Chapter 1615: Victor has Heart Meter too?

Soon, Victor caught up with Vesperine, who stood beneath the morning light in the garden, her lips curved into a stubborn pout, brows faintly knit as soft wind stirred strands of her hair across her face.

And of course, Victor couldn’t care less about her mood. Without sparing her expression a second thought, he spoke in a calm tone,

"Since we couldn’t test your ability earlier, why don’t you stay with me until the next attack arrives? When it does, we’ll make proper use of your power and figure out exactly how it works."

Vesperine, who had been quietly sulking, suddenly froze.

Her eyes widened, shimmering with surprise as she turned toward him. A blush spread rapidly across her cheeks, blooming like crimson petals, as both her hands rose to cup her face.

"O-Oh... do you mean you like me that much? You... want me to stay with you f-forever?"

"..." Veins bulged along Victor’s forehead, ’Don’t lose it. Don’t lose it...’ he repeated inwardly, steadying his breath as he forced every ounce of control over his rising irritation, holding back the urge to strike her.

Then came her next words, almost sing-song,

"Mr. Victor... you can be quite tsundere sometimes~"

"..."

SLAP!

"KYAA!!~"

The sharp sound echoed faintly through the quiet garden.

Vesperine jolted, her body tensing as she clutched her ass, her face twisting into a pained expression. She rubbed the spot instinctively, eyes glistening as she looked at him with a pitiful gaze.

"W-What was that for? That really hurts!"

"Haha..." Victor let out a low laugh, the corner of his lips lifting into a faint smirk. He leaned slightly closer, his voice dropping into a quiet whisper that brushed against her ear,

"That’s what happens when you act like a naughty girl~"

"...Gulp."

[+4000 AP]

"H-Haha... i-is that so?" Vesperine’s ears burned a deep red as her head lowered, shoulders drawing inward. The sting still lingered, yet those words tangled with her thoughts, softening everything else until the pain barely mattered.

Victor watched her, faint amusement flickering in his eyes. He truly didn’t understand her.

She felt unpredictable, like a sealed riddle waiting to be opened, the kind that quietly tempted curios—

’No. No, no, no. That’s exactly how you fall into it.’

He straightened, mentally correcting himself, forcing his thoughts back into line as he resumed walking along the garden path.

Vesperine followed a step behind. After a few moments, she spoke again, her voice barely above a whisper,

"Uh... is Kai’s mother... your lover?"

The question clearly weighed on her.

Her fingers fidgeted slightly at her sides, her gaze lowered, as though afraid of the answer yet unable to suppress the curiosity tightening within her chest.

She needed to know.

Victor glanced sideways at her, a sly smile forming, his eyes glinting with quiet mischief.

"Would you need to witness more than just a kiss before you’re willing to accept it?"

More than just a kiss?

Vesperine’s face turned a vivid red as her imagination spiralled beyond control.

"N-No! That’s not what I-I meant..." she stuttered, shaking her head rapidly, her voice rising in flustered panic.

"I-I wasn’t going to watch... I mean... maybe I would— No! That’s not what I mean! Arrhh!"

"Haha... relax." Victor chuckled softly, his tone easing as he reached out and gently patted her head.

"I was only teasing you."

Vesperine’s lips trembled into a pout, her eyes slightly watery as she looked up at him, clinging to a fragile hope.

"T-Then... she isn’t your lover?"

Victor smirked, a quiet confidence settling across his expression as morning light traced the edge of his jaw, giving his presence a calm, unshaken authority.

"No... she is not just someone to me. She is my dear lover... and soon, she will become my wife~"

"..."

Vesperine’s expression emptied in an instant, as if the words had stripped away every trace of reaction.

For a brief moment, she simply stared at him. Then a slow breath escaped her lips,

"I... I don’t want to say this," she began, "because it sounds absurd even to me... but it feels like you love her too much to see what stands right in front of you."

"In fact... I know she has a secret husband."

Victor’s brows pulled together, ’Secret husband...? What has this girl been rambling about all this time?’

"A secret husband?" he repeated, "What exactly are you implying? As far as I know, she has only ever been with Velc... and even that so-called marriage was nothing more than a fabricated lie."

Vesperine folded her arms beneath her chest. Her chin lifted, pride flickering through her expression, "You might be completely bewitched by that bi—" she stopped herself abruptly, clearing her throat, "—ahem... Xara."

A small pause followed, "But I am not. I saw something with my own eyes, something you clearly haven’t."

She stepped closer, "It happened during one of my explorations near the outskirts of the Naiadae Empire. I wasn’t searching for anything specific... just wandering."

"And then I saw her."

"She was with someone... else."

A beat passed.

"A man."

Her voice dropped to a whisper, "They were inside a house together. Both of them... covered in dirt, like they had been working or hiding... or living together in secret."

Victor didn’t respond immediately.

A faint frown deepened across his face... something distant beginning to surface. The image she described stirred a memory buried beneath time.

Why does that feel familiar...?

