Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1012: My man should always stand tall...

Back to Aether....

”OH... Itʼs your Log?” Xara muttered, her voice carrying a mix of surprise and deep curiosity, her eyes widening as she stared at Aetherʼs log. It was unlike anything she had seen before—complex, strange—and it pulled at her interest in a way few things ever had.

Aether stared at Xara in silence for a long second... He told her everything—his mission, his seduction, his goals, his desires. Everything laid bare, with no hesitation and no shame. The truth, whole and unfiltered.

But after all that, the only reactions he got were: Surprised. Shocked... Curious!

Thatʼs it?

Yep.

More like she was only curious about his Log... and nothing else.

He had just admitted... that he had numerous women. Multiple partners, countless intimate moments, deep entanglements—and yet... this was all the response he received?

Selene blinked. Honestly, she couldnʼt help but wonder if something was wrong with her own heart. After all, she had reacted far too emotionally compared to Xara, who was calmly absorbing it all like it was just another story in a book.

Xara didnʼt even seem to care about the fact that there were other women in his life.

ʼAm I the one who acted weird?ʼ Selene truly wondered, her heart tightening.

”Unique Ether Bloodline and... Crimson Elixir of the Null... Mutated... ah?” Xara muttered again, this time more to herself, as she lifted her head and stared at Aether with a crazed, almost intoxicated expression in her eyes. Her mind was racing, fascination glowing behind her pupils.

”Iʼve never heard of anything like this before,” she whispered. ”Ether? Whatʼs that? Wasnʼt your previous name Ether? Is that related to all this? And also...” Her face suddenly leaned forward, zooming in close to Aetherʼs, her breath lightly touching his skin as she muttered, ”Crimson Elixir of the Null... how do you even have something like that? Itʼs insane... itʼs beyond reason.”

She looked at him with that intense curiosity—part mad scientist, part wild historian, and part predator. Her eyes were wide, almost peeling him apart with nothing but her gaze, trying to decode the mystery wrapped in his blood.

Aether sighed inwardly. ʼOf course sheʼd be more obsessed with what runs through my veins rather than who has my heart,ʼ he thought wryly, with a soft exhale of frustration.

”Mom! Could you please, please focus on the important thing here?” Selene said, her voice laced with rising irritation, an edge of pleading slipping in. Her brow furrowed as she glared at her mother.

Xara frowned, the expression subtle but firm. ”I am focusing on the important thing, dear,” she said in an emotionless tone, her eyes still fixed sharply on Aetherʼs face.

Yup, when it comes to blood, she changes!

”Crimson Elixir of the Null... thatʼs something that vanished eons ago... something spoken about in the deepest, dustiest corners of history... and itʼs one of the rarest blood types ever recorded. If blood-sucking creatures even so much as smell this blood, forget seeing it... Aether, you wouldnʼt just be a target... youʼd be hunted, farmed, treated like a divine livestock...” Her voice dropped to a dangerous, low whisper.

”And Ether Bloodline... Iʼve never even heard of it. Not in tomes, not in legends... nothing. Ether... ah... Ether... so then what does ʼUniqueʼ mean here? Does that imply yours is a rare mutation of a bloodline that barely existed to begin with? And... there are other bloodlines mixed in here too. So many strange threads in your veins... I never knew such possibilities existed... How could I lo—”

Before she could continue her frenzied rant, Aether leaned in suddenly, his face mere inches from hers. His voice came out soft, tender, yet full of quiet command.

”Look at me~”

Xara froze.

Her crazed expressions vanished instantly, blinking as the haze in her mind cleared. Aetherʼs warm breath touched her cheek like a soft breeze, and her face flushed with sudden warmth. She immediately stepped back, her body betraying her as a gentle tremble passed through her.

Selene blinked again, this time with a flicker of surprise. She hadnʼt expected that—Aether calming her mother so easily, like pressing a switch and watching chaos dissolve into silence.

She clicked her tongue and crossed her arms, staring directly at Xara.

”Mom, you mightʼve forgotten, but Aether already—”

”Has relationships with other women, right?” Xara completed calmly, glancing at her daughter with softened eyes.

There was no anger, no outrage. Just understanding. Quiet acceptance, perhaps too quiet.

She slowly pinched her eyebrows with a pained expression and looked straight at Aether. ”So Iʼm just your target then?” she asked, her voice lowered. ”Once you seduce a woman... Itʼs over? Just like that?”

Aether remained silent for a moment before giving a small nod.

Xara didnʼt shout. She didnʼt pull away. Instead, she looked thoughtful—far more thoughtful than Sandra had been when she had discovered the truth. There was no wild emotion, no broken voice.

Just silence... Heavy, dense silence!

She pointed toward Selene slowly.

”She too... target?”

Aether nodded again.

Xara frowned deeply and turned to her daughter,

”Then tell me, Selene... why do you still love him?” she asked, genuinely, her tone filled with a motherʼs worry. ”After all, youʼre just a target to him, arenʼt you? He seduced you... he can leave any moment... and he doesnʼt need to do anything more. Nothing binds him to you. So why?”

She shot a sharp glance back at Aether, eyes narrowing slightly.

