Aether's face telecast through the crystal, his image filled the streets as everyone looked at him with curious expressions and silently waited for his words, the glow of the crystal reflecting in their widened eyes as if the entire city held a single breath.

Aether looked at the crowd with gentle eyes, "First of all, thank you for attending my official engagement." As he smiled, "In case some of you may not know… my name is Aether, but officially I am Aether Naiadae.

I am going to be your part of the ruler, protecting you all along with my… wives," as he glanced at Aqualina and Sandra.

"Then…" Aether seemed to have a lost expression before awkwardly saying, "I am not… sure how to give you a speech… ahaha…" as he awkwardly smiled,

"This is all new to me… so please cope with me for the time being, and I promise you, I will learn everything and become a suitable ruler along with my wives… so until then, forgive my little mistakes if I make them here and there." His voice trembled slightly, yet carried a sincerity no royal schooling could ever teach.

When he said those lines, some nobles were kind of disappointed… that's not how a ruler should speak, not asking for forgiveness or admitting mistakes… that's weak!

But for the people, it made them laugh and understand he was just a nobody a few days ago, and now being a royal?

He needed to learn a lot of things to be perfect, didn't he?

Their laughter carried no mockery… only warmth, sympathy, and a strange pride for the boy trying to stand under the blinding light of power.

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Aether then said with a small smile, "I don't want you to sit and listen to my awkward speech and you guys already heard things… so I will keep it simple," as his face turned tense,

"I am very honoured to be part of this big family, and even though it was unethical and never heard of before," as he turned to Sandra, "But I will do my best to reach your expectations, and the sacrifices you made for your people, I will always remember it, and so will these people of yours. I will do my best to fulfil my duty."

Sandra just waved her hand with a calm expression as if she wasn't interested in anything, her eyes unreadable.

Aether awkwardly smiled as he looked at the crowd, "I will try my best then."

Everyone giggled seeing Aether's struggling face as if he was already going through something dangerous.

"Anyway, as I said before, I will protect you all with my wives, and you guys don't need to worry about anything other than… being a good citizen of this Empire, and I humbly ask you not to take violence."

Everyone nodded their heads with slightly lowered faces as if they felt a bit guilty for what had happened before.

Aether smiled gently, "Thank you once again and… I will not harm your Empire's jewels, so you don't need to worry about them too," as he glanced at Aqualina and Sandra, who gave him a sly expression.

Aether chuckled inwardly before walking back to the ceremonial chair. On the way, the people noticed Aether's legs were wobbling and his shoulders were shaking as if he was really nervous about facing all these people directly.

The people couldn't help but smile warmly… their expressions softened as they watched him, feeling something genuine and human in his awkward honesty.

He didn't give a strong speech or anything to make them feel supportive and good… he just wanted them to understand that he would act rather than speak, that his promises would be seen in deeds, not polished royal words.

Anyway, soon, the function started and people were spreading and enjoying that night, visiting stalls and playing around, while the nobles came over and offered gifts to the new Emperor.

Sandra didn't care as she walked away while Aether and Aqualina stood and took the gifts together with a small smile.

"Congratulations" a Noble woman said with a big smile as she looked at Aether, shaking his hand tightly as she smiled at Aether, her eyes lingering a little too long in admiration.

Aether professionally smiled, but that woman kept staring and shaking his hand, until Aqualina gave her a sharp stare that made her tremble and walk away… Aether looked at her with an amused expression just then,

"C-Congratulations, E-Em..Em..Emper…"

The words couldn't even form. Aether turned and saw… Velc was standing and sweating like bullets, his posture stiff and trembling as if he were standing before an executioner.

Aether smirked, "Hello, Duke Velc Frostblade… how are you?" His tone held a polite edge, one that hinted he knew exactly what Velc feared.

"I-I am fine…" he said as he gave the gift, but Aether stared at the gift, "Gift? That's new… did you place a deadly weapon in it?"

Velc's face turned pale, "P-Please don't… I am not that kind of man—" His hands shook as he tried to maintain dignity.

"Are you?" Aether's tone for a second turned deadly, making Velc fall down on his butt in horror.

Aether blinked innocently, "What happened? Oh dear… please stand up, there is no need to go on your knee and kneel before me and hug my leg proudly shouting how great I am and how much you wronged me… do you?" as his tone turned cruelly sly. He waved his hand, and the cameras pointed at him exactly as the crystals all over the capital broadcast the live footage of what was happening.

