Aether and Mary stood locked in a burning stare, as if at any moment the air itself would split and the fight would erupt.

Even without the powers he once wielded, Aether did not step back... so what if he was weaker now?

For the love of his Nyx, there was no way he would let this woman NTR him, not while he still breathed, not while his heart still beat with that stubborn, possessive fire.

Every fragment of love belonged to him. Even if she loved this bitch, it had to be beneath him, never equal or... never above!

Absolutely not above!

The very thought of standing second in her heart twisted something dark and sharp inside his chest.

He would never allow this crazy bitch to NTR him!

Still, if he fought with his current body... he would be the first to fall, the first to bleed out on this very ground.

Yet... even knowing that, even with the outcome already written in cruel certainty, he would still step forward and beat this bitch’s ass at least once!

Meanwhile, Mary’s insides burned with an equally violent storm, her composure cracking beneath the surge of possessive rage.

There was no world, no fate, no twisted turn of destiny where she would allow this man to NTR her.

Her daughter belonged to her, bound not just by blood but by years of care, of protection, of silent sacrifices.

She loved her more than anything that existed.

No matter what tricks or provocations he used, she would never fall for such cheap antics.

Her love for her blood daughter was pure~

So pure that not even Nyx, her adoptive daughter, could come close to that place within her heart, a place guarded with ruthless devotion.

Still, the memory of the power he had shown a few days ago lingered like a shadow that refused to fade.

Those flames from the spear... pure, almost divine, yet something in them felt wrong.

Her instincts, her very blood, had screamed at her to stay away, to avoid them at any cost, as if they carried not just pain, but something far worse.

But even then, even if those flames were to tear her apart, even if death itself reached out to claim her... she would never let this shit NTR her.

This time, she would make sure of it.

She would cut off his dick without hesitation, without mercy, so that he would never dare go anywhere near her daughter again!

The tension peaked, just as the fight was about to break out—

"H-Husband, what are you doing?" Nyx rushed forward, placing herself between them, as she glared at Aether for disrupting her carefully woven plan.

Aether, who had been burning with raw emotion, suddenly faltered. His body stiffened, his expression shifting as he looked at Nyx.

The raging fire within him softened into a flicker of annoyance, then something almost childish,

"You said you love her as much as you love me,"

Hearing that, Nyx blinked, the words settling into her mind as she truly looked at him, not as he stood now, but as the man she knew through memories.

Even when forced into seduction missions, even when pushed into situations that demanded manipulation, he had never done it for pleasure, never treated others like toys to be discarded.

While he seduced them, he also... fell in love with them, again and again, carrying each connection like a quiet burden.

Her expression softened as she gazed at her husband, who now stood there pouting like a child caught between pride and vulnerability.

An inexplicable feeling stirred within her chest, as if she had just witnessed a side of him that few would ever see.

’I love you more than anyone, Husband,’ she whispered silently within her heart, her emotions tightening around that truth. ’But right now, more than anything, I need to protect you... So, forgive me, and just fuck her already!’

She steadied herself as she lifted her chin and spoke aloud,

"Husband, you need to understand that my Majesty is my first preference; you come after her."

"You should know that she raised me, guided me, and showed me the world like a mother for years. Everything I am now exists because of her."

"If not for her... You wouldn’t have met me in the first place, and we wouldn’t be standing here together."

Those words stabbed straight through his chest like an arrow that pierced deep into his body, one that could never be pulled out. The impact left him breathless, his throat tightening as if he might cough up blood at any second.

Meanwhile, Mary was barely holding in her laughter, her entire body trembling with amusement as she watched him crumble from within.

’Now you understand the pain, fucker... ahahah,’ she screamed inwardly, her delight blooming as she saw Aether suffer just like she once had.

Mary caught the furious glare he threw at her, his eyes burning with humiliation and rage.

’Oh? You wanna fuck with me, bitch? Ahhahaha!!!’ showing middle finger, she laughed inwardly, so hard that a faint, uncontrollable sound of laughter slipped past her lips.

She had never expected Nyx, of all people, to say something like that so boldly, so openly, without hesitation.

’Huh... she really changed a lot, didn’t she?’ Mary thought with a flicker of surprise crossing her expression.

Before, Nyx barely acknowledged the world around her. Even when Mary acted harshly, Nyx never complained, never resisted, never even expressed affection.

Not once had she said she loved her, not once had she acted this close, this emotionally exposed.

It had always felt like Nyx stood behind an invisible wall, something untouchable that separated her from everyone else. But now... that wall seemed completely shattered, broken into pieces.

In truth, if Mary had wanted to, she could have broken that wall herself and gotten closer to Nyx. But she never cared enough to try.

She had no interest in dealing with such things. Nyx’s past, her emotions, whatever built that wall, none of it mattered to her.

If Nyx had created it, then it was her own choice.

Mary wasn’t the type to meddle in others’ lives like some kind of saint... like a certain annoying cockroach standing before her.

’But still... I am glad.’ A soft, almost gentle expression briefly appeared on Mary’s face, faint and fleeting, like something she wasn’t used to feeling for Nyx.

"And you!"

Suddenly, Nyx turned toward her, her voice rising sharply as her gaze locked onto Mary.

