"I told you to stay inside the room, right?" Aether's voice carried a hint of annoyance as he frowned at the butterfly fluttering around.
His eyes followed its erratic movents as it hovered close to the poor maid, who was already trembling in fear. The woman looked as if he was about to collapse from sheer terror.
Despite how frightened she was, Aether quickly noticed that the butterfly never actually touched her. That was a relief, considering the fact that the creature had the ability to suck sothing—energy, life force, or whatever it was—out of people's bodies.
Maelona, who was cradled securely in Aether's arms like a delicate princess, raised her hand and gave the maid a small wave, signaling her to leave.
The maid, as if granted salvation, didn't waste another second. Taking full advantage of the opportunity, she bolted out of sight.
The butterfly flapped its wings, lowering its body slightly as it uttered in a pitiful voice, "Mama~"
The soft, pleading tone made Maelona's heart squeeze with an unexpected pang of guilt. She bit her lip slightly, her fingers twitching against Aether's chest as she hesitated.
Why did she feel guilty? She wasn't sure.
Aether caught the subtle change in her expression and let out a quiet sigh before speaking in a calm yet firm voice. "Co with ." Without waiting for a response, he turned and began walking.
The butterfly perked up at his words, its wings fluttering in delight. "Papa~" it chid, its tone now filled with happiness as it eagerly followed him.
Maelona's breath hitched, and her cheeks instantly grew hotter.
She could feel them burning as the word "Papa" echoed in her mind... just then,
"Wait… Where are you taking ?" she suddenly demanded, blinking up at him.
Aether didn't even hesitate as he responded in a serious tone, "Aria's room, of course."
Maelona's brows furrowed deeply. "But... isn't that just beside my room?" she asked.
That was when she noticed sothing odd. He had been walking… and walking… and walking for quite so ti now. The hallways were long, sure, but they weren't this long. There were plenty of empty rooms they could have entered, and yet he was still carrying her, wandering aimlessly as if they were on so long journey.
Aether suddenly flinched, his grip on her tightening for the briefest mont before he quickly averted his gaze, avoiding her piercing stare.
Maelona narrowed her eyes, "My dear son-in-law... what exactly are you trying to do?" Her voice was skeptical, filled with suspicion, and she eyed him as if she were trying to read his mind.
Aether, however, remained perfectly composed. He didn't flinch under her scrutinizing gaze. Instead, he kept his expression smooth and calm, exuding nothing but confidence.
"I thought walking around in the broad daylight might help you," he said in an incredibly smooth tone, one that made his words sound logical and completely reasonable. "After all, you've been cooped up in that room for a long ti."
His voice was so convincing, so natural, that for a brief second, it almost sounded like a completely valid excuse.
Almost.
But Maelona wasn't buying it. She kept frowning. In fact, her frown only deepened as she continued to glare at him.
Aether, sensing that his charm wasn't working, coughed lightly and quickly changed the subject by stepping into the room. Without another word, he gently placed her down onto the soft bed, his movents careful and precise, as if handling sothing fragile.
Once she was settled, he grabbed a nearby chair, positioned it beside her, and sat down.
Aether nodded to himself before shifting his gaze toward the butterfly. The creature had once again moved to the corner of the room, its wings trembling slightly as it hesitated. It was staring at him, waiting… waiting for permission.
Aether let out a small exhale before turning his focus back to Maelona. He reached forward, gently grasping the hem of her skirt before slowly pulling it up.
Unlike before, Maelona didn't seem as shy or hesitant. She didn't tense up or shrink away. There was no nervousness in her expression. She simply lay there, trusting him completely.
He carefully lifted the fabric higher until the dark, blackened area of her skin was fully visible.
He retrieved a healing potion from his storage and began pouring it onto the afflicted area.
"Arrhh!" Maelona winced softly as the cool liquid made contact with her skin. A sharp, chilling sensation spread through her, making her shudder involuntarily.
But sothing was off.
Aether narrowed his eyes, watching closely. He had expected the potion to take effect imdiately. Yet…
"It's not healing," he muttered, his brows knitting together.
He hesitated for only a second before deciding to try another thod. He handed her the potion. "Drink this," he instructed softly.
Maelona nodded and took the bottle, sipping the liquid with a delicate motion. The mont it slid down her throat, she felt sothing inside her stir. A faint tingling spread through her body, and she trembled slightly as a sensation ran down her spine.
She instinctively touched her neck where the monster had bitten her. The lingering pain faded... The dark mark on her leg, however, remained unchanged.
Co to think of it, his own skin had darkened in the sa way when the butterfly had touched him earlier. But in his case, it had reversed within monts.
'Was it because I didn't touch it for a longer period?' he wondered.
[Why don't you try giving her your 'Nectar'? ]
'...What?'
[…I an, think about it. That thing is literally calling you 'Papa'—and correct if I'm wrong, but last I checked, you haven't even so much as kissed Maelona, let alone done anything to earn that title. So, tell … How do you explain that? 🤨]
Aether's eye twitched harder. 'Why does that feel like sarcasm?' His Log was getting way too comfortable.
[Ahem…Back to the main point—let's go over the facts, shall we? One: that weird butterfly creature is calling you 'Papa.' Two: the only thing linking you to said butterfly is the fact that Maelona drank your 'Nectar.'... So all that leads to your 'Nectar'!]
Aether fell silent. He thought about it for a mont before sighing, 'Yeah... that does seem to be the only link.'
"Papa?"
Aether stiffened. He wasn't sure if he should feel happy that he apparently had a child... or concerned that said child wasn't even human or elf.
