Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1465: “Will you marry me?”

When he saw the dishes laid across the table, Aether immediately knew his wives had done their absolute best. Every plate, every bowl, carried signs of care, effort, and devotion poured into it just for him.

Even if the results looked questionable, even if common sense screamed danger, he still accepted them. After all, everyone here had cooked with love, and that alone made it impossible for him to refuse.

Some of the food tasted surprisingly good, rich and warm, while others had the texture and flavour of raw meat. Yet he still ate everything placed before him, forcing each bite down with grim resolve because... at the very least, the dishes were fucking edible!!

Until...

”Is it good, Aether?” Delphine asked, her voice soft and hopeful. A lovely smile rested on her lips as she watched him eat, her eyes shining with anticipation and nervous pride.

”Hmm... hmm...” Aether nodded repeatedly, forcing a gentle smile that trembled at the edges, threatening to collapse into pure horror.

Inside his mind, ’OH MY GOD! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! I couldn’t feel my tongue!!’ he screamed inwardly while chewing the purplish meat, its taste so far removed from anything that could be called meat.

!~Ding~!

[⚠️Warning: Deadly Poison is Purified!]

The moment the food reached his stomach, it vanished without leaving any trace behind. His system erased it completely, as if it had never existed.

Still, the taste lingered stubbornly on his tongue, a revolting, shit-like aftertaste that refused to fade no matter how much he swallowed.

’Arrhh!’ Aether wanted to scream out loud, to throw the plate away and run for his life. But the sight of Delphine’s warm, expectant smile stopped him. He swallowed everything down, including his pride, his fear, and... the tears threatening to surface.

His stomach growled violently, over and over, as if multiple beasts inside him were struggling to process an unknown entity trying to devour him from within.

’Fuck!’ he groaned inwardly as another painful twist struck his stomach, sweat forming faintly on his skin.

Delphine frowned the moment she noticed him clutching his abdomen. Worry replaced her earlier excitement as she leaned closer.

”Are you alright? You look uncomfortable... Is the food not good for you?”

”I think it’s... not good for anyone,”

”Huh?” Delphine blinked, clearly confused.

”I-I mean...” Aether hesitated, then looked at her with cautious curiosity. ”Have you eaten it yourself?”

Even as he spoke, his skill worked relentlessly, purifying the hellish poison spreading through his veins like wildfire.

Delphine lifted her chin proudly and nodded. ”Of course. Snowflake and I tasted everything first. We couldn’t let you eat something tasteless or dangerous without trying it ourselves, right?”

”...”

Aether’s face twisted into something unnatural, caught between disbelief and silent terror.

The fuck?

So they ate it too, and yet... they were completely fine?

Confusion washed over him as he stared down at the greenish soup in front of him, its surface bubbling ominously with dark, black bubbles that seemed to scream warnings at anyone with common sense.

What kind of tongues and stomachs did those two possess to ignore such an obvious red flag without hesitation?

”Snowflake too?” Aether asked slowly, lifting his gaze. ”Then where is... Snowflake?” His tone carried both confusion and a faint sense of dread.

”Yes, she ate as well,” Delphine replied calmly. ”We split up afterwards to search for you. Honestly, I only came here to reheat the food since it had gone cold, but I didn’t expect to find you here already. Talk about luck~” She smiled warmly, as if fate itself had gently guided her straight to him.

’Luck?....’ Aether questioned the very concept of fucking luck. If luck truly existed, it certainly was not standing on his side right now.

When she noticed that Aether had stopped eating and left food untouched on his plate, Delphine’s expression darkened.

”Is that... not to your liking? Did I do something wrong?”

Aether flinched the moment he noticed her soft, fearful words and those worried eyes searching his face for honesty. Guilt stabbed deeper than the poison burning through his veins, and it showed in the way his shoulders tensed before he forced himself to respond.

”Of course... not! I love this...” he said as he clenched the fork tightly, ”I-In fact, I would love to e-e-eat m-moorrr—” He coughed sharply, his mouth refusing to say those dangerous words!

Forcing the words through sheer will, he continued with grim seriousness, ”I want... to... eat... mm... more!!”

He grabbed an entire chunk of steak and shoved it into his mouth without hesitation.

Slugg~!

Sullrrpp~

Purple and greenish liquids dripped disgustingly from his lips as his throat burned, fighting violently against the horrifying thing trying to enter. Ignoring every instinct screaming at him to stop, Aether pushed it down deeper, literally using the fork to force the food past his resistance and into his throat as he swallowed.

Guullpp!

His head twitched sharply from left to right as his body convulsed several times, muscles locking and releasing in erratic spasms. His throat bulged unnaturally before finally dragging the mass into his body.

For a brief second, white foam formed at the corner of his lips, and his vision blurred heavily, the world tilting as if he were about to fall unconscious once more.

!~Ding~!

[⚠️Warning: Deadly Poison is being Purified... 1% 2% 3%....]

Meanwhile, Delphine’s eyes filled with tears, but they were tears of joy rather than fear. Her heart swelled at the sight before her. All her hard work had not failed.

