Ever since Aether understood this Empire, this Void Empire, he had already sent his puppets to the local territories.
He did so because he wanted to remain low key, to move like a shadow, and not to alert any of the high officials he had noticed during his marriage and during that tense meeting with the Empress.
He knew from the very start that such officials had sharp eyes and sharper instincts. If he stood out, even a little, his plans would be cut short before they could ever bloom.
Aether clearly played his pieces on the small ones… and he had been watching them closely ever since.
Aether wasn't just playing around with Nyx and Nightfire… even with Lia, his plan for this Empire was already on the move.
He was just collecting relevant data for his next game.
