Chapter 231: Hope Aether is alive
Chapter 231: Hope Aether is alive
Aether arrived at his servant dormitory with a mix of happiness and relief, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders..... Selene, on the other hand, had been reluctant to part with him. In truth, she hadn't wanted him to leave the room at all. She had locked the door tightly, her eyes pleading with him to stay.
It took a considerable amount of coaxing, gentle words, and promises before Aether was able to persuade her to let him go.
"I think in order to deal with a yandere, you need to be a yandere," Aether mused, his face adopting a profound expression as he reflected on the earlier events. With this thought lingering in his mind, he finally entered his room.
Aether saw Celestia lying peacefully on her bed, lost in her dreams. He paused for a moment, watching her serene expression, before heading to the bathroom to freshen up.
After emerging from the bathroom, he noticed that Celestia had woken up. She was looking at him with a warm smile, her eyes soft and welcoming. "Good morning," she greeted him softly.
"Yeah," Aether mumbled, feeling a bit awkward. He walked over to her, standing before her and said, "Your act isn't working well, Ms. Celestia Nocturne," before gently pinching her nose. He added with a hint of mischief in his voice, "Do you still accept me?"
Celestia's eyebrows shot up in surprise and her previous groggy expression disappeared as if she had never slept before, but then she lowered her head and mumbled, "You knew?"
"Heheh... It's not that I knew, rather... I felt you were there," Aether said, his voice gentle as he ruffled her hair affectionately.
"So?"
"... I told you, didn't I?" Celestia asked back with a small smile. The entire situation and stories she heard felt surreal, almost unbelievable, yet when she saw the earnest expression on his face, she knew he wasn't tricking anyone. His sincerity was palpable.
It didn't matter to her who he was because she saw Aether and loved Aether, unlike Selene.
Aether's heart swelled with gratitude. Holding her hand, he looked into her eyes and earnestly said, "I love you, Celestia Nocturne."
'Ba-Dump'
Celestia's heart skipped a beat at his genuine declaration. 'Finally, he's showing everything,' she thought, her eyes welling up with tears. She nodded, her emotions overwhelming her, and hugged him tightly.
Aether kissed her forehead, feeling her slight insecurity from when he hadn't answered her properly that day. Both Selene and Celestia... He had resolved to take care of them, but before that,
"Let's check the room. I don't want anyone spying here anymore," Aether said with a newfound seriousness. He hadn't expected Selene to have hidden a recording device, and the realization made him wary.
What could he do if others like Auqalina, Aria or even Delphine placed anything inside his room?.... He fucked up!!
Celestia giggled but quickly adopted a serious expression as well. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed the device before.
.....
...
"Selene," Lia called out to her, noticing a distinct change in her demeanour. Selene seemed different, exuding a new aura that was hard to pinpoint.
"Hmm?" Selene responded gracefully, her movements more refined and mature.
"Did something happen?" Lia asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Hmm, nothing. Why?" Selene shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly before turning to Victor with a loving gaze.
"...." Lia frowned, sensing that something was amiss. 'Something is really wrong!' she screamed inwardly, her intuition screaming at her.
Victor, on the other hand, smiled inwardly. He felt Selene's love for him pouring out like water from a breached dam. He also noticed that Aria and Kai were absent from the class.
.....
...
Meanwhile, in a private room,
"Ms. Aria... You are asking for something impossible," Kai mumbled, staring at the wooden box that contained the materials for the trial.
"It's fine... Mr. Kai. All I want is an exchange, and you don't want to disappoint your father, right?" Aria asked as she sat before Kai at the round table, her tone calm but firm.
"Even so..." Kai frowned deeply. As much as he wanted to win the trial, his father had strictly ordered him not to hand over Aether's ownership to anyone.
Aria frowned as well. She was controlling her urge to lash out, trying to keep her composure for Aether's sake. Yet, Kai's indecisiveness was testing her patience.
"Anyhow... I will give you a week to think about it," she conceded, trying to remain diplomatic.
Kai sighed in relief. A week would be sufficient time to contact his father and get a definitive answer.
"However, since you're making me wait... I want Aether for a few days as I am visiting my home," Aria requested with a smile, though her eyes held a steely determination.
Kai's lips twitched. He couldn't fathom why this woman was so fixated on Aether, so he asked her directly.
She simply replied, "He is... something else!"
Kai was puzzled. To him, Aether seemed dull, just another slave. He couldn't understand the fuss.
"Okay, I will give you Aether, but he can only be away for one day---" Kai began to say, but Aria cut him off.
