Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1455: Everyone will receive his love!

Emberlyn glanced at the dishes she had prepared for everyone, watching them empty at an alarming pace.

A soft smile curved her lips. ”You really are something else,” she murmured, before immediately heading toward the kitchen to prepare more food before he finishes this all.

Delphine watched Aether continue eating, her own plate still far from empty. Strangely, she felt as if she was getting full just by watching him. The sight alone stirred something warm and absurdly tender inside her chest.

”A-Aether... you need to slow down,” she said with clear worry. ”If you keep eating like that, you’ll choke.”

Aether, his lips stained with food, mumbled through a mouthful, ”But I... hmm... hung... hmmm... gulp... I’m hungry.” His tone carried an odd seriousness as his eyes briefly flickered between white and black.

Delphine blinked, taken aback by the sudden shift. She did not say anything more, only watching as he continued eating, completely lost in the act. A small smile escaped her before she could stop it.

Right now, he looked like nothing more than a child.

A very cute child!!

Her fingers twirled idly around her food as she muttered softly, ”If I had known you would be this hungry after waking up, I would have prepared my best dish for—”

Cough... Cough...

Before she could finish, Aether suddenly coughed violently.

Delphine flinched and rushed to his side, patting his back urgently as her voice rose in frustration and worry. ”That’s why I told you to slow down. See, now you choked.” She quickly picked up a glass of water and handed it to him.

Aether’s eyes turned red and watery as he blinked up at her, coughing subsiding slowly. ”Y-Yeah... my mistake,” he muttered hoarsely as he swallowed the water, his throat burning slightly.

For a brief second, he thought he had seen death.

Not from choking, but from something else entirely.

You know... he knew. We all knew the reason. But no... Neither he nor anyone else had the courage to say it out loud.

Anyway, Aether gulped down the water slowly, his throat finally settling as the burning sensation eased. Delphine stood beside him, one hand gently patting his chest as if guiding the water down, her movements instinctive and careful, refusing to step away until his breathing fully stabilised.

”I brought freshly cooked dishes too~” Emberlyn announced cheerfully as she arrived with a wide smile. In her hands was an enormous plate, almost her own size, yet she held it effortlessly as if it weighed nothing at all.

Delphine froze mid-motion, staring at the absurdly large covered plate. ”What... is that?” she asked, her voice carrying both curiosity and disbelief.

Emberlyn smirked knowingly as she placed it on the table, pushing aside the empty plates, ”I gave it my all for my hungry son-in-law~” she teased, her eyes gleaming mischievously as she lifted the lid.

Instantly, Delphine’s nose wrinkled at the powerful aroma, sharp and rich.

At the same time, Aether’s eyes widened unnaturally, his pupils dilating as a thin line of drool slipped past his lips. Resting on the plate was a massive lizard, cooked beautifully to a deep red and pine hue, eggs arranged around it like an offering.

The scent alone was overwhelming.

Truthfully, Emberlyn had already hunted the creature earlier, knowing her son-in-law would wake up starving and need something substantial to regain his strength. She had planned to feed it to him piece by piece. But seeing his current state, that desperate hunger in his eyes, she had decided to give him everything at once.

”Damn... I love you, Emberlyn!” Aether shouted suddenly, his voice bursting with raw excitement. Without hesitation, he grabbed the entire beast and began eating it like a man possessed, tearing into it without a shred of restraint.

Delphine raised her eyebrows, genuine surprise flashing across her face as she watched him devour it so eagerly. ”I... I didn’t expect he’d love this too,” she muttered softly... Another ingredient was added to her future cooking plans.

Emberlyn watched with a satisfied smirk, clearly pleased as Aether tore through her cooking like a starving predator. Seeing her effort so thoroughly appreciated filled her with pride. Yet slowly, her smile faded, her brows knitting together as she leaned forward.

”Hmm... he looks different,” she murmured.

Delphine frowned and followed her gaze. ”What do you mean?” she asked cautiously.

”Haven’t you noticed?” Emberlyn said, pointing subtly. ”His skin. It wasn’t like that when I left the dining room.” Her finger indicated Aether’s shoulders, which now appeared broader, more defined than just minutes ago.

Delphine’s frown deepened as she looked closer. Her eyes widened abruptly. ”You’re right... he looks more muscular. But how?”

Before either of them could process it, Aether swallowed one of the eggs whole, an ostrich-sized mass vanishing down his throat. Suddenly, his body shuddered violently. It trembled as if something massive were shifting beneath his skin.

