Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1314: With the Princesses, the Saintess, and, apparently...

”Who said I am not here?”

The voice rang through the chamber like a bell. Every head snapped upward, startled, as eyes widened in disbelief. There, seated atop the grand throne itself, was Aqualina... her poise regal, her gaze haughty, as if she had always belonged in that seat of power.

None of them had seen her arrive; none could say when or how she had appeared.

Aqualina rose from the throne, her footsteps echoing on marble with the authority of someone who had nothing left to fear.

She descended,

”You all come running the moment you finally notice my beloved’s true worth. Pathetic!!”

Step.

”You dare to call him Archpriest, dare to claim loyalty, and then you turn your back on him in his darkest hour? Cowards—all of you!”

Step.

”You have the audacity to weave your words, to toy with his heart, thinking you can win him back with shallow speeches?”

Step.

”You force guilt upon him—shackling his soul with blame and regret?”

Step.

”For what? So your sly words can worm their way into his heart, just to secure your own positions?”

Step.

”Haha... How truly pathetic. You only crawled here now because you know you’re finished without him—you all know you’ll be doomed if he’s not on your side. Fools! Liars! Fuckers!!”

Step!!

She stopped just behind her mother. Her eyes swept the room—cold, judging, relentless. All around her, heads lowered and eyes averted, unable to withstand her scorn.

They all knew, in that instant, the truth the Elders had danced around: they had come not out of love, but fear and self-preservation.

But while the Elder’s words tried to spare them pain, Aqualina’s cut straight to the bone.... But both of them mean the same on!

Aqualina shook her head in disgust. ”How revolting to think—my future husband has to suffer through this farce. It seems I’ll have to stay by his side always, just to make sure none of your pathetic little tricks ever sway him again.”

Everyone raised their eyebrows in shock. After her tirade, no one had expected her next words.

Aqualina nodded, lifting her chin in defiant pride. ”Yes, I agree to this arrangement.”

A stunned silence fell.

Was this a trick?

After everything, after all her anger, she accepted the deal?

Aether blinked, horror in his eyes, ”W-What are you talking about? Are you really fine with this? I mean... this is wrong—!”

Aqualina turned to him, her anger melting into a radiant, wickedly beautiful smile. Her eyes glittered with possessive warmth as she answered, ”Aether darling, you don’t need to worry about any of that...”

She stepped closer, her voice lowering into a private, sultry purr, ”No matter how many women come into your life... I will always be your first. I’ll fill you with so much love, no other woman will ever reach my level. No bitch will ever surpass what I give you, and you know it.”

Aether’s face turned crimson, speechless at her boldness... caught between embarrassment, awe, and something that made his heart pound like a drum!

Aria snorted, unable to contain her frustration. ”Says the bitch who literally used every underhanded trick to take him from me!”

Aqualina let out a low, mocking chuckle. ”Darling, in love and war... everything is fair. It’s your loss, bitch!”

Aria gritted her teeth, eyes flashing with challenge. She turned to Aether, her voice hard and unwavering. ”No matter what anyone says, believe this—my love will torment you. You’ll suffocate in it! You won’t have a moment to think about any other bitch!”

Aether’s face flushed an even deeper shade of red, struggling to comprehend how shamelessly these women were fighting over him, with no care for who watched.

The High Priests, sensing an opportunity, nudged the Saintess gently toward the group. The Saintess flinched, startled by the sudden attention, but stood up with a trembling resolve. Her cheeks glowed crimson as she stammered out,

”M-Me too... I will definitely suffocate—I mean, no, no, I mean... my love will, uh, definitely be enough... arrgh...” She trailed off, her face nearly glowing with shy embarrassment.

Aether blinked and, despite himself, smiled. His own face was beet red as he lifted his hand to cover his expression.

Laughter rippled through the hall at Aether’s innocent, embarrassed reaction... he looked every bit the shy young man caught in a storm of fierce love and rivalry.

”Haha... look at our Archpriest. Who would have guessed he’d be so shy?” someone teased, their tone light and amused.

But Aqualina’s eyes narrowed as she smirked at the Saintess. ”Oh? Look at this shy bitch... No way I’ll let you have him to yourself with that timid face!”

The Saintess’s expression changed, her lips tightening as she shot back, ”Mind your words, Princess...”

Aqualina snapped, ”And what will you do, huh?”

Suddenly, the tension in the room rose again, sparks flying as the two glared at each other, the beginning of another verbal battle already brewing.

