Chapter 1933: There is nothing wrong with him!

On the way back to the Beta Division, Lackey glanced at Beta, who had been acting strangely quiet throughout the journey.

"Do you have something on your mind?"

Beta flinched slightly at his question before shaking her head. "No. It’s just a work issue," she mumbled, turning her gaze toward the window as the car moved through the quiet streets.

Behind the wheel, the commander continued driving in silence, occasionally glancing at the rearview mirror to check on his passengers.

His expression remained stiff, and his hands gripped the steering wheel a little tighter than necessary.

The commander of the Beta Division was now reduced to acting like a fucking driver!

Do you have any idea how humiliating that was?

If he had been doing this for the Governor, he could have swallowed his pride and endured it. But for a Slave as well? How much further was he expected to lower himself?

Yet, despite the anger boiling inside him, the Commander could only grit his teeth and remain silent.

Soon, they returned to the Beta Tower. By then, the night had settled over the city.

After finally getting some time to themselves, Lackey and Nova ended up lying on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling above them.

Honestly, when Nova had entered her room earlier and discovered that her bed was gone, she had been confused as hell.

She had searched the room, wondering whether someone had moved it somewhere else. Meanwhile, Lackey had acted as though he had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Of course, Nova wasn’t stupid enough to believe him.

He was a god, right?

Still, she decided to let it go for now. She could arrange for another bed tomorrow, so there was little point in arguing about it tonight.

And so, here they were, lying side by side on the floor with a quilt spread over them, their eyes fixed on the ceiling while their minds wandered in entirely different directions.

Lackey, in particular, couldn’t stop thinking about Lily’s situation. No matter how many times he went over the details in his head, he couldn’t understand why she had suddenly decided to kidnap his mother, apparently believing that she was Penelope.

Why would she do something like that in the first place?

More importantly, what had caused the current timeline to change so drastically?

As far as he could remember, he hadn’t even gotten directly involved with Lily, had he?

He had certainly never intended to interfere with her life to such an extent.

Even if this was the result of some kind of butterfly effect, there had to be a reason behind it. Surely, something he had done must have seriously affected her or her family for her to turn out this way.

A change of this magnitude couldn’t have come from absolutely nothing.

’I don’t think I did anything that drastic to change her life... except... digging up the grave for the Lily from the previous timeline...’

His thoughts gradually returned to that incident.

But could that really have been the cause of everything?

What could a dead body possibly have to do with the changes in the current timeline?

’Unless... that body wasn’t actually dead?’

Lackey immediately shook his head at the thought.

’Nah... she’s dead. I felt how cold she was. There’s no way she was alive... so it must be something else. Something I’m missing... but what could it be—’

"God. Have you even slept?"

Nova’s sudden question interrupted his train of thought.

Lackey turned his head toward her. The dim light in the room barely illuminated her face, but he could make out the faint tension in her expression.

"No," he replied after a brief pause. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Well..." Nova hesitated, her fingers lightly gripping the edge of the quilt. For a moment, she seemed ready to say something, but she eventually shook her head. "Nothing. Forget it."

Lackey remained silent for a few seconds, studying her from the corner of his eye. He had noticed how she kept holding herself back lately, as though there were things she wanted to say but couldn’t bring herself to admit.

"You know, you can talk to me," he said, his voice softening slightly. "I might not be able to answer every question you have, and I certainly can’t promise I’ll know what to do about everything.

But I can at least listen, can’t I? Whatever it is, you don’t have to keep it all to yourself."

As he spoke, he slowly reached a hand toward her, hoping to offer her some reassurance.

Nova, however, fell silent. Her eyes shifted toward his outstretched hand before she moved slightly away, putting a little more distance between them.

Lackey paused, his hand remaining suspended for a moment before he slowly withdrew it.

He was only trying to reach out to her, so why did she always seem to pull away?

It hurts!

After a brief silence, Nova finally spoke again, quieter and almost hesitant.

"Do you think... there can ever be forgiveness for someone like me?"

Lackey blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected question.

"Why are you asking me that?" he asked, his brows drawing together slightly.

Was this somehow related to Aether? He couldn’t think of any other reason she would suddenly bring up forgiveness, especially with that troubled expression on her face.

Nova let out a quiet sigh and turned her gaze back toward the ceiling.

"It’s nothing. I was just wondering, that’s all," she murmured.

