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As I stepped inside, the room was empty. The bed was untouched, the air heavy with quiet, and for a moment, I wondered,
'Could she be in the bathroom?'
'You pervert.'
Enta's voice was sharp, but I ignored it, my focus elsewhere.
"Elfaria, what's wrong?"
I called softly, knowing she could hear me even if she didn't respond.
A trembling whisper carried through the stillness.
"It's my fault… it's my fault… it's my fault…"
'There.'
I followed the sound, my steps careful, until I found her on the floor.
She sat curled in on herself, knees hugged tightly to her chest, face buried in her arms. The weight of her despair was palpable, pressing in like the walls themselves were closing around her.
'She's at her lowest. I can use that.'
A cold thought flickered through me, even as a knot formed in my chest.
"What are you talking about?"
I asked, keeping my voice steady, trying to reach through the shadow she had wrapped around herself.
Her voice was barely audible, choked with guilt and tears.
"I let him in… he found me… used me as a gate… they died… it's all my fault…"
The room seemed to shrink around her words, each one dragging the air down, suffocating. And yet, beneath it all, a fragile, trembling thread of vulnerability remained—one I could see, and one I had to navigate carefully.
"You think so?"
"I know so."
She quickly replied.
"You've shut yourself down over something this small,"
I said, my voice low, edged with disappointment.
"How weak. I thought you were strong."
"Strong? Do you think anyone could be as strong as you?"
'I know I'm close to the strongest in the Base World. But even an anomaly like Antares can't dare to call himself the strongest at home.'
"More than ninety per cent of the Stars in the Star Realm could defeat me."
'I think you've got it backwards.'
I thought, though I didn't say it.
"And here? In this world?"
"They exist, yes."
I said, my tone softening slightly,
"But I wasn't talking about strength. Being strong isn't just about power. Physical might is one thing, but mental, psychological, spiritual strength… that's what matters. That's what I look for."
Her eyes flickered, unsure, searching mine. "Then…what are you talking about?"
"I thought you might have been worthy to stand beside me, like Hinata."
I admitted, voice heavy with frustration and a trace of longing.
"But it seems I was wrong. Watching your strength go to waste… it's unbearable."
She flinched at my words, trembling slightly, and lifted her head, meeting my gaze with a mixture of fear and hope.
"Do you want to know what I hate more than betrayal?"
I asked, squatting so we were eye to eye. My gaze was piercing, cold, yet there was an almost painful honesty to it.
"Wasted strength. Wasted potential. All of it."
I said, each word striking like a whip.
"I saw something in you—a true queen, one of a kind. Towa aside, of course. And yet… look at you. A disgrace to the royal blood running through your veins, don't you think?"
She recoiled, and I could see it—the guilt, the shame, the self-loathing. It confirmed my suspicion: royal blood ran deep, and she felt the weight of it.
"But perhaps… perhaps I was wrong,"
I continued, my voice lowering, almost mournful.
"Maybe you aren't the storm I believed you to be. Maybe you're just a flicker of light—bright for a moment, then… gone."
Her lips trembled. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, unable to find words. The air between us was thick with unspoken pain, regret, and longing.
I rose slowly, the disappointment in my posture undeniable, and turned to leave, letting the silence I left behind echo far louder than any words could.
"Y... you're wrong. I still have it in me."
"You think so?"
I asked, glancing over my shoulder.
"I...I know so...I can still be of use to you."
"Can you prove it?"
I asked, and she stood up.
Her white silk nightdress was loose, displaying her curves, her nipple visible from the dress. But I wasn't disturbed by the slightest, my cold eyes fixed on her as I waited for a reply.
'Just kidding, those pointed jugs are irresistible to my supreme eyes.'
Suddenly, she took me by surprise. With the short distance between us, she closed that distance with her maximum speed. But to me, she was nothing but a snail, so I stood still and waited to see what she could possibly do.
The unexpected happened—her lips met mine, sudden and unhesitating. My eyes widened, caught completely off guard.
Her tongue traced mine briefly before she pulled away. There was no hesitation, no embarrassment—only a calm, deliberate confidence, as if she had been waiting for this moment all along.
'A wise man once said, too much scheming leads to the schemer's downfall. And guess what, that wise man was Garbageman.'
Enta's smirk vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a sharp, measured gaze as he took in the scene.
