Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

“Okay? That’s it?” Selene blinked, her expression horrified.

Aether tilted his head in confusion, ‘Did she not hear that correctly?’ he wondered, completely baffled.

Xara tilted her head too, smiling softly, “Why are you shocked?” she asked gently. “Did you think I didn’t notice you, my daughter?” She shook her head with a disappointed sigh. “I know my daughter—”

“Even though you didn’t tell me the truth about yourself?” Selene interjected, her tone sceptical and challenging.

“…That’s… a separate department. Let’s not dig into that right now,” Xara quickly deflected. “Anyway, even if others didn’t look… I could see your eyes. I could literally see your eyes whispering love,” she said with an amused tone.

Selene—the way she looked at Aether was unlike anything else. Xara had noticed it a long time ago. It was subtle, but too deep to be missed. She’d realised quickly that Selene was harbouring a quiet, one-sided love for Aether.

That’s what she tried to have a talk about it… but she never had chance.

Selene’s lips twitched violently. She was sure she’d hidden her feelings perfectly. Yet, it seemed like she had been leaking them without even realising it.

Xara smirked, her eyes dancing mischievously, “Just so you know… I don’t mind sharing. But Aether is madly in love with me, so you might have very little space. Or maybe none at all… who knows~fu~fu~” she chuckled, clearly amused and just a little proud.

Both Aether and Selene blinked. Again. Because that response… was really confusing.

Was Xara actually fine with that?

“What are you talking about?! Aren’t you deciding things without me?!” Aether frowned and stepped forward.

Xara sighed and turned to him, “It’s fine, Aether. I’m not forcing you to love someone. Just… give her a chance, will you? If it doesn’t work out, I’ll talk to her myself… But please… You might really like her” her face softened with a pleading look.

Aether was taken aback, again. He frowned, “You really don’t mind?”

“Mind what?” Xara tilted her head, confused.

Selene blinked too. She was honestly surprised by Xara’s sudden acceptance.

No shouting, no possessiveness, no long emotional drama like the kind Aqualina had with her mother. Of course, Aqualina had mentioned some things that gave Selene an idea, but still… this was beyond expectations.

Seeing both of them stare at her like she was some alien creature, something clicked in Xara’s head, “Oh… You two must be wondering about our relationship? Honestly… I don’t mind.”

She tilted her head and added softly, “I understand. But honestly…” her expression turned a little tired, “I’ve seen worse. Way worse. During the time I left the house, I stayed with a friend and… let’s just say I learned a lot about the world…” she said with a strangely fascinated tone. Then added with a shrug, “You know, compared to our relationship, I’ve seen some seriously bizarre stuff… like, a grandfather marrying his granddaughter.”

“A father marrying the mother, sister, and daughters all at once?”

“A granddaughter marrying her father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and even her son? Like—seriously, that’s beyond fu–ahem.. up!”

“So yeah… I’ve seen enough freaky situations that made me numb to our little love triangle…” she finished with a light shrug and an expression that said “been there, seen worse.” Inwardly, she added with a proud smile, ‘Well, technically not “marrying”… more like they were just fucking around like wild animals. But I can’t exactly say that, can I? That would be a very unethical thing for a mother to say! And most of all… I want my daughter to be happier than anything! If she wants him, then so be it!’

Selene and Aether slowly turned to glance at each other…

Thud!

They both collapsed to the ground with a drained, exhausted look on their faces.

“I… I can’t believe this…” Aether muttered.

“Me neither…” Selene groaned, “There’s an entire generation weirder than us… and yet we’ve been working so hard to be normal? What kind of horror is this?”

Aether wanted to cry. Here he was, trying his best to keep peace between all his lovers… and meanwhile, there were people out there doing things far beyond his comprehension. There would always be a Master of Madness beyond him!

“What’s wrong with you two?” Xara frowned, watching them like they’d just seen the end of the world. ‘Maybe that info dump was a bit too much…’ she thought to herself.

Selene slowly glanced at Aether, then sighed, “I will be honest… Just tell her the truth, Aether… Instead of carrying that guilt in your heart… just say it. From the looks of it… my weird mom… I think she’ll accept that too,” she said with a wry smile.

Aether looked at Selene for a long moment, then turned his gaze to Xara, who tilted her head curiously, waiting. He exhaled slowly, preparing himself.

“I told you I had one big secret, right?”

“Yes,” Xara nodded.

“Well, you see…”

And Aether began to tell her the truth—about his missions, and everything else about women he’d been hiding all this time.

While Aether was telling everything to Xara, He was moving way fast with her than anyone, meanwhile—

Kai, Velc, Vesperine, and Leon were slowly making their way back to the household, walking through the quiet night streets. The cold breeze whispered between the shadows of the trees as they neared their home.

Kai’s jaw was clenched tightly, teeth grinding as if he were still trying to comprehend what he had just witnessed—something that had shattered his very perception of the world.

A truth too unbearable.

“Kai… it’s fine… There’s no need to think too deeply about it…” Velc tried to ease the tension. “Your Mothe—”

“Not my mother,” Kai said coldly.

His voice was sharp enough to slice through bone. The deadly edge in his tone made Velc flinch instinctively, and when he looked into Kai’s eyes, he saw it—the quiet fury boiling beneath.

Kai’s mind kept looping the memory—how she, the woman who claimed to love him, chose a slave over her own son. How she dared to speak of love, of family, after abandoning him for Aether.

And even worse… she meant it.

‘That woman…’ Kai grit his teeth harder, the sound of enamel grinding echoing in his skull. For the first time in his life, he felt disgusted by her love. No—he couldn’t even call it love anymore. That woman wasn’t his mother. She had become just another face in the crowd.

A stranger.

He didn’t care anymore.

Not about her.

Not about anything she said.

‘Are you alright?’

Those soft words—meant for Aether, not him—still echoed painfully in his head. She had looked worried for him, a boy with barely a scratch… while she killed her own creation, acting like it was some noble gesture. Spouting nonsense about how she once viewed it as her own child.

“Dad,” Kai called out suddenly, his voice low and cold.

Velc flinched again.

“Grandpa… What was his end goal? Why did he offer your blood to that woman? He knew what she was… knew she was a monster… so why?” Kai asked, almost growling.

Velc shook his head slowly, pain written deep across his aged face. “I… I really don’t know, my son,” he said with a clenched fist, frustration and helplessness knotting inside him. “I never understood him. Not back then, and not even at the end…”

He paused for a long moment. “Even in his death… he only mentioned Aether.”

The silence that followed was heavy—too heavy.

Then a terrifying realisation dawned on both of them at once.

“Don’t tell me he was part of it too?” Kai and Velc said together, eyes wide, horrified.

They both stiffened as the pieces clicked together—Mortimer was the one who brought Aether into the family. That meant… he knew. He knew everything.

It was all a setup from the beginning.

Mortimer and Xara—both playing roles in a grand manipulation.

Velc and Kai’s faces turned pale, weak, their composure crumbling like brittle glass.

“So… everything was a lie after all,” Kai muttered, his voice cracking into a broken whisper.

“…M-My son… I’m here for you!” Velc said, pulling him into a tight embrace.

Kai buried his face into Velc’s shoulder, his breath shaky. ‘Don’t cry… Don’t cry… Don’t cry…’ he chanted silently, trying to hold it all back. But the ache in his chest threatened to drown him.

Then—

His gaze fell on a nearby temple, its silhouette glowing under the faint moonless-light.

And in that moment…

A dangerous glint sparked in Kai’s eyes.