Early the next morning, sunlight streamed through the elegant window lattice lining the wooden corridors of Fyxestroll Garden, casting long golden patterns across the polished floor and filling the quiet surroundings with a warm, tranquil glow.
Lucian stepped out of his room looking completely refreshed, his mood noticeably lighter than usual, only to run into Himeko, who appeared to be preparing to head out with March and Stelle.
"Morning, Himeko, March, Stelle."
Lucian greeted them with an easy smile, his gaze naturally settling on Himeko at the front of the group, but the moment their eyes met, her entire body visibly stiffened.
Almost immediately, her gaze bounced away from his face like a startled bird, drifting toward the nearby potted plants, the ceiling beams, the floor beneath her feet—anywhere except him.
"...M-Morning."
Himeko responded after a brief pause, her words coming out with a slight stutter, and her voice sounded strangely tense. At the same time, a suspicious blush rapidly spread across her cheeks, betraying the calm expression she was trying so hard to maintain.
"About last night—"
March was just about to wave at Lucian and bring up what had happened yesterday, but the instant the words 'last night' entered Himeko's ears, she reacted almost like a conditioned reflex. Before March could finish speaking, Himeko abruptly grabbed her by the wrist and turned around.
"We're in a hurry! Let's go already!"
Right after saying that, Himeko practically fled down the corridor while dragging March behind her—the pair disappeared around the corner in a panic, leaving Stelle standing there, blinking in confusion.
Lucian frowned slightly as he watched Himeko's retreating figure disappear from view.
What was going on?
No matter how he looked at it, Himeko seemed to be deliberately avoiding him.
Could it be that what had happened last night had been too much for her to handle?
Wasn't it just witnessing a '4P' scene?
'Huh, she's already an adult, yet she's still as innocent as some fifteen-year-old girl...'
He remembered clearly that he hadn't even dragged her into the room, and she had only taken a quick glance through the window, yet her reaction was already this dramatic.
'Himeko really is too innocent...'
Lucian could only shake his head and laugh helplessly.
Still, innocence was not necessarily a bad thing.
Meanwhile, Stelle scratched her head and glanced between Lucian and the direction Himeko had disappeared before ultimately making up her mind and decisively following after her so-called mom instead.
"Bye-bye, Godfather! Mom, wait for me!"
===
At the same time, at the far end of the corridor, March, who had been dragged along the entire way while stumbling repeatedly, finally could not hold back any longer.
"Himeko, slow down, slow down! We're not, like, rushing to catch a starskiff or anything. Why's your face so red? You feeling sick?"
As March's words fell, Himeko finally stopped, releasing March's wrist before letting out a faint breath. She then pressed the back of her hand against her burning cheeks, as though trying to cool herself down.
'I'm doomed... As soon as I saw Lucian's face, I started remembering that intense scene by the window last night, Ms. Jingliu's dazed expression, Ms. Baiheng's shameless invitation stirring up trouble everywhere... and the humiliating way I ran off afterward!'
Himeko forcefully suppressed the chaotic thoughts running through her mind and adjusted her perfectly neat collar, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"It's nothing. I might just be... having allergies..."
Hearing that reasoning, March immediately leaned closer, obvious suspicion written all over her face.
"Allergies? To what? The pollen in Fyxestroll Garden? I've never seen you get allergies before. And you started acting weird right after Lucian showed up..."
"I'm allergic to Lucian..." Himeko replied expressionlessly. "I can't talk to him much for the next few days."
"Huh?" March blinked, looking completely unable to process that answer. "Wait, there's a disease like that? Why am I not allergic then?"
"You're still young. Your body's healthier."
Although that was what Himeko said aloud, her actual thoughts were completely different.
'That's because you didn't see what happened last night, March. If you had seen it too, you'd probably be allergic to him as well.'
Needless to say, that kind of thing was ultimately far too private and embarrassing to explain in detail to March, so Himeko could only force herself to maintain a calm expression and brush it off with a casual excuse.
March stared at Himeko's obviously insincere expression for a few seconds—the look on her face practically spelled out, 'I don't believe you at all, but fine, I won't ask anymore.'
At the same time, however, the curiosity in her heart was already itching uncontrollably, growing stronger with every passing second.
Himeko was acting far too strange today, and there was no doubt in March's mind that it had something to do with Lucian.
Just what happened last night that she did not know about?
"Mommy Himeko, wait for meeee~!"
Stelle quickly caught up from behind, closing the distance in just a few brisk steps.
Seeing her, Himeko sighed softly before speaking in a patient and earnest tone.
"Stelle, don't call me that anymore. Lucian already has a family, and you already have three godmothers here. If you keep calling me that so casually, they'll misunderstand things, and it'll put me in a very difficult position."
"Huh?" Stelle tilted her head, kinda confused. "But didn't you already admit it yourself when Kafka brought it up before?"
"No, things are different now. Anyway, don't call me mom or mommy anymore. Just call me Himeko. Otherwise, I'll really get angry."
Stelle could not understand why Himeko had suddenly refused to be her mother anymore.
Clearly, her godfather had already personally stepped in, and this godmother had practically been fully cooked and served on the table, so how had the duck that was almost in her mouth suddenly spread its wings and flown away?
