Upon hearing that Lucian had returned, Bronya and Seele immediately hurried over to meet him, their footsteps echoing lightly across the cold ground as they made their way through the snow-covered street.
"Lord Lucian, you're back!"
Bronya bowed respectfully the moment she arrived before him, though her gaze still instinctively swept across the three strangers standing beside him.
"Master, did you only bring back two wives this time?"
Seele asked helplessly as her expression shifted subtly.
Originally, she had intended to rush forward and wrap herself around Lucian's arm like she usually did, but the instant she noticed two girls already clinging tightly onto it, her steps abruptly came to a halt roughly three meters away.
Honestly, there was no need for her to think too deeply about it—these two girls were definitely his new wives again.
'Wives?'
March froze completely for a moment, her mind going blank as she subconsciously glanced left and right before hesitantly pointing at herself as though trying to confirm whether she had heard correctly.
"Me? No, I'm not!"
Exclaiming flusteredly, she immediately released Lucian's arm as though it had suddenly become scorching hot, her cheeks flushing a bright red while both of her hands waved frantically in denial.
"Watch your words!" Stelle warned with a slight frown, her tone carrying a faint trace of dissatisfaction. "I'm a princess, not a wife!"
Hearing their reactions, Seele could not help but feel somewhat puzzled.
One looked silly and overly flustered from beginning to end, while the other carried herself with a guarded and somewhat complicated demeanor. No matter how she looked at them, neither of them seemed like the type who would become Lucian's wives.
Lucian merely smiled helplessly at the scene unfolding before him.
He first gave Bronya a gentle and reassuring smile before raising his hand and lightly flicking Seele on the forehead.
"You're being reckless."
Lucian's voice carried a trace of helpless amusement as a faint sigh escaped his lips. Right afterward, however, he turned slightly and calmly introduced both sides to each other.
"Well, these three are Nameless and Trailblazers from the Astral Express—Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng. Stelle's my goddaughter, and the Astral Express is an ally of Jarilo."
As he spoke, his gaze briefly swept across Stelle and the other two before shifting toward Bronya and Seele, his tone remaining calm yet naturally authoritative.
"And these two here are Bronya Rand and Seele. Bronya's my subordinate, while Seele's my disciple."
"Alright, now that you all know each other, let's get going. We should update the Astral Express's archives with Jarilo's newest information. Bronya, Seele, come with me."
Lucian's words left no room for misunderstanding or objection.
In order to help them gradually build a more natural relationship with one another, he intended to personally guide the group through the streets of Belobog.
"Yes!"
Bronya responded immediately with a bright and gentle smile, the coldness in her usual expression visibly softening as warmth gradually filled her eyes.
Her reaction was only natural.
Opportunities to stroll through Belobog together with Lucian like this were genuinely rare for her, after all.
"Sure, let's show the guests the miracle city under Master's rule!"
Seele spoke with a faint hint of pride, her chin lifting slightly as she said those words.
Just like that, Bronya and Seele each held onto one of Lucian's arms, clinging to him from either side as they walked forward together.
Stelle and March could only follow along while March continued taking photos, the two of them occasionally exchanging glances with each other as they captured the scene unfolding before them.
Dan Heng felt too embarrassed to get too close, so he merely followed a short distance behind them, silently recording everything with a composed expression on his face.
Seeing that Lucian and the others had finally left, Natasha also prepared to head home and wash up, since she had spent the entire day moving corpses and was still covered in the lingering smell of blood.
Just as she took a step forward, however, her phone suddenly received a message, causing her footsteps to halt midway.
[Cocolia: Natasha, come to my office. It's urgent.]
[Natasha: What's so important that it's this urgent?]
[Cocolia: Just come. It'll benefit you.]
Natasha's relationship with Cocolia had always been rather ordinary, as they were merely colleagues who shared very little private interaction with one another.
After all, before Lucian arrived, Cocolia had stood as a political enemy of the Underworld, someone Natasha naturally had every reason to keep her distance from.
