Once the banquet ended, Luke and the others were placed by Piltover in a high-end district, one could call it the wealthy district, in a fairly central location.
Mansions and villas stood everywhere here, and it was not far from Piltover's largest commercial street.
The villa Luke was staying in was three stories tall and covered a very large area. It could house many people, and it also had an open-air terrace. Standing on the terrace, one could overlook all of Piltover.
At this moment, Luke was sitting on the terrace, gazing out at Piltover under the night sky.
Beside him was a white table, and on the table sat a steaming cup of coffee.
Even at night, all of Piltover was still brightly lit at a glance, like a city that never slept.
Seeing this scene, Luke could not help taking out his Secret Key. After choosing a suitable angle, there was a click as he captured the white table, the coffee, and the view before him from above. Then he uploaded it to his Moments with a caption.
"Checking in at Piltover."
Before long, he received quite a few likes and replies.
Luke opened them and took a look.
I'm Not Miss Duelist: Nice view.
That's Kinda Making Me Hungry: So this is Piltover. It's so pretty.
Overtime Maniac: Another carefree day for my second brother. What's that dark, murky cup of stuff?
Kick the Cripple's Good Leg replied to Overtime Maniac: Coffee. People in Piltover love drinking it. It's bitter, but it helps keep you awake and brainwashed. Pretty suitable for you, big brother. Aren't you the Overtime Maniac? One cup and you'll be energized all night.
Overtime Maniac replied to Kick the Cripple's Good Leg: Oh? There's something that good? Send some back to big brother at once.
Battlefield Belle mentioned Kick the Cripple's Good Leg: Brat, change that lousy name.
Poke the Blind Guy's Good Eye: Exactly, exactly. I've never seen anything so mean.
You Two Never Give Me Peace mentioned Poke the Blind Guy's Good Eye: And you too, Lux. Change that lousy name. Just look at what the two of you are like.
May You Prosper mentioned Overtime Maniac: Have you finished today's government affairs? Are you slacking off again?
Overtime Maniac replied to May You Prosper: Father, I just took a moment to look, sob.
The comment section was a harmonious scene. Luke put down the Secret Key, let out a long breath, looked at the night view before him, picked up the coffee on the table, and took a light sip.
It really was bitter. He felt he might not be used to coffee.
"Your Highness, the water is ready."
At that moment, Yurna came up from downstairs and spoke.
"Good."
Luke nodded, stood up, and headed toward the second floor.
Although there were no hot springs here, there was a small bathhouse with a pool specifically for soaking. Once filled with water and heated, the effect was pretty good.
Because the villa was big enough, Lux and the others simply all moved in as well.
Luke went to the separate bathroom. He could hear a little movement from the women's bath next door, but he paid it no mind. After taking off his clothes, he entered the bathhouse.
The bathhouse was already filled with mist. Luke came to the edge of the pool, checked the water temperature, and then started getting in.
Soaking like this after so long made his whole body feel a wave of comfort. He slowly closed his eyes and began enjoying it.
On the other side.
Caitlyn had been dragged into the bathroom. She did not particularly like soaking in baths. Most of the time, when she bathed, she used a shower.
Looking at the girls in front of her taking off their clothes one after another, she could not help thinking, Is this something I'm allowed to see?
"Don't just stand there. Hurry up and take them off. No need to be shy."
Lux had taken her top halfway off and glanced at Caitlyn, who was standing there a little dazed.
"Oh, right."
Caitlyn quickly nodded and began taking off her clothes one piece at a time, though she still felt a sense of embarrassment in her heart.
Although they were all girls, meeting so openly like this was still a first for her.
Once she finished undressing, wrapped herself in a bath towel, and walked into the bathroom, she found that Lux and the others were already soaking inside with expressions of enjoyment.
Her figure was quite good. The bath towel just happened to outline a slender curve, and her two smooth, long legs extended from beneath it.
She looked at the surface of the bathwater and asked curiously, "Why is the water pink?"
"Oh, because some medicine was added to it," Lux answered casually. "This medicinal bath has a lot of benefits. It can whiten the skin, remove scars, speed up blood circulation, and soothe the muscles. After soaking, it can also help you sleep well."
