In the afternoon, the sunlight grew a little brighter. It spilled down from the horizon with a faint softness, as if driving away some of the winter chill.
Luke sat in a chair with a cup of hot tea in his hand, sipping it with a leisurely expression.
Not far away, Miss Crownguard was going in and out of her room, looking exceptionally busy.
Luke glanced over in passing and said, "Do you really have that much luggage to pack?"
Lux stopped for a moment, wiped the sweat from her fair little face, and answered crisply, "Of course. I bought a lot of things to take back this time."
Luke took another look at the heap of luggage she had packed, gave her a look that said, go on, then turned his gaze away.
Hill City had a market, and since there was a market, there were naturally merchants selling goods there. Even in wartime, ordinary business was not affected.
Over the past few days, whenever Miss Crownguard saw something strange or interesting, she bought it.
Women loving to shop was just nature.
In short, she had bought a huge pile by now, and Luke had no idea what most of it was for.
As long as she was happy, that was fine.
Now that the war was over, returning to the capital had to be put on the schedule as well, so Lux had started packing. Her bright, lively little face was already full of longing and anticipation for going home.
After being away from the capital for so long, this girl truly did miss it.
They were scheduled to leave tomorrow morning. Affairs in Hill City and around the Gates of Mourning would be handled by Jarvan IV.
Once the problems here were dealt with, he would also return to the capital.
"Whew, finally done."
After being busy for a while, Lux let out a breath. Having spent some energy, her cheeks looked rosy at the moment.
She blinked her bright eyes and saw that everyone was in a state of not disturbing one another, each busy with their own thing.
After thinking for a moment, she suddenly suggested, "Why don't we go into the city again today?"
Hearing this, Luke looked toward her. "Haven't you been going every day these past few days? You still haven't had enough?"
Lux said, "It's our last day here, after all."
When someone had been away for a long time, they spent every day thinking about going home.
But once it was finally time to go home, they would suddenly feel a little reluctant to leave this place.
After all, she had stayed in Hill City for almost a month. In this city, she had broadened her horizons a great deal and seen many sights that could not be seen in the capital.
For her, this period of time had still carried great meaning and influence.
"Sure. Let's take a walk, then."
After thinking about it, Kahina agreed with the suggestion.
Her thoughts were more or less the same as Lux's. Taking one more look at this city before leaving sounded quite nice.
At that moment, Sona also stood up while holding her etwahl, seeming to agree with the suggestion as well.
Kahina looked over. "Are you coming with us too?"
Sona nodded softly.
"I'm going too! I'm going too!"
Poppy raised her little hand, eagerly planning to join in.
"What about Vayne?" Lux searched around with her eyes, and finally her gaze landed on Vayne. "Come with us!"
"Sure."
Vayne nodded lightly.
She suddenly remembered that ever since she had arrived in Hill City, she really had not walked around its streets.
This was a good chance to learn a little about the city before leaving.
Finally, several pairs of bright, shining eyes, all filled with anticipation, landed on Luke.
Seeing that they all wanted to go out, Luke had no choice but to rise from his chair and stretch lazily. "Then let's go. Taking a walk is fine too."
And so, everyone soon set off.
Walking along the streets, the atmosphere in this city was clearly different from when they had first arrived.
Every person in the city wore a sincere smile, and the city seemed to have gained a little more vitality.
Carriages drove by one after another, heading in the direction of the city gates.
Just like Luke and the others, who were about to leave, many people in the city were also about to depart from Hill City.
They had packed their luggage, boarded their carriages, and were heading toward a better tomorrow.
Noxus had been defeated, and it would not be long before the Argent Mountains returned to the way they had been before.
Although war had left these people with wounds that would be difficult to heal, under the passage of time, those wounds would slowly close.
That was destined to take time, but at the very least, everyone now had hope for the future.
Lux seemed to have endless energy. As she walked through the streets, she dragged Kahina along and brought Poppy with her, looking everywhere.
A happy smile appeared on that sunny, innocent face, and anyone who saw it would find their mood improving without realizing it.
From afar, it seemed that this entire street had become a little more radiant because of her.
As they strolled around, even though she had already bought quite a few things, there were always items outside that Miss Crownguard found fresh and interesting.
And so, she started a new round of buying.
Clothes, wood carvings, handicrafts...
Luke could not help saying, "Buy a little less. There's already plenty of stuff at home."
"This is nothing, and it's not expensive! I still have to bring gifts back for Mother and the others."
Lux gave him a look that said, mind your own business, and did not listen at all.
