Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1017: You are not my target, Xara Seraphine

Once Xara took the blood from every child, Victor called their mothers back and returned the children to them, one by one, with a silent nod.

”We will wait for hopeful words,” They said, their voices steady with conviction. Their tone carried complete faith—as if they trusted him more than anyone else in this world.

As if he alone could make the impossible... possible.

Victor nodded, his face unreadable, offering no words in response.

They understood. Their Emperor wasnʼt someone who offered empty hope. He wasnʼt doing this to soothe them—he was doing it because he believed, deep down, that there was a chance. But if he failed... if this one attempt ended in disaster... he would shatter the fragile hope they still clung to... And so, he remained silent.

They understood that perfectly.

And yet... they believed in him. Completely.

With that silent trust in their hearts, they carried their unconscious children and quietly left the palace yard, not looking back even once.

Victor turned toward Xara, who was fixated on the blood pack she had just collected. Dozens of glass tubes gleamed under the light, filled with vibrant red blood—each one labeled carefully with... names?

”You got their names?” Victor asked, genuinely surprised. His brow raised as he noticed how meticulously labelled the tubes were. ”All of them? Without even a single mistake?”

Xara smiled, clearly pleased with herself. ”Thatʼs what being a mother means, Aether... oops, I mean, Victor?” she teased, tilting her head playfully.

Her face lit up with amusement, but more than that—there was excitement. She looked truly happy. She had found something fascinating, and when Xara was fascinated... things usually got dangerous, fast.

Already, she was fantasising about the experiments she could perform. These new, mutated blood samples had so much potential. Her thoughts were spinning—testing, splicing, stabilising... She couldnʼt wait to dive in.

”Is she... alright?” Emberlyn whispered softly to Victor, slightly startled as she saw Xara nearly drooling while staring at the tubes.

Xara flinched, snapping out of her trance, and quickly composed herself. ”Apologies for that ugly display...” she muttered. Her eyes flicked to Victor just as he reached out to touch the container. Instantly, all the glass tubes vanished into his storage space with a flicker of magic.

”Now, letʼs not waste time. Letʼs go!” Xara announced, her tone shifting to business-like seriousness.

”Wait... why donʼt you rest for a moment first?” Victor began, trying to suggest a pause. ”Settle down, prepare—”

But Xara interrupted sharply, her tone intense. ”When you have delicious food right in front of you... do you wait? Even if youʼre starving? Do you just sit back and let it go cold when itʼs within reach?”

Victor lifted a finger to argue, but then sighed, lowering it in resignation. ʼSheʼs really good with her words,ʼ he thought, giving her a small shrug as he walked beside her.

Selene and Emberlyn followed closely behind, curiosity gleaming in their eyes.

Victor took a moment to quietly explain everything to Selene—the condition of the mutated children, the symptoms... and finally, how Xara had said there might be a way to help them.

”Mom, is that actually possible?” Selene asked, her voice filled with awe and a touch of disbelief.

She looked at her mother with wide eyes.

Xara smirked, her eyes glinting with confidence, ”Of course it is. Iʼve dealt with mutations plenty of times in my past projects. Granted, most of them didnʼt exactly go according to plan... but I learned from them. I learned how to suppress mutation—at least temporarily—through specific sequences. If I get a chance to study their condition firsthand... thereʼs a real possibility of success,” she said, her tone calm and serious.

Emberlyn stared at her, genuinely impressed. She hadnʼt expected such a capable, composed woman behind all that teasing madness. Her admiration for Victor seemed to grow just from being around people like Xara.

”And what about these projects you keep mentioning?” Emberlyn asked, unable to hold her curiosity any longer.

Xara smiled faintly but remained silent, her gaze distant. She didnʼt answer. Instead, her mind wandered to the blood-soaked chambers, the cages, the screams.

The failed monsters... The criminals she had dissected and rebuilt.

Of course, sheʼd never experimented on the innocent. Xara might have been completely mad—but she was mad with method.

An insane woman, yes, but a rationally insane one.

Before long, they arrived at their destination—Xaraʼs lab.

Her proud little sanctuary. She had even named it herself... and splattered blood over the door like a signature.

Victor reached out and opened the door for them to step inside...

Or so they thought.

”Hold up! Where do you think youʼre going?” Xara barked, suddenly turning with a deep frown. Her sharp gaze scanned everyone with commanding authority.

Emberlyn instinctively hid behind Victor. This wasnʼt a situation she wanted to comment on.

Selene stepped forward with her arms crossed, her expression matching Xaraʼs seriousness. ”I thought we agreed—no more hiding secrets, right? Everythingʼs supposed to be out in the open. Only truth, remember?”

Xara nodded slowly. ”Yes, I said that. And I meant every word. Iʼm not going to hide anything anymore...” Her voice dropped as her expression hardened. ”...But this place is different, dear.”

She pointed to the labʼs heavy door.

”This place is mine. My world. My rules. And no one—no one—is allowed to enter. Not even my children.”

Her voice left no room for argument. She wasnʼt budging. Not this time. The last time she let someone inside, it was under duress—she had made a mistake and was trying to correct it. But now... everyone knew what she was. There was no need to show them.