Seconds stretched.

Then suddenly, his eyes widened, and a low laugh slipped out, "Haha... that was me, girl."

"...Pardon?"

Vesperine blinked, her mind halting mid-thought, unable to process what she had just heard.

Victor tilted his head slightly, his smirk returning, "Yes. Me."

He gestured lightly with his hand, as though the explanation should have been obvious from the start.

"She wanted to visit her family. I accompanied her. We went together to receive their blessing... nothing more, nothing hidden."

"W-Wait! Wait!!"

Vesperine’s voice broke through, as her hands lifted instinctively, trying to stop the flow of his words as if they physically overwhelmed her.

It’s... him?

The man she saw...

The one beside Xara...

Was Victor?

The Dragon Emperor?

Her lips parted, "No... that can’t..."

Fragments rearranged themselves within her mind... The man she had seen, his face partially hidden beneath layers of dirt, yet undeniably handsome... the contrast of pure white silky hair against roughened surroundings... the solid build beneath worn clothing...

Her gaze slowly shifted toward Victor.

Then back to the memory.

Then to Victor again.

They aligned perfectly.

Her eyes widened!

Victor casually ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back as though presenting the truth itself, "Yup. That’s m—"

"YOU ARE AETHER’S FATHER?!!!!"

Her voice exploded through the garden, piercing the air so sharply that even distant birds scattered in startled flight.

Victor flinched, his body jerking slightly as the sheer force of her voice hit him like a sudden blast.

’Damn... does she have a microphone hidden in her throat or something?’

He frowned.

"What nonsense are you even spouting now?"

But Vesperine was already lost in her own chain of conclusions.

"Aether... he resembles Xara in certain ways! And she adopted him in so suddenly, without hesitation... like everything had been planned beforehand..."

Her voice slowed as realisation settled deeper, her palms pressing together as if sealing her conclusion.

"Everything connects... it all makes sense now... ah..."

"No! It does not make any sense, you idiot!"

Victor nearly stumbled forward, panic flashing across his face as he realised just how far she had drifted from reality.

Before she could sink deeper into that delusion, he grabbed her shoulders firmly, pulling her back into focus.

His grip tightened just enough to ground her,

"Stop twisting everything into your own fantasy and listen properly! That is not what happened, and you know it!"

"What the fuck...?"

Aether was Victor’s son?

No one in their right mind would believe something like that...

—Wait.

Aether is Victor’s son...

Wouldn’t that actually be... easy to sto—

Victor sharply shook his head, as if physically throwing the thought out of his skull before it could settle.

His expression tightened with irritation, almost offended by his own mind.

"What the heck are you cooking in that head of yours, idiot?"

He exhaled, dragging a hand down his face before looking back at her,

"Whatever you’re imagining... It’s not that. Yes, we went on a date, that’s all. Aether is definitely not her child... or mine. Seriously, how did you even reach that conclusion? Are you out of your—"

His words cut off mid-sentence.

Victor blinked, his brows furrowing as he looked at her more closely... and froze.

Tears?

They shimmered in her eyes, clinging to her lashes before slowly slipping down.

"What are you crying for?" he said, almost baffled, "If anything, I should be the one crying here."

Aether... his son?

Just the thought alone made his stomach churn.

"Yuck..." he muttered under his breath, a faint grimace crossing his face as if he might actually throw up.

Even if... technically...

No.

Still unbearable.

Vesperine blinked, lifting her hand to her face as her fingers brushed against the moisture. She stared at them, confused, as if they didn’t belong to her.

Tears?

She blinked again, slower this time.

Why...?

She hadn’t been sad.

Not really.

If anything...

It felt light.

Warm.

Strangely... happy?

Her gaze lifted toward Victor, lingering first on his hand gripping her shoulder. Then her eyes moved up to his face, catching that rare, raw and slightly desperate look.

"I... I don’t understand," she said softly, "But when you called me an idiot... and shouted like that..."

She hesitated, her lips parting slightly as she struggled to put it into words.

"It felt like... we became closer."

Her fingers tightened faintly against her dress.

"Something changed. Something that... never happened before. I... I..."

Her voice trailed off, her thoughts slipping beyond her grasp.

Even she couldn’t fully explain it.

Vesperine had never been particularly skilled when it came to love, to emotions that tangled and blurred. Yet even she could feel it, the invisible distance that had always lingered between them.

Even when she had sat on his lap.

Even when she had teased him, touched him, lingered close.

There had always been something in the way. Something unseen, like a thin veil keeping her from reaching him fully.

But just now...

For a brief moment...

That barrier cracked.

The way he reacted... it felt real.

Not the composed, distant Victor she had grown used to, but something closer, something warmer.

A glimpse behind the mask?

Victor stared at her, watching as she wiped her tears in small, uncertain motions.

For once, he didn’t have an immediate answer.

He exhaled slowly, the tension easing from his shoulders as he crouched down to her level. His hand lifted, brushing away the remaining tears from her cheeks.