Seeing this, Luke said nothing more and simply followed behind with a yawn.
Later, the two energetic girls ran back and dragged the others away too. Vayne, Katarina, even Yurna were forced to join the army of shopping and buying.
Sona, who was always gentle and quiet, followed beside Luke. Her clear blue eyes looked over the street scenery, and when those joyful, happy emotions rose in her heart, a touch of emotion appeared on her jade-like face.
When she was young, she had witnessed the cruelty of war.
The same invaders, brandishing cold-blooded weapons, had stormed into her first home.
Now, they had once again invaded her second home.
This was also the second time she had seen the cruelty of war.
That was why, when she walked through Hill City's streets that day, she had thought that she absolutely had to do something.
Now, seeing smiles bloom once more on the faces of everyone in the streets, seeing everyone immersed in the joy of victory, she could not help thinking of her distant first home.
The war on Demacia's border had ended, but Ionia was still trapped in the depths of war.
Luke glanced sideways at the blue-haired girl beside him and noticed a trace of dejection in the eyes beneath those elegant, willow-leaf brows.
He reached out and quietly took the girl's soft, delicate hand in his. "Thinking about Ionia again?"
Feeling the warmth from Luke's palm, a blush rose on Sona's pretty face. Her eyes flickered, and she nodded softly. "Mm."
Luke thought for a moment, then said, "Noxus's invasion of that land has already gone on for several years. After all this time, they still haven't achieved their goal. That alone proves the people there haven't given up resisting. Trust me, things will definitely get better."
Sona nodded again, and a hint of a smile appeared in her gentle, watery eyes. Her ethereal, pleasant voice entered Luke's mind. "I believe it too. They will definitely drive the invaders out."
It was just that at a time like this, she could not do anything for Ionia.
Right now, even Demacia still had many things to do.
Perhaps afraid that the girls up ahead would notice, after secretly enjoying the small happiness of holding Luke's hand while walking around for a while, Sona blushed and pulled her little hand out of his palm.
Luke naturally said nothing and continued strolling slowly down the street.
At this moment, his mood was indeed quite good.
But when a gaze flashed from behind him, the hairs all over Luke's body suddenly stood on end.
He knew this feeling very clearly. It was a sense of danger, a warning.
He instantly felt that something was wrong. This sense of danger had not appeared in a very long time.
Without changing his expression, he yawned and casually glanced around. The street looked completely normal. People came and went, the sounds of conversation and carriages continuing without pause.
There was nothing at all that seemed strange.
Suspicion gradually rose in his heart.
Luke trusted that his sixth sense would not deceive him, so the danger he had felt in that instant just now was definitely real.
Just one momentary glance had made the hairs all over his body stand on end.
Good grief.
Luke could not help thinking, good grief.
He suspected that he really might have been targeted by something unclean.
Soon, that gaze appeared once more. This time, it stared firmly at Luke's back, making a chill run down his spine.
Luke's mood grew solemn, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
At that moment, he and Sona passed a small stall on the side of the street. Lux and the others were crouched there, studying the items laid out on the stall.
Seeing Luke walk past, Lux immediately called out, "Why are you walking so fast? Wait for us."
Luke turned around and looked at the girl. "It's enough once you've bought about the right amount."
As he spoke, his eyes had already taken in the scene behind him completely, his expression unchanged from beginning to end.
However, his heart gave a sudden jolt.
If he had not seen wrong, at the very instant he turned around, a black shadow flashed past at the end of the street.
Without question, that was the source of his danger sense.
Although it had vanished in a flash, he was still certain he had seen it. He restrained his emotions and behaved as usual.
After that, they continued strolling as they should, doing whatever they had been doing.
From then on, that same gaze never appeared again.
By the time they returned to their lodgings, evening was already approaching.
After dinner, the sky had turned dark.
There was nothing much to do here in Hill City, and they had not rested enough today to begin with, so everyone went to rest early, preparing to get up early and set off tomorrow.
Seeing that almost everyone had left, Luke looked toward Katarina, who was also preparing to go rest, and said, "Aren't you forgetting something?"
Katarina's emerald-green eyes looked at him. "What?"
Luke smiled faintly. "I remember someone said it was impossible to take back the Gates of Mourning before the new year. Now that we've taken it back, shouldn't that bet be honored?"
"The bet..."
Remembering this matter, Katarina froze at once.
In her mind, the detailed terms of the bet she did not want to face instantly resurfaced.
If Demacia could take back the Gates of Mourning before the new year, then from now on, she would be responsible for warming Luke's bed.