And she wasnʼt going to risk it again.

This was her personal sanctuary... her sacred domain. Thatʼs why she had scrawled it in blood—her own fucking blood—right above the door:

ʼXaraʼs Lab!!ʼ

Veins bulged on Seleneʼs forehead as she watched her mother acting like an overgrown child. ”Tsk. Whatever,” she muttered, shrugging with an irritated sigh.

Xara nodded in satisfaction, just about to enter her lab when—

”M-Mom...” Seleneʼs voice broke the moment. Hesitant. Unsure.

Xara paused, tilting her head slightly, already sighing inwardly. ”If you really want to come inside, Fi—”

”No, thatʼs not it! Iʼm not interested in your bloody freak-show of a lab,” Selene cut in quickly, folding her arms.

Xara blinked, narrowing her eyes slightly. ”Then what is it?”

Selene bit her lip, struggling to keep her voice steady. Her chest felt tight. The question had been scratching at her thoughts ever since that conversation.

”A-Am I... your f-failed product?” she finally asked, her voice cracking.

Xaraʼs face softened. Her usual manic energy simmered down as her expression turned serious—gentle...

”Darling... yes, you are.”

And just like that, she turned, took Victorʼs hand, and stepped into her lab, letting the door close behind her with a quiet click.

”...”

”...”

Selene stood frozen in place, her brain struggling to process the absolute bluntness of that answer.

Emberlyn blinked beside her, confused and completely out of sync with the dynamic between mother and daughter.

Then Selene twitched, veins visible on her forehead again.

”MOOOOOMMMMM!!!” she roared in fury, her voice echoing off the palace walls like an explosion.

Meanwhile, inside the lab...

”You actually said that?” Victor asked, raising a brow in disbelief. He pulled off his mask, letting his disguise fade as he returned to Aether, giving her a half-exasperated, half-admiring stare.

Xara gave a lazy shrug, completely unbothered. ”Well, she asked for the truth, didnʼt she? What else was I supposed to do—lie? Itʼs true. She was a failed product. That doesnʼt mean I donʼt love her with everything Iʼve got. I do. But project-wise? She didnʼt meet the intended outcome... Thatʼs all.”

Her voice dropped to a more tender tone.

”Just because she didnʼt become what I designed... doesnʼt mean she isnʼt precious to me. But people always want to lump love and science together, and those things donʼt always mix, Aether.”

He stared at her with a tired expression. ”You couldʼve said it like that, you know?”

Xara sighed and waved her hand dismissively. ”Sheʼs smart. Sheʼll understand eventually. Now—blood, blood, blood!!”

She practically sang it, her fingers twitching in anticipation like an excited predator about to feast.

Aether rolled his eyes, chuckling as he lifted his hand. With a shimmer of magic, all the blood tubes reappeared in the air—both the freshly collected ones and the long-lost samples from her previous hidden lab. Every tube, every sample, softly appeared before her.

Xaraʼs eyes widened, her lips curving into a delighted smile. ”Theyʼre all here... safe... my sweet babies,” she whispered, her voice giddy. She turned to Aether, winked playfully, and leaned in, her cheek close to his. ”Youʼre spoiling me~”

”I can come in anytime, right?” Aether murmured with a smirk as he stepped toward her, his presence now slower... heavier... more intentional.

Xaraʼs breath hitched slightly. She took a shy step back, her cheeks flushed a soft pink. ”H-Hey... The rules apply to everyone, y-you know—Mmm~!”

Before she could finish, he kissed her. This time longer. Deeper. His lips pressed with warmth and intention as his fingers grazed her waist, pulling her gently closer. She shivered at the touch, lips parting slightly as her body leaned into his.

He pulled back only a breath away, his voice husky, ”Now?”

Xara looked away quickly, blushing even harder, her heart hammering in her chest. ”F-Fine... I-Iʼll allow it... just you, okay?! Only you! N-No one else,” she stammered, still avoiding eye contact, her entire body flustered.

Aether smiled softly, his hand brushing her cheek before he leaned down, his lips ghosting near her ear. He bit her earlobe gently, his breath warm on her skin.

”Mmh~! W-What are you doing?!” she squealed, her voice high as she pushed him away, eyes wide with both embarrassment and annoyance. She covered her ear protectively, glaring at him.

”Youʼre just too adorable~” Aether teased, his gaze lingering on her flushed face.

Xara frowned, even as the corners of her lips twitched. She was blushing hard now. ”I know where this is going... I can see it in your eyes...” she muttered, voice soft and trembling with anticipation.

Aether chuckled, his steps slow as he moved in again. ”Where exactly?”

Xara stepped back instinctively—but there was nowhere to go. Her back met the wall, and her heart skipped. He was so close now...

Her breath caught, her chest rising and falling faster. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for what might come next—his lips, his tongue, his warmth against her neck.

But then...

His voice, low and smooth, like a whisper that burned:

”You are not my target, Xara Seraphine...”

Her eyes flew open instantly, confusion washing over her expression.

”Huh?” she gasped, startled.

But by the time her eyes darted around—he was already gone.

Aether had vanished, not a trace of him left behind...