Read Novel Full Chapter 1658: A Promise
Chapter 1658: A Promise
"What are you doing here...?" Selene asked softly, confusion flickering across her face the moment she saw her grandmother standing inside the room like a ghost that had slipped through reality itself.
None of them remembered sensing anyone entering.
No footsteps.
No presence.
Nothing at all.
"I was merely passing by."
The Prophetess’s frail voice echoed gently through the room as she tilted her head beneath the white hood covering her face completely.
Aqualina’s lips twitched sharply before she stepped forward, "Passing by?" she repeated with disbelief.
"You entered my palace without permission... and somehow appeared inside this room without making a single disturbance. When exactly did you even get here?"
Everyone unconsciously moved into defensive positions while staring at the old woman cautiously.
Not many had seen Prophetess directly.
Most of them had heard countless rumours about the mysterious Prophetess, stories whispered across empires, but this was the first time seeing her with their own eyes.
What unsettled them most was not her appearance.
It was the fact that none of them had noticed her existence until she spoke.
The Prophetess let out a faint chuckle beneath her hood as if amused by their reactions.
"There is no need to look so tense," she said gently. "If I truly wished to harm any of you... I could have done so long before you realised I was standing here."
"..."
Everyone’s expressions darkened because they knew she was telling the truth.
If someone powerful enough to bypass every defence in the palace wanted them dead, they would already be corpses lying on the floor without understanding how they died.
"Then tell us why you’re here."
Thalia stepped forward with narrowed eyes while clenching her fists tightly. Faint sparks of energy flickered around her arms as if she were prepared to attack the moment something felt wrong.
The Prophetess slowly turned toward her.
"Easy now, little girl," she replied softly, her tone strangely gentle despite the pressure filling the room. "I did not come here seeking conflict."
Before Thalia could respond again, Selene placed a hand on her shoulder and stepped ahead calmly, though even her eyes carried caution.
"You’re not someone who simply wanders around without purpose," Selene said carefully.
"So what exactly do you want?"
The Prophetess remained silent for several seconds.
Then slowly, she began walking around the bed.
Her body bent nearly ninety degrees forward while the wooden stick in her hand struck the marble floor with slow, heavy sounds.
Tok...
Tok...
Tok...
Each sound echoed unnaturally loudly inside the silent chamber.
Everyone instinctively stepped aside to give her space, their eyes following her movements carefully until she finally stopped directly in front of Snowflake.
Snowflake stared back at her without blinking.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
"Reason?" the Prophetess finally muttered. "Yes... I suppose I do have one."
The others exchanged confused glances immediately.
What could someone like the Prophetess possibly want from them?
Snowflake’s expression slowly darkened the longer the old woman stared at her.
A low growl escaped Snowflake’s throat.
"I am not giving it to you."
The room froze instantly.
Several eyes widened at once as realisation struck them like lightning.
"You can’t possibly mean..."
Before the sentence could finish, the Prophetess calmly interrupted.
"Indeed," she said softly. "I came for that one and only Slot."
Everyone’s expressions turned furious almost immediately, while killing intent flickered across the room.
She knew?
How?
Did she truly use her future-seeing abilities to uncover their secret?
Or had she come here from the very beginning for this exact reason?
Selene’s frown deepened further.
Unlike the others, she knew something they did not.
The Prophetess was supposed to be Aether’s final target before the mission had spiralled completely into hell itself.
’So... is it finally her time?’ Selene wondered silently while staring at the hooded woman with a mixture of confusion and growing curiosity.
"Impossible."
Aria’s sharp voice suddenly cut through the tense atmosphere as she stepped forward angrily.
"I don’t care who you are, but don’t interfere where you shouldn’t."
Thalia immediately snorted beside her while cracking her knuckles.
"Old hag, you better get out of here before I punch you to dea—"
Before she could finish speaking, Raven suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It’s a matter within our family," Raven said coldly while staring directly at the Prophetess. "You may leave."
Yet even while speaking firmly, Raven’s instincts continued screaming at her.
Something felt terribly wrong.
