Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1019: Victor was Traumatized

Selene and Emberlyn stood quietly at the far corner of the throne room, completely unnoticed by anyone else... not that they minded. Everyoneʼs eyes were utterly glued to their Emperor—their Victor.

Seleneʼs eyes sparkled, practically shimmering with stars as she watched her Victor command the entire Empire with such a dominating presence. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined witnessing this with her own eyes—her man, the one she loved, standing tall and supreme as the very heart of the Empire.

It was just so unbelievably cool!

He looked so serious, so untouchably dangerous... not even a bug could dare to reach him!

No woman could reach him either. That was the kind of aura he gave off—untouchable, godlike.

Selene could even see it in the eyes of the female Generals around the room. They were practically begging, silently pleading to be noticed by him... yearning just for a glance.

ʼFu~Fu~ʼ Selene chuckled inwardly, pride swelling in her chest. What more could she possibly ask for?

Victor waved his hand as he finished delivering his harsh, uncompromising decree to all the people. Then, without missing a beat, he turned toward the Generals and issued his final commands for dealing with the abandoned dragons who dared return.

The Generals all bowed their heads deeply and swiftly exited the hall, their faces grave and focused.

Victor let out a soft sigh, rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms slightly to relax his body... and just then—

”Darling~ You are sooooooo cooolllll~!!” Selene squealed with uncontainable joy as she darted toward him like a shooting star, diving into his arms and snuggling against him with the sweetest expression on her face.

Victor gave a quiet chuckle as he gently patted her head, warmth in his touch. ”Iʼm cool, huh? Mmm... Then what about my decision? What do you think of it?”

Selene tilted her head adorably and gave him a solid thumbs up, her smile shining bright. ”One hundred per cent the best!!”

Victor raised a brow in amusement before leaning in to press a soft kiss against her forehead. Selene giggled happily, nuzzling into him. Then, Victor turned toward Emberlyn with the same question in his eyes.

”Iʼm not sure...” Emberlyn replied honestly, her tone cautious. ”This might backfire later on. I mean... I donʼt mean to offend you or anything, Your Majesty… I just want to say—those people might start to bear a grudge against you. After all, you stripped them of every right they had. Theyʼre basically slaves now.”

She spoke with a serious expression. She had grown up here. She knew these people better than most—maybe even better than Victor did.

Victor nodded slowly, humming under his breath as he took her words in. Then, in his calm, assured voice, he replied,

”Even so... the threat they might pose in the future is uncertain. But if they were left unchecked now—if they stayed outside, disgraced but not dealt with—then others would surely use them as weapons against me. That would be far more dangerous than letting them in under control.”

Emberlyn blinked, momentarily stunned. He had thought this through—deeply. It wasnʼt a spur-of-the-moment judgment or a casual, emotional decision. He had considered every angle before declaring those cold, merciless words.

She found herself feeling slightly embarrassed, having doubted his reasoning... Maybe she had underestimated him.

Suddenly—

”Your Majesty!!” Drakhairs burst into the throne room.

Selene immediately straightened up from Victorʼs arms, her posture shifting into that of a calm, composed noblewoman. Her playfulness melted away, replaced with sharp focus.

Drakhairs blinked briefly upon noticing the unfamiliar woman by the Emperorʼs side—but quickly shrugged it off. His duty came first. Bowing his head low, he addressed Victor directly.

”Welcome, Your Majesty.”

Victor gave him a brief nod. ”Report. Whatʼs the current situation at the border?”

Drakhairs lifted his head. ”As soon as your announcement was made, the returning ones were visibly disappointed... Completely devastated, in fact.”

Victor nodded knowingly. He had expected as much.

”But... despite everything, they still want to enter.”

Victorʼs eyes narrowed slightly. ”Hmm... Interesting.”

Drakhairs continued his report, ”Iʼve set up a temporary base near the border to hold them. Weʼve begun collecting their names, their prior duties...”

Victor cut in sharply, ”What about the nobles?”

Drakhairs paused, blinking as he stared at the Emperor. ”So... you know... Ah.”

Victor gave a crooked smirk. ”Hah... Nobles have pride far too thick to let go of their titles and work like commoners. Iʼm sure the ones begging to enter now are commoners, arenʼt they?”