Without waiting for him to respond, she pulled the quilt closer and covered herself with it.

Lackey frowned as he glanced at Nova, who had turned away from him.

’Did she really not want to meet me?’ he wondered before letting out a quiet sigh.

And once she had completely fallen asleep, Lackey immediately got up and left the tower without making a sound.

Outside, the sky had darkened beneath a blanket of heavy clouds. Thunder rumbled overhead as rain poured down, drenching the streets surrounding the Beta Tower. Somewhere nearby, a wailing sound echoed through the darkness, its eerie cries carrying through the rain before gradually fading into the distance.

Time... quietly passed.

Somewhere else, inside the Pawn Shop, the door creaked open.

"I thought you’d forgotten about her, brat," the old, grumpy man remarked in an annoyed tone as a cloaked figure entered the shop.

His gaze immediately fell upon the few bloodstains scattered across the figure’s cloak and wet from rain.

They looked fresh, as though the person wearing it had recently been involved in a fight.

The cloaked figure responded in a robotic tone, "Sorry. I was kind of busy."

He then turned toward Lily, who was no longer hiding her face beneath her hood.

Aether frowned beneath his hoodie. After briefly studying her expression, he glanced at the old man, silently demanding an explanation.

The old man immediately understood what he was thinking and raised both hands defensively.

"No, I didn’t force her to do anything!"

Aether sighed beneath his cloak before turning back toward Lily.

"I seriously wonder whether you’re smart or just plain dumb."

Lily’s lips twitched in irritation. "Dumb? Who are you calling dumb?" she retorted, clearly annoyed by his remark.

She might have accepted his help, but that didn’t mean he had the right to criticise her whenever he felt like it!

Aether merely waved his hand dismissively before glancing at the old man again.

"I need the special room."

The old man raised his eyebrows. "How did you know—"

He stopped abruptly as something soon clicked in his mind, and his expression darkened.

"Tsk! Those bastards... They really told you everything, didn’t they?" he muttered, growing increasingly annoyed as he thought about the people he had helped in the past.

Had they really gone and told this boy every little secret?

"If you already know everything, why bother asking me anything, brat?!"

Aether giggled beneath his hood. "Because it’s worth seeing your grumpy face. Haha..."

"Tsk! Tsk!"

[+100 AP]

The old man scoffed and turned his head away, clearly regretting ever getting involved with the brat.

Meanwhile, Aether casually walked toward the toilet section of the shop.

Lily blinked in confusion as she followed him with her eyes. Why were they going into the toilet of all places?

However, before she could question him, something unexpected happened.

The entire toilet section slowly rotated, revealing a hidden chamber behind it.

"Whoa..."

Lily’s eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the concealed room.

She stepped inside, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings.

"You dumb kid!"

Before Lily could even turn around, Aether suddenly grabbed her and shoved her into a corner.

She flinched, instinctively reaching for the knife she carried, but Aether caught her wrist before she could draw it. With a sharp movement, he forced her hand upward and slammed it against the wall above her head.

"W-What are you doing?"

Lily’s face turned pale as the cloaked figure moved closer. Trapped between him and the wall, she struggled to understand the situation.

"What am I doing?" Aether repeated coldly. "I could ask you the same question. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?"

His grip tightened around her wrist.

"The entire Empire has been searching for you, and yet you dare to reveal yourself so openly? Just like that? Huh?"

Lily winced as pain shot through her wrist. She tried to pull away, but his grip remained firm.

"H-He is a good ma—Argh!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Aether abruptly grabbed her jaw, cutting her words short.

"How na?ve..." he muttered, his voice dripping with disappointment.

"Tsk, tsk. A wolf doesn’t need to bare its fangs to be a wolf, young lady. Sometimes, the most dangerous ones are those who let you believe you’re safe."

Lily’s eyes trembled as they began to blur with tears... the image of her father appeared. Her shoulders shook slightly, and her breathing grew uneven beneath the weight of his words.

Aether stared at her blankly.

As much as he wanted to explain things calmly, Lily had proven to be far more reckless than he had anticipated.

She had practically walked straight into danger without considering the consequences.

Sure, he trusted the old man. Because he had seen him and stayed with him for days.

But Lily?

That was an entirely different matter.

She shouldn’t have trusted anyone during this time. One wrong move, and she could fucking end up dead in the middle of the road.

