Aquaris Naiadae Empire

In the grand palace of Aquaris Naiadae… there was this lonely, purple-haired woman staring at the vast night sky with an unreadable, distant expression.

She could neither sleep nor enjoy the peaceful night view… just lost in the whirlwind of her thoughts.

Her deep purple eyes stared into the sky, unmoving, yet something far more intense stirred beneath the surface of her mind… as if she were fighting to grasp something intangible, something frustratingly out of reach.

Suddenly, she clenched her fist tightly, her face twisting into a furious expression.

But then… she sighed, exhaling sharply, and loosened her grip with a look of quiet defeat. Then again… her hand curled back into a fist, her knuckles whitening as she gritted her teeth in frustration.

But then… she sighed again and… blushed?

Just what’s going on in her mind!!

‘Victor is Aether… Aether is Victor…. I cannot believe it was that jerk all this time… I… fucker… Is he mocking me behind my back all this time? That jerk… arrrhh!!’

Just then—

“What are you thinking about so deeply at night?”

A soft, almost musical voice, slightly slurry and drowsy, echoed behind her.

Aqualina immediately flinched, whipping her head around with an alert, battle-ready expression!

Her hands instinctively tensed, already prepared to summon her weapons, as she spotted the shadowy outline of someone emerging inside the room.

Her hands already to summon her weapons as she saw the shadow of someone in the room appeared.

“Who are y—” Before she could even finish her words… the shadow stepped forward, and a stream of moonless light fell across the figure, revealing…

“Aether?!” Aqualina blinked rapidly, clearly surprised.

Her guarded expression softened in an instant, replaced by a mix of shock and excitement. Without thinking, she launched herself toward him, embracing him tightly.

“I missed yo—” But then, ‘Wait—I should be angry at him!’ she realized abruptly. She immediately tried to halt herself mid-motion, but the sudden stop threw her off balance—and for a second, she nearly stumbled.

“Easy there,” Aether murmured with a soft chuckle, catching her just in time. He smiled warmly, his arms wrapping around her gently as he steadied her. His expression was soft, tender even, his ice blue eyes hazy and slightly unfocused.

Aqualina froze with a blank, unreadable face—but inwardly, ‘Damn, he’s so cool…’ she couldn’t help but think, even as she maintained her neutral front.

But almost immediately, she shoved him back slightly and frowned. “Why are you here?” she asked coldly, folding her arms tightly across her chest and huffing in annoyance.

Aether’s face contorted with exaggerated hurt. “Why am I here? You asked it… m-my dear… you!” he said, blinking as if betrayed, his words slightly slurred, the scent of alcohol slowly permutated.

His glossy eyes tried to focus on her, but wavered.

Aqualina flinched slightly. ‘Maybe I overreacted…?’ she thought for a moment, biting her lip.

But no—it’s common sense to be angry. She wasn’t wrong—it was him who messed up.

Not her.

Aether’s steps wobbled a little as he moved closer to her, arms out as if begging for understanding. “And here I was… hic… I thought my beloved Aqua would be happy to see me…” he said, his voice dropping into a pouty, overly dramatic tone.

Aqualina let out a long, tired sigh at the sight of his hurt puppy-dog expression. “W-Well… I… I’m sorry,” she muttered reluctantly, scratching her head. But the moment she saw a sly grin slowly spreading across his lips, her expression turned sharp again.

She clenched her fist, her eyes flashing. “Fucker!!” she suddenly shouted, realizing she was being played.

“Yeah, go on, manipulate me again… make me a fool and enjoy it!!” she shouted, her voice cracking with frustration. The words tumbled out like a dam breaking—things she’d been holding in, festering inside her chest for far too long.

Aether’s pout deepened comically. It was such a bizarre sight—his well-built, muscular frame standing there, arms hanging loosely, and his face scrunched up like a child denied candy.

Aqualina almost twitched.

This fucking disaster of a man was trying to look cute.

And yet… she didn’t soften.

Not even a little.

Truth be told, she was this close to beating the crap out of him—but she held back. Only because… well, he was her beloved.

That was the only reason she didn’t explode further.

“That’s fucking disgusting,” she said flatly, her tone cold and direct, no room for sugarcoating.

But then… her nose twitched. Her senses sharpened as something in the air shifted. A smell… one that permeated the room.

It was thick, murky, and mixed with sweat and perfume—chaotic and messy. Her brows furrowed as she leaned closer to Aether.

“Love you too~” Aether slurred affectionately, his arms spreading out again, mistaking her leaning in as an embrace.

Twak!

Aqualina swatted his hands away with a disgusted look. “Don’t touch me,” she growled, her voice icy as her eyes zeroed in on his face. She noticed his reddened, unfocused eyes, the lazy grin, the flushed cheeks…

“Wait… are you drunk?” she asked, stepping back slightly, her voice rising in disbelief.

Aether giggled—a legit giggle—and then attempted to give her cheek a pinch. “O’course not~! Heh… I mean, a li’l, but nothin’ serious~” His words were heavy, his lips slow to form the syllables.

Aqualina’s hand flew up again, slapping his hand away. “That’s what a drunk man always says…” she muttered through gritted teeth, glaring at him. “I can’t believe you’re actually drunk right now…” Her expression twisted into one of deep annoyance as she pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose.

But then… something else caught her attention.

Another smell.

A floral scent… soft, sweet… feminine.

Her eyes narrowed.

“Woman?” Aqualina muttered, her tone suddenly sharper, her expression turning dark as her nose twitched again. She leaned in slightly, sniffing like a suspicious cat.

Sniff. Sniff.

“I smell… two more… No…” Her eyes narrowed further, her expression calculating. Then she stepped forward, grabbed Aether by the collar, and pulled him close.

