Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1503: Chad... is seducing Aether? Part-1

Aether froze when he noticed Chad walking toward him. The moment their eyes met, his expression twisted into something awkward and painfully self-aware, as if every embarrassing thought decided to surface at once. He cleared his throat and asked, trying and failing to sound casual,

”What are you doing here? You were supposed to be with Kaelith, right?”

Chad slowed her steps and smiled, a warm and relaxed curve that made her presence feel heavier than it should have. ”Well,” she said lightly, folding her hands behind her back, ”Maelona and the others wanted to have a serious talk with him. It looked like one of those political conversations, so I left them to it.”

Aether hummed in response, his gaze drifting away from her face. Words hovered at the tip of his tongue, but none of them felt safe enough to release.

Honestly, he needed solitude more than conversation, if only to let the lingering embarrassment settle instead of clawing at him.

Chad stopped right in front of him, her eyes narrowing slightly as she noticed the water droplets clinging to his hair and trailing down his cheek. Without hesitation, she reached out and offered him a neatly folded handkerchief.

”Please dry yourself,” she said gently. ”You will catch a cold if you stay like that.”

Aether glanced at the handkerchief, then slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers. His lips parted, hesitation flashing across his face before he shook his head.

”No”

Chad chuckled under her breath and leaned closer, lowering her voice until it brushed against his ear. ”Are you scared of me?” she whispered.

Aether flinched before snapping back, his brows knitting together. ”Who is scared of you?” he muttered, scoffing as he turned his face away.

Her laughter was soft, playful, and persistent. ”Then what is it?” she asked, lifting the handkerchief again as if presenting an unanswerable challenge.

Aether stared at her hand for a long moment. He exhaled slowly and finally reached out. ”Fine,” he said, as he took the handkerchief and gently wiped the water from his face and damp hair.

Chad watched him for a second before humming in approval. She nodded once and lowered herself onto the grass, smoothing her dress beneath her before patting the ground beside her.

”Sit.”

Aether blinked, confusion flickering across his face as he looked from her to the ground. ”Why?” he asked.

Chad smirked, her lips parting as she leaned forward slightly, mimicking a playful bite. ”To eat you up~ Warrh~” she teased, her tone deliberately exaggerated.

Aether instantly stepped back, his body reacting before his mind could catch up. His eyes widened, and his shoulders stiffened as if bracing for an attack that clearly was not coming.

”Hahaha...” Chad burst out laughing, covering her mouth briefly before waving her hand dismissively. ”Relax. I am joking. I am not going to eat you, you know?... Hhaha,” she added, laughter spilling out again before fading into soft giggles.

Aether swallowed hard, a bead of sweat trailing down his temple as he awkwardly stood there.

”Come sit,” Chad said again, this time softer and steadier.

After taking a slow breath, Aether finally sat down, leaving a small but noticeable distance between them. He positioned himself carefully, as if proximity alone might invite trouble he was not prepared to face.

Chad glanced at the gap and shook her head, an amused smile tugging at her lips. Her gaze drifted away soon after, settling on the towering tree in the distance.

It was the same tree that had erupted the previous night, its massive form nearly touching the shimmering barrier, leaves trembling as gentle motes of light fluttered through the night air.

Aether remained silent, continuing to wipe the last traces of water from his hair.

”You know,” Chad murmured at last, her voice barely louder than the wind, ”your dance... I liked it.”

Aether turned toward her with a flat stare. ”If you came here just to tease me,” he said slowly, ”please leave. I have already embarrassed myself enough for one night.”

Chad smiled softly and shook her head, ”I really meant it, Mr. Aether,” she said, her tone calm and earnest. ”Your dance was almost on par with Kaelith’s.” She paused, then suddenly giggled. ”And I am pretty sure Kaelith was furious about that.”

Aether blinked, surprise softening his expression before a faint smile crept onto his lips. ”Why would he be angry?” he asked, genuinely puzzled.

Chad cast him a sideways glance, her eyes glinting with mischief. ”Well,” she replied, dragging out the word slightly, ”You already stole his first wife’s heart, so mine...”

Aether’s face twisted into something between disbelief and horror. His mind screamed in protest as he thought, ’What the fuck is that old ass thinking?!’

Seeing Aether’s horrified expression, Chad let out a soft chuckle as she spoke, ”Don’t look so shocked. Kaelith told me everything, you know... about how you two even had a child and all.”

Aether blinked a few times, then released a slow sigh that sounded heavier than it should have. ”Well, that’s not exactly right,” he said carefully, rubbing the back of his neck. ”It’s just that—”

Before he could finish, Chad suddenly placed a finger against his lips. Aether froze at the touch, eyes widening as she leaned closer, her breath warm as she whispered, ”Don’t lie. Whether you accept it or not... You two are connected. Got it?”

Aether swallowed and nodded meekly, unable to argue even if he wanted to.

Only then did Chad withdraw her finger. She stared at it for a brief moment, as if recalling the sensation, before giving him a sidelong glance. Aether flinched and, without thinking, quickly used the handkerchief to wipe her fingers, unsure why he felt compelled to do so, only that he absolutely had to.

Chad noticed and chuckled softly. ”You are just like... him,” she said, her eyes turning bright and strangely tender.

”You know, when my Wood Tribe was attacked by monsters, we were barely holding on. Everyone was screaming, running, tripping over fear itself and surrounded by death.”

Her gaze drifted into the distance as her voice softened. ”I was running too. I thought I was going to die when that monster lunged at me. And then...” She paused, letting out a quiet breath.

