Novel Full Chapter 1167: What happened after the ceremony? Part-1
Chapter 1167: What happened after the ceremony? Part-1
While Aether was busy guiding the souls Grace had mentioned earlier, let’s take a small step back in time—back to the moment when he had nearly killed Vesperine.
Everyone blinked in confusion and disbelief when Aether suddenly vanished—no warning, no sound—just violently yanked by dark, glowing chains that burst out of nowhere. He was dragged forcefully into a swirling portal that shimmered with energy, then gone in an instant.
Panic erupted in the dining room.
Immediately, everyone tried to contact Aether through their channels. Voices echoed, minds reached out—but there was nothing. Absolute silence. He didn’t respond. Not even a flicker of acknowledgement.
Faces tightened with anxiety. Eyes darted between one another. Worry thickened the air like a storm about to break.
“G-Guys… just what happened?!” Helena’s voice trembled as she clutched her hands to her chest, her eyes wide, lips pale. She had finally snapped out of her stunned state and turned to the others.
The others around her wore the same dazed, disturbed expression—shaken to their core.
“W-We don’t know… wait…” Aqualina muttered, her brows furrowed deeply. Her voice dropped into a cold, serious tone as realisation dawned in her eyes. “Wasn’t that… the Chains of the Eternal Contract?”
The entire room fell silent.
Aether was tied to Kai by that contract—and something had just activated it.
“But… he told us he would be fine,”
Selene said, her voice fragile and confused, brows creased.
“He said that contract was nothing to worry about.”
“No,” Raven said sharply, her tone laced with rising urgency. “This isn’t right. We can’t just sit around! We need to find him—immediately!”
Without waiting for a response, Raven turned on her heel and stormed out of the room. The others followed her… all of them hurrying out with determined steps, their dresses swishing behind them like battle flags in a windstorm.
They were ready for war!!
Except only a few were left in the room—Liora, Kaelen, Vesperine… and Delphine.
Kaelen stood frozen, his mind spiralling in a thousand directions, desperately trying to piece together what he’d just witnessed.
That moment replayed again and again in his head.
Wasn’t his father… trying to kill the girl he loved?
The thought made him shudder.
Vesperine, meanwhile, was still paralyzed with shock. Her gaze was locked on the spot where Aether had vanished, mouth parted, eyes wide. The truth had landed on her like a crashing wave—Aether, the so-called slave of Kai, was actually Kaelen’s father.
Which meant… he was Liora’s husband.
Her mind reeled. Her thoughts tangled. She couldn’t process it.
Delphine, on the other hand, was anxious but not panicked.
She trusted her visions—and none of them had shown Aether in danger. That brought her a small, secret relief. She knew he was safe. Of course, she still intended to look for him… but she would do it her way—quietly and alone.
Before anything else, she turned to Kaelen. Her voice was low, but it carried the weight of bitter truth.
“Aether didn’t like your choice…”
Her words struck deep.
She stepped away, but not before casting a sharp glance toward Liora. A sigh escaped her lips— an emotional fatigue.
How was she supposed to talk to the woman who loved the same man as she did?
Delphine growled quietly under her breath, clenching her jaw as she leaned toward Liora and whispered,
“You’d better separate them. Aether looked like he was moments away from killing her.”
And with that, she turned and walked away, her footsteps echoing down the hallway.
Liora watched her go for a second, then turned her eyes to Kaelen. His face was pale, his lips were trembling, and his whole body was slightly shaking.
“M-Mother… I-Is that true?” he asked, barely above a whisper.
Liora hummed softly, a slight sound of acknowledgement, before shaking her head slowly. Her gaze darkened as she replied with unnerving calm,
“As I said before… she is not worthy of you. And honestly? I’m surprised your father held himself back from killing her. We all know you deserve someone better.”
Then, without waiting for further protest, she grabbed Kaelen’s arm and began to pull him away.
Kaelen didn’t resist. He couldn’t. His mind was too overwhelmed—foggy with disbelief, pain, and confusion.
His father… the man he admired, idolised… said he would take—
Vesperine blinked. The next thing she knew, the guards—on Liora’s orders—had grabbed her roughly and thrown her out of the palace gates.
She hit the ground, stunned, covered in dust and disbelief.
“What the—?”
She slowly got up, brushing the dirt off her outfit with trembling hands. Her eyes widened.
“OH MY FUCKING GOD!! I NEED TO TELL THIS TO KAI!”
She spun on her heels and sprinted toward the teleportation station, her heart pounding in her chest. She needed to reach Kai—now.
This wasn’t just some gossip.
The Slave—Kai’s so-called servant—was actually the Emperor’s father.
That was beyond serious.
That was fucking insane.
And somehow… it was also hilarious.
’Wait… does that mean all this time, that guy was just acting?’
Her expression slowly shifted from amused to horrified as reality hit her like a slap.
She remembered the way she used to treat him—like garbage, like he was nothing. Her stomach twisted. Her chest tightened. She bit her lip, her face full of dread.
What if he wanted revenge?
