Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey - Chapter 1508: Each one has their own stories and pains: Part-1

Chapter 1508: Each one has their own stories and pains: Part-1

Just a few seconds before the outburst, Aether, who had been sitting beneath the old tree, suddenly felt a surge of immense hatred and suffocating frustration coil tightly around his chest.

“Maelona?” Aether muttered with a deepening frown. The unease crawling up his spine pushed him to his feet, and without another thought, he started walking toward the Kaelith house.

When he reached the house, he slipped inside quietly, careful not to make a sound. Just then, his eyes caught sight of Chad standing near the corner of the hallway, half-hidden in the shadows, peeking into the living room.

“What the heck…” he muttered under his breath as he walked toward her, “What are you—”

Before he could finish his words, Chad quickly raised her finger and pressed it gently against his lips. Her eyes widened slightly as she shook her head, silently urging him to stay quiet while releasing a soft, barely audible hush.

Aether frowned, but he nodded slowly.

Chad turned back and pointed toward the living room, her finger trembling slightly as she indicated the source of the tension.

Aether leaned forward and peeked inside.

Kaelith sat rigid, his eyes lowered in visible pain, while Maelona glared at him with burning resentment, her jaw clenched as if holding back years of words.

’What’s going on here?’ Aether wondered, his gaze shifting between them as he leaned closer to see more.

Behind him, Chad let out a quiet, inward chuckle when she felt Aether’s body press lightly against her back without hesitation. Neither of them moved away as they peered into the living room together.

“So for her, I steeled my heart. I took the role you abandoned. I led the tribe not as a woman, but as its head. I showed my power through my words and my skill. I learned. I fucking learned everything I had to in order to protect her from those bastards.”

Hearing Maelona’s outburst, Aether’s brows furrowed deeply. The rawness in her voice startled him, but as he continued to listen… It was as if Maelona was finally ripping open her chest and spilling years of buried pain, the silent suffering of a single mother forced to endure a community that judged, whispered, and turned its back on her.

This was never about Kaelith choosing a woman or a man. It was about abandonment. It was about him walking away as though his family’s fate meant nothing, as though he never stopped to consider the disgrace, the isolation, and the cruelty they would face without a man beside them. In a world bound by rigid beliefs, a woman standing alone was always seen as lesser.

That was the unwritten law, especially among the Elves, whose traditions were ancient and merciless. Aether didn’t need further explanation.

He had lived among struggling people long enough to understand. He had watched lives crumble, seen families fracture, and witnessed betrayal between husbands and wives. Yet, no matter the cause, it was always the children who suffered the deepest wounds. And beyond all of that, being a single parent remained society’s cruellest sentence.

Aether exhaled slowly and glanced down at Chad. His expression softened when he noticed her eyes shimmering, tears clinging stubbornly to her lashes.

“Oi… why are you crying like that?”

Chad sniffed, rubbing at her nose with the back of her hand as her voice trembled. “I-I didn’t know… I swear I didn’t know she went through all of this. It feels wrong now, like I stepped into something sacred without understanding it.” She swallowed hard before continuing.

“All I ever wanted was to love him, to be part of his family. I never… I never wanted to tear him away from them. Not once.”

Aether blinked slowly and sighed again.

It wasn’t only Maelona who had suffered. Chad and Kaelith carried their own scars, shaped by pain and discrimination that words could never fully capture. Only those who lived through it could truly understand, and perhaps no one else ever needed to.

’If blame must fall somewhere,’ Aether thought grimly, ’then it belongs to Kaelith and Maelona alike. Those two should have faced this together, spoken the truth, and ended it properly’

He drew in a steady breath and shook his head lightly. At that very moment, the tension inside the living room snapped, and the situation escalated with frightening speed.

“YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!!”

Maelona screamed as she lunged forward, her hand lifting with the intent to slap him. Her entire body trembled with rage, years of restraint collapsing into that single violent motion.

Before her palm could land, Aether stepped in without hesitation.

He moved fast, placing himself between them. As much as he wanted her to pour everything out, he knew that a slap would only twist the situation further, turning Kaelith into a victim even more than he deserved.

After all, in Aether’s eyes, neither of them was innocent… Only two people who had failed each other.

He caught her wrist mid-air, not roughly, but with a gentleness that felt almost absurd in the heat of the moment. His grip was careful, tender, like someone holding a fragile flower rather than stopping an act of violence.

“Oh my goodness,” Aether said lightly, his voice warm and teasing despite the storm around them. “Who made my cute mother-in-law this angry?”

Maelona’s breath hitched sharply. Her gaze snapped sideways.

Standing beside her was Aether, wearing a soft, understanding smile that held no judgment, only familiarity and quiet care.

“L-Let me go, Aether!” Maelona shouted, “I need to beat this shit fucker!” She glared daggers at Kaelith while wriggling her hand, trying to break free from Aether’s gentle hold.

Aether did not let go. Instead, he laughed softly, almost fondly, as if she were a child throwing a dramatic tantrum.

“Haha… look at you, talking shit like that,” he said, eyes glinting with amusement. “Damn, you’re so cool, Maelona.”

Maelona flinched as if struck. Heat rushed to her face, her cheeks burning red.

“W-What the…?” She stared at him, completely flabbergasted.

Using that brief moment of distraction, Aether smoothly shifted closer. One arm slid around her waist, firm but careful, and before she could react, he guided her backwards and sat down on the chair, pulling her down onto his lap with effortless ease.

Maelona stiffened in shock, disbelief flashing across her face. Her lips parted as if to protest, to shout, to explode all over again.

But Aether’s hands rested on her hips, steady and warm, grounding her.

“Since when did my cute mother-in-law start using such filthy words?” he teased softly. “Not that I mind, actually. It’s kinda cool seeing you pour your anger out like that.” His smile deepened.