Truly, she had poured her heart, effort, and love into the cooking, and seeing Aether swallow it all while smiling at her so sincerely made her chest ache with happiness.

He was still smiling at her... Even now.

That alone was enough!

But then her expression soured slightly as she noticed the plate was completely empty. A small pout formed on her lips as she crossed her arms lightly.

”Tsk... I should have made more.”

Thud!

The fork slipped from Aether’s hand and hit the floor as his body twitched several more times. It was hard to tell whether the reaction came from her words or from the internal screaming pain ripping through him.

!~Ding~!

[100%]

”Burrrpp!”

Aether let out a heavy burp, layered with the echoes of his internal systems finally settling. His eyes turned watery as he looked at Delphine, emotion swelling uncontrollably.

”I love you so much...” he said before pulling her into a tight hug, wiping his painful tears against her shoulder without shame.

Delphine’s expression softened completely, warmth spreading across her face as her eyes shimmered like she was floating among the clouds.

Seeing Aether cry like this, so overwhelmed with emotion, made her heart flutter wildly. In her mind, it looked like he loved her cooking so much that it brought him to tears.

’If only the others were here to see this...’

She thought that fondly as a small tear slipped from her own eyes. Gently, she pushed him back just a little, her smile faltering when she noticed something wrong.

His lower jaw hung slightly to one side.

”A-Aether?” she called out nervously.

Aether slapped his own face hard, snapping his jaw back into place before flashing her a confident smile.

”T-That’s nothing,” he said quickly. Then his expression turned serious, eyes locking onto hers with sincerity.

”You know I love your food, right?”

Delphine nodded furiously without hesitation, her emotions overflowing.... Was there ever even a question?

”But even so, I don’t want you to cook in your current condition...” Aether said carefully, his tone gentle but firm, making sure every word reached her heart the right way.

”Of course, I love your cooking, and I would love to eat it every single day. Truly. But right now... your body hasn’t returned to its prime. I don’t want you to hurt yourself or push too hard, and... it would be better if you didn’t cook for others either. Even though I love your cooking.

Yes, I absolutely love your cooking.”

Aether deliberately repeated the phrase, good things needed to be said twice, right?

His eyes were steady and sincere, making sure she did not misunderstand or feel even the slightest hint of rejection. He knew exactly which words made her heart soften, and he used them carefully, like holding fragile glass.

However—

Delphine’s eyes slowly filled with tears. Hearing Aether say again and again that he loved her food, that he loved her effort, she understood his meaning far more clearly than his words alone could convey.

She blushed lightly and smiled through her emotions. ”Come on, Aether... don’t be selfish.”

”Huh?” Aether confused.

Selfish? Him?

Delphine continued with a playful, cheeky smile, leaning closer as she teased him gently.

”I know you love my food, but to think you wanted to hog it all for yourself... haha.” She giggled happily, her shoulders shaking slightly, before her expression turned shy.

”I-If that’s what you want... then of course my food will be exclusive to you!”

”...”

Did he... just fuck up?

[Yeah, you definitely fucked up. Now I understand why you’ll definitely die by her hands! Yup... definitely!]

Log commented mercilessly, not even pretending to hold back.

However, Aether only sighed inwardly, his gaze fixed on Delphine. ’Look at her... she’s smiling so happily, all shy and warm.’ He felt his chest tighten.

’Wasn’t it worth it?’

That genuine, unfiltered happiness on her face looked like something he had not seen in a very long time.

”Haha... Aether loves my cooking so much... haha... Maybe I should make one right now... haha.. Aether~”

[...Well. Maybe...]

Aether straightened, his expression turning serious as resolve settled in his eyes.

”Del... I need to tell you something.” Before she could respond, before she could even think about returning to the kitchen or cooking again, he took her hand firmly and pulled her away from the table, away from the culinary hell he had just survived.

Delphine, still laughing softly, let herself be led, but her smile slowly faded as she sensed the change in his mood.

”Aether?” She tilted her head, confusion flickering across her face.

He brought her to the balcony, where the cool air brushed against their skin. Aether rested his hands on the railing and stared out at the darkening sky, the horizon painted in deep blues and fading gold.

His expression softened, yet something heavy lingered behind his eyes.

”I know this isn’t a perfect moment,” he said quietly, the wind carrying his words. ”But I can’t hold it in any longer. There’s something I need to tell you... something I’ve always wanted to say. Too many things happened. We were separated, dragged apart by circumstances and chaos. I don’t want to waste any more chances.

Not when I finally have you here.”

He slowly turned toward her, his expression serious, layered with guilt and longing.

Delphine didn’t need to hear the rest to understand. In truth, within the past week alone, she had already heard most of the stories, the truths, and the women he had become involved with.

It hurt, but right now... all she wanted was to stay by his side and feel happy.

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as the breeze flowed past her face, her voice soft.

”It’s fine—”

”Will you marry me?”

Aether suddenly dropped to one knee, holding a ring open in his palm as it caught the fading light.