The night sky was clear and calm.
The bright moon had quietly climbed the horizon, spilling a frost-white glow like snowlight, wrapped in a soft halo.
A fresh, delicate herbal scent drifted over the hot spring pool in the backyard. It wasn't sharp at all—if anything, it made breathing feel easier, letting the mind empty out without even trying.
On the right—
Splashing water sounded as the girls entered one after another, and you could faintly hear small, comfortable sighs escaping their lips.
With autumn temperatures dropping, soaking in a hot spring now felt completely different from summer.
For a while after getting in, the right side stayed quiet. Most of them had their eyes closed, savoring the feeling of warm currents wrapping around their bodies.
Lux, meanwhile, lightly kicked in the water and slowly floated toward the far side.
Halfway there, she rolled onto her back, belly up, then closed her eyes, a satisfied curve lifting at the corner of her lips.
She loved this feeling—letting herself drift along on the water.
Quinn and Vayne, who hadn't soaked in a hot spring in ages, had their bodies submerged up to their necks.
Their eyes were half-lidded as they let the heat seep into them, a lazy softness spreading through their limbs.
After a while, Vayne opened her eyes first and said, puzzled, "Why do I feel… kind of chilly?"
She was clearly soaking in warm water, yet a cool sensation was starting to rise through her body.
It wasn't uncomfortable, just… strange.
Quinn opened her eyes and nodded. "I feel it too…"
The pool wasn't scalding, but it had to be around forty or fifty degrees.
Feeling cool in water like that was definitely odd.
Hearing them, Fiora—sitting quietly against the edge—smiled and explained, "That's what the herbal soak does. It's good for your body. It helps you relax, and it can brighten your skin, fade scars, and keep your skin in good shape."
"Brighten your skin and fade scars?" Vayne and Quinn's eyes lit up immediately.
No woman could resist the words "good for your skin."
With that, the chill didn't seem strange anymore.
The next second, both of them dipped their heads under too, letting the water wash over them completely.
A moment later, they surfaced again, feeling the alternating warmth and coolness, and realized it actually felt amazing.
They couldn't help feeling a bit jealous—Fiora and the others got to soak in hot springs every day.
No wonder, earlier when everyone had changed, their skin looked so much fairer and more delicate.
And then came the part that happened every single time.
Vayne and Quinn's gazes traveled over the other girls one by one, marveling at how good everyone's skin looked—until, at last, both of them couldn't help focusing on Sona.
And then their eyes drifted downward, landing on her chest.
Even though they were women too, the sight still made them blink in surprise.
Then, both of them lowered their heads and looked down at their own chests.
"…Sigh."
Almost in sync, they let out a quiet, helpless sigh in their hearts.
They tried to tell themselves that carrying around that much weight all day wasn't exactly useful.
But even that couldn't crush the envy.
Their eyes took on a complicated look.
Then, when their gazes landed on Lux drifting along, they caught the unmistakable "barely budding" situation.
Somehow, balance returned to their souls.
If someone was at the bottom, then everything was fine.
After a while, voices rose from the right-side pool—casual chatter, and now and then, bright laughter.
Fiora lifted the white curtain at the center just a little and looked toward the left.
There was Luke, with two wooden trays floating in front of him like little rafts—one holding a plate of ice cream, the other holding a pot of warm wine.
He looked like he was living the dream.
As the curtain shifted, Luke turned his head.
Fiora was wearing a white swimsuit today. Paired with her cool, distant aura, she looked like a white flower blooming on a snowy mountain.
Her smooth shoulder was exposed, and with water droplets clinging to her skin, moonlight gave it a soft, delicate sheen.
Below her pale neck, two elegant collarbones showed—then the graceful curve beneath, disappearing into the water.
Their eyes met.
Luke didn't say a word. He simply lifted a hand and pushed the tray with the wine pot toward the right.
The tray glided like a small boat and soon arrived in front of Fiora.
There was already a cup poured and waiting.
She picked it up casually and took a small sip.
The next instant, her cool eyes brightened.
Different from before, this wine was warm. The texture was incredibly smooth, like clean spring water from deep in the mountains—only wrapped in a mellow fragrance of alcohol.
It slid down her throat and settled into her stomach, leaving a gentle warmth behind.
She glanced at Luke. "New batch?"
It had to be something he'd brewed before leaving. The flavor wasn't like any of the other kinds she'd tried.
