Chapter 953: I Will Bet My Family Name
Chapter 953 – I Will Bet My Family Name
The evening came.
And the mansion was louder than usual.
Not chaotic in the "someone attacked, activate barriers, Fenrir please remove that corpse from the garden" way.
More like... life.
Life with too many powerful women in one house and one overworked incubus pretending this was still a vacation.
First, all of Lux’s women had returned home.
Naomi had arrived with that polished mortal-heiress elegance, wearing a dress that made her look soft enough for dinner and sharp enough to fire an entire board of directors if they annoyed her.
Rava came after her, ocean-blue hair loose over her shoulder, carrying the quiet confidence of a kraken heiress who could smile gently while drowning someone’s business empire.
Mira had returned with her usual dragon pride, looking like every step she took was a statement of bloodline superiority.
Ely came more quietly, carrying her refined high-elf grace and a concerned look that said she was still thinking about the book.
Second, Fiera had officially moved in.
That meant several servants had spent the afternoon carrying elegant luggage, fox-themed accessories, expensive clothing, and far too many perfumes into one of the rooms Lux had assigned to her. The nine-tail fox demi-human had entered the mansion like she had always belonged there, tail swaying lazily behind her, eyes shining with smug satisfaction every time she looked at Lux.
Third, Gula was here.
That alone changed the food logistics of the entire estate.
Lyra had gone from preparing "generous dinner for a large household" to preparing "emergency banquet protocol, Gluttony royalty present, possible dessert crisis." The kitchen had been running like a battlefield with saucepans.
And Lux?
Lux had eventually emerged from the bathroom.
Eventually.
He was not sure how much he and Sira had done in there.
Not because he lacked memory.
His memory was excellent.
Painfully excellent.
But because at some point, counting had become irrelevant, and Sira had become less a woman and more a theological argument against restraint.
By the time he dressed again, he had chosen the perfect outfit for the evening.
CFO on vacation.
Black tailored trousers. White shirt, open at the collar. Dark vest. Sleeves rolled neatly to the forearms. No tie. No jacket. Expensive enough to remind everyone he owned several economies, relaxed enough to pretend he was not currently managing a possible rebellion.
He walked through the mansion with his system screen hovering around him and coffee in his hand.
Multitasking was a blessing.
A necessary one.
[InfernalNet Monitoring Active]
[Royal House Sentiment: Volatile]
[King Kaelmor Rumor Index: Rising]
[Shadow Corridor Mentions: +7.4%]
[Ancient Lord Narrative Stability: Expanding]
[Keyword Spike: "Proto-Royal Bloodline"]
Lux paused when that last one appeared.
His eyes narrowed.
Then he flicked the window aside.
"Later."
[Deep Search Progress: 31%]
[Estimated Completion: 8 Hours 14 Minutes]
"Good."
Lyra approached near the dining hall, bowing lightly.
"Dinner is ready, sir."
Lux looked past her toward the long table.
The smell hit him first.
Roasted meat. Buttered vegetables. Spiced seafood. Stews. Fruits. Breads. Desserts stacked like a diplomatic offering to Gluttony. It looked excellent.
Mostly.
Because several plates were already half-empty.
Lux stared.
Gula sat innocently at the table with cream on one finger.
Lullaby had a tiny cake beside her pillow.
Sira was eating grapes like a queen watching a theater of disasters.
Lux sighed. "Dinner started without me?"
Gula smiled. "Quality inspection."
Sira nodded. "Important."
Lullaby blinked sleepily. "Cake called me."
Lux looked at Lyra.
Lyra maintained the professional expression of a servant who had seen too much and chosen silence as survival.
"Prepare refills."
"Already in progress, sir."
Lux nodded with approval. "That is why you are invaluable."
Lyra smiled faintly and withdrew.
Soon, everyone settled around the dining table.
It should have looked ridiculous.
It did.
But also strangely right.
Naomi sat close to Lux’s left, elegant and observant.
Rava sat beside her, calm but alert.
Mira sat proudly across from them, chin lifted, eyes occasionally shifting to Yue because dragon hierarchy had suddenly become complicated.
Ely sat with quiet curiosity, still holding that high-elf poise.
Fiera sat like a woman enjoying the fact that she no longer had to leave after dinner.
Sira, naturally, had claimed a seat far too close to Lux, one foot brushing his under the table with zero shame.
Lullaby leaned against her pillow, eating slowly.
Yue sat composed with tea, still looking faintly amused by the whole household.
And Gula sat with a plate that looked like it had been curated by someone who considered sugar a political philosophy.
Lux stood at the head of the table for a moment.
Then gestured toward Gula.
"Everyone, this is Gula. Daughter of the Gluttony Lord."
Gula waved brightly. "Hello."
Lux continued, "She is staying here as an official informal guest."
Naomi blinked. "Official informal?"
"It’s real."
Rava smiled. "That sounds like one of your invented titles."
"Most stable systems begin with invention."
Mira lifted her brow. "Or delusion."
"Also possible."
Fiera leaned back in her chair, nine tails swaying behind her with blatant amusement. "You’re surely fast."
Lux looked at her.
Fiera smiled sweetly. "I just joined, and you already adopted another one?"
Gula pointed her fork at Fiera. "Don’t get me wrong. I’m here because of Lullaby."
Lullaby lifted one hand lazily. "Mm."
Then Gula added, "Not him."
Another pause.
"Yet."
Lux closed his eyes.
Sira immediately started laughing.
Naomi placed her wine glass down with perfect mortal-heiress composure. "I’m not buying that."
Rava nodded. "Uh uh."
Ely smiled awkwardly. "Uh... your eyes kind of give a different gaze to Lux."
Gula blinked innocently. "Do they?"
"Yes," Ely said gently. "Very much."
Mira crossed her arms, studying Gula like a dragon evaluating whether a new treasure had entered the cave or a rival had wandered in pretending to be dessert. "She is still confused."
Gula turned to her.
Mira’s eyes sharpened.
"But she will make a decision soon."
Yue sipped her tea. "Soon," she agreed.
Everyone looked at Yue.
Yue lowered her cup calmly. "I will bet my family name."
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