Selene smiled softly, her eyes locking with Aetherʼs as she stepped a little closer. There was warmth in her gaze, calm and sincere, a deep glow that softened every edge of her expression.

”Because I love him, Mom... thatʼs it,” she said with gentle conviction, her voice trembling slightly as if her heart was speaking before her mind processed it, ”And I can see his love in his eyes... even if heʼs forced by his Log. That love... Itʼs still there. Itʼs in the way he looks at me. The way he pours everything into his words, into his touch, his presence... I feel it.”

Her voice cracked, but she smiled through it, breathing out softly.

”I... I couldnʼt just walk away from him because of something like that. Of course I was angry, confused, even scared at first but... the more I see his face... the more I see him try, the more I understand him... I... I just canʼt leave him alone after all heʼs been through. I want to be by his side.” She took a soft breath. ”To be honest, I just... want to protect him. Thatʼs all I want.”

Aether raised his eyebrows, surprised by the sincerity in her words. ʼProtect me... ah,ʼ he thought to himself, stunned, warmth bubbling in his chest. It was such a simple thing to say—yet it stirred something deep in him.

Xara blinked slowly, her lips curving into a quiet, knowing smile. She nodded without a word and turned back to pack her things in calm silence, her movements smooth and unhurried.

Selene frowned slightly, unsure of her motherʼs reaction. ”Mom?” she called softly.

Without turning, Xara replied in a cryptic but affectionate tone, ”You already got my answer, dear.”

Selene blinked, puzzled at first. But then her lips tugged into a weak, playful smile. ”Mom... you are...” she whispered, shaking her head with an embarrassed giggle. The rest of her words stuck in her throat, and she couldnʼt bring herself to say them aloud.

Instead, her cheeks flushed red as she muttered under her breath, ”I... really hate you, Mom!” She pouted with puffed cheeks and stomped away with exaggerated annoyance.

Xara paused her packing, casting a sideways glance at her daughterʼs retreating figure, her expression unreadable yet filled with maternal fondness. She could tell Selene wasnʼt being honest. That love and affection were hiding behind those embarrassed eyes. She knew her daughter too well.

Then came a quiet voice behind her.

”Xara...”

Her eyes shifted slightly to Aether, who still stood behind her. She was a little surprised to see him still there, but more surprised to see his head lowered in a deep bow.

”I know my words might feel shallow,” he began, his voice low, weighted with guilt and regret, ”but I... am truly sorry. Not only for what I did to you... but also for what I did to your daughter.”

Xara stared at him for a long moment, silent. Then she slowly stepped forward, her heels quiet against the floor.

”I wasnʼt really angry, Aether...” she finally said, her voice soft, layered with maturity and understanding. ”To be honest... Iʼm relieved you told me. Because from your point of view... this must be incredibly painful, isnʼt it?”

Aether remained still, head still bowed.

”You were forced to seduce others... and somewhere along the way... you actually fell in love. Not once, but again and again... And when that happens...” She drew in a slow breath, her voice trembling now with emotion, ”the guilt... the fear... the burden of loving someone while carrying such a heavy secret... Itʼs unbearable, isnʼt it?”

She stood before him now, close enough to hear his breath, her voice nearly a whisper.

”Every day you worry, youʼre afraid. The woman you seduced gives you her love, her heart, and yet... You hold back. You hide the truth... because you love her too much to break her. But the more you love her... the more you suffer. You hate yourself for lying... and you fear what will happen if she ever learns the truth.”

She reached up gently, her fingers soft and trembling, and slowly lifted his chin with her hand, guiding his face to look into hers.

”Youʼve been hiding that pain behind a smile for far too long, havenʼt you?”

Aether blinked, his eyes moist with unspoken feelings. Her touch was warm, soothing, and unlike anything he had expected.

”Next time...” Xara said, her cheeks turning a soft pink as she looked at him, ”...never bow your head to me. My man should always stand tall. No matter what happens.” She paused, her voice tender but firm, her fingers brushing his cheek lightly. ”Unless... unless you kill me, or my daughter... or our children.”

In a way... she was too familiar to him!

Aether stared at her, stunned into silence for a second before a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

”Ha... Haha...” He looked at her with a mixture of awe and helpless affection, ”Can you... tell me... why are you like this? I mean...” He scratched his head, chuckling again, ”...Iʼm... fuck it... Can I kiss you?”

Xara blinked, her entire face flushing into a bright beet red.

Before she could stop him, Aether leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers—gently, sincerely, almost reverently.

”~Hmmm~”

The kiss wasnʼt just passion—it carried a whisper of longing, a taste of apology, and a surge of understanding. Xara gasped softly against his lips, but didnʼt pull back. Instead, she closed her eyes and leaned into it.

Aether had no words for her. For this moment. She understood him in ways no one else ever had. She didnʼt ask, didnʼt demand—she just saw him. Like a book sheʼd read a hundred times... And somehow, something about her touch, her words, her warmth... made him feel truly seen.

Not just accepted. Cherished.

He held her gently, as if afraid she might disappear.

ʼWhy am I feeling this?ʼ he wondered, heart pounding in his chest. ʼWhy... does it feel like Iʼve found something I didnʼt know I was missing?ʼ