“Four women,” she said in a flat, chilling tone. “I smell four women… Wait… maybe five. But I’m sure of four.”

Aether blinked slowly, his pupils not quite focused, before giving her a goofy smile. “How… how cuuute~” he slurred, reaching out to hug her again, his arms wobbling slightly.

But Aqualina’s nose wrinkled again.

There was another scent.

A murky, sticky scent she knew all too well. Her expression shifted, her eyes slowly trailing downward… following the source of that disturbing familiarity.

And then—her gaze landed on his crotch.

His pants were deeply stained.

Aqualina’s face tilted down slightly as she blinked in confusion, her lips parting just a little. Then she looked up at Aether, a slight pink hue coloring her cheeks. “D-Did you… do it in your pants?” she asked hesitantly, her voice softer than before, almost uncertain, as if unsure she wanted to know the answer. She couldn’t even phrase it more directly—it was too much.

There was silence for a beat.

Aether looked genuinely offended!!

Aether felt offended!

“I… Of course not!!” Aether barked back, his voice overly loud and shaky, trying to sound confident but his body betrayed him with a little stumble forward. “I didn’t do it… it’s them… they… played with me… toyed with me…” His words slurred and dragged.

He felt ashamed—Dora had made him cum in his pants just by touching him.

Just a touch?

He felt utterly defeated, like a warrior stripped of his sword in front of his enemies.

‘I will have my revenge, Dora!!!’ Aether screamed inwardly, though his outward appearance looked far from threatening.

But then,

“Toyed?” A blank tone echoed in the air.

Aether blinked slowly, like a man being pulled from a dream, before snapping out of his thoughts. He looked at Aqualina—her expression completely unreadable, her eyes empty, almost like she had emotionally shut down.

“Aqua—” he tried to speak, reaching out, but—

“Hey… tell me…” she interrupted, her voice low, steady, as if she were trying to stay calm, “Was it them? Did they make you drunk?” she asked, her gaze sharpening slightly, as if she was connecting pieces in her mind.

Because she knew her Aether was not a drinker…

Aether nodded a bit too eagerly, slurring as he spoke. “Y-Yeah… It’s… that damn phoenix… she made me drunk… I said nooo… b-but she… she tricked meee…” he whined, clenching his fists in a helpless gesture, like a child who was dragged into a world far too complicated, far too adult.

Hearing that… all Aqualina did was nod… Just a slow, blank nod.

“I see…” she muttered under her breath. Then she let go of Aether’s collar, her hands folding tightly across her chest as she nodded a few more times, eyes still locked on him. “Alright. Tell me… who are they?”

Aether’s drunken brain whirled as he tried to think. His brows furrowed in concentration as he raised a hand and began counting on his fingers like a child learning numbers.

“Hmm… Thalia,” he said, raising one finger.

“Hmm…” Aqualina nodded with a forced calmness and thought inwardly, ‘That brainless bird, I see…’

“Then… Raven,” he continued, raising a second finger.

“Hmm…” Aqualina nodded again, though her inner voice clicked with annoyance, ‘Tsk, that silent woman… always creeping around…’

“Liora,” Aether added, raising a third.

“Hm…” she nodded slowly, and her mind flashed, ‘Isn’t that… Kaelen’s mother? What was she doing with Aether?…’

“Ariiiiia…” he said, drawing out her name as if tasting the syllables, now raising the fourth finger.

“Hmm—?” Aqualina nodded automatically, but a sudden jolt hit her. Her thoughts screamed, ‘She didn’t stop them? She let him get drunk?’ Her heart twisted in confusion—she knew how much Aria treasured Aether.

Why would she allow this?

“That’s it…” Aether mumbled, proudly holding up his hand with all six fingers extended.

Aqualina blinked, her lips twitching slightly. She smiled, though there was no humor in it—just disbelief—as she noticed the six fingers. ‘So… six women? Ah,’ she thought, realizing she had underestimated the number, and asked with a calm, dangerously sweet voice, “But you only said four names… what about the other two?”

Aether blinked again, squinting at his own hand as if he couldn’t trust his own fingers. He counted them slowly, dragging the process, and nodded like a drunken fool. “Oh… yeah, six… right… how’d you find out…?” he slurred, smiling innocently, as if she’d just solved some incredible mystery.

Aqualina’s lips twitched once more, her hands still folded. She took a deep breath to contain the rising storm in her chest.

“I am very good… very, very good,” she said in an oddly calm voice. “So now, my beloved darling… tell me the names of those other two bitc—ahm, women?” Her tone was sweet, but everything about it screamed anything but calm.

If Aether had been sober, he would have noticed the edge in her voice. He would have felt the pressure in the air and chosen his words wisely. But now… now he was too far gone. His mind was a mess, and his judgment was a distant memory.

Tomorrow… he might cry for what he’s doing now.

“Hmm… two… two… yeah… that’s Mother-in-law… and… Dora… yeah… Dora,” Aether mumbled with a loose smile, swaying slightly, his eyes unfocused as he stared at his six fingers, trying to remember if he had gotten the number right.

Aqualina’s mind went completely blank.

‘Mother-in-law… he means Aria’s mother… well… I suppose she’s off the hook… since she’s Aria’s mother, but… Dora? The principal? She was part of this too?’ Her thoughts spiraled as her eyes widened in utter shock.

The more she heard names… the more she felt her stomach twist.

She shook her head slowly, trying to clear it. Then her eyes moved back to Aether—his stained clothes, the scent of alcohol, the sticky evidence of his climax still on him, his messy hair… stained pants… he looked utterly disgusting, far from the man she adored.

“Remove your clothes,” she ordered, her voice firm, sharp, and absolute.