Now, only half a month had passed, and the Gates of Mourning had already been retaken.
In other words, starting today, she had become a bed-warming maid in the truest sense.
Watching Katarina lower her head and remain silent, Luke chuckled. "I was just saying it for fun. After all, from the very beginning, I never expected anyone to actually keep their word."
As soon as he said this, in Katarina's ears, it directly became, if you can't afford to lose, forget it.
She raised her head, her beautiful face as cold as frost. "Then I'll warm it."
Katarina was absolutely not someone who could not afford to lose.
After throwing down those words, Katarina quickly walked straight toward Luke's room, opened the door, and went inside.
Seeing this, Luke sat in his chair, calmly and unhurriedly drinking his hot tea. He was in no rush.
Katarina entered the room and came to the bed.
Looking at this bed that she often tidied, she took a deep breath, removed her shoes, and slowly lay down on it.
The bed board was not hard, but it was indeed quite cold. Her hands and feet could not feel even a trace of warmth.
She pulled the blanket over herself, finally gaining a little warmth. Then she caught the scent on the blanket and pillow, a smell that belonged to Luke alone.
It was not unpleasant. It was a faint, clean fragrance that wrapped around her completely.
The dark room was extremely quiet. Her eyes stared unblinkingly at the black ceiling, yet Katarina inexplicably felt her heartbeat quicken a little.
More thoughts also began rising uncontrollably in her mind.
How exactly was a bed supposed to be warmed?
Was it simply warming the bed, or...
A flicker of panic passed through her heart. Katarina suddenly felt a little regretful that she had agreed to that bet so hastily back then.
In her view, it had been completely impossible for Demacia to retake the Gates of Mourning in less than a month.
But this guy had only used half a month.
The more confident she had been back then, the more chaotic Katarina's heart was now as she lay in this guy's bed.
Had she known this would happen, she should have confirmed the contents of the bet in detail.
As Katarina kept thinking wildly, the warmth in the blankets gradually rose. It was also at this moment that the door suddenly opened.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Luke's footsteps sounded, and before long, a flame lit up in the room, illuminating it.
Katarina also saw Luke not far away.
She was lying on the bed, and another man was standing not far from that bed.
This kind of scene was a first in Katarina's life.
Even though her personality was cold, under such an ambiguous situation, Katarina inexplicably felt a little nervous.
However, she had already stopped letting her imagination run wild.
In any case, if this guy tried to do that sort of thing to her later, she definitely would not agree.
When the time came, she would use the excuse that the details of the bet had not been confirmed clearly.
After all, although she had been demoted into a bed-warming maid, she did not like Luke at all right now. She only felt this guy was annoyingly despicable.
Everything she was suffering now was all thanks to this guy.
If this guy dared to ask to share the bed with her, she would risk it all and let him taste just how fast her blades were.
At that moment, Luke spoke. "Is the bed warm yet?"
"Mm."
Katarina answered coldly.
Then Luke walked toward the bed.
Before he could even speak, Katarina directly said, "I am only responsible for warming the bed for you. After all, when we made the bet back then, you didn't mention any other demands."
"Of course."
Luke answered as if it were only natural. Then he looked at Katarina on the bed, seeming surprised by what she had said, before suddenly smiling. "Did you think of something strange?"
Katarina froze when she heard him. Looking at Luke's half-smiling gaze, even her breathing seemed to stop.
Oh no!
It seemed like she had spoken a little too urgently!
This guy clearly had not said anything yet. For her to say all that, didn't it directly mean she had thought of a deeper meaning on her own?
Luke now looked thoughtful. "So this is what you thought bed-warming meant."
At last, a hint of embarrassed anger appeared in Katarina's eyes, along with a faint trace of hostility. "You're the one who insisted on making such a weird demand!"
Luke looked at her as if she were a little cat with its fur standing on end. At that moment, he glanced at her. "So how long are you planning to keep lying in my blankets?"
Katarina froze again. Then she sat up with lightning speed, as if unwilling to remain there for even one more second. She stretched out her jade-like feet, put on her shoes, and vanished from the room with a Shunpo.
This sudden display made Luke slightly amazed.
What he had just seen should have been Shunpo, right?
Instant movement at extremely high speed. It really was fast enough.
Retracting his gaze, he lay down on the bed and felt the lingering warmth Katarina had left behind in the blankets, sighing emotionally in his heart.
Sure enough, having a bed-warming maid in winter really was an extremely comfortable thing.
Now that he was lying in bed, he did not feel cold at all.
With a comfortable expression on his face, Luke soon fell asleep.
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