there was even the slightest chance that something was brewing in another empire, he wanted to know about it before it became a problem.
Aether nodded to himself in satisfaction. “Good. That should take care of things for now.”
Then, he turned his attention to his final and most pressing matter.
His lips curled into a mischievous grin.
“Now… for the final and only option…” he murmured, waving his hand before his face as a mask appeared.
“It’s time to pay a visit to Master~”