Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1307: When New Emperor Plays Game: Part-2

While the elders and Aria continued to argue, Liora sat back, observing everything in silence. Her multicoloured eyes flicked toward her son, Kaelen, who had been sitting quietly all this time, almost too still—as if he wished to disappear entirely.

Then, suddenly, he flinched.

He felt a light tap on his thigh. His brows furrowed, and he looked down. Liora’s two fingers rested casually on his thighs, her expression composed as if nothing had happened. But then—another two fingers tap.

Kaelen turned his head slightly and frowned. His mother wasn’t even looking at him. Her eyes were on Aria and the elders.

He frowned deeper. ’What the hell is she doing? Does she... want to go to the toilet?’

His expression twisted into something halfway between disgust and confusion.

Liora, sensing his idiotic misunderstanding, felt a vein bulge on her forehead. She didn’t even have to speak. A single glare from her sharp eyes was enough to make Kaelen flinch and straighten his back like a scolded child.

Then, carefully, she tapped him again. One finger rested briefly on his thigh before she subtly pointed toward herself.

Kaelen blinked. ’Okay... her?’

Then she placed a second finger on his thigh and pointed toward Aria.

’Okay... her too?’

His brows furrowed even tighter. His mind began running in circles.

’Wait... both of them? What is this? Do they both need to—no, that’s stupid! Obviously not!’

Then,

Kaelen’s eyes widened as realisation struck him. His heart thumped, and his mind began to spin. He turned his gaze toward his mother... then toward Aria.

Mother and Aria.

Mother and... Aria!

His mouth fell open slightly as he processed what Liora’s silent message meant.

Liora leaned back on the sofa, her lips curving into a small, knowing smirk.

’Holy shit... Father, you really are great!’ Kaelen thought with an amused and almost worshipful expression before rising from his seat.

He cleared his throat and addressed the elders, ”Elders, can we have a talk?”

Without waiting for a reply, he walked toward the corner of the room.

The two elders, who had been bickering with Aria a moment ago, exchanged puzzled looks before following their Emperor.

One of them leaned closer and asked quietly, ”What happened, Your Majesty? You didn’t like the idea?”

The other frowned. ”You’re not... unhappy about your mother wanting to marry again, are you?”

Kaelen shook his head. ”It’s not about my mother,” he said calmly. ”Her life is her own. She can decide who she wants to be with.” His tone shifted slightly, his eyes sharpening. ”But what I’m trying to say is...”

He lifted two fingers.

The elders blinked at him, unsure, before awkwardly chuckling. ”Do you even need to ask this, Your Majesty?” one said. ”If you’re feeling shy, we can just ask them where the toilet is.”

Kaelen stared at them blankly for a moment, then sighed inwardly. Even though they completely misunderstood him, he found a strange sense of comfort in that. At least he wasn’t the only one who could misread a situation.

’Thank goodness... everyone’s just as dumb as me.’

He coughed lightly to regain composure, then turned serious. ”That’s not what I meant. I’m talking about Princess Aria... and my mother.

What if we just announce that both of them will marry him?”

Both elders froze, their expressions blank. ”Huh?”

Kaelen nodded, lowering his voice a little. ”Think about it. It would make things easier, wouldn’t it? If Fa-ahem Aether marries both of them, it strengthens our empire’s bond with him twofold. Even if he goes to Naiadae, he’ll have two wives here. And tell me—where do you think a man would rather spend most of his time?”

The elders blinked again. His logic was so absurd that, somehow, it started to make sense.

Their gazes drifted toward Aria and Liora.

Both were undeniably beautiful—stunning even. Sure, their tempers were enough to terrify half the court, but once they stopped talking... they looked perfect.

”This... could actually work,” one murmured under his breath.

The other frowned slightly. ”But aren’t we betting too much on this plan?”

Kaelen smiled faintly, his confidence radiating more than reason. ”Believe me,” he said, ”once they have children—Fa-ahem—once Aether becomes tied by family, he’ll spend more time here than anywhere else. Even the Aurora Empire won’t be able to drag him away.”

The elders exchanged thoughtful glances, their minds spinning through every possible outcome, every angle of politics and advantage. Then, slowly, both of them nodded in unison, identical sly smiles forming on their faces.

”Yes,” they said together.

Kaelen grinned, unsure why he was grinning, but it felt right. He wasn’t certain what kind of chaos he had just created—but for some reason, his instincts told him this was exactly the kind of grin the moment demanded.

”But our law wouldn’t allow two legal wives,” one of the elders said with a deep frown, while the other nodded in agreement.

Kaelen clicked his tongue in irritation. ”Then let’s make it legal!”

The elders immediately shook their heads. ”That’s not a good idea. It would end in disaster!”

Kaelen’s brows furrowed. ”But if we make one of them lesser than the other, you know what will happen, right?”

At those words, both elders froze. Their eyes drifted away as memories surfaced... painful ones. The kind of memories where secrets, mistresses, and hidden relationships had destroyed homes, and they themselves had suffered from the wrath of their wives when those secrets came to light.

Kaelen folded his arms and added,

”See? Even if we pretend not to show it, women always sense it. If one is placed below the other, she’ll feel humiliated, no matter what we say. That kind of imbalance always leads to cracks in a family. And cracks mean...” He paused deliberately, glancing at them. ”Fa-ahem... Aether might go where he feels happiest.”

The elders turned silent.

As much as they wanted to reject his reasoning, they couldn’t. They had seen too many households fall apart over jealousy, too many noble families crumble from favouritism and unspoken competition. They had witnessed it within their own court—marriages broken, alliances shattered, and bloodlines divided.

