Was she cute now?
“Yes, I Love Aether, Archpriestess”
Helena’s words echoed relentlessly in the Archpriestess’s mind, like a curse she
couldn’t escape.
She had asked Helena for details of the Academy’s destruction, expecting facts, but instead, she received a confession that shattered her world.
The Archpriestess stood frozen, unable to believe what she had just heard. Her hands itched with the desire to strike… to end the life of the woman who had stolen her beloved from her.
But… no!
She stopped herself….. She knew all too well that if she harmed Helena, it would break Aether’s heart…. All because that bitched her innocent Aether!!
“Killing her… would only hurt him,” she whispered under her breath, her voice shaking with suppressed rage.
Aether’s love for Helena was undeniable now, a truth she could no longer ignore.
He loved her more than Stella.. more than her!
That realization twisted inside her, gnawing at her sanity.
“How could he choose her over me?” she
muttered to herself, her fists clenched so tightly her nails bit into her palms.
It was only the hope-the desperate hope— that Aether would come to her and tell her it was all a misunderstanding.
That Helena had lied!
That hope was the single thread keeping
her from collapsing into madness.
Yet deep down, she knew better. Helena would never lie.
Not to her… Not to anyone… The saintess was too innocent, too pure, too naïve for that!!
“A-Aether must have fallen for her… for that damned innocence,” the Archpriestess thought bitterly, pacing in her chambers.
It was that same sweet, untouchable charm that had drawn him to Stella in the first place….. That was how she lost him, NOW!
Upon her return to the Empire, the Archpriestess tried to throw herself into
her duties. She prayed to her Mother God, but her thoughts constantly drifted to
Aether.
“Is he holding her hand right now?” she wondered, gripping the edge of her
prayer
altar,
“Is he… taking her out on dates? Whispering sweet things in her ear?”
Her breath quickened, “H-Has he
k-k-kissed her?”
The more her mind wandered, the more
her control slipped.
Rage and jealousy clawed at her, each
thought driving her further into a storm of emotion.
She couldn’t stand it anymore!!!
“I have to confront him,” she decided, her
voice trembling with both fury and longing.
But when she sought him out, he was nowhere to be found. He had shut himself away, unreachable.
Since her visit to the Academy wasn’t an
official one, she couldn’t barge in
uninvited…. Instead, she wandered the
temples and orphanages, trying to bury her
obsessive thoughts by helping the less
fortunate. Yet even in the temple’s sacred
silence, her mind was consumed with
Aether.
Until today.
After finishing her duties, she was shocked
to spot Aether-disguised as Victor-eating at a fancy restaurant, far from the Academy’s prying eyes.
“A-Aether…” she whispered, her heart
skipping a beat as she moved to approach him. But then, she stopped in her tracks.
No!
Not yet!!
She needed to know something first. Something had been gnawing at her, and she couldn’t confront him without testing the truth herself.
With a swift incantation, she transformed
into Stella. She would play the role of the innocent, naïve healer-just like before! At first, she feared he might hate her for leaving without a word that day. But when she saw him acting completely normal, as though nothing had changed, she felt a strange sense of relief.
‘He’s… just as he always was,’ she thought, the tension easing slightly. Still, doubt gnawed at her.
Could he really be so unaffected? ‘But really… this food is amazing,’ she
thought, surprised by the taste of the meal she shared with him.
As the Empire’s Archpriestess, her role was nearly equal to that of an Empress from
other Empires, but unlike an Empress, she couldn’t indulge in luxuries. Her wealth
was meant to help the poor and the hungry. Extravagant meals like this were rare,
reserved only for offerings given to her.
Despite her high status, she’d never been allowed to indulge for herself.
‘Yet here I am,’ she thought with mild amusement, ‘swayed by the foods’
But as she observed Aether, something unexpected happened. He started flirting with her-something that both surprised and amused her.
‘H-He’s flirting with me like this?’ she thought, biting back a smirk. Unlike when she met him as Archpriestess,
he rather avoided her and did not act like
now…
‘Must be because I am special?’ she
thought… It was amusing, given her
current form was far from her usual seductive, adult self.
‘Fu~fu~ He really hasn’t changed much, has
he?’ she mused to herself. But as the meal
progressed, she decided to probe deeper, asking questions, testing him.
She half-expected him to lie or evade her
probing.
Yet when he confessed, in no uncertain
terms, that he loved Helena, it was like a dagger to her heart.
“Yeah… let’s kill that bitch,” she thought
with sudden, searing clarity. The idea of
murder flashed through her mind without hesitation.
Despite being the one who raised Helena, it
didn’t mean she would ever accept sharing Aether’s love with another woman.
She was ready-ready to end it, Once and
all!!
