Chapter 142: Blame it on Empress!
‘He didn’t learn anything at all!!’ Kai, who had been watching the entire scene unfold, screamed inwardly in frustration. From his vantage point, he could see Aqualina’s face twist into a shocking expression, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape.
Feeling that now was the perfect moment to show off his manly side and demonstrate his willingness to support her whenever she needed, Kai took a deep breath and began, “Et-PUFF!!”
But before he could get another word out, Aqualina’s fist connected with his gut… softly!!
Kai, gasping, and looked up at her with an accusatory gaze, his eyes full of hurt and confusion.
“I’m sorry, Kai… But if others find out he was an eternal slave, your reputation might get damaged,” she whispered softly with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. However, the real truth she kept hidden was, ‘That fucking idiot!! If he commands Aether now, then everyone will be aware of his Aether’s position as Eternal Slave, and it will become even more difficult for him to approach other women.’
“I-I see,” Kai nodded in understanding, though his pride was wounded, ‘She’s already thinking about my reputation… what a considerate girl she is,’ he thought, his heart swelling with admiration as he floated on cloud nine.
Their small altercation went unnoticed by the others, who were all engrossed in watching Alaric and Aether, the tension between the two palpable.
“You’ve got some nerve, human,” Alaric said, his face and voice turning as cold and unyielding as ice.
“Oh? Thank you, I guess?” Aether responded nonchalantly, a small smirk playing on his lips.
“Pfffttt–” Aria quickly covered her mouth to stifle her laughter, finding Aether’s lack of respect for Alaric’s position both amusing and refreshing.
[+100 Affection]
Suddenly, Aqualina’s stern voice cut through the air, “Aether, now bow,” her face serious and unyielding.
Yet, Aether stood his ground, making everyone gasp in surprise. They had all seen how obedient Aether had been, always boosting his master, but now…
‘This is getting interesting…’ Jack thought, his eyes gleaming with anticipation as he watched the situation unfold with a mischievous grin.
Seeing Aether’s refusal to bow, Alaric’s expression darkened. “I suppose someone has gotten arrogant after having a little fun beating some low-class monsters,” he said with a sneer.
‘Low-class?’ Hearing that, others in the crowd wanted to shout, ‘Are you kidding me?’
“Since your master didn’t teach you proper manners… let me do the honour,” Alaric continued with a sly smile, stepping forward.
Aqualina’s eyes widened in alarm, “P-Professor–” but before she could continue, Alaric’s cold voice interrupted, “You failed to teach your servant proper etiquette, Ms. Aqualina, so I will take over.”
Aqualina gritted her teeth in frustration and shouted, “JUST BOW!!”
Aether looked at the furious Aqualina and sighed inwardly, ‘I guess I’m pushing it too far considering my position… Better to cower for now,’ he thought. Reluctantly, he bowed to Alaric.
Aqualina sighed in relief, but the tension wasn’t over.
“That won’t do now…” Alaric said flatly, “You failed to bow when you were supposed to, and n–”
“Empress,” Aether interrupted, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife….
“Pardon?” Alaric frowned, clearly not expecting the interruption.
Aether had initially planned to end this confrontation by bowing, but Alaric’s unyielding stance made him realize that the man wasn’t going to let him off easily. If Alaric was a ruler of this empire….. Aether knew another ruler of an Empire who blushed under his seduction and refused to acknowledge it!
Empress Marisandra Naiadia!
Aether’s lips curled into a defiant smile as he looked directly at Alaric and declared,
“Since I am Princess Aqualina’s servant, Empress Marisandra Naiadia has decreed that I must not bow before anyone… even if they are the FUCKING ruler. I am to bow only to her and my master.
So, I am bowing now because I don’t want to upset my master, but if the Empress hears about this… I wonder what she will do if she finds out her servant bowed to others.”
The entire area fell into a stunned silence…. It wasn’t just Aether’s words that made the group silent….
But the recollection of the Empress’s fierce reputation that held everyone in thrall. She was known to be a sociopathic woman who would go to any lengths to enforce her will. Aether might not have known this, but invoking her name was the right move in this precarious moment.
!~Ding~!
[Survival rate: 8.6% ↑]
Even Alaric’s face paled for a moment before he regained his composure, his mind racing, ‘If that woman were involved, she would indeed say those words without hesitation and act completely irrationally…’.
Alaric decided not to push further; he simply snorted in disdain and entered the classroom.
‘Coward’ Aether thought but then couldn’t help but think, ‘That means Empress might be… a little more dangerous’
Aqualina wanted to ask Aether when her mother had told him about this, but Alaric’s urging for everyone to enter the class prevented her. Alaric gave one last scrutinizing look at Aether before closing the door.
‘Sigh, I guess I chose wisely,’ Aether thought, patting himself mentally for pulling off this stunt.
Did he feel guilty about dragging the Empress into this? … Not at all. He was quite proud of his quick thinking.
If they were going to mess with him, then why not pull that annoying woman into his mess!
“Come with me,” Delphine’s authoritative voice suddenly called out to him.
“Me?” Aether asked, pointing to himself, surprised.
“…” Delphine didn’t reply. She simply turned and walked away.
Aether glanced at Taylor, who had been shocked expression, and then decided to follow Delphine.
‘Step, Step’
As they walked through the hallways, the tension between them was palpable. Neither Delphine nor Aether spoke a word.
‘There’s no way I’m going to talk to a woman who didn’t care to reply to me earlier,’ Aether thought stubbornly, walking beside her with a proud expression while his eyes roamed around, taking in their surroundings.
“…” Delphine glanced at Aether from the corner of her eye and smiled faintly, amused by his pouty demeanour and annoyed expression.
[+10 Affection]
Aether blinked in confusion for a moment and looked at Delphine, who had already returned to her stern face, eyes fixed forward.
‘Sigh, I clearly don’t understand women at all!’ he thought, exasperated.
Soon, they reached the….. Principal’s office.
“W-What?” Aether had a shocked face.
‘Knock, Knock’
“Come in,” came the principal’s voice from within.
“….. I-I think I have an urgent matterrrrrr,” Aether stammered, trying to find an excuse to escape, but Delphine was having none of it. She grabbed him firmly and dragged him inside.
Inside the Principal’s Office,
Aether and Delphine stood before a GIL- ahem, an old lady who sat at her desk, scribbling away on some important documents.
‘ssshhhhssshhh’
The principal continued to write, almost as if she were showing off how busy she was, ignoring their presence for dramatic effect.
That’s what Aether thought, his initial curiosity giving way to boredom. He glanced at Delphine, who maintained her stern, unyielding expression, waiting for the principal’s acknowledgement.
Just as Aether was about to let his mind wander again,
“If not for you having the real deal, she might have lost her job,” the principal suddenly spoke, putting her pen down and looking at Aether with a curious, almost amused expression.
“… Pardon?” Aether blinked, completely baffled by her words. ‘Job? Who? Real deal?’ he wondered, his mind racing to catch up.
The principal smiled knowingly and looked at Aether’s pocket with a hint of kill!….. In response, Snowflake, sensing something, flinched, jumped out of Aether’s pocket, and transformed into her normal, larger size, coiling her snake tail protectively around Aether.
“HISSSSSS!!!”
Snowflake hissed, glaring at the principal with fierce intensity.
“Hmmm… What a fierce cute child you have,” the principal mused, her eyes studying Snowflake with interest.
‘What is happening here?’ Aether wondered, feeling more confused than ever.
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