Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1171: The Grace and Mary hated each other.

Mary... never cared for her empire.

Not now, when the souls were on the verge of breaking the world apart... and not before either, when countless lives were lost in the chaos of the great collision.

She never cared... Just a heartless creature who watched the death of millions like it was a mundane spectacle.

Honestly, no one could truly blame her. She was a product of this twisted land, raised in a world where survival meant shutting off your heart. It wasn’t a noble place, not a land of honour or compassion. If anything, the strange part would’ve been if she had shown concern for her empire. That would’ve been the real surprise.

Watching Aether and Nyx, the ones who had restarted the Cycle of Samsara, stand tall before her... it left a bitter taste in her mouth. A sharp sting of disappointment spread in her chest.

She had imagined something different.... A fantasy.

She wanted to run away... disappear from it all with her daughter in her arms.

Oh, how sweet that escape would be.

Just the two of them... mother and child. Wandering as nameless refugees. Struggling, hiding, but together. She could’ve pampered her daughter more, held her closer, let her sleep in her arms every night.

Messed up, right?

But that was who she really was.

Aether grinned as he stepped inside the chamber with Nyx following close behind, both of them moving with quiet confidence. His gaze swept lazily over the room, and he flexed his arms with a tired groan.

”Oh my god... too much work... I swear, it’s killing my shoulders,” he muttered, rubbing one with exaggerated care as he looked around the large, circular table where a serious council meeting was in progress.

”A-Aether?”

Lia’s soft voice broke the quiet tension. She turned from her mother’s lap, peeking through the veil of her mother’s embrace. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him, and she instinctively tried to slide down and run to him.

But her mother’s arms wrapped tighter around her.

”There are people watching, sweetheart... You shouldn’t run to him right now, okay?”

Her voice was gentle, calm, almost loving. But inside, Mary’s chest was burning with restrained rage.

Aether stretched his back, popping his neck with a smirk. ”So... what’s all this about? An emergency meeting? Did someone forget to send us an invitation?”

Morgana leaned forward slightly, her expression unreadable. ”We thought you were dead... with your wife. You both jumped into the Samsara, didn’t you? So, how are you even standing here alive?”

Aether blinked slowly, his smile twitching at the edges. ”Jumped together?” he echoed, his eyes locking with Mary’s.

She didn’t move—just a tiny flicker in her eyes betrayed her.

Aether let out a thoughtful hum before nodding, casually resting one hand on the back of the chair near him.

”Of course, of course... It was what my wife wanted, wasn’t it? To protect the empire. To serve Her Majesty’s vision. That’s what you dreamed of, right, Your Majesty?”

Mary’s jaw clenched. Her lips twitched violently, as if forcing themselves not to break into a snarl. She swallowed the rising fury, burying it deep in her throat like poison.

Galen, unable to stand the sight of this former slave speaking so casually in front of the Empress, suddenly stepped forward. His pressure flared like a violent wave.

”You pathetic, lowborn insect... How dare you speak to Her Majesty with such insolence!”

But Aether...

”Yaaahhh...”

He let out an exaggerated yawn, stretching his arms above his head, utterly unbothered. ”So tired... My muscles are sore... been working day and night for my dear wife...”

He looked at Morgana, who met his gaze for a brief moment. Then, with no words exchanged, she silently stood up and offered her seat to him.

Galen stood frozen, stunned. His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.

’What the hell is going on...’

Aether sat down with a casual grace, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck like he belonged there.

”My wife will explain everything. I’m just here to sit and rest for a moment.”

Nyx, who had been caught off guard by Aether’s blunt and dominating behaviour, finally snapped out of her daze. Her fingers clenched slightly, unsure of what to say.

Of course, Aether would act like this.

He had nearly died... because of that bitch of an Empress.

And deep inside him, something dark had started to stir—an idea, a plan.

This rotten place... His making him do unwanted things~

Nyx knelt before the Empress, her breathing shallow, her body trembling slightly as she began to recount everything that had happened.

The entire throne room held its breath.

No one dared speak.

