Chapter 502: Mine… But Fading

"ARRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A raw, guttural roar tore from my throat, a sound of pure, unadulterated agony and rage. The ground beneath my feet trembled, the stone tiles cracking, the delicate flowers of the star-lilies wilting and turning to black ash as a wave of pure, unrestrained energy erupted from me.

However, I swiftly controlled it before it could do any more damage.

But the rage, the pain... it was still there. A fire in my soul, a storm in my heart.

'I will not let her go,' I thought, my eyes narrowing, a cold, hard light in them. 'I will not let her mother win.'

But I can't just kidnap Aeli.

No.

That would make me the villain. And I am not the villain. I am the goddess. The hero of this horny story.

I need to be smart. I need to be cunning. I need to play the game.

Moreover, I need to protect Aeli until she gives birth to our child.

After that... well, after that she can do whatever the fuck she wants.

'But until then,' I thought, a dangerous glint in my eye, 'she is mine.'

With a final, frustrated growl, I turned and stormed out of the garden, my mind racing, plotting, scheming.

I headed back to my room, my fists clenched, my jaw tight.

The corridor outside my chambers seemed longer than usual.

Every step echoed.

Every breath burned.

Servants flattened themselves against the walls as I passed, their heads bowed so low their foreheads nearly brushed the marble. They could feel it. The shift in the air. The pressure. The way the mana around me hummed like a blade drawn halfway from its sheath.

Good.

Let them feel it.

I pushed the doors to my chamber open without slowing. They slammed against the walls hard enough to rattle the windows.

The moment I was alone, the mask slipped.

I dragged both hands through my hair and let out a slow, shaking exhale. The image of Aeli's tear-streaked face was burned onto the back of my eyelids. The way she'd said "goodbye" like it was a death sentence.

"One last time," I muttered.

The words replayed in my mind like a curse. They'd been a catalyst, a trigger. They'd unleashed something in me. Something old and cold and vicious.

But the cold was already receding, being replaced by a white-hot certainty. A singular focus.

I will kill that bitch. I will kill Aeli's mother.

Ding!

[Calm down, Morgana.] Herma's calm, mechanical voice cut through my rage. [Getting emotional will not help. In fact, it will only make things worse.]

"I know," I sighed, my breathing slowly returning to normal. "But I can't just let her go."

[And you won't,] Herma said. [But you need a plan. A smart plan. A plan that doesn't involve you going on a rampage and getting yourself killed.]

'Or worse, getting Aeli killed,' I thought, the cold reality of the situation sinking in.

From what I saw so far, Aeli was being mistreated by her own kin, so it's likely that her mother is also abusive. And sending her away wasn't a gesture of kindness. It was a punishment, an exile.

But why?

Why would a mother do that to her own daughter?

Was it because of me?

Because she found out about us?

Or was it something else?

Something deeper?

Something... darker?

The question hung in the air like smoke after a spell gone wrong. I sank onto the edge of the bed, elbows on my knees, fingers digging into my scalp hard enough to sting. The rage was still there, coiled tight in my chest like a spring-loaded trap, but now it had teeth of ice instead of fire.

Aeli hadn't looked angry. She hadn't looked resentful.

She'd looked… resigned.

Defeated.

Like a bird that had flown into a window one too many times and had finally stopped trying to break the glass.

A mother would have to be a special kind of monster to break a child that thoroughly.

"Sigh... I need rest," I said, flopping back onto the bed, my arms spread wide, staring up at the ornate ceiling. The moonlight streamed through the window, painting the room in shades of silver and blue.

But I knew sleep wouldn't come, so I forced it on myself.

...

Knock. Knock.

After an unknown time had passed, I heard a faint knocking on my door.

"Come in," I said, my voice flat.

The door creaked open, and Vespera barged in carrying multiple leather bags, her silver hair slightly disheveled as if she'd run all the way here.

She kicked the door shut behind her.