“Honestly… it makes you even cuter.”

[+7000 AP]

Maelona’s ears twitched in pure embarrassment. Her face burned as she lowered her head, suddenly looking like a girl caught doing something naughty rather than a furious woman moments from violence.

Aether chuckled quietly, amused by how the fierce, snapping german shepherd from seconds ago had turned into a flustered golden retriever under a little teasing.

Meanwhile, Kaelith, who had braced himself for the slap, instead felt a light tap on his shoulder.

He looked up, startled, only to find Chad standing there, her expression conflicted, disappointment faintly clouding her eyes.

Without thinking, Kaelith pulled her into a tight embrace. Chad let out a tired sigh before patting his back,

“I don’t know what to say, Kaelith,” she murmured quietly. “I truly don’t know. I feel like this is all my fault now…”

“Please don’t,” Kaelith said hurriedly, his voice shaking. His grip tightened as his hands trembled against her back.

“I-I was a coward. I always thought only about myself.” He swallowed hard. “I should have thought about them. I should have understood them… just like how she tried to understand me.” His voice cracked.

“I made a mistake. This… this should be on me.”

Chad closed her eyes briefly and sighed again, patting his back with a conflicted expression. Her gaze drifted toward Maelona, who was now being thoroughly pampered.

“Who made my cutie so angry?” Aether cooed playfully. “Look at those puffed-up cheeks. So adorable.”

He gently pinched Maelona’s cheeks between his fingers.

Maelona twitched, caught between embarrassment and irritation. She wanted to get angry.

She was angry. Furious, even.

But damn it… Aether was ruining everything. Making her feel strange, flustered, off-balance.

“A-Aether… stop it,” she said weakly, trying to stand up. “I’m in the middle of a serious talk.”

Aether tightened his hold on her hips just enough to keep her seated.

“Serious talk?” he replied with mock sadness. “Without me? That’s make me sad.” He leaned closer, his tone soft and teasing. “Come on. Let me pamper you a little.”

Maelona’s heart skipped violently in her chest. Her cheeks turned beet red as all the anger evaporated into chaos.

“A-Aether… stop it,” she whispered, flustered beyond reason. “I-If you’re sad, why would you pamper me!”

Aether didn’t care. He simply kept holding her, his arm wrapped around her with quiet firmness, as if letting go would cause everything to collapse again. He leaned closer and whispered softly into her ear, his voice warm and steady.

“I’m glad you poured everything out,” he murmured. “I’m really glad, Maelona.”

His thumb gently brushed the corner of her eyes, wiping away the lingering drops of tears that refused to fall.

“You are strong,” he continued quietly.

He rested his forehead against hers.

Maelona’s eyes widened for a moment before fresh tears formed, blurring her vision. Her tense shoulders finally softened as she let herself lean into him, a weak smile tugging at her lips as she closed her eyes, surrendering to the warmth of his touch and the love in his words.

“I… I don’t know,” she whispered shakily. “But… I did my b-best.”

Aether smiled softly, his voice gentle and sincere. “Yeah. That’s so you, Maelona. That’s always been you.”

She didn’t answer. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came.

Aether didn’t push her. Silence wrapped around them, filled with pain, longing, shared suffering, and quiet acceptance. They stayed like that, unmoving, breathing each other in, saying everything without saying anything at all.

Until—

“Ahem.”

Aria cleared her throat awkwardly, breaking the fragile bubble.

Both of them snapped back to reality. Maelona stiffened immediately, her cheeks burning as embarrassment flooded her face. Liora sat nearby, smirking with an unmistakably cheeky expression, while Aria stared at her mother with a look that was weird and happy.

“I-I… I didn’t mean to—” Maelona started, trying to rise from Aether’s lap in a fluster.

Before she could move, Chad stepped forward. She bowed her head deeply, her voice quiet and trembling.

“I… I’m sorry, Maelona,” Chad said softly. “I didn’t know you went through all of this because of my… my mistake.”

Kaelith took a step forward instinctively, but Chad raised her hand, stopping him before he could speak.

“I know what I did was completely unacceptable,” she continued, her hands trembling at her sides. “But all I ever wanted was to be part of his family. To be with you all… like one big family.”

Her fingers clenched weakly into fists as she swallowed hard.

“He worried his wife would be blamed for his actions,” she said painfully. “He worried his daughter would be looked down upon. So he thought leaving the house would protect you… Both of you. If he wasn’t involved, if he stayed away, he believed it would hurt less. He thought avoiding you both was the best way to protect everyone.”

Her voice cracked. “He… he just wanted to protect us all. That’s all.”

She lifted her head slightly and looked back at Kaelith with a weak, sad smile.

“And that’s where he failed.”

Maelona remained silent, her expression conflicted.

Chad forced herself to continue, every word scraping painfully from her chest.

“Even when he couldn’t protect his daughter, he cried day and night,” she said, her throat trembling. “He blamed himself every single second. When he heard his daughter being called a second queen… a nobody… he broke even more.”

Tears spilt freely now, dripping onto the floor as her voice shook.

“When he heard that his daughter didn’t have a child and… they connected it to you,” she whispered. “They blamed her just like they blamed you. He knew there was nothing wrong with you, but the world never listened to him.

He wanted to act. He wanted to scream. But he had nothing left in his hands.”

Her shoulders shook as she inhaled sharply.

“All because of me,” she said brokenly. “I didn’t think about any of this. If anything, I was selfish, Maelona. I selfishly kept Kaelith to myself, and because of that… you both suffered.”

She lowered herself to her knees before Maelona and bowed deeply, her forehead almost touching the floor.

“I don’t know if words will ever be enough,” Chad whispered.

“But… please forgive me. I am truly sorry.”