Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

"Why are you sleeping here?" Aether asked curiously as he walked over to the dining table that was covered with dishes.

Emberlyn awkwardly smiled. "I had been waiting for Your Majesty," she said softly, rubbing her eyes, as if trying to shake off a dream. She stood up, her silken robe brushing the floor, and motioned him gently to sit.

Aether raised his eyebrows, "You could have just left it all here. I don't mind eating alone," he replied, sinking into the chair.

Emberlyn opened the lids of every dish,

"You rarely come nowadays, Majesty." Her tone carried a gentle accusation.

Aether smiled weakly, glancing at the painted ceiling as if the answer lingered there.

What was he supposed to say?

He had family in every Empire… what do you expect him to do?

Aether smiled softly. "Don't worry. Once everything is over… once I believe I am fine, we will all stay together. No need to worry about anything else… so until that time, please," he said, voice gentle.

Emberlyn stared at Aether before nodding with a small smile.

Aether took a piece of the dish, something golden and rich. He raised his eyebrows… "Even if it's cold, it surely tastes good," he muttered, giving her a grateful nod as he chewed, savouring it.

Emberlyn flinched, "Wait, I will heat it for you!" she said with worry. She hadn't known how long she'd waited here, drifting in and out of sleep, so she couldn't be sure if the dishes had grown cold.

Aether, however, shook his head, smiling in spite of himself. "No need for that… as I said before, it surely tastes good even if it is cold," he reassured her, scooping another bite.

Emberlyn's cooking was really good.

Emberlyn smiled softly as she stood beside him. Aether, who was eating, glanced at her and gestured for her to sit down. Emberlyn hesitated at first but finally sat beside him, her expression awkward and uncertain.

Not sure where to look or what to say… it was a strange and awkward position she found herself in.

If her daughters were here, they would be talking to him and making fun, filling the room with laughter and energy. It would have felt natural, but alone?

Just the two of them at this table?

Nah!

Aether, just eating and observing, noticed her awkward position. He chuckled softly, "Did everyone eat?" he asked gently, trying to ease the tension and start a conversation.

Emberlyn nodded with a small smile. "Yes… Actually, they didn't eat at first. They were waiting for you, but as time passed and because of Nyx, they finally gave in and ate."

Aether raised his eyebrows.... not that he was truly surprised by their actions. Well, maybe a little. After all, all of them waited for him, always, no matter how long it took.

Even though he told them to eat, they would never touch the food until he arrived, as if they were stubborn wives waiting for their husband to come home and eat together.

Even though it was sweet and all… he didn't like how they kept starving themselves. That was something he never wanted for others, least of all for his beloveds.

No!

Yet, they waited!

It annoyed him, yet it also made him desperate to come home sooner each day.

So he was slightly surprised by their decision this time, but more importantly, "Why Nyx?" he asked curiously.

Emberlyn took a deep breath, leaning on the table with a tired expression, her voice soft as she answered. "What can I say… Nyx really changed them all."

Aether leaned closer.

Emberlyn began,

"You know how rowdy they used to be, right? Even after Selene and Xara arrived, nothing really changed. They kept doing whatever they wanted, eating whenever they felt like it. It was as if they didn't care if the food got cold or not… I always worried about how they would take care of their own children if they kept acting like children themselves.

I was truly worried.

Even Selene, jumping around without a care, teaching children some strange words that focus on one man… or lying on the bed and reading all day"

"Raven runs to her duty, barely eating anything, always rushing.

Thalia… I honestly wondered if she ever changed at all. She's even rowdier than her big sister!"

"Dealing with them… sigh… they couldn't even eat on time… It's really frustrating to see them all behave like that!"

Aether blinked, slightly surprised to see Emberlyn pouring all of this out. 'Looks like she's having a hard time, too,' he thought with a wry expression, listening quietly as he continued eating.

"And Xara? Even though she was a mother, she shuts herself into the lab and never comes out… What about the food? Dammit! No matter how many times I take her a tray, she never opens the door. So I just leave the plates near the entrance, and most of the time the food just stays there and grows cold… utter waste!"

Aether… really couldn't say anything to that. Even he could barely see Xara once she got involved with her blood magic.

She was truly one of a kind!

But then, Emberlyn sighed slightly and smiled. "But after Nyx's arrival, everything changed."

"Oh?" Aether looked up, curious.

Emberlyn leaned in, her expression lighting up, almost teary with happiness. "Yes, after Nyx came, everyone… well, except Xara, who is still locked away in the lab, so excluding her, everyone else… turned perfect."

"What did she do?" Aether asked, genuinely interested, setting down his fork for a moment.

Emberlyn chuckled softly. "She didn't do anything, not really."