Velc, who had a horrified face for a moment, didn't understand what he meant, but then he realised. He gulped his dry throat and kneeled before Aether, hugging his leg and shouting,

"Please forgive us, Emperor, I-I, we wronged you… our family wronged you and caused you pain… P-Please forgive us… W-We… didn't know your greatness. You made us realise who we were… we are nothing but sinners who came to ask forgiveness… please… please," he cried, his voice cracking under shame and fear.

Aether blinked for a second. He was shocked to see Velc—who was proud and refused to kneel before anyone—instantly begging.

Was it the power?

If so, he would have done it a long time ago.

What made him change like this?

Aether noticed Velc seemed lost already… as if the fear of Aether killing him any moment had driven him into paranoia, consuming his sanity until all he saw was death hovering over his shoulder.

Aether shrugged, Who cares, as he hurriedly said, "Please stop this, there is no need for this all… I… I know what you did… and—" as he clenched his fists, controlling his anger, biting his lips as he struggled to forgive the man who took his future and destroyed it.

People who were watching… they felt it. The pain and suffering were there for a moment… in Aether's eyes, unable to forgive this man.

Everyone, though they may not know exactly what happened to Aether, knew how slaves were treated in noble families… so they understood Aether's struggle to forgive Velc.

The stories alone were enough to twist their stomachs.

"If I were him, I would have cut that bastard's neck."

"Yeah, I would have kicked him and smashed his head before everyone."

"No, I would have wanted him to suffer… so I'd take everything from him and make him beg more and make him crawl before me!!"

Everyone speculated many things, and most believed Aether would not forgive him… yet,

Aether took a breath before nodding, "I accept."

"Huh?" Velc was surprised… not only he but everyone was surprised.

Aether crouched and patted Velc's shoulder, with trembling eyes and a soft expression, "I will… forgive you, Velc."

Everyone gasped for a second… before,

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Notifications flashed before his eyes, but he ignored them and continued patting Velc's shoulder, "Stand up… let's start fresh, shall we?"

Velc blankly nodded as he stood up with Aether's help, who smiled like a god who came to help him, who forgave his sin… Velc couldn't believe it.

He thought Aether would hurt him, he would humiliate him, he would… kill him!!

Yet, Aether didn't.

"W-Why?" Velc asked with confused eyes as he trembled with fear.

Aether… honestly, he couldn't even think of more. Velc felt like nothing to him now… but he didn't say that. Instead, he said with a gentle smile, with the most innocent and forgiving expression,

"Hatred breeds… violence, pain and suffering. Velc, I… I don't want it. I carried enough of it already. I know pain better than anyone should, and I hate violence to my core. If I keep that hatred in my heart… then nothing changes. I will bleed again. I will suffer again. I will become the very thing that hurt me…" he whispered, closing his eyes and nodding to himself, forcing his breath steady as if pushing back a storm from spilling out of his chest.

People watched him... his shoulders trembling as he fought to hold everything together. His emotions, his anger, his sense of justice… all crushed into silence before he finally lifted his face and smiled with the same gentle warmth he had shown them all.

"I have forgiven you, Velc."

Aether said it with a quiet nod and a warm smile, "Go… live your life. But this time, make sure you never become the reason someone else feels the pain you caused."

Everyone raised their eyes in utter shock again, watching Aether release all that anger, all that suffering, as if letting go of chains they imagined could never be broken…

For real?

Was he even human at this point?

Their faces couldn't help but smile weakly as they nodded to themselves, as if they understood even a part of him... his scars, his kindness, his impossible strength that felt almost divine in moments like this.

Now they understood why he was Archpriest!

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Aqualina blankly stared at her husband before shaking her head. She wasn't sure if he was really doing this or just faking it… His expression had become harder to read now, gentle yet wrapped beneath something deeper, darker, something she couldn't quite reach.

Aqualina instead looked at the trembling Velc and asked with a smirk, "Where is your son? I haven't seen him?"

Velc flinched as he turned to Aqualina and bowed his head, "F-Forgive me, Princess, but I don't know where he is now."

Aether raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.

Meanwhile,

Chukkk!

"I took down another one!" Kai Frostblade said while holding a black sword in his hand, looking down at a metallic figure before turning to his other two brothers, who were also destroying the metallic figure.

"I took two," Leon said while surrounded by blue bubbles.

"I took three," Finnian said while holding white flames in his hand as he stared at the three scorched metallic figures… and amidst all, a very long twin-tailed yellow-haired woman sat on the rock with a sly expression and nodded,

"Good… my darlings are getting stronger~" Vesperine muttered with a seductive tone.

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