Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1529: Kaelen lies to his father

With a small smirk, Lia walked towards them.

Aether masked his surprise behind a calm expression and spoke evenly.

”What are you going to give—”

However, Lia ignored him completely. She walked straight past Aether, her steps deliberate, and stopped in front of Kaelen.

Without a word, she placed a document into his hands.

”You guys wasted my time far too much already,” Lia said flatly, irritation sharp in her tone as she crossed her arms.

”Read this properly, and once you accept the terms and conditions, sign it and give it back to my mother.”

Aether pouted slightly when he noticed her deliberately avoiding even a glance in his direction.

Kaelen blinked as he took the document from her, scanning the first few lines before looking back up.

”But what if we want to change some of the terms? Please stay here for a moment, Princess Aurelia.”

”Hell no,” Lia snapped immediately, her glare slicing straight toward Aether. ”I am not staying in the same place as some perverted bastard.”

Aether averted his eyes instantly, clicking his tongue inwardly.

He was the pervert?

She was the one who kissed him first!

The audacity!!

He was just... fondled her ass!

But still she was one who kissed him first!!

Kaelen’s gaze shifted awkwardly between Lia’s furious glare and Aether’s deliberate avoidance.

He let out a tired sigh before trying again, keeping his tone calm.

”But what if we want to revise certain conditions?”

Lia shrugged, ”My mother already informed me. She will not accept any changes. This is what she’s willing to offer for you all... because of her only daughter, that is, of course, me. If you don’t like it, tear it apart and pretend this conversation never happened.”

Aether snorted, irritation flashing across his face as he leaned back.

”This is ridiculous. You cannot come and barge like you own this place!”

”Just like you, bastard!” Lia shouted, fury blazing in her eyes. She looked barely restrained, as though one wrong word might push her into violence.

”Whether you like it or not, this is our final decision... And don’t forget,” she added sharply,

”You’re the ones who begged us.”

Aether frowned, about to retort, when Kaelen quickly stepped in,

”O-Okay, stop. Let’s calm down,” he said hurriedly. ”I will go through the document carefully and inform you of our response. And if necessary, we’ll negotiate directly with your mother.”

He immediately lowered his gaze and began skimming through the pages.

Lia scoffed.

”Whatever,” she muttered, flipping her ponytail as she turned away. Her steps were sharp and haughty as she walked off.

Aether watched her retreating figure, a soft smile tugging at his lips.

She looked exactly like she had before their first meeting.

So proud.

So sharp.

So haughty.

”Uhm...” Kaelen suddenly frowned, his brows drawing together as he slowed his reading. ”Princess Aurelia, I think someone added an extra clause”

He tilted the paper slightly, staring at an awkward scribble crammed into the margin, written in hurried strokes with barely any space.

Lia froze mid-step. Her shoulders stiffened before she spoke, her voice noticeably tighter.

”I-It’s included too. Don’t worry about it. My mother will accept it.”

Kaelen frowned deeper, confusion clear in his eyes as he reread the line carefully.

”Wait... what does this mean?”

He glanced up slowly.

”’Aurelia Scarlet is granted the right to drink Aether’s blood at any moment she wishes.’”

Lia’s ears turned bright red instantly.

Aether’s eyes widened for a split second before a slow, unmistakable smirk spread across his face.

Kaelen, however, stiffened. His expression turned serious as he shook his head slightly.

”That’s not possible, Princess Lia. I cannot allow something like—”

”It’s fine, Kaelen,” Aether interrupted smoothly.

Kaelen blinked, startled, and looked at him.

”Dad?”

”I said it’s fine,” Aether repeated, his grin widening as he turned toward Lia.

”You can suck me whenever you want, darling~”

Lia’s face turned beet red. She spun around instantly, eyes blazing as she glared at him.

”YOU!!!”

Aether only smirked in response, clearly enjoying every second of her reaction.

Lia bit her lip hard, fists clenched at her sides, before she turned away sharply and stormed off, her footsteps heavy with fury.

”You will pay for this one day, asshole!!”

”I am waiting~”

Aether watched her leave, laughter bubbling up despite himself.

”Hahaha...”

