“Ouch…”
Aether sat beside Maelona on the bed, gently holding her leg, his brows knitting together as he took in the dark, slimy texture of her skin. It was as if something had been drained straight from her body, leaving her looking eerily lifeless in that spot.
“Is it painful?” Aether asked, his voice softer than usual.
His fingers lightly traced over her skin, and Maelona winced, her body tensing from the touch. But instead of admitting the pain, she quickly shook her head. “No…” she muttered, though her voice wavered slightly.
Of course, it stung—it burned, even—but she bit her tongue, refusing to let the words slip out.
She had barely escaped when something dragged her into the bed. Even after managing to break free, she found herself completely paralyzed, her body frozen in fear. She had remained in the corner, unable to move, unable to speak, until Aether arrived… and everything else that followed was a blur.
Aether sighed deeply, rubbing his temples in frustration. She was always like this, acting tough, pretending things were fine even when they clearly weren’t.
“I cannot believe you hid all of this from me,” he muttered, his voice laced with irritation. “Why? Why the hell didn’t you just ask for help?” His tone sharpened slightly as he exhaled heavily.
Without waiting for her response, he reached for her skirt, lifting it slightly to examine the extent of the damage. His fingers hesitated as his eyes landed on the darkened patch near her thighs. His expression immediately darkened with worry.
Maelona sucked in a sharp breath when she felt the fabric rise, her face instantly heating up. But despite the initial embarrassment, she found herself swallowing back her pride when she saw the deep concern in his expression.
Still,
“It’s just… I felt like you guys were already too busy, and—”
Before she could even finish, Aether cut her off with a knowing look. “You already feel useless, don’t you?” His voice was quieter now, but there was something piercing in the way he spoke, “So, instead of telling me, you kept quiet. You didn’t want to be an extra burden. Am I right?”
Maelona flinched, her throat tightening as she lowered her gaze. She hadn’t expected him to see right through her so easily.
That was exactly why she hadn’t said anything.
She was already struggling with the weight of feeling useless. Everyone else was fighting, risking their lives, doing everything they could to protect Aether. And yet, she—she couldn’t even protect herself.
She had no powers, no strength to contribute.
Even Liora had to hold back just to shield her!
That alone made her feel like dead weight, an unnecessary liability to the entire team.
Sure, she had never been a fighter, but at least, in the past, she could defend herself.
Now? Now, she couldn’t even do that.
Now, her life relied entirely on Aether.
And that was exactly why she didn’t want to tell him.
How could she? How could she possibly make him worry even more than he already did?
Aether let out a long sigh, dragging a hand down his face. He had expected this—sooner or later, he knew she would end up feeling this way. He just hadn’t thought it would happen this quickly.
His hands moved again, lifting her skirt a little higher as he examined the other leg. His lips pressed into a firm line when he saw that the darkness had spread there too.
“Just what the hell happened?” he muttered under his breath, his frustration evident.
His sharp gaze shifted toward the massive butterfly standing in the corner of the room. The creature looked oddly guilty, like a child who had just been caught doing something they shouldn’t have.
“Mama?” The butterfly’s voice was small, hesitant, as it slowly moved toward Maelona.
But before it could get any closer—
“Nope. Nope! Stay right there,” Aether snapped with his voice firm.
The butterfly flinched at the sudden command and immediately stopped, its wings twitching slightly.
“Nnggfff…” it let out a soft, muffled sound, almost like a pout, as if sulking at being scolded.
Aether narrowed his eyes, rubbing his temple.
He looked at the butterfly again and exhaled sharply. “I cannot believe this thing is our child…”
Maelona, who had been lost in her own thoughts, suddenly stiffened.
Her entire face turned bright red. “It’s not o—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Aether glanced back at her, shaking his head. “Of course I know,” he cut in smoothly, stopping her before she could protest any further.
Maelona bit her lip, the heat in her cheeks intensifying as she looked away, flustered.
Aether sighed again. He had come here to solve one problem, and now another one had suddenly fallen onto his plate.
He recalled her explanation of everything that had happened. The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it all sounded.
How the hell did things escalate to this point?
Aether ran the events through his head again, trying to make sense of them.
She was bitten… Alright, that made sense.She took the ‘medicine’…. Okay, logical enough.And then… she got pregnant?
Wait.
What?
And then, she gave birth to… a butterfly?
A fucking butterfly!!
He and Maelona were both human (Well, he thought) and elf. And yet, somehow, they had a butterfly child?
How in the holy name of an avocado did this happen?
Aether stared blankly at the ceiling. His mind felt like it was short-circuiting. He thought he had seen everything.