”My cute darling appeared and saved me~”

She sighed, the sound heavy and bittersweet. ”That was the day I fell in love. Like some prince out of a story, he stole my heart without asking permission.” Her eyes dulled slightly as she continued, ”But when I later saw his wife and his little daughter... I felt like something inside me broke.”

That was her first day seeing Kaelith so close and so handsome as he saved her and her tribe from danger.

What neither of them realised was that day marked the birth of two loves. One bloomed gently, rooted in devotion, while the other grew sharp, tangled with longing and possession.

Anyway.

Chad absentmindedly traced circles in the dirt with her toe before suddenly brightening.

”But then I heard rumours,” she said, her tone lifting again. ”People said he was roaming around men’s brothels. There was no real proof, but still... I thought there might be a chance... I would try.”

She laughed lightly, cheeks flushing as she continued, ”I mean, I was chasing my love, even if the chance was tiny. I love exploring possibilities. And my love was pure, you know.” She clicked her tongue in frustration.

”That bastard stole my heart. I couldn’t think about anyone else... He was so handsome... Yeah~”

Aether sat there with a deeply conflicted expression. ’W-Was I supposed to hear all of this? and also don’t worry, I will do my best not be like him,’ he wondered, his mind struggling to keep up.

Still, he could not deny that the story caught him off guard.

Chad sighed again, her tone calmer now. ”Anyway, it took some time to seduce him from other bitches, but I eventually succeeded by doing something wrong,” she added, motioning with her hand on her neck as if... she finished off her rivals, or something.

Aether gulped when he noticed a dark expression on her face.... something was wrong!

Chad then gave Aether a cheeky sideways glance. ”Please don’t tell anyone about this, okay? Not Aria, not Maelona, not Kaelith. No one!”

Aether forced a weak smile and nodded. ”There is no way I would tell this to others,” he said.

Chad smiled in relief and nodded back. ”That’s good to know. Our cute little secret~” she said, punctuating the words with a playful wink, ”Now we are connected~haha”

BOOM!!

Aether suddenly punched himself square in the face. ’That’s ’HE!’’ he screamed inwardly.

Chad blinked rapidly, startled by the sudden violence. Seeing Aether holding his own face, she leaned forward in concern. ”Are you alright?” she asked, reaching toward him.

Aether quickly leaned back and let out an awkward chuckle. ”I am fine,” he said, waving his hand dismissively.

”Sometimes I just need to punch myself to get a reality check.”

Chad tilted her head, eyes wide with confusion and mild concern, clearly unsure how to respond to that.

”Anyway,” she continued after a moment, trying to recall her train of thought, ”where was I? Right... when he was in the bedroom, naked and waiting for me, I took a deep bath, washing—”

”What kind of dance was it?” Aether suddenly interrupted, his face pale with horror. His voice cracked slightly as he spoke, clearly unprepared to hear any more traumatising revelations.

Chad blinked, momentarily caught off guard. ”Dance?” she repeated.

”Y-Yeah...” Aether replied, releasing a quiet breath he had been holding for too long. He rubbed his palm against his thigh, eyes lowering as he searched for the right words.

”Even though I danced like him, I still felt a difference. I know it’s impossible to learn something like that from just one glance, but his dance felt more vivid. It stuck in my mind, like something I should be able to pull out... yet something was missing.”

He himself felt... something was missing in his dance, even though he did exactly as Kaelith.

Chad smiled softly and reached out, gently ruffling his hair. Aether flinched at the sudden contact and glanced around nervously, as if afraid someone might see. She paid no mind to his reaction and spoke calmly,

”You see, Kaelith once told me something similar.”

She withdrew her hand and looked ahead as she continued, ”Just like you, he saw his father dance only once, during his marriage. After that, his father never danced again, not even for Kaelith.” She turned her eyes back to Aether. ”Do you know why?”

Aether leaned a little closer without realising it.

”Because it’s not something that can be learned or taught,” Chad muttered, her voice steady and thoughtful.

Aether blinked, brows knitting together. ”What do you mean?” he asked, genuinely confused.

Chad nodded slowly. ”It is what it is,” she said. ”You cannot learn it, and you cannot teach it to someone else, because it’s supposed to come from... Emotion.”

”Emotion?”

”Yes,” Chad replied. ”Kaelith once asked his father to teach him, so that one day he could do it for his own children. His father refused and said the dance is shown to the heir only once, and after that, they must discover it on their own.”

She paused, her gaze softening. ”But when his father was about to die, he finally told him this. When the time comes for Kaelith’s child, Kaelith must pour everything he feels into that dance. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

Aether stared ahead, processing her words. They sounded vague, almost unfair, and yet Kaelith had somehow managed to do it.

’Maybe I should ask him about it,’ Aether thought to himself.

”He won’t tell you.”

Aether flinched and turned sharply toward Chad. She was smirking, clearly amused by his reaction.

”Your face says everything, Mr. Aether,” she added with a laugh.

Aether gave a weak, sheepish smile. ”So there’s really no way to learn it?” he asked. ”I mean... It’s kind of cool, you know?”

Chad chuckled and shook her head. ”That’s exactly the problem,” she said. ”You think it’s cool. But it’s not about being cool at all.”

She leaned slightly forward.

’Damn, she smells nice-FUCK!!’ he screamed inwardly.

Chad said, ”It comes from the depths of your heart. Your longing, your love, your hatred, your regrets. Every emotion you carry pours out through that dance. Everything you ever wanted to express but never could... That’s what this dance is supposed to be. An offering to the next generation to remember... emotions! ”

She straightened and smiled gently. ”That’s all it is. It doesn’t depend on technique or appearance. It depends entirely on emotion.”

Chad leaned closer again, almost conspiratorial.

”That’s why it’s called... Tandava.”