"I will take care of it... No one is going to disobey the Elven Queen," she said sternly before exiting the room. Kai growled in frustration, wondering why everyone was so interested in Aether.
Suddenly, a terrifying thought struck him. "D-Did they know?" he mumbled, his face paling with fear.
.....
..
Inside Aria's room,
"I talked with Kai, and he allowed you to come with me," Aria said as she sat on Aether's lap, feeding him with her homemade food. The aroma of the dish filled the room, making it a cosy and intimate setting.
"Hmm..." Aether was surprised, "How?" he asked while swallowing a mouthful of the delicious food.
"That's a secret!" Aria winked at him cutely before feeding him another bite like a gentle mother.
"Hmm..." Aether nodded, 'Well, whatever...' he thought, enjoying the tender moment.
"You know... I feel something different about you today," Aria mumbled as she stared into Aether's eyes, which were shining brighter than ever as if he had been reborn. Meanwhile, Aether was panicking inside, 'Fuck, fuck!! I added perfume, and yet she noticed something!!!'
"What is it?" Aether asked with a curious face, trying to figure out if there was any error on his part that needed rectifying.
"Well, you look more handsome," Aria blushed as she spoke, her ears twitching rapidly with a shy expression.
"...." Aether blinked in surprise before leaning in to kiss her lips tenderly, "My Aria, you're absolutely adorable," he whispered affectionately.
Aria blushed deeper, her ears continuing to twitch in response to his touch. Unable to resist her irresistible charm, Aether playfully nibbled on her ear.
"~Ahhhnnggg~"
Aria's eyes widened in surprise. She quickly pushed him away and got up from his lap, stammering, "N-No!! That's after m-marriage!!!" Despite her protest, her cute ears still twitched furiously, which only made Aether chuckle more.
"Hmph!" Mommy Elf got angry and pouted but couldn't hide the fluttering in her heart. Aether stood and kissed her forehead tenderly, saying, "You look too adorable, my cute Aria!"
"!!!" Aria pushed him again, her heart already on the verge of exploding with emotion.
.....
...
Entering the Principal's house,
"Oh? You finally decided to show up," the Principal greeted Aether with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She couldn't hide her displeasure from the previous day when Aether had skipped their training session, a blatant display of disrespect in her eyes.
"....I was training," Aether replied vaguely, trying to maintain his composure.
"Training? What sort of training exactly?" The Principal probed, her tone laced with thinly veiled scepticism.
"...."
"Come on, my disciple. It's not like I'm going to kill you or anything...," she smiled, her voice masking the underlying threat.
Aether knew he had messed up. "Well, it was a special kind of training....that only I could do," he finally admitted, hoping to steer the conversation away.
"Oh, interesting. What kind of training would that be?" The Principal's interest was piqued, and she regarded him with a keen, assessing gaze.
"Well, it's not something I can do alone.... I need a partner," Aether awkwardly admitted, hoping she would drop the subject and refocus on their training agenda.
"I will be your partner"
Surprised by her swift acceptance, Aether couldn't help but smirk slightly, "Let me warn you, Principal. This training is dangerous and could potentially hurt you, not just physically but emotionally as well," he cautioned, his tone serious.
"Hmm..." The Principal considered his words thoughtfully, interpreting them as a reference to some form of mental attack or illusion challenge. As an educator, she felt a sense of pride that Aether was attempting something different. With a determined expression, she declared, "I'm strong..... brat."
Aether sensed her confidence and shrugged nonchalantly. 'She asked for it,' he thought as he moved to stand in front of her.
The Principal didn't bother to guard herself, believing Aether was just a little toy..... Yet,
Aether suddenly hugged her busty body and stared at her lascivious lips, slowly leaning towards her. Just as their lips were about to touch, the Principal, snapping out of her shock, punched him in the face.
However,
Aether had anticipated this reaction and swiftly evaded her, darting away with practised agility. He had already noted out potential hiding spots in the house, so he knew exactly where to go.
"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!! Get back here!!" the Principal bellowed, her face contorted in fury. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected Aether to pull such a stunt.
Aether, in his flight, abruptly halted and turned to glare back at the Principal, who had also paused in surprise, "How dare you call me a motherfucker?!!! I haven't even fucked anyone's mother..." His voice rang out with deadly seriousness before adding,
"...Yet."
The Principal's expression twisted in a mix of anger, embarrassment, and a touch of something else.
BOOOMMMMM!!!!!
Let's hope Aether lives to see another day after this daring actions!