The old woman standing before them looked weak, fragile, and withered enough to collapse at any moment, yet the pressure surrounding her felt suffocating.
It felt as though they were standing before a crouching lion, silently observing prey while deciding whether or not to tear them apart.
The Prophetess chuckled softly after hearing Raven’s words.
"I thought..." she muttered slowly, "I already belonged to your family."
As she spoke, her hood slowly tilted toward Selene.
Selene instantly stiffened.
’Don’t tell me... she knows that too?!’
Her heart skipped violently.
If the Prophetess truly knew about Aether’s intentions toward her, then how exactly was he supposed to seduce her now?
No sane person would willingly allow someone near them after learning they were being targeted for seduction from the very beginning.
For the first time since the Prophetess arrived, Selene genuinely looked shaken.
Maelona suddenly stepped forward, trying to calm the atmosphere before things escalated further.
"Yes... perhaps you are considered family since Selene calls you Grandmother," she said softly.
"But this matter is still between Aether and his wives."
The Prophetess slowly turned toward Maelona.
"Oh?" she hummed curiously. "So even the mother-in-law became a wife too? How interesting~"
There was unmistakable teasing in her voice.
Maelona’s face instantly flushed crimson from embarrassment.
Without another word, she hurriedly hid herself behind the others while avoiding everyone’s gaze completely. Even now, she still could not fully adapt to such things.
She was a traditional woman at heart.
A part of her still felt as though she was committing something forbidden, sinful, and utterly unacceptable in the eyes of the world.
The Prophetess gently shook her head.
"Where the heart chooses to rest... that is where truth exists," she said quietly. "Do not feel ashamed of it. Otherwise, even your own heart will become a lie."
Maelona blinked slowly.
Something inside her trembled slightly after hearing those words.
Confusion lingered in her eyes, yet beneath it was a strange sense of enlightenment, as though the Prophetess had casually spoken aloud something Maelona herself had been desperately avoiding.
The Prophetess then turned toward Snowflake once more.
"I believe I am the correct person," she said calmly. "And besides... I already received your Master’s approval."
Snowflake immediately sneered.
Her Master had never spoken a single word about this woman before.
The others were equally stunned for a moment before disbelief quickly replaced it.
"He didn’t even allow his wives near that Slot, and you think you have a chance?"
"Excuse me, but did your brain become senile along with your body?"
"Please step away peacefully before this turns ugly."
One after another, they spoke with cold seriousness while glaring at the Prophetess as if her claim itself sounded utterly ridiculous.
Aether approving her?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible!
Noticing the visible displeasure spreading across everyone’s faces, the Prophetess merely smiled beneath her hood.
"How about this?" she said leisurely.
"If I am telling the truth, then all of you will owe me one favour. And if I am lying... I shall personally reveal each of your futures."
Her voice paused briefly before turning teasing and sly near the end.
"So? Can you little girls make that bet? Haha~"
Several veins twitched immediately.
The women frowned in irritation at being called little girls, yet beneath that annoyance lingered something else.
Hesitation.
After all, this was the Prophetess.
The same mysterious existence whose name echoed throughout Empires like an untouchable myth. Her foresight abilities were practically legendary.
More importantly...
Why was she so confident that Aether had approved her?
Everyone exchanged curious glances silently before immediately contacting Aether through their connection.
The response came almost instantly.
’What? I never approved anyone... what is she doing there? Wait, I’m almost there!’
The moment they heard his reply, smirks slowly spread across several faces.
’Just as we thought.’
’She was bluffing.’
They silently exchanged a few words among themselves before Aqualina finally stepped forward gracefully with a faint smile on her lips.
"In that case," she said calmly, "we all accept your bet."
After all, who would refuse an opportunity to glimpse their own future from the Prophetess herself?
Aqualina folded her arms beneath her chest before asking with an almost haughty amusement in her voice,
"But exactly how are you planning to prove your claim?"
Everyone looked at the Prophetess mockingly.
They were certain she had no proof whatsoever.
And even if she tried presenting something, it had to be fake... right?
The Prophetess slowly turned her hood toward the door.
"How about asking the person who approved me?"
"Huh?"