"Huh?" Aether looked puzzled as he chewed his food more thoughtfully.

"When you informed me that Nyx is someone who keeps to time and duty, from sleeping to eating, I didn't think much of it at first… but after she settled in, I noticed something strange. She wouldn't even eat if no one was there! I started to worry about her and finally asked her why."

Emberlyn's face turned stern as she tried to mimic Nyx's serious tone, "'Family needs to eat together!'" Emberlyn then laughed. "Haha... That's what she said. I was so surprised, but I decided to sit and eat with her anyway. But she refused—she wanted everyone, not just me. Again, she said, 'Family needs to eat together!'"

"Later, I called everyone and we were about to eat, but then… Nyx stood up and left. We wondered what was wrong, and the girls asked her, but she simply answered, her eating time was over, so she couldn't eat anymore. Thalia and Selene did their best to pull her back to the table, but… no, Nyx wouldn't come back." Emberlyn's face showed how tired she felt, just remembering it.

Aether nodded… of course, he'd experienced that firsthand as well.

Emberlyn added, "The next day was the same. Nyx didn't eat again, and the girls looked shocked… Thalia was almost furious with Nyx. I worried they might fight… the situation kept going, and Nyx simply didn't eat as they missed the time. I honestly wanted to contact you at that point, but then suddenly... everyone started arriving on time? I was like... What?!"

For the first time in her life, Emberlyn saw all her daughters come to the dining hall without her having to call them over and over like a nagging mother.

Aether chuckled with an amused look. He had literally suffered just like them. "They must have felt guilty."

Emberlyn nodded, "Everyone felt really guilty seeing Nyx not eating… and from that day on, they all started coming on time, no matter what. They would just drop whatever they were doing and run to make sure they didn't miss dinner." She giggled, clearly pleased that her food would no longer go to waste or grow cold.

"And do you know what Nyx said when everyone arrived on time?" Emberlyn asked, her eyes sparkling with pride. She sat up straight, her face stern as she tried to mimic Nyx's serious manner, "'Family eats together!'" she said, then broke into a smile.

"Hahaha... She said it with a big grin, one we'd never seen on her face before… like she was truly happy that everyone came to eat with her. What a good child! Ahh, I really wanted to adopt her at that point… she's just so cute." Emberlyn giggled, her face softening with affection.

"Nyx really changed them all… and that's the reason today, too. Usually, we'd wait, but everyone was worried about Nyx. That's why they decided to eat earlier, even though you got home late."

Aether raised his eyebrows… Here he was, worried if Nyx was only sticking with the family, but it seemed she was changing them for the better too.

Aether couldn't help but smile. 'Not only them, even… Emberlyn. Look at her happy face,' he thought as he munched the food, the flavor brighter somehow with the laughter and warmth around him.

Well, if it was a good change, then he was truly glad to see them all together without fighting.

'Nyx really loves her family,' he thought, his expression softening as he glanced at Emberlyn. She was leaning toward him, speaking casually as if she had forgotten entirely who he was... no titles, no distance.

That was good!

He wanted her to be like this, without fear or restraint.

Aether softly muttered, "Looks like I'm the only one left…"

Emberlyn nodded furiously, her eyes wide. "In fact, Nyx told me before going to sleep that next time, if my husband doesn't eat on time, she won't either… and everyone else agreed with her!" Her voice was almost breathless with amazement.

Aether blinked, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. "Haha… hah… I guess, I'll have to try my best to be a proper husband then," he muttered, a hint of horror in his tone.

One girl he could manage, but if everyone refused to eat? That kind of guilt would haunt him forever.

Emberlyn smiled, nodding her head in encouragement. "You really are doing your best for them, aren't you?"

Aether nodded, meeting her gaze. "Well, I should… After all, I took their hands knowing full well what kind of man I am, and that my heart cannot belong to just one person… so I need to show my love to everyone and do my best for them all."

Emberlyn smiled gently, "They really have a wonderful husband."

Aether shrugged, his smile tinged with sadness. "I wouldn't say wonderful… I'm far from perfect," he admitted, looking away for a moment, haunted by thoughts of Delphine... the mistakes he still couldn't face.

Emberlyn reached out and touched his head, patting him softly. "No one is perfect in a relationship… it's what we do for each other that matters, and you're doing better than anyone I've ever seen," her voice turned gentle, eyes shining with sincerity.

Aether blinked, surprised by her touch, surprised by how natural it felt.

Emberlyn, for a second, didn't think at all, her hand gently resting atop his hair. But as her fingers continued to pat him, suddenly her eyes widened as she remembered just who he was.... who she was touching!!

Her face turned horrified, a cold sweat breaking out across her face like a water poured down!

"PLEASE FORGIVE ME, YOUR MAJESTY!!"