What the hell was she even thinking?

When Aether looked closer, he noticed that her eyes appeared dark and muddy, as though something had clouded her judgment.

There was a strange dullness in them, something that didn’t quite belong.

"I-It hurts..."

Lily’s weak murmur pulled Aether out of his thoughts. He finally realised how tightly he had been holding her and immediately released her jaw, stepping back with a small scoff.

"Then you should have thought about that before acting like an idiot," he muttered.

Lily bit her lip, swallowing her frustration before attempting to explain herself.

"I-I didn’t foolishly believe him," she insisted, her voice trembling slightly. "He knew who I was. He knew exactly what kind of trouble he could get into by helping me, but he still didn’t sell me out. So I thought..."

"You thought revealing your identity would prove you trusted him?" Aether interrupted her coldly.

Lily clenched her fists, her expression growing increasingly irritated. She had heard enough of his lectures, and she certainly wasn’t letting some stranger to teach her who to trust and who should not.

And now...

"W-Where is Penelope?"

That was all she wanted to know.

Aether glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "You want to know where she is?"

"You promised me you’d tell me!" Lily snapped.

"Oh, did I?" Aether asked, feigning surprise. "Funny. I don’t remember making such a promise."

Lily stared at him in disbelief.

"A-Are you fucking with me right now?"

Aether didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he studied the anger burning in her eyes, finding himself strangely fascinated by its intensity.

There was something almost radiant about that fury.

Aether tilted his head slightly, his curiosity growing.

"Tell me something, Lily," he said, his tone becoming noticeably more serious.

"Why are you so desperate to protect her? What is she to you?"

Lily frowned.

"I asked you first," she replied firmly. "Tell me where Penelope is!!"

For a moment, the two simply stared at each other. Lily refused to back down, while Aether seemed to be weighing whether continuing this little battle of stubbornness was worth his time.

Eventually, he let out a sigh.

"Fine. Since you’re so desperate to see her, I’ll show you."

He snapped his fingers.

A golden portal shimmered into existence in the middle of the room. A moment later, a bed appeared, carrying a woman who lay peacefully upon it.

"She is fine," Aether said, glancing toward the bed.

His gaze then settled on his mother’s face.

No matter how many times he looked at her, he never seemed to grow tired of it.

There was something strangely comforting about simply being able to look at her.

’Goddamn, even with those wrinkles... she’s still sooo beautiful.’

[...]

He had been so busy gently hugging her that he hadn’t properly noticed how much her face had aged.

Now that he had the opportunity to examine her face.

The delicate lines around her eyes, the subtle wrinkles on her face, and the gentle features that time had gradually changed seemed to give her an entirely different kind of beauty.

If anything, the years had only added to her charm, like a fine wine—

’Wait... is something wrong with me?’

For a brief moment, Aether genuinely questioned his own sanity.

[Well, duh! I’ve never seen anyone as messed up as you and your fucked-up mind!]

His Log couldn’t resist throwing in its two cents.

Aether’s lips twitched.

’What the hell is that supposed to mean?’

He shook his head, refusing to entertain such ridiculous accusations.

He was perfectly fine.

Absolutely fine!!

He was simply admiring his mother’s beauty.

Was there anything wrong with appreciating the appearance of someone you loved?

No!

Of course not!!!

And if someone thought otherwise, then they were the ones with something seriously fucked up in their heads.

Yup!

That was right!!

Aether nodded to himself several times, apparently satisfied with his own impeccable reasoning.

Just then,

’Wait... why hasn’t Lily said anything?’

He had expected Lily to rush toward Penelope the moment she saw her, or at least show some sign of relief upon confirming that she was safe.

Yet, the room remained strangely silent.

Aether slowly turned around, expecting to find Lily staring at Penelope.

Instead, he found her staring directly at him.

"??"

For a moment, Aether simply blinked at her, unable to understand what was happening.

Then he noticed the tear rolling down her cheek.

Lily’s lips trembled as she stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. All the anger that had filled her expression moments earlier seemed to have vanished, replaced by something far more fragile.

She looked as though she had just seen a ghost.

Her breathing faltered, and she took an uncertain step forward, never once taking her eyes off him.

Finally, her lips parted.

"A... Aether?"

_____

[A/N: Sorry guys, I thought I had uploaded it yesterday... forgive me, the timer was set incorrectly.]