The Elders and followers went pale, glancing at one another in dread. They hadn’t even reached the wedding, and already the future brides were at each other’s throats!

In unison, they all looked to Aether, who stood trembling, hands raised in panic as he pleaded, ”S-Stop... please, don’t fight... wait... just... no, stop...”

And it was at that moment that realisation struck every bystander.

’D-Did we just throw an innocent man into a den of hyenas?’

Before the chaos could escalate further, Empress Sandra raised her hand, commanding silence. Her eyes softened as she looked to Aether.

”Are you truly fine with this arrangement, then?”

Aether drew a deep, shaky breath. He gathered his resolve, lifting his gaze to meet every eye in the chamber.

”This is not what I hoped for, but seeing their resolve and decision just like Elder said... I could be a coward again. So, I... I may not know what my life will be from here on. But for my people, for everyone here, I will take their hands.” He looked at each woman with raw sincerity, voice trembling with emotion.

”And I promise—I’ll do my best to protect and love you all.... Equally, with all my heart.”

His words brought a blush to the girls’ faces, each lowering her head—pride and shyness mingling.

Sandra nodded, a regal calm returning to her.

”Then, I hereby announce: My daughter, Princess Aqualina Naiadia, will marry Aether.”

The Archpriestess followed, voice steady and clear.

”I hereby announce: Saintess Helena Sunfire will marry Aether.”

Kaelen stepped forward, his tone formal and proud.

”I hereby announce: Princess Aria Zephyr will marry Aether.”

Around the room, rulers and elders exchanged nods of approval and relief. At last, the ordeal had come to a resolution... one that, even if imperfect, was accepted by all.

Even if it meant sharing, they would accept it.

Except—

”I hereby announce: Queen Liora Darkfang will marry Aether.”

”Huh?”

Every head turned, stunned, as Liora boldly proclaimed her claim. No one had expected it... expect Aether.

’Hehe~ Let’s fucking go Darling~’

When Liora announced those words, everyone was utterly taken aback.

A sudden hush fell over the throne room. The Elder beside her leaned in, whispering against the turmoil, ”Elder Liora, everything is solved, don’t make it difficult now... we will handle this quietly. There’s no need to escalate... do you understand?”

But she didn’t care. She shrugged her shoulders, ”The only reason I came here is that I was supposed to be the one who married him, right? Or did everyone forget that little promise made in the old house?”

The Elder’s lips twitched in frustration; she was making things awkward now, pushing at boundaries that should have been left untouched.

Aurora’s group exchanged worried glances, frowns creasing their faces as they realised the situation was spiralling.

Liora turned her glare toward her son, ”I thought you were supposed to help your Mother, not abandon her for some random woman.”

Kaelen gave a nervous, strained smile. ”Elder Liora—”

”That’s Mother for you, son,” Liora shot back, her words laced with both pride and challenge, her gaze boring into him as if daring him to defy her.

Kaelen gulped, feeling the weight of every gaze in the chamber upon him, before nodding his head with visible reluctance.

”Mother, we will talk about this later—this is not the right place...”

Liora’s expression hardened, her face set like stone as she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper as she swept her gaze across the assembled Elders.

”Just a reminder... I won’t sit and watch while you play games with me. You have some nerve—giving me hope, then suddenly deciding you want none of it? Do I look like your hound, some pet waiting for scraps? The fucking assholes...”

The Elders gulped audibly, their confidence draining as they exchanged glances. They looked to Kaelen, searching for some sign that he could defuse the storm his mother had summoned.

Kaelen sighed and turned to Sandra and Aurora’s group, who now wore looks of deep confusion and unease, their brows furrowed as they tried to make sense of the unfolding spectacle.

”What’s going on here?” Sandra asked, her frown deepening.

She glanced from face to face. She had assumed their plan was complete... Wasn’t this what they had all agreed upon?

Wasn’t this settled?

The three people marrying Aether... that was the plan!

That was what they’d orchestrated together.

But suddenly Liora was slipping out of their grasp. Sandra, Maelona, and the Archpriestess all exchanged tense glances, their eyes darting to Aether, who looked as shocked as any of them.

/What are you doing, Sister Liora?/ Sandra sent across their telepathic link.

/Hey, idiot, stop this!/ Maelona snapped.

/Sister Liora, please refrain from making any more arguments. We’ve already pressed the people hard enough./ Archpriestess added.