By the time she mentioned whitening the skin and removing scars, Caitlyn's face already showed that she was very tempted.
She came to the edge of the bath and stretched one foot out to test the water temperature. After confirming it was not especially hot, she did not hesitate and soaked her whole body in.
Although some mist drifted in the air because of the heat, at such a close distance, she could still see the people to her left and right.
It had to be said that Lux and the others' skin quality was indeed the best Caitlyn had ever seen. It looked smooth, soft, and delicate.
Before long, she felt that the medicinal bath seemed to be taking effect. Her whole body started to feel slightly cool, and the alternating heat and chill formed a strange sensation.
Noticing her unnatural expression, Lux smiled and asked, "Does your body feel a little cool?"
"Yeah." Caitlyn nodded.
"That means it's working. It shows your body is absorbing the medicine. These are all natural herbs brought from Demacia, and the effects are very good."
Lux began explaining it to her in a perfectly serious manner.
"So that's how it is."
Caitlyn nodded again, finding it rather magical.
Soon, she could not help sinking her body lower into the water, wanting her face to absorb some of the medicine as well. She did it carefully, not daring to make it too obvious.
In reality, everyone could see what she was thinking at a glance, but none of them said anything.
After a while, Caitlyn felt that her face had absorbed quite a bit of the medicine too. Only then did she sit up a little and ask with some curiosity, "Is this a Demacian custom?"
"You mean medicinal baths?" Lux shook her head and said, "It might just be our custom. That guy researched all of this himself. There are not only medicinal baths, but wine baths too."
Caitlyn said, "His Highness?"
"Yeah." Lux nodded, then asked back, "Caitlyn, have you ever been anywhere outside Piltover before?"
"No." Caitlyn shook her head and said, "I grew up in Piltover. As for the outside world, I only know it from books."
Lux said, "Before this, it was also my first time coming to Piltover. I realized this place is completely different from what I imagined. For example, electric lights. Demacia only created them not long ago, but in Piltover, they've already been fully popularized."
"Demacia has already started using electricity too?"
At that moment, Caitlyn felt as though her worldview was expanding. She remembered that the written descriptions of Demacia portrayed it as a rigid and stubborn nation that liked using cold weapons and had a relatively backward level of technology.
After thinking about it, she said, "Actually, Piltover hasn't been using electricity for that long either. After all, Piltover was built later on top of Zaun. Under Professor Heimerdinger's call, more and more inventors gathered here, and only afterward did research into electricity gradually begin."
At most, that had been around sixty or seventy years ago, maybe a hundred years at most. She remembered it as a story from her grandfather's time.
Speaking of which, Professor Heimerdinger truly was a legendary figure written into the history books while still alive.
Under his leadership, Piltover could be said to have developed at incredible speed in just a hundred years.
At that moment, Navis, who had been listening quietly all along, suddenly surfaced from the water and said, "If not for His Highness, we would probably have always thought electricity was a forbidden magic-like thing. He was the first to propose the concept of using electricity."
"His Highness?"
Caitlyn could not help glancing toward the men's bath next door. Although she could not see anything, she could imagine him soaking in the pool.
Her face instantly reddened a little, and she shook her head to drive the image from her mind.
Listening to them speak this way, she realized that Luke was filled with mystery everywhere.
Lux then remembered something and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, I'm quite curious about Zaun. I remember you call it the Undercity, right? I noticed you all seem to mention it very rarely."
"Yeah." Caitlyn nodded lightly. "The relationship between Topside and the Undercity isn't very harmonious right now."
"Why?"
"If I were to explain the reason, it would be very complicated."
Caitlyn did not know how to answer. In truth, she had not gone to the Undercity many times either. The only time she went, she had only walked around the middle levels before leaving.
All she knew was that the relationship between Topside and the Undercity had apparently been poor for quite some time.
"If it's complicated, then let's not talk about that for now. Let's talk about something else."
Lux did not insist on asking and quickly changed the topic.
Caitlyn could not help looking at Quinn. In truth, she had always been quite interested in this mysterious royal guard.