What if he was planning to use Kaelen against her?
Vesperine groaned, holding her head.
She had already caught Kaelen’s heart, but something had always felt off. His affection never went past 75% 💗. As if the remaining 25% 💗… belonged to someone else.
Someone irreplaceable.
’Come to think of it… Kaelen always spoke about his father. How great he was. How kind. How powerful.’
’He never even told me his name… said it was going to be a surprise.’
’Well… it sure as hell was.’
*****
By the time she reached Kai’s mansion, her breath ragged, her hair messy, and her chest heaving—she froze.
In the middle of the yard… Selene and Aqualina were already there.
And they were beating the hell out of Kai and Leon.
“Tell me what you’ve done to him!”
Selene’s voice rang out, cold and emotionless—a chilling, indifferent tone that could freeze blood. And in her fury, she did exactly that. With a flick of her hand, ice exploded around Kai, swallowing him in jagged, crystalline shards as he struggled violently inside, unable to move.
His eyes widened with horror as bruises already darkened his skin. His fear wasn’t just from being caught off guard… NO! it was the raw, terrifying realisation that Selene… was stronger than him.
Much stronger.
She hadn’t even hesitated. She had burst into the mansion like a storm of vengeance and trapped him in solid ice without effort.
And not just him… his sworn brother, Leon, stood frozen too, their backs pressed together, both locked in a coffin of frost.
And if that wasn’t enough…
Long, sharp blades of glowing blue water hovered dangerously at their necks, just inches away—suspended by Aqualina, her expression unreadable, her aura absolutely lethal.
Kai gulped hard.
“S-Sel? W-What are you doing to your big brother? T-This—this isn’t funny!”
Selene didn’t even blink. Her eyes were cold, emotionless glaciers that pierced straight through him.
“I will ask only one more time,”
She said as she stepped forward, her boots crunching against the frost-covered floor.
“Where is my Aether?”
She leaned in slowly,
“The only reason you’re still breathing right now… is because you’re my brother. Otherwise, I would’ve already shown you exactly what I’m capable of.”
For a brief moment, Kai froze, not from the ice, but from something else. A vision. A flash. In Selene’s merciless expression, he saw it—a perfect, terrifying reflection of their mother.
It shook him to his core.
From the side, Vesperine gritted her teeth and stormed forward, her pride burning.
“W-What the hell are you doing here?! Let them go!!!”
She screamed, eyes wild as she saw her mates being threatened by other women. It stung. Deeply. Her pride as their chosen was torn apart.
Aqualina glanced sideways at her. Her smile was crooked, almost mocking.
“Well, well… look at you now. Fu~fu~. Honestly, I thought you’d still be rolling in bed with Kaelen.”
The moment she said that name, both Kai and Leon twitched—surprised and completely thrown off.
Aqualina’s grin grew sharper, eyes narrowing in amusement.
“Oh? That got a reaction. Looks like you two really have been hiding things… So how about we dis—”
“Aqua,” Selene cut in, her tone flat and disinterested. “We didn’t come here to deal with that bitch.”
Aqualina’s lips twitched. She clicked her tongue but nodded, turning her gaze back toward Kai and Leon. Her blade hovered even closer now, slowly brushing against the skin of their necks—just enough to draw a bead of blood.
“Tell me, Kai…” Selene’s voice wavered with restrained fury. She bit her lip, holding back the urge to scream.
“Where. Is. He?”
Kai chuckled, a bitter laugh rising from his throat as his face twisted in defiance.
“Hah… even if I die here, I won’t tell you. You chose that filthy slave over your own flesh and blood… your own brother?!
Fuck you.”
He spat in her face.
But with a single flick of her hand, the saliva froze mid-air and rebounded—splashing back against his own face.
“ARRGH!!”
Both Kai and Leon groaned as Aqualina’s water swords pierced deeper, pressing into the sensitive flesh of their throats. Blood trickled down slowly.
“Just tell the damn truth already, you idiots!!” Vesperine shouted from behind, her voice shrill and desperate. “Are you really going to throw your lives away like this?!”
She wanted to help. She truly did. But even her powers couldn’t handle what she was witnessing.
A thousand blue swords surrounded her, each one floating with deadly grace, spinning dangerously.
It was impossible to get close—absolutely impossible.
Kai’s voice cracked as he winced, and Leon groaned beside him, the pressure of the blades unbearable.
They were just about to break… just about to speak…
When suddenly—
“Aether’s ownership now belongs to Nyx Shadowfall.”
A calm, deep voice echoed from the mansion’s entrance.
Velc stepped forward and said, “If you want to know where he is, you should ask Nyx Shadowfall directly.”
Selene and Aqualina’s eyes widened. They exchanged a glance but didn’t hesitate. Without another word, they sprinted off toward the gates.
Even though they were shocked by what they’d just heard, their mission hadn’t changed. They had to find Aether.
So he was with Nyx?
Was this… his plan all along?
“Tch. He’s seducing her now, isn’t he?” Aqualina grumbled under her breath, her annoyed expression twitching as she ran beside Selene.