'Damn you… you're building a harem or what? This wasn't part of your task, you know.'
His voice was stern, but I gave him the usual cold shoulder, indifferent to his protests.
"What was that?"
I asked once my thoughts caught up with me. I'd blanked out for a few seconds—annoying, but not unusual.
"A gift,"
She replied calmly.
"I can't be like Hinata or Lady Towa, but I'll make my move all the same."
"What does that even mean?"
"I was at fault, yes,"
She said, meeting my eyes without flinching. "But once I knew there were no casualties and everything was fine, I chose to play the guilty card and wait for you. I knew you'd come. You did—and you hit me with cold, empty words. But that was never my goal, so they didn't touch me."
'It backfired.'
I realised.
"Magos' invasion may have been coincidence, but it pushed her into believing the blame was hers.'
Don't misunderstand—he could have used her to get here. Or maybe she used that uncertainty to her advantage. If it's the latter… women really are terrifying.
"So,"
She said softly, stepping closer, backing me towards the wall until there was nowhere left to retreat.
"What do you say, Asteri?"
"What are you planning?"
"I'm planning on making you mine."
She didn't hesitate. She didn't dress it up. She simply claimed it.
"You know I already have Hinata and Towa, right?"
Something unseen tugged sharply at my hair, snapping a memory into place.
"And Lady Athena, of course."
I added.
"It wouldn't hurt to make me your concubine."
'So she's given up on being my wife and chosen this path instead. Tricky…"
"I suppose you're right."
I leaned in, closing the distance. She welcomed the kiss without hesitation, eyes sliding shut as if she'd already accepted the outcome.
Halfway through, I vanished. In the same instant, I reappeared at the centre of the room, redirecting her momentum so she wouldn't be hurt. She fell back onto the bed, lips meeting nothing but the doll, 'Asteri doll' on her bed.
"I want you to come with me on a short trip tomorrow."
I said calmly.
"Just you and me. Be ready."
Before she could respond, I teleported out of the room. The moment I was gone, I let out a slow breath. I hadn't expected things to turn out like that.
"A doll…? What in the abyss? Was that Elaine's doing? Women really are hellishly creative."
I muttered. I realised too late that my thoughts weren't as silent as they should have been.
"That feat…"
The pressure descended instantly—overwhelming, intimate, unmistakable.
I knew exactly who it was. My body stiffened, my breath caught, and before I could utter a single word, her presence bore down on me, heavy with intent.
"What are you doing in front of Elfaria's room past midnight?"
She smiled, but there was nothing friendly about it.
"…I—"
"I was looking for you,"
She continued, stepping closer.
"Now that the island is asleep, it's time for us to work things out."
'Work things out? Don't tell me she's referring to 'that'?'
'That wasn't a normal feat, I realised too late. Forcing one's thoughts into the open without consent… is this what Energy is capable of? Anta, wake up already.'
Enta bristled the moment he understood.
'Eh? 'Work out'? Don't tell me—if you keep indulging her like this, Antares himself will end up corrupted.'
His voice retreated hurriedly, fleeing the oppressive darkness of my Mind.
"For your stubbornness,"
She said softly.
"I'll make you pay. I'll take what I want, whenever I want."
The world shifted. In the blink of an eye, we were on the bed, her straddling me just as she had before.
'If this is the life I'm going to live form now on, I have to face this head-on.'
I told myself.
'I can't lose control again.'
I emptied my mind, focusing solely on the moment. Then I moved, our positions swapped, my hand completely filled by her boobs. Rather, it was swallowed by it.
The moment we made contact, dopamine surged through me, my heart racing as pleasure washed over every thought.
A profound calm followed—pure, grounding, overwhelming in its serenity. It surpassed even my celestial meditation, a stillness deeper and more complete than anything I had ever known.
'Is this what it feels to be in control?'
She gasped, colour rushing to her face.
"You like that?"
She asked, barely steady.
"I do."
I leaned in, stealing a kiss, slow and certain. When I pulled back, the sharp edge she carried dissolved, leaving something far more fragile beneath it.
My presence pressed in, overwhelming, and she yielded without resistance.
By morning, the island was awake once more. With Hinata still in bed and Elfaria curious to for our 'date', we departed together, setting out towards the place fate had already chosen for us.
To be continued...