She could not resist asking, "Miss Quinn, are you His Highness's bodyguard?"
Quinn heard this and said, "You could say that. But His Highness is far stronger than I am. I'm not yet at the level where I can truly protect him."
This left Caitlyn a little confused.
In her eyes, Quinn was already very powerful.
She had not expected Quinn to personally say that Luke was far stronger than her, and it did not sound like flattery.
When she said those words, the respect in her eyes was completely genuine.
This made Caitlyn even more curious. Just how strong was Luke?
"You'll have a chance to find out in the future."
Quinn smiled at Caitlyn, knowing she must be extremely curious. Then she continued, "Your reaction back then was also very quick. You were standing farther back, yet you still chased after her immediately."
Hearing Quinn's words, Caitlyn lowered her head and sighed. "I still failed in my duty. If Miss Quinn had been standing where I was, you probably could have intercepted even that paper airplane."
At the time, both of their positions had been a little farther back. By the time they saw the paper airplane, it had already flown at least halfway.
"Actually, intercepting that paper airplane wouldn't have been difficult."
Quinn smiled. "If I said His Highness had already sensed it from the very beginning, would you believe me?"
Caitlyn raised her head and looked at her, not knowing whether she should believe it.
If he had sensed it from the very beginning, then how fast would his reaction speed and perception have to be?
If it were a paper airplane flying at normal speed, anyone could stop it. She could even shoot down birds in flight with a gun.
But in that situation, from the moment the paper airplane appeared to the moment it hit Lux, it had probably only taken a little over a second.
In one second, even at a person's fastest blinking speed, they could only blink three times.
Thinking about it carefully, Luke had indeed dodged it directly.
Lux said angrily at that moment, "Now that you mention it, I'm getting mad again. That guy clearly could have stopped it, but he just had to turn his head."
The more they talked, the more layers of mystery Luke seemed to wear in Caitlyn's heart.
"Let's stop talking about him!" Lux huffed, then asked, "Caitlyn, how old are you this year?"
"Nineteen, almost twenty."
"About the same as me. I just had my nineteenth birthday last month."
"My birthday was in August. We're not far apart."
There were far too many topics girls could talk about. Without realizing it, time passed in pleasant conversation.
It was also easy to close the distance between them. Although at first there had still been some restraint and unfamiliarity, after they talked for a while, things naturally became much more relaxed, and the way they addressed one another also became what friends would use.
Half an hour passed, and the bathing session ended.
The girls rose from the bath and went to the changing room, water droplets sliding down their smooth bodies along the way.
Caitlyn found that her whole body had been soaked until it was slightly red. After the heat faded, she did not know whether it was an illusion, but she felt that her skin really did seem much more tender.
Most importantly, her whole body felt very comfortable. Her shoulders, which had been slightly sore over the past few days, were much better now, and her entire body moved more smoothly.
The effects were real, and they were not small. Caitlyn could clearly feel them.
After changing into a set of clothes and going outside, she found that Luke was already half-reclining on the living room sofa, holding a book and reading.
He had changed into loose casual clothes, not much different from pajamas. The most important thing was that they were loose.
The collar was open, revealing two delicate collarbones. His standard, well-built figure was outlined just right by the sleepwear. Caitlyn could not help sneaking a glance, and the thought, Is this something I'm allowed to see? popped into her mind again. Her face instantly reddened quite a bit.
She had to admit, this prince's figure was truly excellent.
It was not the kind of muscular build that gave people a strong visual impact, but rather a perfectly balanced sense of harmony and substance.
She forced herself to look away and calmed her breathing. Then she calmly sat down on the sofa with Lux and the others, only for her gaze to sneak another glance in his direction.
At that moment, Lux brought out the chessboard she had prepared long ago and said with great enthusiasm, "Caitlyn, I'll teach you how to play!"
Caitlyn was startled and quickly turned back. "Sure. What kind of chess?"
She did know how to play military chess, and her level was not low.
"Five-in-a-row."
The corners of Lux's mouth curved into a confident smile. "It's very simple. I'll teach you."
Sona sat off to the side and casually began her practice time.
Yurna went to heat water for tea.
