Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1488: I think... I turned on

Crunch... Crunch....

”Yup, it’s totally burned,” Aether muttered while sitting on the table, chewing with surprising enthusiasm as if the contents of the pot were something worth savouring.

The so-called vegetable soup had long lost any claim to being soup, leaving behind nothing but charred vegetables clinging stubbornly to the bottom.

Aria sat beside him with a deadpan expression that looked carved from stone. Her eyes flicked toward the pot, then toward his mouth, then finally back to his face.

”And who do you think is the reason for that?” she asked.

Aether averted his eyes while continuing to chew, clearly pretending to focus very hard on the food.

”It’s not like you hate it, right?” he said, then winked shamelessly toward her body, where nothing but the apron struggled to hide her bare skin and flushed curves.

Aria’s lips twitched as heat rushed to her face. She turned her eyes away from him, pretending to study the floor as if it suddenly deserved her full attention.

Crunch!

The sound made Aria flinch. She stared at his mouth in disbelief as he chewed the thick, burned vegetable with determination, her expression twisting into something between horror and concern.

”I-I don’t think you need to force yourself to eat it like that,”

Aether merely shrugged his shoulders and took another bite, ”I cannot waste my darling’s love,” he replied casually, a soft smile tugging at his lips. ”Not when it was made for me. I just can’t.”

Aria’s expression softened despite herself, ”But still, it might harm your body,” she said quietly, ”You don’t need to push yourself just to make me feel better.”

For Aether, however, the burned vegetables barely registered as unpleasant. Compared to what he had eaten the night before, this was nothing.

He was perfectly fine, honestly and completely fine, even if she would never believe it.

She had no idea how much better her cooking was than that dish from last night, something that had nearly cost him his life.

His tolerance for food had clearly gone beyond normal limits, whether that was a blessing or... a curse remained questionable!

Aria sighed, rubbing her temple with a tired expression. She knew he was forcing himself to eat just for her sake.

She also knew neither of them was innocent, since both of them had gone a little too far in the kitchen earlier, turning into disaster.

Whether they liked it or not, both of them were responsible for this!

”Come to think of it...” Aria suddenly said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied him more carefully. ”Your skin looks fine. Why does it look so normal?” Her brow furrowed as memories surfaced. ”You were dried up like shrivelled grapes in bed, and now you already look healthy. Delphine woke up weeks ago, and she’s still struggling to recover.”

She leaned closer, ”When did you really wake up?” she asked.

Aether chuckled softly while chewing, ”As I said before,” he replied between bites, ”just yesterday. I promise.”

Aria tilted her head, clearly unconvinced, but eventually let out a quiet sigh. ”Whatever,” she said, her voice easing. ”As long as you’re fine, that’s all I need.” A warm smile appeared as she rested her chin on her knuckles, watching him continue to eat the burned food she had made.

Watching his focused, almost hungry expression, a thought crept into her mind.

Was it really that good?

Curious~

She picked up a piece of the burned vegetable and took a bite herself.

The next moment, her face twisted violently.

Curiosity kills the cat~

”Voo!” she gagged, barely managing to spit it out as she grabbed the edge of the table for balance. Her eyes snapped back to Aether in pure horror, staring especially at his mouth as he chewed like nothing was wrong.

”A-Aether... are you really alright?” she exclaimed. ”This is a freaking disaster!”

She reached for the dish, intent on throwing it away immediately, but Aether caught her wrist gently yet firmly.

”It’s fine,” he said calmly, meeting her eyes without hesitation. ”Like I said before, I can’t waste the food you prepared for me.” Without another word, he pulled the dish closer and continued eating, even taking what she had left.

Aria took a slow breath before she shook her head helplessly. ”Idiot,” she murmured, her cheeks burning as she watched him devour her food with sincerity, while his eyes openly devoured her with something far more dangerous.

She swatted his shoulder lightly, flustered and smiling despite herself.

”We just did it,” she said, trying and failing to sound angry. ”What are you? Some kind of lustful beast?”

Aether finally lowered his head, a sheepish smile hidden in his expression. ”Am I not even allowed to look at my wife now?” he asked innocently.