But then…
“I’m on a mission,” Aether said suddenly,
his voice quieter, more serious.
The Archpriestess froze, caught off guard.
For the first time, she felt her resolve falter as she listened to him speak about his own suffering, his isolation, his loneliness. Something about it struck her, cut through
her rage.
“Mission? Seduction? Assassination targets?” The Archpriestess couldn’t
believe what she was hearing. It sounded like a far-fetched excuse… Like bullshit, something to justify his actions, and yet… as she studied his serious expression, the faint trace of fear in his eyes, she realized it wasn’t a lie.
All she could think at that moment was,
‘He’s pitiful.’
It wasn’t just that she saw him as weak or
vulnerable.
No, she pitied him for carrying such a
heavy burden alone, with no one to confide in, no one to help ease the weight. Her heart ached, and tears threatened to
spill from her eyes, but she fought to maintain her composure. What kept her calm was the way Aether looked at her, the
way his eyes seemed to love her without him saying a single word.
The intensity in his gaze made her heart
flutter!!
Then, as he teased her, the tenderness in never fading, she felt a rush of
his
eyes
happiness. In that moment, she knew-he still loved her.
It was undeniable!!
Her theory was confirmed. No matter what
had happened, no matter how many other women he had been forced to seduce,
Aether’s love for her was still there, burning bright.
‘He’s just forced to seduce those other bitches, that’s all!’ she thought, feeling a wave of understanding wash over her. She wanted to offer him some help, but she
knew she couldn’t.
Her Mother God’s voice rang in her head,
shouting at her to kill him every time she
got too close.
The divine pressure was suffocating!! Even now!!
Ignoring her Mother God’s order?
That would be dangerous. She needed to maintain her position as Archpriestess. If she disobeyed, she could lose it, and that would create more problems-problems that might affect Aether.
Anyhow,
As they walked together in the fading light
of the day, their hands brushed against
each other, sending electric tingles through her body.
The sky turned a rich, burning orange as dusk approached. They didn’t know where they were going; Aether was simply
following her, and she was following him. It was almost as if they were mirroring each other’s steps, unaware that they were
both waiting for the other to take the lead.
It felt strangely romantic, like they were
the
only two people in the world, with nothing else that mattered.
After what seemed like an eternity of
walking in comfortable silence, Aether
finally broke it.
“So?” he asked, his voice gentle.
“Hm?” Stella tilted her head, curious.
Aether smiled softly, “Are you disappointed
in me?”
Stella’s lips curled into a teasing smirk. “Well… what if I am?”
Aether turned his head toward her, leaning
in slightly, “Then I guess I’ll just have to try
my best to… hook up with Helena, then,”
he said, winking playfully.
Aether turned his head toward her, leaning
in slightly, “Then I guess I’ll just have to try
my best to… hook up with Helena, then,”
he said, winking playfully.
Her face immediately soured, and without
thinking, she punched his shoulder. “I-I’ll
kill you, you bastard!” Aether laughed, the sound warm and light,
before leaning in closer. “Come on now, tell
me.”
“Tell you what?” Stella asked, blinking in confusion.
He sighed dramatically, “Sigh, there’s no
point in acting anymore. I want to hear it
from your lips,” he said, his face drawing closer, almost dangerously close now. Stella instinctively took a step back, only to
find herself pressed against a nearby wall.
Passersby chuckled quietly as they saw the playful exchange, their soft laughter echoing as they walked on, leaving the two in their own little world.
Stella’s eyes grew wide, a genuine flush
colouring her cheeks.
It wasn’t just an act anymore… she was
really feeling shy now!!
“A-Aether…” she stammered, her voice
trembling. “Say it,” he murmured, his lips now inches
from hers.
away Ba-dump.
Her heart pounded violently in her chest. [+10000 AP]
“I… I…” She bit her lower lip, her eyes
darting nervously. At that moment, she
regretted coming to him as Stella.
If she had come as the Archpriestess, she
would’ve been the one cornering him! Aether tilted his head slightly, his breath
warm against her skin. “Say it~,” he whispered his tone teasing but edged with
a hunger she couldn’t ignore. fluttered shut, her breath hitching as she saw Aether’s gaze lingering
Stella’s
eyes
on her lips. He was staring at her like she
was the only thing in the world he wanted.
She bit and licked her lips nervously before
parting them to speak.
“A-Aether… Y-You’ve really become a bad boy… I-I need to purify you~,” she
whispered, her voice barely audible. Aether smirked, his lips ghosting over hers.
“Purify me, huh? You’ll have to say it first
before
you purify me~,” he teased, leaning
even closer.
[+10000 AP]
“I~I love yo~Hmmm~”
Her words were cut off as Aether’s lips
crashed onto hers, soft and warm, taking
her breath away..
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