He thought nothing could surprise him anymore.
But this—this was a whole different level of absurdity.
‘Log, do you know what the fuck is going on here?’ Aether inwardly asked, half-expecting a ridiculous answer.
[… I am not sure what’s happening here.]
Aether rolled his eyes. ‘Forget it… Even if you did know, you’d probably refuse to tell me for some other stupid reason.’
[😤]
Ignoring the Log entirely, he turned his focus back to Maelona.
“I have a lot of questions,” he admitted, exhaling sharply. “But for now—”
His gaze flickered to her, and Maelona, who had been fidgeting with her skirt, immediately flinched. She hesitated, then slowly lowered the fabric, her shyness creeping in again.
Aether, unfazed, moved closer to her.
Her breath hitched.
She could feel the warmth of his body near hers, her fists clenching slightly around the hem of her skirt.
Her heart pounded in her chest, and she gulped, wondering what he was about to do next.
However—
“Ouch!”
Maelona yelped when Aether suddenly pinched her cheek, pulling it tightly without a hint of mercy. His face was dead serious, his golden eyes narrowing as he held her in place.
“You think you’re some kind of big shot? Sacrificing yourself for the greater good?” His voice was laced with irritation, his fingers not easing up in the slightest. He wasn’t just scolding her—he was genuinely pissed off.
“Ouch… Ouch! A-Aether! Ouch!” Maelona squirmed, her hands grabbing onto his wrist in an attempt to pry him off. Her leg still ached, but the sharp sting on her cheek was far worse!
“You really think this is the best thing to do for us?” Aether’s frown deepened, his grip remaining firm.
Even through the pain, Maelona noticed something—he wasn’t just angry. There was something else beneath it. A hint of hurt.
Her head lowered slightly. “I… I just wanted to… you know, at least be usef—”
“Useful?” Aether clicked his tongue, his expression twisting in annoyance.
Instead of letting her go, he pinched even harder.
Maelona winced, her voice catching in her throat as a sharp jolt of pain shot through her cheek.
“Useful?” Aether repeated, his voice firm. “You want to be useful? Then tell me—who saved my life when I almost died? No… when I literally died there?” His grip finally loosened as he exhaled sharply. “No one was able to bring me back except you. And yet, you still think you’re useless?”
His fingers finally left her skin, but his words cut deeper than any physical pain.
Maelona sat there, rubbing her sore cheek, feeling guilt slowly sink in.
He was mad. No—he was more than just mad.
She had actually upset him.
Aether crossed his arms. “I can’t hear you,” he said flatly, even though she hadn’t spoken yet.
Maelona bit her lip before whispering, “I… I’m sorry.”
Aether shook his head before resting a hand atop her head. His fingers threaded gently through her hair, his voice quieter this time,
“If you ever feel useless again… then remember this.” His thumb lightly brushed against her scalp. “The man you gave everything for is out here doing things that are useful. So don’t you ever think you’re not.”
Maelona’s throat tightened, her heart clenching at his words.
A small, weak smile tugged at her lips. She gave a small nod, finally letting the guilt ease just a little.
Aether inhaled deeply, shaking off the tension before stretching his arms. “Anyway, let’s get out of this messy place.”
He moved to scoop her up without a second thought—
“W-Wait! I can walk!” Maelona blurted out in a panic, waving her hands frantically. The last thing she wanted was for him to carry her like she was some helpless princess!
Aether raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she insisted, setting her face into a determined expression. She took a slow, careful breath before shifting her weight and pushing herself up.
For a brief moment, she stood tall, steadying herself.
“See? I’m fine,” Maelona said with a relieved tone, flashing him a triumphant look.
Aether shot her a skeptical glance but ultimately shrugged. Before turning to leave, he pointed at the butterfly, which still lingered in the corner, fidgeting as if it wanted to say something.
“You stay here,” he ordered.
The butterfly twitched, its mouth opening slightly, but whatever it wanted to say never came out.
With that, Aether and Maelona turned toward the exit.
However—
“Ahh!”
A sharp cry left Maelona’s lips the moment she tried to take another step. The second she put weight on her leg, a deep numbness spread through it, causing her entire body to buckle forward.
Before she could hit the ground—
Strong arms caught her.
Aether scooped her up effortlessly, holding her securely in his arms. His smirk was unmistakable.
“Shall we, Princess?” he asked, amusement dripping from every word.
[+4000 AP]
Maelona’s entire face turned scarlet.
“N-No…” she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. Her hands shot up, covering her burning cheeks as her elven ears twitched furiously.
Aether, unfazed, carried her out of the room without a single ounce of hesitation.