Chapter 1652: Available One and Only Slot
Aether quickly took Nyx and left the Void Empire, his expression carrying an unusual trace of urgency.
Nyx quietly followed behind him, her eyes observing his pale face and slightly restless movements. Normally, Aether always carried himself with calm composure, almost annoyingly relaxed, no matter the situation.
Yet now, something about him felt disturbed.
She wanted to ask what happened.
But seeing the tension hidden beneath his calm face, she chose silence instead.
Soon, most of his wives gathered inside the Naiadae Palace.
Every woman inside the closed chamber could sense that something serious had happened.
Celestia had already explained the situation beforehand. Naturally, she avoided mentioning Lackey or anything related to Rosavere. She only revealed that Aether had discovered a method to enter the Terra Empire.
However, due to the restrictions surrounding the entrance, only one person was allowed to enter.
"That’s everything for now," Celestia spoke calmly while standing before everyone, her eyes carrying natural authority. "In two days, Aether will depart for the Terra Empire and handle the situation personally."
Her tone sounded graceful and composed, yet the faint superiority hidden within her voice instantly irritated everyone present.
It almost felt as if a Queen was announcing decisions to his Majesty’s concubines rather than speaking among equals.
Even though they noticed it immediately, none of them openly questioned her.
After all... they knew they would have acted the same way in her position.
"I’ll go instead."
Aqualina immediately interrupted, her cold voice echoing across the hall. Her icy purple eyes narrowed slightly as she looked toward Celestia without hesitation.
"If someone needs to enter the Terra Empire, then let it be me."
For some reason, she felt deeply uneasy about allowing Aether to go there alone.
Especially the Terra Empire.
A faint sense of danger continued clawing at her instincts.
The others silently shared the same feeling.
Celestia slowly shook her head. "That’s impossible. Only Aether possesses the qualifications necessary to enter." Her expression became serious. "None of us can bypass the restriction."
Several women unconsciously clenched their fists before their gazes shifted toward the real source of the problem.
Aether.
Meanwhile, the man himself looked completely detached from the tension filling the room. He casually lay beside Sandra, who remained peacefully asleep with her head resting against him. His fingers slowly brushed across her chest in soft rhythmic pats, almost like a mother soothing a child to sleep.
The contrast between everyone’s frustration and his calm behaviour nearly made their expressions twitch.
Sensing all their stares, Aether lazily lifted his eyes before muttering in a low voice, "Looking at me won’t change anything. Just listen to her."
His tone sounded calm, but deep inside, he already knew the truth.
If he seriously listened to them... There was a high chance his resolve would weaken.
His girls were terrifyingly good at pulling at his heart whenever they truly wanted something.
That was exactly why he allowed Celestia to explain everything first.
Even then, the final decision would still fall on him.
Selene crossed her arms tightly beneath her chest before speaking with a visible frown. "So there’s really no other option?"
"I wish there was," Celestia replied quietly.
Her eyes briefly shifted toward Aether, who still looked far too relaxed for someone discussing a dangerous mission into another Empire.
That carefree expression alone almost made everyone grind their teeth in irritation.
After several seconds of silence, Maelona finally hesitantly spoke. "There’s still something strange." She looked directly at Celestia. "You explained the restrictions... but you never explained how he’s entering in the first place."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Why are you hiding that part?"
The others immediately nodded in agreement.
That question had been bothering all of them since the beginning.
Celestia released a slow breath before answering carefully. "Because certain restrictions and contracts prevent us from revealing those details right now." Her voice softened slightly afterwards.
"But I promise all of you... Once everything is over, we’ll explain everything properly."
That answer only deepened the frowns around the room.
Before anyone could continue pressing further, Celestia suddenly raised a finger.
A faint, mysterious smile appeared across her lips.
"However..." she spoke slowly, drawing everyone’s attention back toward her, "there is one possible method for a single person to accompany our Husband."
Instantly, everyone’s eyes widened slightly.
A moment ago, she clearly stated nobody else could enter. Yet now she was saying one person actually could accompany him?
Confusion spread across the room.
Before Celestia could continue, Sera’s quiet voice suddenly echoed through the chamber.
"Umbra Sanctum?"
Celestia slowly nodded with a faint smile. "Since the Umbra Sanctum can allow one living person to enter alongside him... that means one of us can accompany Aether." Her eyes swept across the room before her tone turned more serious.
"And since Terra is already filled with both energies... only the Chosen Ones and Nightfire can survive the passage."
She paused briefly before adding, "That’s all I have to say."
With that, she calmly returned to her seat, crossing her legs gracefully while the atmosphere inside the room instantly became heavier.
Everyone’s expressions immediately darkened with annoyance and frustration. Most of them already understood what this meant.
They had lost the chance to personally protect their husband.
And worse... only one person could accompany him.
Fuck!
Even Thalia, despite being among the strongest present, could not enter alongside him.
Slowly, everyone’s gaze shifted toward the Chosen Ones.
Nightfire instantly stiffened under the pressure of countless eyes staring directly at her. She awkwardly looked left and right before forcing out a nervous smile.