The bat took the bait~

Meanwhile, Kaelen looked back and forth between his father and the empty doorway, confusion written plainly across his face. After a moment, he let out a long, weary sigh.

”Dad...”

The single word carried the exhaustion of someone far too used to his father’s antics. Then he hesitated before continuing, ”What should we do, Dad?”

Aether hummed softly as he rubbed his chin... Mary and Vesperine drifted through his mind like opposing storms, each promising ruin in its own way.

He needed to deal with them.

Both of them, sooner rather than later, before their shadows grew any longer.

Vesperine, whose true objective remained hidden behind charm and provocation, and Mary, who would gladly crush Aether beneath her heel if it served her purpose.

Both were finally extending their hands in cooperation, but Aether could feel the barbs hidden beneath their palms.

Vesperine wanted Aether for whatever the fucking reason, and Mary... Mary wanted everything.

”Give me the document,” Aether said.

Kaelen nodded and passed the document over. He shifted closer afterwards, sitting beside Aether in silence.

Aether read the conditions carefully, eyes scanning each line. He searched for loopholes, hidden clauses, careless wording, anything that could be twisted or exploited.

Yet the more he read, the heavier the silence became.

”There is none...”

The words slipped from him with a frown as he turned the pages again, methodical and thorough. Each page he finished, he handed to Kaelen, silently urging him to look as well.

Both father and son studied the document with intense focus.

Kaelen drew in a deep breath before speaking, his brows knitting together in disbelief. ”She’s asking for our raw materials in exchange for increasing our Empire Values. That includes Zephyra, Aurora, Naiadae... but the value itself is something she alone decides?” His voice sharpened with frustration.

”What kind of deal is that?”

He turned to Aether, eyes clouded with confusion and anger. ”She didn’t even mention approximate values. Worse, she refuses to share the method or the secret behind it. She does all the work, and we just hand over whatever she demands and then what?

Give us whatever value she decides, not us? Was this even a contract? It’s freaking Slave Contract!... Dad, this doesn’t feel right.”

Aether hummed thoughtfully, fingers tightening around the document. The contract was blunt and clean. There was no deception in the wording, only certainty.

”Do as I say, and you will see the results the next day...” Aether muttered, reducing the entire agreement into its simplest, most merciless truth.

Kaelen’s hand curled into a tight fist, knuckles whitening as anger surged through him.

”I can’t believe this. How do they know something we don’t? How did we fall this far behind?” His voice cracked as he spoke.

”It’s unfair. Our Empires are suffering because of it, right now.”

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, ”Why did the gods abandon us? We didn’t do anything wrong. Why us? Even Aurora is suffering the same fate!”

Aether placed a hand on Kaelen’s shoulder, patting softly.

Pressure came from every direction, leaving Aether with the sense that choice itself had been stripped away.

What should he do now?

His Empires were not failing. Kaelen and his wives worked tirelessly to keep every system balanced, every structure intact.

Everything was under control, except the values hanging ominously above it all. Those unseen numbers loomed like a curse in the sky.

Whether he liked it or not, those values stirred unease among the people.

None of them understood what they meant, nor the kind of catastrophe they might one day unleash.

Ignorance bred fear, and fear spread fast!

Now, this contract stood as their only thread of hope.

A single lead in a labyrinth with no visible exits.

They needed a path forward... Any path.

All Aether needed was one fucking hint, one crack in the wall, and he would fucking drill a deep hole into it!

He drew in a slow breath and patted Kaelen’s shoulder with slightly more force, as though committing himself aloud through the gesture.

”Fine. We’ll deal with Vesperine.”

Kaelen’s eyes widened, shock flashing across his face. His voice stumbled as he spoke. ”Y-You’re going to marry her?”

Aether raised an eyebrow, a sharp smirk cutting across his lips. ”Of course not. Don’t be absurd. We’re going to put that woman in her place.”

”You mean...”

Aether patted his shoulder again, ”Yes. We capture her and force the truth out. There’s no need to be gentle. Unlike Mary, Vesperine and her crew are nothing more than loud jokers. Nobody is going to come and complain!”

His smirk deepened, darker now. ”We’re doing this for the world. If sacrifices are required, then we’ll make them.”

