Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1646: Call me... Mother?

Outside the room, he pressed a hand tightly against his chest while his heartbeat slammed wildly against his ribs.It pounded so violently that he almost felt dizzy.

"W-What the fuck?" he muttered in genuine horror.

Never in his life had he reacted like this before.

His gaze lowered slightly before noticing the obvious strain against his pants.

His entire body froze.

He had gotten turned on.

Just from seeing her.

His breathing instantly became uneven. His mind completely ignored the words "dear son," almost as if his instincts deliberately refused to process them at all.

Or perhaps... he simply didn’t want to.

Aether stood there silently while his thoughts spiralled into chaos. One part of him screamed to run away immediately.

In fact, his instincts had been warning him ever since he entered the Void Empire.

Run... Leave... Escape!!

Yet another dangerous part of him whispered something entirely different.

Before he could decide whether to flee or simply say fuck it and step back inside, the door suddenly opened slightly.

"O-Oi... what was that for?"

Hearing the flustered voice from behind the door, Aether took a slow breath and forced himself to calm down.

After a few seconds, he finally opened the door again.

Inside, Lia sat at the edge of the bed with an annoyed pout on her face. Her chin rested lazily against her knuckles while her crimson eyes stared directly at him with visible irritation.

Aether awkwardly scratched his cheek before letting out a dry chuckle.

"H-Hello, Lia... it’s been a while," he said carefully. "I didn’t expect to meet you here."

Lia glanced at him silently for a moment before slowly motioning her fingers toward the floor beside the bed.

"Come here," she said casually. "Sit down."

Aether raised an eyebrow slightly.

She was ordering him around now?

A dangerous urge instantly appeared inside his mind. A part of him wanted to sit beside her deliberately, close enough to assert dominance and regain control of this strange atmosphere.

But another part of him screamed caution.

’For now... let’s maintain some distance.’

Suppressing those thoughts, Aether calmly walked forward before casually sitting down on the ground near the bed.

The moment he did, Lia’s eyes widened slightly, as if she genuinely hadn’t expected him to obey so easily. Then, slowly, a sly smile spread across her lips.

"My good boy~"

[+1000 AP]

Aether’s lips twitched faintly. He immediately shook his head before changing the subject.

"Where’s your mother?"

Lia’s expression instantly soured.

"What?" she asked with a frown. "You came here wanting to meet my mother instead of me?"

Though beneath the annoyance, there was still visible happiness hidden inside her voice.

Aether sighed tiredly.

"I have something important to discuss with her—"

"So you didn’t come to meet me?" Lia interrupted while snorting softly. "After running away like a coward last time?"

As she spoke, her long stocking-covered leg slowly lifted before resting against his shoulder. The movement caused the edge of her skirt to shift slightly beneath the light, revealing dangerous glimpses hidden beneath the shadows.

Aether’s eye twitched violently.

’Woman, you were the one who threw me out and scared me half to death last time!’

He screamed internally but wisely kept those thoughts trapped inside his head.

"Of course, I came to see you too," he replied smoothly while trying to maintain eye contact. "But I also came because I need to discuss something related to the Empire with your mother. Let me speak to her first, then we can talk properly afterwards, alright?"

He paused briefly before asking again.

"So... where is your mother?"

Lia gave another annoyed snort.

"She’s busy with something inside the Dome," she answered while lazily swinging her leg against his shoulder. "You can tell me whatever you want. I’ll relay it to her."

Aether hummed thoughtfully for a second.

"Well..."

He leaned back slightly before continuing in a calmer tone.

"It’s related to my Empires. I need help capturing monsters to strengthen our defences."

"Oh?"

Lia raised an eyebrow with genuine curiosity, now replacing her earlier teasing expression.

"Monsters? Why?"

For the past week, she had been too occupied with matters inside her own Empire to pay attention to the outside situation.

Aether began explaining everything calmly... the evolving metallic creatures adapting far faster than expected.

While he spoke, Lia’s stocking-covered foot slowly moved along his shoulder and chest absentmindedly, almost like a predator lazily circling its prey while listening with interest.

Or perhaps she was simply teasing him intentionally.

By the time Aether finished explaining the situation, Lia finally understood what he truly wanted.

"So..." her lips curled upward slightly. "You want my people to help capture the monsters outside the barrier?"

Aether nodded.

Before leaving the Empires in his wives’ hands, he needed to reduce as much pressure from them as possible.

Although the Chosen Ones and Nightfire were powerful enough to capture the monsters directly, the metallic creatures were adapting far too quickly.

Capturing enough of them in a short amount of time would become increasingly difficult.

That was why he came here.

He wanted the Void Empire’s assistance to lessen the burden resting on their shoulders before he eventually left.

Lia tapped her finger thoughtfully against her thigh.

"I could help with that," she admitted casually. "Sending a few people under my name wouldn’t really be a problem."

Then her expression slowly turned sly again.

"But..."

Aether immediately understood there would be conditions attached. Honestly, he had expected that from the beginning.

The only surprise was that Lia herself was handling the negotiation instead of Mary.

Still... dealing with Lia sounded infinitely easier than dealing with her insane mother.

And considering their current relationship, Aether doubted her demands would become truly unreasonable.

A faint confident smile appeared on his face.

"Name your price."

He spoke arrogantly, completely forgetting that he was the same man who had shamelessly stolen one trillion Zenith from her mother recently.

Money... Resources... Materials.

Whatever she wanted, Aether was confident he could provide it.

Lia stared at him silently for two long seconds.

Then she smiled sweetly.

"Call me Mommy~"

"..."

Aether blinked once.

"...Pardon?"