Aria’s lips twitched, ’This bastard,’ she thought as her leg slowly brushed against his, deliberate and teasing. Only then did Aether’s smile return, subtle and knowing, as he continued eating the remaining dish as if nothing else in the world mattered.

Aria muttered softly, her voice barely above a whisper, ”Will... will we ever be happy, Aether?” The question slipped out before she could stop it.

Aether blinked, then sighed inwardly. He could hear the fear beneath her words, the lingering dread of losing him again. He smiled warmly,

”Are you not now?” he asked gently.

Aria blinked in surprise, then nodded with a weak smile that carried both hope and uncertainty.

Aether’s smile softened even more as he spoke slowly, choosing his words with care.

”Our life will be filled with everything, dear. Every feeling you can imagine. There will be ups and downs, and if we only focus on the downs, we will never appreciate the ups we already had.” He paused, glancing at her.

”So don’t let the past get inside your head. Your husband is fine now. He is perfectly alright. And I am sorry for that incident, it just got out of my hand. Otherwise... you know me, right?”

Aria’s eyes softened as she listened. ”Yeah,” she said quietly, a gentle smile forming. ”My husband would do anything to protect me, completely forgetting about himself in the process, even if it hurts. He smiles at me through the pain, as if... as if nothing happened.”

Aether’s face turned tender at her words. His lips parted as if he wanted to respond, but no sound came out. After a brief moment, he simply looked away and went back to eating the food.

Aria watched him silently, saying nothing as he finished the last of the dish.

Aether licked his lips with satisfaction. ”Very good,” he said lightly, almost proudly.

Aria stared at him with a deadpan expression.

If this was very good, then what would he say about her perfect dish?

Something beyond this world?

She was just about to stand up and clean the table when Aether suddenly caught her hand and pulled her onto his lap.

”I... I need to clean,” Aria said with a soft blush spreading across her face, fully aware of the hard presence beneath her.

Aether smirked, his eyes dark with amusement. ”We will clean,” he said calmly, ”But before that, there is something much bigger we need to clean, right?” His hands slid under her apron, fingers moving slowly as he leaned in to kiss her neck.

Aria shivered at the touch. ”A-Aether...” she moaned softly, her fingers tightening on his shoulders.

They had already had plenty of fun in the kitchen, and now he was starting again, completely shameless.

So unsatiable~

Aria pushed him away and stood up abruptly. ”Nope~” she said playfully as she turned and ran. Her hips swayed with each step, and nectar dripped from her legs.

Aether smirked as he rose to his feet. ”You naughty Elf~” he said with amusement, immediately following after her.

”Haha... catch me if you can,” Aria laughed as she circled around the sofa, her silver hair bouncing wildly with every step.

”Haha...” Aether laughed along, reaching out for her, only for her to slip from his grasp at the last second. She darted left and right, zigzagging around the room, laughter spilling freely as her hair danced in the air.

Aether laughed harder, watching her joy, before finally lunging forward. ”Caught you,” he said triumphantly as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer.

Their faces drew near, breaths mingling as they stared at each other for a brief.

Then they leaned in, lips meeting as they kissed deeply, the world around them fading away.

”Hmm~”

”Hmmm~”

Aria suddenly bit his lip, the sharp tug making him tremble. Using that brief moment, she twisted free from his grasp and burst into loud laughter. ”Haha... you lost,” she teased as she ran toward the nearby room.

”Haha... you cannot hide from me,” Aether laughed as he chased after her, catching the door just in time and slamming it shut behind them.

Thud!

And then... they fucked again.

That’s all!!

****

”Hmm...”

Aria hummed softly as Aether gently covered her trembling, wet body with the quilt. His eyes lingered on her with warmth and relief, taking in the way she slowly relaxed beneath the covers.

”What a worrywart,” he muttered affectionately. His fingers brushed the corners of her closed eyes, wiping away the faint stains left by her tears, tears born from pleasure tangled with lingering fear.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead before finally stepping away from the bed. His gaze drifted toward the darkened sky beyond the window.