Then she froze.

"Why do you look like someone just pissed in your sacred wine?" she asked, her brow furrowed in concern. "Gasp!... Don't tell me someone refused your giant cock. The audacity!"

'Why is she so sharp all of a sudden?'

I didn't answer. I just sat up, my expression unreadable.

Her gaze swept over me, then over the room, finding nothing out of the ordinary. She dropped the bags on the floor with a heavy thud and approached the bed.

"Alright, spill," she said, sitting down next to me, her shoulder brushing against mine. "What happened? Did the queen try to fuck you to death with that monster she's packing? Because I'd pay to see that."

The attempt at humor fell flat.

Vespera blinked once.

Then twice.

"…What?" she asked defensively. "It's a valid question."

"Vespera."

"Yes?"

"If you don't shut up for five seconds," I said flatly, "I'm going to shove my cock up your ass until it comes out of your mouth."

"I'll take it," she grinned, a mischievous glint in her eye as she turned around, shaking her big, lovely ass. "You can also try my pussy and see how far it goes."

'Sigh... I forgot dark elves like pain,' I thought to myself, a wave of exhaustion washing over me.

I just stared at her, my expression blank.

"Did you get the dresses?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Of course, I got the dresses!" she huffed, her expression shifting to mock offense as she turned back around. "I got you three. One for the banquet, one for the purification ceremony—though I have no fucking clue what that is—and one for... well, for whatever depraved nonsense you get up to after."

She quickly opened the bags and pulled out a dress.

It was a masterpiece of liquid shadow. Black as a starless midnight, it was cut from a material so fine it seemed to drink the light, clinging to every curve, promising danger with every breath.

However, the most catching parts were the chest and the crotch.

There were two strategic openings, one over the breasts and the other over the crotch, framed with delicate, shimmering silver embroidery.

"This is..." I started, my eyes wide.

"Perfect, I know," Vespera said, a smug grin on her face. "It says 'I'm here to fuck shit up, but I'll look fabulous doing it.' It also says, 'My cock is available for public viewing.'"

She then pulled out another dress. This one was white. Pure, virginal white. A stark contrast to the first.

"And this is for the purification ritual," she said. "So you can pretend you're a good girl."

'Hehehe... She knows me well,' I thought, a small smile playing on my lips.

But the smile quickly faded as the memory of Aeli's words came rushing back.

"As for this," Vespera pulled out a third dress. This one was red. The same shade as Aeli's dress. "This is... well, this is just a bonus. A little something extra."

All three dresses had those strategic openings.

'Hehe... she is really trying to help me feel better,' I thought, a warmth spreading through my chest, a small flicker of light in the suffocating darkness.

"As for jewelry," Vespera didn't stop and pulled out many things.

Horny jewelry, like nipple piercings with tiny, dangling chains, a clit clamp with a small, shimmering bell, an anal plug with a flower-like ending, and of course, cock rings with various designs.

"Vespera..." I said, my voice a low warning. "I'm not in the mood."

"I know," she said, her tone softening. "That's why I brought them. Sometimes, you need to dress up the weapon before you go to war. Put on your armor. Even if it's just a cock ring."

She then sat down next to me again, her shoulder brushing against mine. She didn't say anything for over a minute, just staring, studying the look on my face.

Then she leaned in and started licking and biting the corner of my lips. She didn't stop until I started showing a reaction, a faint smile, a small nod, a slow blink.

"There you go," she said, her lips now inches from mine, her warm breath tickling my skin. "Smile a bit. You look so much better with a smile on your face... Now give me a kiss."

"..."

With a heavy sigh, I turned my face and pressed my lips against hers. The kiss was slow, soft, a gentle meeting of lips and a brief touch of tongues.

"Happy now?" I asked, my voice flat.

"Extremely," she purred, a wide, predatory grin spreading across her face. "Now, let's get you out of those dreary clothes and into something more... appropriate."

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