After turning the matter over in her mind several times, Stelle became increasingly convinced that her godfather must have done something to make Himeko angry. Otherwise, there was no way the situation could have changed so dramatically in such a short period of time.
'Hahh... Godfather, for your sake, your goddaughter's been really worried sick.'
In any case, the more important thing right now was helping her godfather comfort Himeko first.
"Okay... I understand..."
Stelle lowered her head and rubbed at her eyes pitifully, looking as though she were trying her best to hold back her tears.
"Kids without dads or moms gotta learn how to stay strong. I shouldn't be clinging to Himeko just because you feel like a mom to me. Even if the other godmothers don't give off that same mom vibe, at least I won't make Himeko uncomfortable anymore. Sorry. I won't call you Mom or Mommy anymore... I never even had a mom to begin with..."
When those words left Stelle's mouth, the atmosphere immediately became heavy and oppressive.
Himeko froze where she stood as though something had suddenly pierced straight through her heart, and an intense wave of guilt instantly surged within her chest.
"Stelle..."
Himeko immediately regretted what she had said.
Her personal issues with Lucian had somehow spilled over and ended up hurting a child who had done absolutely nothing wrong.
Stelle was clearly innocent and had merely gotten caught in the middle of a matter that had nothing to do with her, yet she had still been affected by it.
"Waaah~ you're way too pitiful!"
Even March instantly started crying in sympathy, her eyes turning red almost immediately as tears welled up at the corners.
It was only natural.
She herself was, after all, someone with no known family background.
Needless to say, their lives were simply too tragic.
March tightly hugged Stelle while sniffling tearfully, completely forgetting that Stelle at least had an absurdly overpowered godfather, while she herself had nobody at all to rely on.
Even Himeko could no longer endure this kind of scene.
Her heart softened almost immediately, and she stepped forward before gently patting both girls on the head, her expression filled with tenderness and sympathy.
"Stelle, sorry. I take back what I said earlier. If you truly think I can be one, then... I can be your adoptive mother."
"Really? I can still call you Mommy Himeko or Mom?"
Stelle immediately raised her head, her watery eyes filled with hope and anticipation.
Himeko smiled helplessly and nodded, silently acknowledging it.
In the very next second, seeing that her mission had been accomplished successfully, Stelle's tears vanished completely, and she instantly broke into a bright, cheerful smile with astonishingly smooth emotional control.
"Alrighty, Mommy Himeko!"
Seeing the scene unfold before her, March was completely dumbfounded.
Even though she was still wiping away the tears lingering at the corners of her eyes, Stelle's tears had already vanished entirely, as if they had never been there in the first place.
Shouldn't they have cried together for a little while longer first?
"How are your emotions switching this fast?"
"Uh... I guess I'm just born talented?"
At March's dumbfounded question, Stelle replied while awkwardly scratching the back of her head. However, at that moment, she suddenly realized that March was honestly a little too gullible and would probably get scammed sooner or later.
Meanwhile, Himeko was slightly dazed after watching Stelle switch expressions so naturally and effortlessly, and for a moment, she could not help but wonder if she had somehow been tricked.
Still, after giving it some careful thought, Stelle really did not seem like the scheming type.
In any case, regardless of whether she had been tricked or not, she would still acknowledge Stelle anyway.
As for her relationship with Lucian, she still intended to keep a proper distance and keep the two matters completely separate.
"Let's go. We'll walk around Aurum Alley and place some Space Anchors."
With that, Himeko finally led Stelle and March out of Fyxestroll Garden.
Not long after the three women hurried away, Fu Xuan stepped out of Lucian's room.
Her complexion looked especially radiant today, like a flower that had been thoroughly nourished and carefully tended, blooming in all its splendor.
"Today... you don't need to come to the Divination Commission to do divination with me anymore."
Fu Xuan looked at Lucian, who was standing in the corridor admiring the scenery, and spoke softly.
Since they had already done more than enough 'divination' last night, she absolutely could not endure another round today.
"Huh, what a shame. I was gonna personally teach you a few more divination techniques."
Lucian casually wrapped an arm around Fu Xuan's slender waist while teasing her with a playful smile.
"I'll learn after I get off work tonight, then. I don't have time during the day. I still need to go on duty."
Fu Xuan naturally understood perfectly well what Lucian meant by 'divination techniques.'
After all, she had personally experienced it more than once.
Last night, she had discovered that he had somehow become even stronger again, to an extent that left her both astonished and speechless.
Now, she simply could not handle him alone anymore.
In fact, even with Jingliu and Baiheng helping her share the burden and ease some of the pressure, the situation still felt overwhelmingly difficult for her to handle.
No matter how hard they tried, the three of them together still could not suppress his dragon and could only endure its relentless assaults until they were completely overwhelmed and thoroughly smashed senseless.
Emotionally, Fu Xuan did not want Lucian to gain even more women, but rationally, she knew they desperately needed reinforcements. Otherwise, she was going to break, Jingliu was going to break, and Baiheng was going to break as well.
However, as the Master Diviner of the Xianzhou Luofu, how could she possibly shamelessly take the initiative to find new wives for her own husband?
Just thinking about it felt unbearably embarrassing and absurd.
Because of that contradiction, Fu Xuan spent the entire day struggling internally over the matter, unable to reach a decision no matter how much she thought about it.
===
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