"Why are you picking a fight with my husband?"

"..." Mary flinched for a brief second, caught off guard, before a wicked expression slowly spread across her face. ’Oi, oi... when did this brat get so full of herself?’ she thought, her irritation rising as she released her pressure fully onto Nyx.

For a moment, Nyx’s body tensed, a slight flinch betraying the weight of that pressure. Just as Aether was about to step forward to support her—

Nyx raised her hand, stopping him without even looking back. She lifted her chin, her chest rising with quiet pride as she faced Mary head-on.

"Your Majesty, please stop acting like a brat."

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

The same stunned reaction escaped both Aether and Mary at the exact same time... again!

Nyx continued, her expression hardening with visible frustration.

"I saw you constantly picking on my husband.

Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? Huh?

You are over a thousand years old, yet you are picking a fight with someone who is barely twenty-five. Don’t you have any standards?

Why don’t you pick a fight with the Sovereign instead?"

Her words flowed without restraint, carrying the weight of everything she had held back until now.

After all, she had seen it clearly, how Mary and Morgana kept tricking her husband, pushing him, hurting him.

That anger had been building quietly, and now it finally erupted.

Veins bulged on Mary’s forehead, her expression twisting with fury. ’This bitch!’ she snapped internally before shouting aloud,

"How dare yo—"

"I know what you are hiding," Nyx cut in, a smug expression forming on her face.

Mary froze mid-sentence, her body stiffening slightly.

’S-She knows? B-But how?’ Her thoughts spiralled for a moment before confusion overtook her.

’Wait... what does she even know?’

Her expression shifted into uncertainty, because the truth was... Mary held too many secrets.

Far too many... And for the first time, she wasn’t sure which one Nyx was pointing at.

’C-Could it be she knew I sneaked a naked photo of her too?... or her stolen clothes? Or... killing powerful figures to get her strongest ghost soldiers? Or... writing weird books for her to learn how to live? Or... how I tortured and killed her parents who left her? Or... torturing those who tried to do wicked things to her? Or... trying to hook her with Lia? Or...’ her thoughts kept spiralled without stopping, one after another, piling into chaos.

’Insane bitch, what the fuck are you doing with her naked photos and clothes?’ That’s what Aether would have thought if he were able to hear her thoughts.

However, what she didn’t expect was—

"If you wanted to kill him, you would have done it long ago. Why bother hiding your true feelings?"

"..."

"..."

Both Aether and Mary fell silent.

True feelings?

Aether turned his head slightly, looking at Mary with a deeply confused expression, his brows furrowing as if trying to read something that simply wasn’t there.

’What the fuck are you looking at me for, fucker? I don’t have a single clue what this bitch is talking about!’ Mary screamed inwardly, her face tightening into a frown as she asked aloud,

"True feelings?"

Nyx smiled, a knowing, almost playful smile, as she said, "I know... I know..." She placed her hand on her chin, her expression oddly cheerful, as if she had solved something profound.

’What do you know?’

Both Mary and Aether shouted inwardly in perfect unison.

Mary’s eyes suddenly widened. ’Crap... did she know it? Could she know Morgana and I—’

"You love him."

Nyx said it plainly.

"..."

"..."

For a full five seconds, dead silence swallowed the room, as if time itself paused, refusing to move forward while those words settled in.

After all, this was exactly what her ’Big’ sister Raven had told her.

"Remember, if they keep fighting and yet never kill each other... that means they are in love but don’t know how to express it. All you need to do is bring the truth before them and... hehe... You know what happens next, right? It will make things easy!" Raven had said, laughing softly as she held her little sister Nyx in her arms.

Nyx held onto those words like sacred wisdom.

And now, having placed that truth between them, she turned without waiting for a response. With light steps, she walked toward the door, her expression bright, almost proud, as she left the room and gently closed it behind her, leaving the two of them alone.

As she stepped away, she let out a small chuckle, muttering to herself,

"I really said everything... ha..." A sheepish smile appeared on her lips, disbelief flickering through her eyes as she realised what she had just done.

Honestly, it had been nerve-wracking, completely out of character for her, but she had done it for him.

For her husband!

"And now they will fuck! Heheh~"

She giggled happily, like a child who had successfully reunited her parents after a long fight!

Then she clenched her fist,

"Finally, I protected my husband... If I keep doing this, he won’t be burdened by anything anymore..." her voice softened, trembling slightly.

"Don’t worry, Husband. I, your wife, Nyx Shadowfall... even if it means bringing the world down, I will do it..."

Her eyes turned soft, glistening faintly with emotion.

"J-Just like you always did."

She took a deep breath, her cheeks flushing as her thoughts wandered, and said with quiet anticipation,

"Come on, husband... You can do it... Fuck her mindlessly, just like h-how you did m-me..."

Her blush deepened at her own words, and she quickly added, almost like a chant,

"Let bygones be bygones!"

Meanwhile—

Drip...

Drip...

Blood slowly fell from both Mary’s and Aether’s necks, each of them holding their weapons against the other’s throat, the blades barely grazing skin, just enough to draw thin lines of red.

They simply stood there, staring into each other’s eyes.

"Bitch!"

"Motherfucker!"