"Mhm." Luke smiled. "Good?"
"It's very good." Fiora nodded, lifted the cup, and took another sip. A faint flush rose in her cheeks.
Compared to the other kinds, this warm wine ranked near the top for her.
"New wine?" Kahina drifted over too.
In no time, several slim figures gathered around Fiora—swimsuits in different colors, each with their own kind of appeal.
A few gazes that had been lingering on Luke finally shifted away and settled on the pot.
Split evenly, there was just enough for two cups each.
As the warm wine flowed into their stomachs, heat bloomed in their cores, like a subtle energy spreading into every corner of their bodies.
It felt unbelievably comfortable.
Seeing them sink into that blissful look, Lux—still not old enough to drink—quietly sank her whole body under the water.
After a while, she popped back up, cheeks red from holding her breath and from the hot spring.
She looked again, then turned her gaze away and clenched her fist.
Soon enough, she'd be able to drink openly too.
After soaking for about twenty more minutes—
Luke felt the exhaustion from the past few days get washed clean by the hot spring.
When it felt like enough, he finally stood up at an easy pace, dried off, got dressed, and headed to the front yard.
A few minutes later, the girls—who wanted to soak a little longer—also started getting out one by one.
After they changed and came to the front, they saw Luke lying quietly on a rocking chair under the moonlight.
He looked unbelievably at ease, as if a gentle peace had settled over him.
That calm seemed to spread outward, quietly soothing everyone else too.
Hearing them, Luke opened his eyes and glanced over.
Fresh from the hot spring, the girls' cheeks were still a little flushed. Their skin looked soft and luminous, pale with a rosy warmth beneath it. Their hair had been dried, but it still looked faintly damp—giving them a special kind of charm.
Lux ran over and claimed the rocking chair beside Luke.
She kicked off her shoes, revealing two small, delicate feet that were still nicely rounded. Under the moonlight they looked smooth and bright, and her heels carried that youthful, rosy pink with not a flaw in sight.
Then she sank back onto the soft cushion, her expression turning instantly content.
A life where you could soak in a hot spring and then lounge comfortably afterward was just too perfect.
And the temperature this season—neither cold nor hot—made lying down feel even more pleasant.
Seeing the two of them collapse into those chairs with the exact same satisfied expressions, the others couldn't help smiling.
After a hot spring, your body really did get that lazy, floating feeling—like you didn't want to do anything.
But at the same time, that deep relaxation made it a great moment for training.
Luke had a point: you had to learn how to balance work and rest.
Even if his life was usually… mostly rest.
Still, Fiora had started getting used to this rhythm.
Before, she only knew relentless training—day and night, sharpening her swordsmanship, pushing to become stronger.
Under that constant high-intensity grind, her progress had actually slowed.
But after meeting Luke, she'd unconsciously added more leisure into her routine, and her mind relaxed along with it.
And whenever she soaked in the hot spring—or took proper rest—
then returned to training in that fully loosened state, she gained unexpected rewards.
With that balance, her strength had improved noticeably.
So Fiora, Kahina, Vayne, Quinn, and Frey all headed to the backyard for night training.
In the front yard, Luke and Lux lay on their chairs, while Sona sat nearby.
She held her etwahl and casually played light, relaxing melodies under the night sky.
Farther right, on a stone bench in the garden, Yurna sat quietly reading.
At nine at night—
Luke felt hungry again. He stood up from the chair, stretched, and decided to make some late-night food.
An hour later, as the smell of food drifted through the whole courtyard—
everyone gathered back in the front yard.
On the table were dish after dish of late-night food that looked irresistible even before tasting. Even though they'd eaten dinner not that long ago, they were hungry again.
There were also a few pots of warm wine—the kind they hadn't gotten enough of earlier.
Warmed up, it was low-proof, more like a light drink than something meant to get you drunk.
Even so, Luke still wasn't going to let a certain blondie with desperate eyes have any.
The poor Lux could only sit off to the side, cradling a cup of warmed soda, sipping it little by little.
When Luke had eaten enough, he lay back down on the rocking chair. The girls were still snacking.
He held a pot of wine and poured himself another cup.
Beside him, Fiora walked over and sat down.
They exchanged a glance, lifted their cups, clinked them lightly, and then each drank at their own pace.
After a small sip, Luke asked casually, "How's your family's business been lately?"
He remembered the House Laurent alcohol business—he hadn't paid much attention to it.