Her voice—soft, raspy, almost like a whisper echoing from the edge of death—carried the weight of survival, of chaos, of something impossible. The silence wasn’t just stunned... it was suffocating.

She spoke of death and rebirth. Of the soul’s torment. Of the Cycle of Samsara.

And she spoke of Aether.

A man... who wasn’t supposed to survive. Just a human, right? No lineage, no divine bloodline?

Then how?

How could he have endured such a thing and come back?

The tension grew thicker. Everyone stared, not at Nyx anymore—but at the man who sat casually.

But Aether? He said nothing.

He glanced at Morgana, stretched his shoulder, and gave a lazy nod toward her, motioning with his fingers.

A silent order.

Morgana hesitated for a moment, eyes locked on Mary, who blankly stared at her... but then, without a word, she stepped closer. Her fingers gently touched his shoulder, beginning to massage him right there—in front of everyone.

Why would she do that?

No one dared to ask.

But Aether smiled faintly. It surprised him, maybe. But he had expected it too.

If Power and Madness speak here... then he’s going to let it lose.

...A few minutes passed.

The atmosphere inside the throne room had shifted.

Everyone was now staring at Aether—not with suspicion, but with awe.

He had done the impossible.

Mary leaned back slowly, eyes wide in disbelief. Her mind whirled at what she’d just heard.

He captured the soul?

He completed the crack?

Her fingers clenched on the armrest of her throne.

This man... he was becoming more dangerous than she had imagined.

”How did you hold something like that?” she asked coldly, her voice like frost scraping against steel.

Everyone flinched.

Except for Aether, who simply yawned and lifted his hand lazily. ”Hmm... you mean my Pasa Rope?”

A purple rope suddenly shimmered into existence in his palm. It twisted in the air like it was alive, glowing faintly, humming with power.

Gasps filled the chamber. A few even stumbled backwards.

That rope... it pulsed with an energy everyone recognised.

The energy of The Grace.

Aether tilted his head and gave a devilish smile. ”Indeed... Her Honourable Grace gave this to me. Personally~”

His gaze shifted to Mary, who stiffened as his words struck her like a blade. Her eyes burned—pure fury bubbling beneath her composed exterior.

Until now, Aether had just been the quiet husband of Nyx Shadowfall.

But this rope... this single item changed everything.

The soldier... the same one who was close to the Grace, seeing that thing.

He fell to his knees, voice trembling, ”My GRACE!!”

As if the rope alone held the authority of The Grace herself.

In the next moment, everyone followed.

Every person in the throne room dropped to their knees.

Even Galen, jaw clenched, gritting his teeth, lowered himself to the ground, unable to hide the burning displeasure in his chest.

They were kneeling to the rope, yes.

But Aether didn’t care.

As far as he was concerned... they were kneeling to him.

This rope... had become his leash over everyone else.

A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.

And yet... Mary remained sitting on her throne.

Her head did not bow.

She simply looked at him, ”How did you get that?”

”Hmm?” Aether looked half amused. ”Well, the mighty Grace gave it to me. Told me to protect her beloved Empire. Seems like she TRUSTS me with it.”

”...Then where is she now?”

Aether shrugged, his tone dismissive. ”No idea. She showed up in my soul domain, whispered a few things... said she TRUSTED only me. Gave me the rope and told me to protect her Empire. I used it. If you’re that curious, feel free to go ask her yourself... assuming she believes you.”

Everyone knew it—The Grace and Mary hated each other.

That rivalry wasn’t hidden. It was a known fact. Like two blades that could never be sheathed in the same scabbard.

Mary’s lips parted, the words barely audible, but cold enough to chill the room. ”I see...”

But it wasn’t calm.

Not even close.

Her expression twisted into something darker. Pure hatred leaked from every inch of her body. Her teeth ground together, the muscles in her jaw twitching as she fought to stay composed.

Aether didn’t push her further. He didn’t need to.

Watching her rage simmer beneath the surface was already satisfying.

She wanted to kill him. He could see it. Feel it.

But she wouldn’t.

Because doing so now... would mean facing the wrath of her own daughter.

And that was something even the Empress of a broken empire wasn’t ready for.