Quinn pulled Poppy aside, seemingly planning to train a little more before bed.
Annie moved a small chair over and sat nearby, blinking as if she intended to watch their game.
Navis was holding a book related to Piltover technology and reading it seriously.
Caitlyn realized that the entire living room gave off an overall feeling of leisure that was difficult to imagine.
This was completely different from what she had expected. How should she put it? She had imagined many ways of getting along with Luke and the others.
But she had never expected this one.
It was as if everyone were just ordinary friends gathered together, using their own ways to pass the time.
Without realizing it, she became absorbed in her game of five-in-a-row with Lux. This game, where five pieces connected in a line meant victory, really was quite interesting.
And if one was not careful, time passed just like that.
By the time Caitlyn had more or less grasped a few ways to play, Lux deliberately coughed twice with a serious expression. "It's getting late. Shouldn't we rest?"
Caitlyn glanced at the clock and realized it was almost eleven. Even Annie, who had been watching the game, had already gone to bed.
She could not help feeling a little regretful. She had only just figured out how to win.
"Then I'll head back first."
Caitlyn stood up and prepared to say goodbye.
"Take care. See you tomorrow morning."
Lux waved her hand.
"See you tomorrow morning."
Caitlyn nodded lightly.
Her home was quite close to Luke's residence. Because they were in the same high-end district, it would only take a few minutes total.
When she returned home, the lights were still on.
She saw her mother and father waiting in the living room.
Seeing her return, Cassandra stood and came over to greet her, asking with concern, "How did you get along with them?"
"Surprisingly well," Caitlyn answered honestly. "I feel like they're all kind people."
No matter which one of them it was, they all gave her the impression that they were easy to get along with.
According to rumors, Demacia's second prince had led troops to slaughter hundreds of thousands of Noxian soldiers.
Yet after spending an entire day around him today, she had not sensed even the slightest bit of hostility from him.
"I actually feel the same way. Before they arrived, the council discussed many different ways to deal with them. From now on, we can adjust according to their personalities. Fortunately, the guests don't seem difficult to get along with."
Cassandra smiled as she pulled Caitlyn to sit on the sofa and chatted with her husband.
In their expectations, with Demacia's current military strength, this prince would surely treat them with extreme arrogance.
It would be a lofty attitude that did not put them in his eyes at all. If that had been the case, they could only have accompanied him with caution.
But it had been completely different from what they had imagined. From beginning to end, this prince, as well as the noble ladies and guards accompanying him, had never once given them an ugly expression.
From their very bones, they radiated a straightforward air like people who often bathed in sunlight. Just standing there, they gave people an extremely cheerful feeling.
This made the councilors very relieved. At least the people they had welcomed were not a bunch of demanding overlords.
Caitlyn nodded lightly.
"However, we still need to handle them carefully. Whether they're easy to get along with is one thing. Our attitude is another."
Cassandra looked at her daughter and reminded her, "When you interact with them in the future, it will be the same. Don't let them think we don't understand propriety and shame. Remember that you represent more than just yourself."
Caitlyn nodded again and asked, "What did you all talk about after the banquet?"
Cassandra said, "Nothing much. The prince also didn't reveal his purpose for coming. Perhaps it will be mentioned during tomorrow's formal meeting, but we all have some guesses."
Caitlyn was silent for a second, then said, "They came for Jayce's hextech?"
Cassandra nodded lightly. "Otherwise, there's nothing that would drive them to come to Piltover. Demacia is different from what we imagined in many ways. After they reformed magic, they seem to have been completely renewed. Or perhaps it's because of this second prince. All right, this isn't something you should concern yourself with. Go sleep."
Halfway through, she smoothed her daughter's hair and smiled gently.
"Good night."
Caitlyn stood up and walked toward her room, suddenly carrying a few more worries.
For example, just what kind of person was His Highness?
Would she be able to get along with them properly from now on?
If they had come for Jayce's hextech, then if negotiations broke down, what would happen?
Lying on her bed, her thoughts were chaotic. But perhaps because she had soaked in the medicinal bath, Caitlyn did not suffer from insomnia and soon fell asleep.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810