This was the same man who, only days ago, had erupted in fury over how Dora treated Mira.

Still, Kaelen shook his head, ”It’s wrong, Dad. No matter how you frame it, this is wrong.” His fist clenched against his leg, trembling as he struggled to hold his ground.

Aether frowned and stared at him in silence, then asked curiously, ”When did you last meet her?”

”Huh?”

”I asked you,” Aether repeated, eyes narrowing slightly. ”When was the last time you met her?”

Kaelen swallowed hard, his throat tightening. There was no way he could admit the truth. No way he could confess that she had appeared during Aether’s official engagement, right there within the palace walls.

His father was already thinking of harming Vesperine, and if the truth ever surfaced, who knew how far Aether’s fury would go. The thought alone made Kaelen’s chest tighten, a quiet dread coiling in his stomach as he struggled to keep his composure.

”I-I met her a week ago, outside the palace,” Kaelen said hesitantly. His voice wavered for just a fraction of a second, a faint trace of guilt slipping through before he forcefully buried it beneath calm.

Aether’s frown deepened as he hummed softly. Inwardly, his voice cut through the shared connection.

/Liora, did you notice that bitch?/

Liora, who was bathing alongside the others, flinched slightly. She did not need clarification. The word alone told her everything.

/Yes, Husband./

/When?/

/During our engagement day. I smelled her scent near the palace... possibly inside the palace./

”...”

Aether’s eyes turned cold as he stared at Kaelen more intensely than before,

”Just one time, right?”

Kaelen nodded quickly, his throat tight. ”Y-Yes.”

Aether asked Liora about the same question and,

/Two times. The last one was a few weeks ago, I think./

Aether’s teeth clenched.

/Why didn’t you stop that bitch?/

/.../

/Liora?/

/Sigh... We gave him the truth, Husband. We told him who she was and made sure he understood. That is all a parent can do. If he still chose to meet her in secret and hide her presence from us, then that choice belongs to him.

He is not a child anymore. He rules an Empire. He is not our puppet to move as we wish. He has his own emotions, his own thoughts. It was an Emperor’s decision... You are the one who taught me this, darling./

Aether fell silent. His gaze remained fixed on Kaelen, who now avoided his eyes, discomfort evident in the stiff set of his shoulders.

Then, unexpectedly, Aether smiled. He reached out and patted Kaelen’s face with an almost gentle touch.

”Good. I BELIEVE in my son’s words.”

The words struck Kaelen’s chest like a hammer. His breath hitched as he lowered his head, guilt flooding through him, crushing and merciless. Disappointment twisted tightly around his heart, sharper than any scolding could have been.

Aether straightened and spoke again, his tone casual, almost light. ”Call her. We’ll talk to her directly.”

Kaelen blinked, startled. ”J-Just... talk?”

Aether smiled wider, amusement glinting in his eyes. ”Of course. We’ll start with talking. I’m a firm believer that violence is never the answer at first, my dear.”

He stood up and adjusted his clothes with deliberate calm. ”I have something important to take care of.”

”D-Dad, what about Void’s Contract?” Kaelen asked, rising slightly from his seat.

Aether hummed thoughtfully. ”First, we’ll talk to Vesperine. After that, we’ll see what’s possible. Then we’ll deal with Mary.”

Kaelen nodded quietly, watching his father walk away in silence. As Aether’s figure disappeared, a painful guilt washed over Kaelen’s face, his expression twisting as the weight of his choices finally caught up to him.

”W-Why did I lie?” he muttered to himself, confusion threading through his thoughts. It wasn’t that he wanted to protect Vesperine.

That wasn’t it at all.

Still, something deep inside him trembled at the idea of his father hurting her.

Why?

Why did he feel pain when the mere thought of her getting hurt by his father?

Even though they cut off every tie!

Why!!

He clenched his fist and lightly tapped his forehead, frustration and fear tangling together.

”What should I do...”

His lips trembled as Aether’s words echoed relentlessly in his mind, refusing to fade.

”Good. I BELIEVE in my son’s words.”

Aether believed him, trusted him completely, and yet... he had lied.

”I-I’m sorry... Dad...”