Aether groaned, the rope around his wrists biting into his skin as he shifted in the chair. His body was tense, not just from being tied up, but from the looming presence of Lumine sitting directly across from him. She sat in perfect silence, arms crossed, her golden eyes burning with barely contained fury. Aether's discomfort was palpable, worsened by the fact that Paimon was tied up as well, sitting awkwardly in his lap, squirming in her restraints.
Paimon, never one to stay silent for long, mumbled, "Well, this is another fine mess you've gotten us into, huh, Aether?"
Aether gave a small, defeated sigh, not even able to respond as he felt the weight of his sister's gaze on him. The room felt like it was closing in, and he knew exactly what was coming.
Lumine finally broke the tense silence, her voice low and sharp. "Aether," she began, her tone sending a shiver down his spine, "what did I tell you not to do?"
Aether swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. He knew exactly where this was going, but there was no avoiding it now. "You… you told me not to go into Natlan," he muttered, his eyes looking anywhere but at his sister.
Lumine's eyes narrowed, and she leaned forward slightly, her patience clearly running thin. "And what happened, Aether?" she asked, her voice dripping with exasperation.
Aether sighed again, already dreading his answer. "I, uh… I accidentally charmed several women," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
Paimon, despite the gravity of the situation, snickered from her spot in his lap, clearly finding the entire scenario more amusing than anything. "Hehehe, accidentally, huh?"
Lumine threw her hands up in the air, a look of sheer disbelief washing over her face. "At this point, our bloodline is going to last for generations! Do you realize what you're doing, Aether?"
Aether's face turned beet red, his head sagging in shame as he struggled to come up with a defense. "You're… exaggerating," he mumbled weakly, wishing he could just sink into the chair and disappear.
Lumine raised an eyebrow, her fury simmering just beneath the surface. "Exaggerating?" she repeated, incredulous. "You almost became a father. Twice."
Aether's head snapped up, his heart sinking as her words hit him like a ton of bricks. "Twice?" he echoed, completely mortified. His shoulders slumped in defeat, the weight of Lumine's words crushing what little dignity he had left.
Paimon burst into full-on laughter now, tears welling up in her eyes. "P-Paimon can't breathe! Twice? You've really outdone yourself this time!"
Lumine leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms again as she sighed deeply, her anger now mixed with exhaustion. "It's unbelievable. It's like you have some sort of curse that makes every woman you meet fall in love with you," she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.
Aether couldn't bring himself to say anything. His face was still burning with shame, and all he could do was hang his head, hoping this nightmare would end soon.
After a few more moments of silence, Lumine stood up and began to pace the room, clearly trying to calm herself down. "I don't know what to do with you, Aether," she sighed. "You're a magnet for trouble, and I'm not going to be the one explaining this harem to Mother."
Aether froze at her words, his heart sinking further. He hadn't even thought about that. The idea of his mother hearing about all this—about him charming countless women—was enough to make his blood run cold. "Mother…?" he repeated, his voice small and filled with dread.
Lumine turned to face him, her eyes hard. "Do you really want to be the one to explain to her why half of Teyvat is in love with you? Because I'm sure as hell not going to."
Aether sagged further in his chair, utterly defeated. "I… I don't even know how this keeps happening," he muttered, more to himself than to Lumine. "I'm not trying to—"
"Well, whatever you're doing, you need to stop," Lumine interrupted, cutting him off sharply. "You're lucky I'm dealing with this before Mother finds out, but I'm not going to cover for you forever."
She was just about to reach for the ropes binding Aether when an Abyss Lector appeared at her side, leaning down to whisper something in her ear. Lumine's expression changed immediately, her face darkening as her eyes widened in disbelief.
"What?" she growled, her voice dangerously low.
Aether's stomach dropped, and he could already feel the new wave of trouble coming his way. "Lumine… what is it?" he asked cautiously, though he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know.
Lumine turned back to him, her expression livid. "The Abyss Lector just informed me that you were planning to seduce the Cryo Archon next."
Aether's eyes widened in panic, his voice rushing out in protest. "Wait, what? I never said that!"
Lumine's glare intensified, her fists clenching at her sides. "Oh, you didn't? Because from what I'm hearing, it sounds like you were about to add her to your growing list of admirers!"
Aether's mouth opened and closed, struggling to find the right words. "I… I don't even know the Cryo Archon personally!" he exclaimed, the panic in his voice unmistakable.
Paimon, still tied up in his lap, couldn't help but laugh harder. "Oh, come on, Aether, at this rate, it wouldn't surprise anyone!"
Lumine took a deep breath, clearly trying to maintain some level of composure as she glared at her brother. "You're walking a fine line, Aether. If you think I'm going to break this to our mother, you've got another thing coming."
Aether sagged in his chair, utterly defeated. "Lumine, I swear, I'm not trying to… you know… charm anyone. I just keep helping people, and things… happen," he tried to explain, though even to him it sounded weak.
Lumine crossed her arms again, her eyes narrowing. "Helping people? Sure. But at this point, you need to start thinking before you leap into every situation. Because I'm not explaining to out mother why half of Teyvat is considering you their soulmate."
Aether nodded solemnly, his head hanging low as he tried to absorb her words. He felt utterly humiliated, tied to a chair with his sister scolding him like a child while Paimon laughed at his misery.
Lumine, still fuming, sighed heavily before finally moving toward him to untie the ropes. "You're lucky I care about you, Aether," she muttered. "But you seriously need to stop getting yourself into these situations."
As soon as the ropes loosened, Aether stood up, rubbing his wrists and feeling the weight of his shame even more now that he was free. "I… I'm sorry," he said quietly, unsure of what else to say.
Lumine shot him one last stern look before she turned away. "You better be. And next time you decide to save another beautiful woman, you better be ready to explain it to our mother."
The Abyss Lector stood silently in the corner, its dark eyes watching the siblings. Aether couldn't shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come.