Veins twitched and bulged visibly, crawling beneath the surface as though something were surging through them. Muscles tightened, swelling rapidly, his frame bulking up in real time.

Both Delphine and Emberlyn froze, shock locking them in place as they witnessed the transformation unfold before their eyes.

What the hell was happening?

Was he regaining his body... in a matter of seconds?

Just then,

BOOOOMMMM!!!!

”AETHER?!!!” Thalia’s voice roared through the dining hall as she punched the door and blasted debris everywhere.

”I cannot believe what you just did, Thalia. Do you have any idea how reckless that was?” Emberlyn shouted, her voice sharp and trembling with restrained fury as she stood before the kneeling girl.

Thalia bit her lower lip hard, ”B-But mom, I just wanted to see my husband,” Thalia said weakly, her voice shaking as she lifted her gaze for only a moment.

”So what?” Emberlyn snapped, ”Breaking the door was the only way? It’s not like it was locked, right?” She stared down at her daughter, and Thalia felt herself shrinking under that familiar, unforgiving gaze.

Thalia shot a quick glance toward the dining room door... The door itself was still intact, but the hinges had been torn clean off, metal twisted and cracked.

It wasn’t like she wanted to do this at all, not like she had planned it. She had simply gotten too excited when she heard that Aether had finally woken up after such a long, unbearable time.

”M-Mom... please,” Thalia whispered, her eyes shimmering as she looked up with the fragile innocence of a child caught in a mistake. She tried to smile, forcing it, as if that alone could undo what had already happened.

It was an accident, or at least that was what she desperately wanted to believe.

Emberlyn stared at her in silence, her expression flat and unreadable as Thalia continued acting innocent.

It wasn’t working, and Thalia knew it deep down. Emberlyn had seen this act too many times before, and she had long since grown immune to it.

Emberlyn let out a slow breath, fingers pressing against her temple as if holding back a headache.

”Aether... Aether...”

She turned toward the dining room, where Selene, Raven, and Nyx were gathered around him. They clung to Aether, arms wrapped tight, faces buried against his shoulders, kissing him as if afraid he would disappear again the moment they let go.

Seeing them like that made Thalia’s chest ache with longing, her throat tightening painfully. ”I... I am sorry, Mom,” she said softly.

Emberlyn sighed and shook her head, ”But next time-” she began.

”There won’t be a next time, mother. I promise,” Thalia shouted suddenly, ”Thank you!” She sprang forward, kissed Emberlyn quickly on the cheek, and ran toward Aether without waiting for another word.

Emberlyn blinked, caught off guard, then let out another sigh as a small smile formed on her lips. She watched them with warmth in her eyes, the anger fading as she saw her daughter’s joy.

Thalia leapt straight into Aether’s embrace, arms wrapping around him without hesitation or concern for anyone else still clinging to him.

”Get off! I came first!” Thalia shouted, trying to wedge herself closer, but none of the other women paid her any attention. They held on tightly, pressing in from both sides, as though letting go even for a second might steal him away again.

”You left us, bitch,” Selene sneered, her eyes sharp despite the emotion burning behind them.

The moment Delphine had told them the news, Thalia had abandoned them instantly, flames flaring as she flew back to the palace without looking back.

Raven, Selene, and Nyx had no choice but to rely on Raven’s Draconyx form to chase after her. They had pushed themselves to the limit just to keep up, but even then, they were too late.

In the end, they still lost to Thalia’s desperation... Even though in the end, she was held by Emberlyn.

Thalia’s lips trembled, her expression twisting as tears welled up despite her efforts to hold them back.

Aether smiled weakly then, carefully pulling away from the others before drawing Thalia into a gentler, tighter hug meant only for her.

”How are you, dear?” Aether asked softly.

Thalia clung to him, fingers digging into his clothes as her voice broke. ”B-Bastard... why?” she muttered, tears finally spilling over. ”Why did you leave me like that? I... I thought I lost you forever.” Her shoulders shook as the fear she had buried finally surfaced.

As her tears threatened to fall freely, Aether leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to her eyes. ”I am sorry,” he whispered, his voice heavy with regret, knowing the words could never fully make up for what she had endured.

That was all he could offer, along with a weak smile filled with guilt and gratitude.

It wasn’t enough, but it was everything he had left.

Not only to her, but to everyone, he offered the same quiet apology.

He hugged Selene and said sorry, holding her until her anger softened.

He hugged Raven and said sorry, meeting her gaze with honesty.

He hugged Nyx and said sorry as well, making sure none of them were left unseen.