Everyone tilted their heads in confusion.
Then suddenly...
The doors slowly opened.
Aether entered alongside Nyx, faint traces of hurried movement still lingering around them. Yet the very moment Aether stepped into the chamber, the Prophetess calmly spoke two simple words.
"Take me."
Aether blinked.
"Take wha—"
Then suddenly, his voice stopped.
His entire body froze mid-step as those words violently awakened an old memory buried deep within the forgotten corners of his mind.
A memory connected to a certain promise.
His expression instantly turned awkward.
"...Shit."
The room became silent.
The moment his women saw that reaction, their hearts collectively sank.
No way.
Absolutely no way.
"Don’t tell me you actually approved her?!"
Thalia nearly exploded as she pointed furiously toward the Prophetess.
"And not us?!"
Disbelief filled her face completely.
She genuinely could not accept losing against an old hag.
Aether slowly rubbed the back of his head while trying to recover from the resurfacing memories.
"So that’s what you meant back then..." he muttered weakly before sighing heavily. "Ahh..."
The Prophetess simply smiled beneath her hood.
"I hope," she said softly, "you intend to keep your word."
Aether opened his mouth, only to close it again moments later.
He was cornered.
Completely cornered!
This woman had trapped him long before he even realised what game she was playing.
What a terrifyingly cunning woman.
Finally, Aether released another exhausted sigh before forcing out a helpless smile.
"Fine," he admitted. "I always keep my promises."
Even while agreeing, countless questions continued spinning through his mind.
Why did she want to go there so badly?
And more importantly...
Why did she specifically need his help for it?
Still...
As shocking as this situation was, it remained far better than allowing one of his wives or Snowflake to take that place instead.
At least that was what Aether kept telling himself internally.
However, before anyone could calm down properly—
"NO! I AM GOING WITH MY MASTER!!!"
Snowflake’s furious scream exploded throughout the chamber.
Her golden slit eyes burned with hostility as she glared directly at the Prophetess, her sharp fangs slightly visible while waves of cold aura surged wildly around her body.
To her, this old woman had manipulated everyone from the very beginning.
Even the others still looked utterly stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Maelona blinked repeatedly before finally looking toward Aether in confusion.
"D-Didn’t you say you never approved her?" she asked softly, unable to process what was happening anymore.
Aether immediately gave another exhausted smile that looked painfully helpless.
"I didn’t," he admitted honestly. "Or rather... I made a promise to her a very long time ago. I just didn’t expect her to come collect it now."
The room instantly erupted again.
"You tricked us!"
Several voices shouted toward the Prophetess at once.
Yet unlike their anger, the Prophetess remained completely calm beneath her hood.
"Tricked you?" she repeated softly before letting out an amused chuckle. "Didn’t all of you attempt the same thing just moments ago?"
The atmosphere froze slightly.
"You discovered he had not approved me, yet you still intended to manipulate the situation in your favour," she continued casually. "And now you complain that I deceived you instead?"
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Their expressions changed at once as they slowly turned toward Aether in unison, silently asking the same question.
’Did you tell her everything?’
Aether weakly shook his head.
That single response made their faces pale slightly.
A chilling thought surfaced simultaneously inside everyone’s minds.
Exactly how much did this woman know?
Unfortunately...
None of them believed they would ever receive an answer to that question.
The Prophetess suddenly chuckled again before shaking her head faintly.
"Old hag... punch me to death... not family..." she repeated leisurely as though savouring their earlier insults.
"Haha... such little brats."
Her voice carried clear mockery now.
"None of you have even begun to understand how vast the true world really is."
Embarrassment and irritation instantly spread across everyone’s faces.
Several women clenched their fists tightly while glaring at her furiously, yet not one of them dared move recklessly anymore.
The Prophetess seemed fully satisfied by their reactions.
Slowly, she turned toward Aether once more.
"May I?" she asked calmly.
Aether stared at her silently for a long moment.
Then finally, he nodded.
With a simple snap of his fingers, space distorted instantly beside him as a shimmering portal slowly opened.
However—
"I SAID NO!!!"
Snowflake’s scream thundered across the room.