With a deep breath, Aether reached into his storage space and pulled out a large box filled with neatly arranged bottles of white lotion. He placed it down with a soft thud before grabbing one of the bottles.
Maelona blinked at the sheer quantity. Her face imdiately turned red. "J-Just how much do you have?" she stamred.
Aether casually shrugged. "I got a 'lot' of helping 'hands.'"
Maelona's face turned an even deeper shade of crimson. She pursed her lips, looking away.
Aether's brows furrowed at her reaction. Then he paused. A thought struck him, and his eyes widened in realization. "Wait… You knew?" His expression turned horrified.
"..."
Maelona simply averted her gaze. She didn't say anything.
Aether blinked, feeling an odd sense of awkwardness settle between them. "...Since when did you... sigh, well, you see… it's just—"
"It's fine... I didn't ask, and you didn't need to say anything," Maelona said with a soft smile, her gaze holding genuine warmth. She could see he had done all this for her… He had gone out of his way to help her, and even if it was unconventional, she couldn't possibly be mad at him.
How could she shout at the man who was only trying to save her?
Aether let out a slow breath of relief. He had been tense, unsure of how she would react when she found out she had been drinking a man's nectar. He had expected her to be disgusted, furious, or at the very least, unsettled. But instead… she was smiling.
Aether smiled back, just to be safe. "Sorry," he said, his voice gentle. He had lied to her, after all. It was only right to apologize before opening the bottle and moving it towards her lips.
Maelona chuckled softly, her expression amused.
He was apologizing now?
After everything?
"You know, Aether, you really are sothing else," she mused, shaking her head. She was fine, and yet he still insisted on acting like a gentleman. When everything about this situation was so far removed from anything gentlemanly…
Her son-in-law was certainly one of a kind.
She parted her lips as Aether poured the liquid in. To be honest, she could have just taken the bottle and drunk it herself. But for so reason, neither of them seed to care about that small detail.
[Just Fuck already!]
Log comnted suddenly.
Aether's lips twitched. 'You are getting way too comfortable, don't you think?' he muttered inwardly, his brows furrowing slightly.
Maelona suddenly shivered, an intense sensation washing over her body. It was like being dipped in ice while heat simultaneously burned through her veins, sending a rush of energy spiraling inside her. A strange, hot mist escaped from her skin, making the air around her feel charged.
Aether blinked at the sight. "It's working?" he muttered, watching as her body trembled slightly before glancing at her darkened leg... However, nothing visibly changed.
"I can feel it..." Maelona murmured, her voice laced with wonder. She hadn't realized until this mont, but... she could feel her toes again. She hadn't felt them in so long. Tentatively, she wiggled them, proving to herself that the sensation was real.
Aether grinned, clearly satisfied. "Looks like just a few more doses and you'll be ready to run~" he teased, winking playfully at her.
Maelona smirked, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Ara~ Run? Should I run far away from you, Mister?" she purred, her voice edged with teasing amusent.
Aether blinked at her sudden shift in tone. It had been ages since he had seen her act like this. 'Looks like she's slowly opening up to ,' he mused, feeling sothing stir in his chest. He reached down to grab another bottle of lotion when—
"Huh?" Aether frowned, his hand grasping at empty space. A quick glance downward— the box of lotions was missing.
His eyes widened as he imdiately turned to the only other living thing? in the room… the butterfly.
"What the fuck?" Aether's voice ca out in a strangled yell.
The butterfly— his damn child— was already busy consuming every single bottle of lotion. It used its elongated appendage, the proboscis, to suck out the contents at an terrifying speed. It devoured the liquid within seconds, like a ravenous beast that had been starving for centuries.
As if that wasn't horrifying enough, it turned towards Aether and—
"Papa?"
As if asking for more!!
Aether's entire body froze in sheer horror. His mind short-circuited. He could barely comprehend what he had just seen, but his soul felt like it was leaving his body...
What.
The.
Fuck.
Before he could even process the nightmare unfolding before him—
"ARRRRRRHHHHH!!!"
Maelona's bloodcurdling scream shattered the mont. Aether's head snapped towards her in alarm. "M-Maelona—" His heart leaped into his throat as he watched her body suddenly rise into the air, as if possessed by an unseen force.
Panic surged through him. He reached out instinctively, about to grab her hand, but before he could, her entire body began to glow— a blinding, almost holy radiance consuming her form.
At the sa ti, the butterfly— the goddamn butterfly— began to shine as well. The two of them pulsed with an overwhelming light, illuminating the entire room with an intensity that burned Aether's skin on contact.
"The hell is going on?!" Aether hissed, squinting against the blinding glow. He tried to see through it, but it was impossible.
And then—
!~Ding~!
[⚠️ Alert: A Higher Entity has erged dangerously close to the User! Please exercise extre caution!]
"Higher Entity? What the fuck is that, Log?!" Aether shouted.
[…Wait… This thing... HOW IN THE WORLD... FUCK!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, AETHER?! 😨]
Even Log sounded horrified.
'Mother's promise, I didn't do anything!!' Aether scread inwardly.
He had literally done nothing!!
"Wait? Another child coming??" Aether's face turned horrified.
No, no, no, he was not prepared for this.
OMG!!
What could possibly be worse than this?!
[💀 WARNING: RUN NOW, BEFORE SHE TEARS YOU APART!!!!]
".... What?"
"SSSRRCCCCCCEEEECCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
A bone-chilling screech tore through the room.
"...Shit!"
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