Even so, what Kaelen proposed was dangerous.... Having both women as legal wives wasn’t the real problem—the problem was what that symbolized.

One of the elders rubbed his temple before muttering reluctantly, ”We... already changed one of the marriage laws, remember? The same-sex marriage act...”

They all glanced at their Emperor. Kaelen’s expression didn’t waver. He had been the one who proposed that law—and against every objection, he had pushed it through with proof, compassion, and sheer stubbornness.

The elders had hated that moment. They had argued, protested, begged him to reconsider, but Kaelen had used his imperial immunity to enforce it anyway. He hadn’t flinched once. That single act had shaken the empire’s traditions to its core.

It was a historic moment... the day the elders realised that a young Emperor could truly rewrite the foundations of their world.

Didn’t Maelona once say she could easily make it law when Aether asked how, since the other Elders would never agree?

The immunity Kaelen had wielded came from the ancient rite—every newly crowned Emperor who survived the trials of ascension was granted one absolute command.

One chance to write, modify, or erase any law without the Elders’ consent.

That was why the elders still burned with anger. Even those who had once supported him turned against him after he used his right to alter centuries of tradition.

After all, Maelona herself had once promised her ex-husband that she would see such changes through... And she did!

That was why, when they saw the chance to challenge his authority later, they didn’t hesitate. They tried to use every weakness against him, even considering the possibility of dethronement.

And now, another law?

Of course, since the Emperor had already used his immunity, he could not invoke it again for the next five hundred years. Now, the Emperor needed the Elders’ vote to make anything official.

Seeing how much they were hesitating, Kaelen tilted his head slightly before speaking again, his tone deep and commanding.

”The world is changing before our eyes, Elders... Right now, none of us know what might fall from the sky, or what those golden words above the clouds truly mean. The Empires are shifting, the very phenomena of existence are shifting, even the energies we breathe are changing.”

He stepped closer, his tone growing firm and clear. ”Listen carefully, Elders. We cannot afford to lose any opportunity—not this time. No matter how small or strange it may seem, we must adapt. If we don’t... we will be forgotten by history itself.”

His words pierced their hesitation.

Kaelen continued, ”Even more... the appearance of a new Empire. From the intel I received from Aria, it seems they are deeply involved in technologies. You have seen those strange metallic figures, right?”

Both elders stiffened, nodding immediately. They remembered those constructs vividly—those eerie, gleaming figures that fought with precision and artefacts.

Kaelen’s voice grew firmer. ”And Aether is the only person capable of understanding their technology right now. Didn’t you hear what Victor said? When Aether saved Princess Lia and Victor’s pet, he discovered something—some kind of secret knowledge. That’s why Naiadae is moving so aggressively to secure him. They know what he carries. They’re already preparing for the next stage, Elders.”

His eyes darkened with a grim resolve. ”We cannot afford to fall behind. We must act now—for our empire and for our people. Tell me... if we, the guardians of our ancestors’ law, don’t act when the world is changing before our eyes, who will?”

The elders’ gazes hardened, their hesitation dissolving completely. Every word Kaelen spoke cut through their doubts. His reasoning made perfect sense — this was their moment.

If what he said was true... if Naiadae had already uncovered the secret of that new empire’s technology... then this was not just politics.

It was survival!!

The Elders clenched their fists. ”I knew it. Naiadae must have discovered the truth. That’s why they arranged that urgent engagement!”

The other elder nodded sharply. ”Exactly. Even Aether looked surprised. It seems everything was orchestrated behind his back... manipulating and taking advantage of that innocent man’s nature. How disgusting.”

Both of them clenched their fists tighter and exchanged a knowing glance.

”We’re not like those disgusting schemers,” one said firmly. ”We’ll make this fair and equal for Aether!”

”Agreed. Let’s do it—for justice and for our people.”

As they looked at Kaelen, both nodded with conviction. ”We will speak to the other Elders and secure their approval. Please persuade Aria for us, Your Majesty.”

Kaelen smiled, a sly glint flashing in his eyes. ”No need. We’ll just take her with us, and once she sees Fa–ahem, Aether there, she’ll obviously agree.”

The Elders blinked, then nodded in understanding.

”Good, then it’s settled. Let’s go!” one of them said eagerly.

”Indeed,” the other replied with a grin.

Kaelen watched as the Elders briskly walked toward the ladies, their steps filled with new excitement. They began asking them to prepare for departure, even taking Aria along, who seemed to frown at their sudden enthusiasm.

”Heh—” Kaelen stopped abruptly, realising a small chuckle had escaped his mouth.

Wait... did he just laugh like an evil schemer?

’Oh my god!’ Kaelen froze, horrified by the realisation of what he had just done. He had manipulated the Elders... and not even on purpose.

How? He had simply gone with the flow — just like his father once said.

’Remember, Kaelen,’ his father’s voice echoed in his mind, ’A ruler should always flow with the same path as his people. Like a river, you must not oppose their direction directly. Guide the flow instead. Shape it quietly, lead it toward your need. Just as a river creates its own path to the ocean, it is they who must come to your current, not you who forces theirs. Got it?’

That had been his father’s advice when Kaelen first ascended the throne. Back then, he hadn’t understood what those words truly meant. Flow? Guide? Oppose? It all sounded poetic and vague.

But now... to think he had done exactly that without even realising it.

Kaelen gave an awkward smile, unsure whether to feel proud of himself... or terrified by it!!