Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1122: I’m the one who has to face her.

Delphine’s face shifted into an awkward expression the moment she saw Emberlyn approaching.

”I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop... it’s just...” she murmured, her voice trailing off as she looked away, avoiding direct eye contact.

”No, no... I’m not complaining,” Emberlyn replied gently, offering a small smile as she tried to ease the tension. ”It’s fine, really.”

They quietly stepped away from the side of the throne room, careful not to disturb the family still gathered inside.

The two women walked through the grand marble halls, their footsteps echoing faintly, accompanied by the gentle breeze that flowed like a silent companion, wrapping around them as they moved.

Delphine glanced sideways and asked, her tone hesitant, ”So... you’re the mother of Thalia and Raven, right?”

Emberlyn nodded, her gaze softening. ”Yes, I am. And if I’m not mistaken... you’re the Emperor’s mate?”

Delphine’s cheeks flushed, her fingers brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear before she blinked rapidly. ”I... I... don’t know,” she admitted, rubbing the back of her head with a nervous chuckle.

Emberlyn raised her eyebrows in surprise. ”You don’t know?” She tilted her head with a light laugh. ”That’s the first time I’ve heard something like that... ahah...”

But her words, though meant playfully, landed with an unexpected weight.

Delphine’s expression shifted suddenly—her blush fading as her eyes turned sharp, her entire demeanour growing colder and more distant.

Emberlyn blinked, instantly noticing the change. ”No, no, I didn’t mean to tease you,” she said quickly, hands slightly raised. ”It’s just... it’s rare to meet a woman who doesn’t seem interested in Emperor Aether. That’s all. Nothing else.”

Delphine let out a soft hum, a sound that seemed more like a warning than agreement, but she kept her mouth shut.

Emberlyn sighed, realising she might have hit a nerve. ”To be honest... I heard from my daughters that something happened between you and the Emperor. Some kind of... disagreement?”

Delphine’s eyes narrowed. Her voice turned cold. ”So you came here to calm me down? To manipulate me into being more cooperative or what?”

Emberlyn blinked, visibly flustered now. ”Oh... no, no, it’s nothing like that. I swear. I wouldn’t dare—if I tried something like that, the Emperor would probably kill me himself.”

Delphine scoffed bitterly, ”Hah... He’d be happy to let you manipulate me,” she muttered under her breath, her fists tightening at her sides. Today... she had seen the faces of the women who had also been targeted by him.

Women he had touched. Women he had possibly lied to, the same way he lied to her.

Honestly, she wasn’t even shocked anymore. She had already predicted this. Somehow, deep inside, she had always known it would come to this.

And that—was the only reason she came here.

To look each of them in the eyes... To see all of them together.

Emberlyn stared at Delphine for a few silent seconds, observing her posture, the tension in her shoulders, the pain barely hidden beneath the anger.

Then she shook herself out of her thoughts and spoke, her voice quieter now, more vulnerable. ”You know... back when my life shattered completely... when everything I loved was stripped from me... all I could think about was death.”

Delphine’s gaze flickered toward her, something in her eyes softening, just slightly.

Emberlyn continued, ”I was stuck... sealed inside a glass tube, treated like an object... Every single day felt like a nightmare that wouldn’t end.”

Her voice trembled for just a moment before she steadied it.

”Every day I thought—what if I had done better? What if I had made different choices? There were so many regrets... so many mistakes... fears that clung to me in the silence. Being alone made me realise how much I had missed... and what I truly wanted in life.”

She turned fully to Delphine now, eyes sincere. ”So, when the Emperor saved me... I swore I wouldn’t live with regret again. I wanted to do better. To live better.”

”And I’m not saying this as his mother-in-law or anything like that. I’m saying this as a woman... who has seen that same pain in his eyes.” She took a breath. ”Even though he smiles at you... I can see it—he’s hurting inside. He’s sad.”

Delphine stopped walking.

”Enough!” she snapped suddenly, spinning around with a glare. ”He’s sad? So what? What about me? What about how I feel? What about my fucking—tsk...”She clenched her jaw and shook her head, fists trembling. ”Forget it!” she growled before storming away, her footsteps loud with fury.

Emberlyn stood frozen, blinking as she watched Delphine disappear down the hallway.

Then, after a few seconds, she forced an awkward smile, sighing as she turned her head.

Behind her, she noticed several figures quietly watching from the corner.

Raven, Thalia, and the other girls had been observing the entire interaction.

They slowly approached.

”She’s seriously pissed off... ah,” Thalia muttered under her breath.

Raven gave a quiet nod, her arms crossed.