"I’m not really sure how to answer that."

He paused, then gave a small, almost awkward smile.

"But... It’s not something worth crying over."

His fingers lingered for a second before he lightly pinched her nose, a faint warmth in his tone,

"If you feel like we got closer, then that’s a good thing, right?

And for the record... I’m not a father yet."

But as soon as the words left his mouth, his thoughts turned inward, spiralling again.

’Am I...?’

Elona.

That strange butterfly who called him papa.

But she was part of Maelona...

Which meant...

Did Maelona want him to be her father?

"Arrh..."

A faint headache pulsed at his temples.

"Wait..." Victor suddenly stiffened, "If Aether is officially Xara’s son... and I’m going to marry her..."

"Fuck..."

He groaned, not out of fear, but from the sheer absurdity of the situation unravelling in his mind.

If people connected the dots...

If they believed Victor was Aether’s father...

Wouldn’t that mean—

He would effectively be ruling four empires at once?

The political chaos alone would be catastrophic.

’Everyone would lose their minds...’ he muttered, already imagining the ripple of shock spreading across empires.

His expression darkened slightly.

’Especially the people of Aurora...’

"Hah... haha..."

Just then, Vesperine let out a burst of laughter. She bent slightly forward, clutching her stomach as her shoulders shook.

"Hahaha... look at you, all scared... ahaha... so funny, Mr. Victor... ahah..." she managed between breaths, her eyes glistening with amusement.

"Are you s-scared of being Aether’s father? Ahaha... I can already imagine it... oh my god... ahaha..."

Victor stared at her blankly.

For a moment, he said nothing, simply watching her laugh as if she had forgotten everything else.

Strangely... he wasn’t sure what he felt anymore.

The irritation that once came so easily didn’t rise the same way.

Right now, she didn’t look like the girl who tried to seduce his son.

She didn’t look like someone scheming or manipulative.

She just looked... normal.

Utterly, disarmingly normal.

’Sigh... maybe I’ve been too harsh on her...?’

The thought crossed his mind.

But he shook his head soon after, dismissing it.

No.

He had his reasons.

She crossed a line, and that wasn’t something he could ignore so easily. His displeasure hadn’t come from nowhere.

Still...

"D-Don’t worry... haha... Mr. Victor... I’m sure you’ll handle him... f-fine... ahaha..." Vesperine continued, wiping at her eyes as laughter refused to leave her. "My god, stop... ahaha... you and Aether... ahaha... father and son... ahaha..."

Victor’s lips twitched slightly.

’She... might not be that bad, I guess.’

A faint trace of amusement surfaced on his face.

Blink~

Suddenly, Vesperine’s laughter faltered.

Her body stiffened mid-motion, her hands still clutching her stomach as her gaze lifted unconsciously... landing on the top of Victor’s head.

Her eyes widened.

There... floating faintly above him...

A heart-shaped meter.

’W-What...?’

Her breath caught.

’What’s going on here?’

It hadn’t been there before.

She was sure of it.

Absolutely sure!

Then why now?

What changed?

Before she could process anything further, her eyes locked onto the meter itself, instinctively searching for a number, for proof of something... anything.

Her pupils shrank.

’Z-Zero...?’

The word echoed inside her mind.

Zero.

Not even a single point.

Not even the smallest impact.

Her lips parted slightly, stunned.

’Don’t tell me... it was negative before...?’

Was that why she had never seen it?

Her expression twitched.

Then—

Her eyes lit up.

Who cared about the past?

Now she could see it.

That meant it could increase. That meant—

Opportunity~~~

With renewed energy, she straightened, her face brightening instantly as if nothing had happened moments ago.

"Mr. Victor! You look so hurt... let me heal you with a smooch~"

She puckered her lips dramatically and leapt toward him without hesitation, arms slightly spread as she aimed straight for his face.

Victor reacted instantly.

He stepped back.

And just like that—

She missed.

"Ah—!"

Vesperine fell forward, completely unbalanced, her body hitting the ground with a soft thud as her lips met nothing but warm ground.

"Arrh! Puuu! W-What was that for—"

Her complaint died mid-sentence.

Her eyes shot upward again.

The heart meter.

It flickered.

Blinking once...

Twice...

And then—

Gone?

"NOOOOOO!!"

Her scream tore through the air, as if she had just lost something irreplaceable.

Her hands slammed against the ground in frustration, her voice trembling with regret.

’Because of my own stupidity...!’

Victor stared at her for a moment.

Then sighed internally.

’Yeah... she’s still a bitch.’

Whatever faint sympathy he had felt vanished the moment she tried to kiss him.

Just then—

’Aether, we received an invitation from the Rosavere Company. They claim to possess an artifact capable of countering the mech-suits.’

Selene’s voice echoed clearly within his mind.

Victor’s expression shifted.

At the same time, the orb resting in his pocket emitted a soft glow, pulsing gently as a message was received.

More precisely...

Lackey had received a message.

Victor’s lips curled upward.