He walked into the bathroom, and as the water poured over him, his eyes dropped to his softened shaft.

He did not understand why his skill had not activated with Aria.

”Is there any particular condition I need to achieve?” he wondered as the hot water flowed over his body, rinsing away sweat and exhaustion alike.

Even though he could control, with a single thought, whether his nectar carried fertility or not, changing the form of his shaft was something he still could not grasp.

Yet his pleasure felt stronger than ever. He had barely managed to hold himself back, waves of pleasure flooding through his body far too easily.

Just like what happened with Delphine, he was satisfied far quicker than he expected.

At first, he thought it might be related to how his shaft was changing its form, perhaps affecting his pleasure senses as well... But now.

”What’s going on with my dick? Is there any condition, Log?”

[...I don’t think so, so far. Don’t worry too much, you will be fine. It’s not like you ran the moment you were born. Just go with the flow, and you will be able to control it very soon.]

Aether hummed quietly, then shrugged as he finished washing himself.

Soon, he stepped out of the bathroom wearing a white robe, the fabric loose against his body. He returned to the bed, leaned down, and kissed Aria’s forehead once more.

”Hmm...”

Aria hummed in her sleep as her hands moved sluggishly, reaching out to hug him. Aether chuckled softly, kissed her again, then carefully slipped away and walked out of the room.

His gaze drifted toward the kitchen, where the earlier disaster still waited. He smiled weakly, deciding he would call the servants later to deal with it, then slowly made his way toward the stairs.

His grip tightened around the railing as he looked upward, expression turning serious, before he continued walking toward the roof.

When he reached the roof, a gentle breeze brushed past him, carrying a quiet chill over his freshly bathed body. His eyes slowly settled on a lone figure standing on the railing, her silhouette framed against the night as she stared toward the humongous tree in the distance, its massive form rising endlessly into the sky. Golden motes fluttered around its leaves, drifting like scattered starlight, making the tree look impossibly alive and sacred.

”It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Aether muttered as he walked toward her with unhurried steps.

Liora leaned back naturally, resting against his chest as he came to a stop behind her. ”Indeed...” she murmured, her gaze never leaving the tree.

”It’s really beautiful... mesmerising, to be honest.”

Aether nodded softly, eyes fixed on the towering tree. Every time he looked at it, his body reacted, a faint tingling spreading beneath his skin as if something unseen was reaching out to him. As if some deep connection was quietly awakening within his core.

Liora’s tail swayed gently before slipping around his hip, wrapping there with familiar ease. ”You took your sweet time,” she muttered with a faint pout, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

”You almost made me think you forgot about me.”

Aether chuckled, one arm sliding around her waist, pulling her closer. ”Do you really think I would come here if I had forgotten you?” he said softly. He leaned in, pressing gentle kisses against her soft, furry ears and her forehead, making them flutter lightly at his touch.

Liora smiled, ”Today...” she said quietly, ”Today is the biggest day of my life. I never expected our union to be accepted so widely, or that everyone would accept you as if you were born into this world.” Her hand rested against her chest as she spoke.

”I-It’s a wonderful feeling. Truly.”

Aether’s expression softened, warmth filling his eyes as he listened. But the shift came suddenly.

Liora’s face hardened, her smile vanishing as pure hatred flashed across her features.

”But...” she said coldly, turning to face him. ”I won’t forgive what happened to you.” Her voice sharpened, fierce and unwavering.

”I will hunt down whoever hurt you. I will...” Her teeth clenched as her multicoloured eyes glowed dangerously.

”I promise you.”

Aether stared at her, stunned, feeling the intensity of her anger washing over him. He knew, without a shred of doubt, that she was completely serious.

Those eyes... they burned with devotion and rage alike.

Fuck... They were mesmerising, dangerously beautiful, unbearably hot-

”I...” Aether muttered suddenly, feeling an unexpected heaviness as blood rushed downward. He glanced down and froze, staring at the unmistakable tent straining against his robe.

”I think... I turned on.”

”...”

Aether stood utterly flabbergasted by his own reaction, ’What the fuck is wrong with me?’ he wondered.

Truly!!