”I get it though,” Aqualina said, voice calm. ”I can understand her pain.”

Selene nodded too, her lips pursed in concern.

Helena stood beside them with a weak smile, her hands folded in front of her.

These girls... they hadn’t wanted to risk ending up on Delphine’s bad side, especially if she truly was going to be part of their family one day.

So they had used Emberlyn—someone gentle, someone innocent—as a tool to draw the truth out from Delphine.

Only to watch that plan crash and burn.

And to be clear—Helena hadn’t agreed to any of it.

Aria let out a sigh as she glanced around at the others. ”But we can’t just ignore this. I mean... It’s obvious she loves him, but... at the same time, she refuses to admit it. She’s denying it so hard... it’s like—”

”Emotionally conflicted?”

The voice that interrupted was low, deep, and laced with something dangerous.

Every girl froze. The temperature in the hallway seemed to drop.

They all turned slowly, already knowing who it was.

Aether stood behind them, his arms folded, his eyes narrowed and burning with intensity as he glared at them in silence.

Everyone flinched on the spot, their bodies stiffening as they turned toward Aether with awkward, guilty smiles.

”It was Raven’s idea!” Aqualina blurted out at lightning speed, pointing without hesitation.

Raven snapped her head toward her. ”What the hell?! It was Thalia’s idea!”

”OI! Don’t throw me under the dragon!” Thalia cried. ”It was... it was... Aria’s idea!”

”...W-What are you guys even talking about? Wasn’t it Selene who started this whole plan?” Aria asked, genuinely confused—or pretending to be.

Selene’s eyes widened. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but before she could say a word—

Aether raised his hand calmly. His tone was cool but commanding. ”Helena. Who started this?”

Every head whipped toward Helena. She stood frozen, eyes darting left and right. All the other girls were staring at her, wide-eyed, silently screaming at her not to say a single word. The pressure was suffocating.

”Helena, darling~” Aether said with a soft smile that dripped with too much sweetness to be innocent.

That tone—so gentle, so dangerous—sent a shiver down her spine...She knew there was no way out now.

She gulped and betrayed them without hesitation.”It was all them! They planned the whole thing! They wanted you to be happy, so they used Emberlyn as bait!”

Instantly, the entire group’s expressions darkened. Their jaws clenched. Their eyes twitched.

/This bitch!/

/I told you we shouldn’t have trusted this bitch!/

/Arrgh! He’s totally gonna get mad now!/

The voices screamed in their shared connection, a whirlwind of panic and betrayal flooding their thoughts.

But instead of rage, Aether stepped forward with a peaceful smile and opened his arms.

Then—he hugged them.

All of them.

”I’m very happy to have you all,” he said softly, genuinely, his voice filled with warm emotion that wrapped around them like sunlight breaking through a storm.

Everyone froze.

Eyes blinked. Mouths parted. Nobody expected that. His arms around them felt real, felt grounding.

He gently patted their backs, giving each one a brief squeeze before pulling away slightly to look at them.

”But listen...” he said, his tone soft but serious. ”Let me handle this. You don’t have to fix everything. Not like this. It’s not your burden to carry.”

He looked at each of them with a solemn, sincere expression.

”This is my responsibility. I’m the one who has to face her. Just like I faced each of you, one by one.”

There was a long silence. Then a sigh... then another.

/Fuck, I love him.../

/I love him too much, it hurts.../

/Tsk... I don’t even understand him sometimes.../

/He’s so annoyingly good.../

/That’s my husband, bitches!!/

And just as they started to breathe again—

Aether’s smile twisted into a chilling smirk. His eyes gleamed with devilish mischief.

”However...” he said slowly, his voice deepening, ”using my mother-in-law as your test subject? Now that... that’s very wrong, isn’t it?”

Everyone flinched. Again.

”RUN!!!” Aqualina shouted in panic.

But the others had already bolted like startled rabbits, scattering in every direction.

”Fuck you bitches!” Aqualina screamed, turning to run—

But she didn’t even make it one step.

Aether caught her effortlessly, plucking her up by the waist like she weighed nothing, cradling her like a mischievous kitten caught knocking over vases.

”Looks like my cute little Aqua needs some spanking~” he purred in a low, teasing voice, eyes flashing playfully.

Aqualina’s eyes went wide in horror. Her entire face turned a blazing red, ears burning, legs kicking helplessly in the air.

”N-NO! WAIT! I-I didn’t mean to! I was framed! It was them!”

But her pleas only made Aether’s grin widen, the kind of grin that made everyone—especially Aqualina—realise the real punishment hadn’t even begun yet.