"I-Is there going to be fighting?"
Before anyone else could respond, Aether casually answered from the side.
"Absolutely," he muttered lazily.
"Might even become bloody~"
The playful tone in his voice only made everyone’s expressions turn colder.
Bloody?
Several women immediately frowned deeply.
Didn’t he say he would try negotiating first?
Wasn’t violence supposed to be the final option only if necessary?
Meanwhile, Nightfire’s face had already turned pale. "I-I think I should stay here with my beloved sisters instead!" she suddenly declared while pointing toward the others.
"They need me! They’re pitiful and overworked! Yes... Yes, I should work harder and focus on capturing those beasts instead!"
She fiercely clenched her fists as if trying to convince herself more than anyone else.
Going with Aether?
Absolutely not!
Of course, she could hog and fuck him all day and night, but...
Fighting?
War?
And Bloody?
She already knew she would end up traumatised if she followed him into whatever madness awaited inside the Terra Empire.
Why the hell did she have to go?
It wasn’t like she possessed enough strength to truly support him anyway, right?
So no!
Absolutely no!
Aria, Raven, and Thalia immediately exchanged amused glances. Their lips twitched as they stared at Nightfire’s desperate performance.
They knew perfectly well what she had been doing these past few days. Now suddenly she wanted to "work harder"?
What a joke.
"Haha~"
Aether softly chuckled under his breath.
Nightfire’s cheeks instantly turned bright red as she glared at him. "W-What’s so funny?! I-I’m not scared, you know!"
Aether smiled calmly while resting his chin against his hand.
"Of course. I know my darling always does her best whenever she truly needs to~"
He even winked at her afterwards.
Nightfire’s face became even redder. "Hmph!"
She immediately turned away with a pout, folding her arms tightly beneath her chest.
Her husband seriously knew her too well.
Too bad, man!
Hmph!!
Soon, the focus of the room shifted entirely toward the remaining Chosen Ones.
Meanwhile, Aether simply remained silent while gently patting Sandra’s peacefully sleeping body beside him. His expression remained unreadable, almost detached from the atmosphere around him.
The discussion quickly exploded into intense arguments. Voices overlapped as the Chosen Ones debated among themselves, each bringing different opinions and concerns.
Yet Aether barely listened anymore.
Because deep down... he already knew who would accompany him.
Nearly an hour passed before the arguments finally died down.
In the end, everyone’s gaze slowly landed on a single woman.
Helena.
The one most capable of protecting Aether.
That alone made the decision clear.
It wasn’t merely about strength.
None of them lacked power.
The real problem was something else entirely.
Most of them already understood the truth about themselves.
If war truly broke out inside the Terra Empire... they would not stop Aether.
They would let him rampage through the Empire without hesitation.
Even Sera, despite her gentle heart, knew she would ultimately stand beside her husband no matter how much blood-stained his hands. The thought alone hurt her deeply... yet it remained the truth.
Because war itself never cared about righteousness.
There was no true good or evil on the pure battlefield.
Only winners and losers.
The victor claimed everything.
The victor wrote history however they pleased.
That had always been the law of the Empires since ancient times.
And because of that... the one most suitable for this role, the one capable of showing mercy even toward enemies who surrendered...
Was none other than Helena.
Aria gently held Helena’s hands between her own before looking directly into her eyes. "We’re leaving everything in your hands," she said softly. "So please... when the moment comes, make sure you listen to your heart, okay?"
Helena blinked before nodding with an innocent smile. "Don’t worry... I-I’ll protect our Husband."
A faint blush immediately spread across her cheeks near the end of her sentence, making her look even more embarrassed after realising what she had just called him so naturally.
Aria couldn’t help smiling warmly before pulling Helena into a gentle hug.
Meanwhile, Aqualina turned toward Aether, who still lazily caressed Sandra’s sleeping body beside him. His fingers slowly brushed through her hair while the sleeping Queen quietly rested against his chest without the slightest awareness of the chaos around her.
"Aether," Aqualina called calmly, "we’ve already made our decision."
"Oh?"
Aether finally responded, though he still didn’t bother lifting his gaze toward them. "Are you sure about that?"
The strange response instantly made several women frown. For a brief second, they wondered whether he planned to reject their decision entirely.
However, Aether slowly added, "You still haven’t asked permission from the owner, though."
"Owner?"
Confusion immediately spread across the room.
Raven frowned slightly before asking, "Aren’t you the owner?"
Aether softly chuckled before shaking his head. "I am... technically." A lazy grin slowly appeared across his lips afterwards.
"But the current tenant already took over the place."
Snap.
The moment his fingers snapped, space distorted beside him. A shimmering portal slowly opened in the middle of the room.
Then something massive slithered out.
A huge white serpent emerged from the portal, its scales gleaming beautifully beneath the palace lights like polished snow. Its golden slit eyes scanned the room arrogantly before the creature somehow took a pair of black sunglasses from nowhere and placed them over its face with its tail.
Then it smugly flipped its tail before everyone as if showing the middle finger.
"What’s up, bitchesssss~"
"..."
The entire room fell silent.