Drakhairs gave a weak nod, his voice low. ”Indeed, Your Majesty. Only the commoners chose to return. As for the nobles... they decided to go back to the new settlement that was created by... Former Prince Leon.”

Victor nodded softly. ”Good, then.” His tone was calm, neutral. There was no disappointment in his eyes.

He had offered them a choice—and they made it. That was all.

From this point forward, everything would change. Victor quietly decided to assign his puppets to keep watch over the situation. If even the slightest threat surfaced... he wouldnʼt hesitate to eliminate it.

Suddenly, Drakhairs hesitated and spoke up, a little nervously, ”C-Can I speak to you alone, Your Majesty?”

Victor frowned slightly. He was perfectly fine with Selene and Emberlyn being present, but the serious look on Drakhairsʼs face… it was the kind of look that said ”man-to-man conversation only.”

Victor glanced at Selene and Emberlyn. They immediately understood and gave him a nod before walking out of the throne room silently.

Once the doors shut behind them, Drakhairs stepped closer to Victor and lowered his voice. ”Your Majesty... That new woman... sheʼs too... sheʼs your—”

”Yeah,” Victor nodded, cutting him off before he could finish the thought.

Drakhairs blinked, then nodded slowly. ”O-Okay... good then. Anyway...” He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. ”Just a few days ago, I encountered a woman who claimed... she was bearing your child.”

”… Pardon?” Victor blinked, completely flabbergasted.

Someone was carrying his child? What in the name of avocado was going on here!?

Sure, he had finished inside with his women without worrying too much about the consequences, but still—he was pretty damn sure no one was pregnant.

Right?

Drakhairs sighed. ”I had the exact same face when I first heard it, Majesty. But you need not worry. I asked her for proof. She declined. Then she started creating a scene and trying to stir up chaos. It seemed like she was just lying.”

”Was she? But... why would someone lie about something like that?” Victor muttered, genuinely taken aback. ʼMaybe… for power?ʼ he guessed.

Drakhairs gave a small, weary smile. ”It happens all the time, Majesty. Most of the time, women are either paid to lie and stir trouble in the royal house... or they want to use the claim to gain power over royalty. And then...” He paused, lowering his voice, ”...in rare cases, it turns out to be true, you know.”

The sly smile he added at the end made Victorʼs lips twitch. He knew exactly what Drakhairs was hinting at—and unfortunately, he had no words to refute it.

Not when Aether was busy planting seeds deep every time he got the chance.

”Anyway... do you know the name of the woman?” Victor asked.

Drakhairs nodded. ”Her name is Vesperine…”

”… Come again?” Victorʼs mind hit a short circuit the moment he heard the name.

Drakhairs nodded again. ”Vesperine. Do you... know her, by any chance?”

Victorʼs frown deepened as he slowly nodded, thoughts racing. ʼVesperine? Why is she here? What is she trying to accomplish? This doesnʼt make any sense... Somethingʼs off about that girl…ʼ he thought, his expression growing tense and serious.

Drakhairs added, ”Oh? So you do know her. Then please be careful around her... sheʼs a succubus.”

”… What?” Victorʼs brain short-circuited again.

Drakhairs nodded with a deadly serious expression. He leaned in closer to Victor and whispered directly into his ear—even though they were alone in the room—as if what he was about to say needed to be uttered in absolute secrecy.

”You see... during her escape... she used some sort of magic. And the guards… they were turned…”

He began to describe the disturbing details in a low, detailed voice.

Victorʼs expression slowly twisted into pure horror as he processed every word. His skin paled... His body recoiled.

Then—suddenly—he bolted a full hundred meters away from Drakhairs with wide, horrified eyes.

”OH MY GODD!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!!” he screamed, his voice echoing through the massive throne room.

Drakhairs blinked, with a completely normal look, he added, ”I took a bath, donʼt worry…”

”YOU FUCKING OLD MAN!! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO TELL ME THAT SHIT!! AAARGHH...!! I CANʼT UNSEE IT NOW!!! I CANʼT GET THAT IMAGE OUT OF MY FUCKING HEAD!!! DAMN IT!! FUCKING GOD!!!!!” Victor roared in a horrified, shrieking tone—his voice filled with utter disgust!