If it took off, it could become another major stream of income for him.
Hearing that, Fiora smiled. "The beer and the peach wine have both been received extremely well. They're basically selling out constantly. I even heard my mother grumbling that if she'd known, she would've brewed more."
"According to her, every day we have nothing left to sell, we're losing a huge amount of money."
Luke laughed, easily picturing Elma's frustrated expression.
"Sounds like I don't need to worry," Luke said. "Once those two fully lock down the market, come get me, and I'll give you something new."
As he spoke, he took another sip.
All the different types of alcohol he had were like a mountain of gold.
In the days ahead, they could bring him an endless flood of money.
And he didn't even need to manage the business—he could just wait here and collect his cut.
Fiora glanced sideways, her eyes landing on Luke's profile as he tilted his head up to look at the moon.
It felt like it had been a long time since she'd looked at his face this carefully.
After several seconds, she drew her gaze back and lifted her head too, looking at the moonlight.
Since that day, her parents really had stopped pressuring her so much. They'd loosened their grip.
And after the family business crisis was resolved, her parents smiled more often.
Especially Elma.
The way she'd been humiliated by rivals at that banquet back then—she'd paid it all back now. Fiora often heard her laughing triumphantly at home.
Now, the beer and peach wine—once released—had become the two most popular types of alcohol on the market.
Affordable, and never getting old no matter how much you drank. People wanted them and couldn't even buy them.
This time, it had practically brought House Laurent's half-dead winery business back from the grave.
"I'm full, I'm full!" Lux declared, strolling over with a satisfied face as she flopped into the other rocking chair.
In that moment, she felt like her life was unbelievably happy.
She seemed in a great mood.
Luke did a quick mental count and realized tomorrow was Monday, so he turned with a smile and asked, "Did you finish your homework?"
Lux's expression froze.
Then she bolted upright, and her happiness shattered on impact.
She'd forgotten about that.
She looked up at the sky—then didn't dare waste another second. She jumped up, ran a few steps, and climbed onto her bicycle.
"Bye, everyone!"
Leaving that behind, she stomped the pedal and shot off into the night.
Watching how frantic she was, Luke's mouth curved with delight.
Looks like tonight there'd be one more suffering soul.
Late at night—
Fiora, Sona, and Kahina all went home.
Before Sona left, she took Quinn with her.
Vayne and Frey, meanwhile, stayed at Luke's place temporarily until the property transfer was finished.
Yurna had already prepared their rooms.
After enjoying the night air for a while, Luke returned to his own room.
Seeing the voice transmitter by his bed, he leaned close and greeted it. "Good evening, Miss Crownguard. What are you doing?"
Not long after, three words came back through the transmitter:
"Homework."
Over at the Crownguard estate—
Lux sat at her desk, writing like her life depended on it, sweat beading on her forehead. She had no time to chat.
But soon, that guy's voice came through again.
"See those stars in front of the moon? Don't they look like a little dog making an angry face at the moon?"
Lux felt curious immediately.
She leaned to the window and looked up beside the moon.
The sky wasn't exactly "few stars" anymore—there were plenty tonight.
She focused near the moon, looked toward the right, and spotted a few especially bright ones. She connected them in her head, and her eyes lit up.
"It kind of does!"
"Right?" Luke continued. "Now look about five finger-widths to the right of that dog. Do those stars look like a ladle?"
Lux lifted her hand, measured five finger-widths, and searched.
Sure enough, she saw a ladle shape—and it felt ridiculously fun.
She'd looked at the night sky so many times and never once thought that connecting stars could be this interesting.
So she started searching on her own. Before long, her eyes lit up again.
"Look to the left of the moon—doesn't that look like a flower with its head drooping?"
"Not bad, Miss Crownguard."
"Hehe. And over there—like a frog."
Lux smiled, her eyes sparkling as they reflected the river of stars overhead. She happily hunted for shapes across the sky.
"That looks like a vase, and that looks like a sword sheath."
"Does that one look like the homework you still haven't finished?"
Luke's voice came again.
Lux's smile vanished instantly.
She'd gotten so into it she forgot the homework again.
She rushed back to her desk and grabbed her pen.
Not long after, Luke's voice came again.
"Oh—have you ever heard of zodiac signs?"
Lux had only written a few lines before her attention got dragged away again. She yanked the transmitter closer, curious. "What are zodiac signs?"
