A prolonged silence followed after Asher finished speaking. Neither of them said a word as they looked each other in the eyes.
Asher felt a bit anxious as he waited for Aria's response. He knew that revealing the truth to Aria might change things between them, but he had no choice but to tell her about it. If he didn't do so, he would be lying to her, and that was something that he didn't want to do. His love for her was greater than anything else. It was so great that he could not continue to keep secrets from her.
And he didn't want to live a life of lies and deceit. It went against his motto of living free and unrestrained.
Soon, an indescribable pressure enveloped the room, causing Asher to feel like he was suffocating. He knew that Aria was angry, and he braced himself for what was about to come. However, he couldn't help but feel afraid. He had never seen her get angry like this before. Even when fighting against the Blood Emperor, she didn't emit such strong pressure.
It was like a primordial monster had been provoked by a mere mortal. The sheer power and pressure were overwhelming.
But as the pressure intensified, Asher noticed that there were tears in Aria's eyes, and his heart broke into pieces. She looked like she was going to cry, which was something he never wanted to see. It was more painful than anything else.
Before Asher could say anything, Aria grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer to her face. Then, with a cold voice, she whispered into his ear, "Tell me. How do you want to die?"
A shiver ran down Asher's spine when he heard those words. He didn't expect Aria to ask him such a question. But despite his fear, he couldn't help but laugh at himself for being so stupid. It was obvious that she would react like this, yet he still went ahead and told her about it. Maybe he was just too naive, or maybe he just didn't care anymore.
Whatever the case may be, he knew that what he did was right. There was no such thing as a happy ending for those who lived their lives with lies and deceit. Even if they managed to get away with it for a while, their actions would eventually catch up to them, and everything would fall apart.
"But..."
"There is no 'but' about it. Even though it may be a foolish thing to do, I'm willing to take that risk because I love you. I don't want to live while lying to the person I love the most in the world. That would be far worse than dying."
Aria took a deep breath, and the pressure vanished as if it had never existed. But her eyes had dark and deadly intent as she stared at Asher. "Do you think I didn't think about someone possessing my son when you started acting differently? My reserved son, who always tried to maintain distance from the opposite sex, not only slept with his maid but also began to respond to my flirting and advances.
It was more than just a little suspicious."
"Then why didn't you confront me?" Asher asked. He was surprised to hear that Aria had already suspected him. It was as if she knew everything all along.
Seeing the surprise on Asher's face, Aria chuckled and said, "Because I used a special artifact along with my secret technique to already confirm that no foreign soul possessed you. And nothing changed other than your soul getting stronger and more pure. Even though there were subtle changes, they could be attributed to emotional maturity and new experiences you have gone through."
"Wait... then does that mean what I saw in the soul space..."
"Yes. It might have been real. After all, you did gain memories of your life as orphan Asher and merge with them to become the current you. There seem to be bigger secrets behind everything happening around you. The rebirth, the merging of many different bodies into one, the Astral Nexus Core Orb, the Mystic Starry Realm—all of it."
"I know what you are thinking. There is someone pulling strings behind all of this. And if that's the case, then things are far more dangerous than we think. But it's okay. No matter how dangerous it may be, I'm willing to face it head-on for our happiness. And I won't let anyone harm my family."
"Indeed. No one gets away with hurting my baby boy." Aria's killing intent soared as she clenched her fists tight, and a wave of spirit essence surged out of her body. "I will find the one who dared to use sinister poison to harm my son and make them pay! If it weren't for all the mysterious things, I would have lost you forever. I won't ever forgive them for that!"