Their intersecting gazes met for barely a moment before looking away. Aether quickly cleaned up the mess and turned to leave.
"I will go fetch a new set of cutlery for you right away."
"I, I'll go instead..."
The unlucky fellow was jabbed hard in the ribs by a colleague.
"Aether," the God of Dreams called out softly.
"Please wait a moment, Your Majesty, I will be right back." The Prince did not stop walking, nor did he turn around, his voice still gentle and carrying a reassuring smile.
"Look into my eyes," Baimeng said, pronouncing each word distinctly.
The golden-haired Prince instinctively turned his head, and the instant he met those wine-red eyes, the expression on his face went completely blank.
"Be a good boy and listen," Baimeng beckoned. Her voice was so gentle and noble that it compelled the listener to obey without feeling any displeasure.
"Yes." Aether's voice turned vacant as well. He turned back and knelt before the God of Dreams.
The God of Dreams reached out to lift his chin, examining the lusterless, mirror-like pupils at close range.
"My dear child, what do you see?"
As the God of Dreams spoke, a flash of red stirred deep within those golden pupils. A spark-like red light fluttered its wings, clearly reflected in the God of Dreams' eyes—it was a red butterfly.
It seems the hypnosis hasn't worn off yet. Baimeng breathed a sigh of relief and let go of his chin.
"Go on. Actually, just swap the fork for chopsticks instead."
As if uttering a spell to break the enchantment, the youth's eyes instantly regained their luster.
Though somewhat puzzled by the current situation, Aether obediently replied.
"Yes."
Ignoring the departing attendant, Baimeng turned her attention back to the dining table, only to discover that every single Abyssal Monster was bowing deeply, burying their faces almost right into their plates.
They looked precisely like a flock of ostriches sticking their heads into the sand.
Amused, the God of Dreams asked, "What are you all doing?"
"Uh, well, we just think this food is too delicious!" An Abyss Lector stammered in a panic, sweating profusely as he scrambled for an excuse.
"Ah, yes, exactly! Truly worthy of His Royal Highness's cooking!"
The remaining Abyss Lectors chimed in hastily.
"Oh my, getting to taste His Royal Highness's cooking is such a rare treat!"
"That's right! His Royal Highness only ever cooks when he thinks of that perso— Oof! Why'd you kick my stool?!"
The last Abyss Mage to chime in clearly hadn't realized his slip of the tongue. The attendant beside him had tried to cover his mouth, but deterred by Baimeng's gaze, didn't dare make it too obvious.
The smile on the God of Dreams' face deepened.
"That person?" she asked softly.
The Abyssal Monsters at the long table all shivered in unison.
Baimeng had noticed it the moment everyone sat down: the seating was "just right." Since adding her made the count precisely full, it proved there must have been an empty seat reserved beforehand.
Given the style and proportions of the furniture, that mysterious person was likely a female.
Just what relation was she to the Prince of the Abyss? It really made one curious.
"Uh... um, it's, it's..."
Finally realizing he had said the wrong thing, the Abyss Mage looked around in frantic panic for help, but the surrounding monsters all averted their eyes, refusing to meet his gaze.
"I have returned, Your Majesty." Aether's voice sounded like music to the ears, rescuing the Abyss Mage from the gallows.
Tch. He really picked the worst possible time to return.
Unable to hear the answer, Baimeng was deeply disappointed, yet inexplicably reluctant to bring up that mysterious person in front of Aether. She simply waved a hand to signal everyone to drop the subject.
"Everyone, continue eating."
The Abyss Mage felt an immense wave of relief and nearly burst into tears.
With doubts weighing on her mind, the gourmet food lost its appeal. After moving her chopsticks only a few times, Baimeng lost her appetite entirely.
"Is it not to your liking?" Aether looked at the God of Dreams with concern.
"I will go remake it. Is there anything specific you would like?"
Stopping the youth from leaving her side, Baimeng lightly dabbed the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief.
"No need. I am quite satisfied."
Come to think of it, a god had no actual need to eat; as long as she had Elemental Energy, she could survive. She had only wanted to eat because she hadn't yet adjusted.
Logically speaking, monsters formed from condensed elements shouldn't need to eat either, yet they appeared accustomed to dining just like humans. Was it to keep the Prince of the Abyss company in his humanity, or...
"What are your plans for the immediate future?"
The youth's voice pulled Baimeng back from her reverie. He was standing on the left side of the throne, one step lower than the God of Dreams.
The Abyss Prince's ornate throne had been commandeered by Baimeng; its cold armrests were draped in soft fur, thick cushions rested upon the hard seat, and even her back was propped up with fluffy throw pillows.
Even Baimeng, who usually loved curling up in a lazy beanbag chair at home, couldn't help but marvel.
Isn't this a bit too overprotective?!
Seriously, would an ordinary attendant go to such lengths?
Even her most loyal confidant from before, the Yaksha Leader, had never been this meticulously considerate.
Come to think of it, her subordinates back then felt mostly fear toward her, always walking on thin eggs and terrified that the God of Dreams might casually punish an attendant if she was in a bad mood. While they served her respectfully, no one had ever dared to cradle her in the palm of their hand with such cautious care.
Asmoday was, after all, a formidable and ruthless god!
She was beautiful, cold, perceptive of human hearts, and took capricious pleasure in toying with pure souls she had seized. She would recline languidly upon her throne, sipping sweet dreams with a smile, while tossing aside the love laid at her feet as though it were nothing.
Hated and feared by countless mortals, yet utterly impossible to resist—that was the God of Dreams, Asmoday.
Baimeng recalled the game's storyline and clicked her tongue.
Since HoYoverse's holographic game *Genshin Impact: Archon War* featured extremely high freedom, players came up with all sorts of bizarre custom settings. However, the OOC (Out of Character) system dictated that players could not deviate too far from their designated persona.
Especially for veteran players like Baimeng, maintaining account strength meant strictly acting in accordance with her persona; she certainly didn't want the system to suddenly flash an OOC warning and deduct a massive chunk of EXP.
Years of immersive gaming had forged her seamless acting skills, but while Baimeng complained about it, she also secretly felt pleased.
I mean, ask yourself—which other god was as free-spirited and unrestrained as Asmoday? Stunningly gorgeous and overwhelmingly powerful, and best of all, the Yaksha Clan who served her were all absolute lookers!
Setting aside any sense of morality, it was simply too awesome!
To return to the point: generally speaking, because the God of Dreams acted this way and that, nobody dared to disobey her, nor did anyone dare to get close to her.
With certain exceptions.
Therefore, whether for Asmoday the God of Dreams or for Baimeng herself, being cared for down to the tiniest detail was truly a rather extraordinary experience.