"People say that beyond our world—where the stars are—there are twelve zodiac signs. When someone is born, the stars fall into one of those twelve positions, and that becomes your zodiac sign."
As Luke explained, Lux asked immediately, "Then where are the twelve signs?"
"Look up. I'll point them out."
"Hurry, hurry."
Lux ran to the window again and stared up at the sky.
"Southwest of the moon—do you see a very bright star there?"
"I see it."
"From that spot, stretch about one and a half times the distance east. Connect those stars—does it look like a ram? That's the first sign: Aries."
Following Luke's guidance—and with her imagination warmed up—Lux connected the points easily.
Sure enough, she could see the shape of a ram.
"Aries covers people born from March twenty-first to April twentieth," Luke said. "It represents courage."
Luke spoke while also staring at the sky.
He'd been watching the moon and stars for a while now, and he'd noticed that Runeterra's sky had plenty of star patterns similar to zodiac shapes.
And every night, besides enjoying the moonlight, he liked finding interesting things among the twinkling stars.
"So what's the next sign?" Lux's curious, innocent voice came through right away.
Luke scanned the sky and continued, "Next is Taurus—April twentieth to May twentieth. It represents order. It's north of Aries by about two palm-widths. Do those stars look like a bull?"
"Found it, found it!" Lux's excited voice came through not long after.
Luke smiled. "Next up is Gemini…"
Through the voice transmitter—
the two of them kept searching for zodiac shapes beneath the sea of stars.
Time slipped by.
Soon, they'd found all twelve.
Luke asked, "When's Miss Crownguard's birthday?"
"September twenty-fourth."
Hearing that, Luke realized it was next month. Something clicked in his mind.
No wonder Miss Crownguard had been riding such ridiculous good luck lately.
Her birthday was coming up.
He thought for a moment, then smiled. "Libra. It represents peace and harmony. People born under Libra are quick-witted, good at communicating, and mentally tough."
"Hehe. I think so too." Lux laughed smugly, eyes on the stars where Libra was, burning that constellation into her memory.
After laughing, she suddenly jolted.
Something felt… off.
Like there was something important she hadn't finished.
What was it?
Slowly, she turned her gaze toward her desk.
And the homework sitting on it.
Then she looked at the clock.
Midnight.
Her heart sank.
She'd gotten too absorbed and completely forgot about homework again.
She looked at the transmitter and became highly suspicious that Luke was doing this on purpose.
"I'm done talking to you! I have to do my homework!" she snapped into the transmitter, rushed back to her desk, and swore she wouldn't respond no matter what he said.
She'd barely picked up her pen when Luke's voice came again.
"Don't you want to learn more about Libra?"
Lux hesitated with the pen in her hand.
She was in that phase where she was obsessed with Libra and wanted to know everything about it.
But staring at her homework, she clenched her teeth and answered firmly, "No! Don't talk to me. I'm doing my homework!"
"Alright," Luke said.
The transmitter went quiet.
Lux let out a breath and started writing again.
But not long after—
"Miss Crownguard, do you know why you shouldn't let boiling water cool down?"
Lux blinked, thought about it, and answered blankly, "Why?"
"Because then you boiled it for nothing."
"…."
Lux froze, confusion rising in her eyes.
Boiling water, cooling down… boiled for nothing.
It echoed in her head twice, and for some reason, she kind of wanted to laugh.
But then she realized she was getting distracted again.
She still had a mountain of homework to finish.
"Stop talking!" She glared at the transmitter and forced her focus back onto the page.
The other side stayed quiet—at first.
Then, after a short while—
"Hello? You there? Miss Crownguard, finished your homework yet?"
The moment his voice came through, Lux couldn't concentrate anymore. She took two deep breaths, her chest rising and falling.
Now she understood.
That jerk was doing this on purpose.
It had been so long, and she'd barely written the beginning.
Lux gritted her teeth at the transmitter.
"Don't! Talk! To! Me!"
Hearing Miss Crownguard's furious voice through the transmitter, Luke could practically picture her biting out each word.
If he kept going, the odds of getting assassinated by a blondie were probably going to skyrocket.
So he closed the transmitter cover, glanced at the sky—it was late—and his mood lifted even higher.
Extremely pleased.
Then Luke lay back on his bed and closed his eyes comfortably.
He was going to sleep very well tonight.
Someone else, though…
was definitely not sleeping.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.