But now that everyone worked under Lucian, the tension between them had eased considerably, and their interactions had gradually become far more neutral and professional, making discussions regarding official matters entirely normal.
"Benefit me?"
Natasha felt somewhat puzzled, her brows knitting together slightly.
What exactly could possibly benefit her?
With that lingering doubt remaining in her mind, she ultimately headed toward Qlipoth Fort to meet Cocolia in person.
===
Inside the Supreme Guardian's office within Qlipoth Fort, the spacious room was quiet and orderly.
Cocolia sat elegantly behind a large desk, her posture composed and dignified, while across from her sat Serval, dressed in a white researcher outfit that contrasted sharply against her slightly unruly aura.
At this moment, the tea placed before them was still steaming gently, thin wisps of heat rising slowly into the air, and the atmosphere between the two women was unusually calm, lacking the sharp tension it might once have carried in the past.
"So, about what happened back then—once everything is laid out clearly, it really wasn't that much," Cocolia said while taking a measured sip of black tea, her voice carrying a faint trace of relief. "You're distancing yourself from me—I understand that. When I was blinded, my stubbornness... really did hurt many people, including you, Serval."
"It's all in the past now, Cocolia..." Serval waved her hand dismissively, sounding pretty casual, though there was still a bit of complicated emotion lingering in her eyes. "Belobog's doing well now, and that's already enough—no need to keep bringing up the past anymore."
Needless to say, the knot that had remained between them for years quietly loosened at this moment, gradually easing into something far less rigid and strained than before.
"Yes, it's all in the past. What matters now... is the future..." Cocolia slowly set down her cup with a soft clink and looked toward Serval, before leaning slightly forward, her smile carrying a faint yet meaningful implication. "Serval, what do you think... of Lucian?"
"Lord Lucian? He's powerful, mysterious, and seriously remarkable," Serval answered honestly without even hesitating. "Belobog wouldn't be what it is today without him."
Her answer was proper and restrained, revealing nothing unnecessary beyond what needed to be said.
"Not just that..." Cocolia slowly shook her head, a faint and thoughtful smile touching the corners of her lips. "He's also... quite approachable, isn't he? Even while standing high within the heavens, he's still willing to interact with mortals like us who remain on the ground."
Her gaze lingered as it deliberately swept across Serval's body, as though quietly weighing something left unspoken.
"You're an outstanding woman as well, Serval. As the eldest daughter of the Landau family... have you never seriously considered finding a 'destination' truly worthy of someone like you?"
Serval was momentarily taken aback, her brows knitting together slightly at the sudden shift in tone.
"Cocolia? What exactly are you trying to get at?"
"My meaning is simple."
Cocolia rose gracefully from her chair with measured elegance, circled the desk, and eventually stopped at Serval's side.
"Lucian's favor is not something that just anyone can obtain. As your former—and current—best friend..."
As she spoke, Cocolia's other hand quietly drifted toward an exquisite ink bottle resting near the edge of the desk, her movement subtle and almost absentminded, as though entirely unintentional, and then, midway through her sentence, her hand suddenly seemed to slip slightly, causing the ink bottle to tilt precariously to one side.
*Clank—*
In the next instant, a stream of deep blue ink spilled out with uncanny precision, pouring directly into Serval's cleavage—the vivid color spread rapidly, blooming across a wide area from her chest downward along the curve of her waist—the visual contrast it created was striking and nearly impossible to ignore.
"Ah!"
Serval gasped sharply, her entire body tensing the moment the sudden cold liquid touched her skin—she didn't even have time to properly react before the ink completely soaked through, staining her clothes in an instant.
A distinct chill ran down her body as the ink continued seeping downward, sliding slowly along her skin in thin, cold trails while already beginning to soak deeper into the fabric she wore, spreading outward into dark and uneven patches across the material.
"Cocolia, you did that on purpose, didn't you?! I don't think I even did anything to you!"
"I'm sorry, Serval! I was too careless!"
Cocolia apologized, her face full of 'panic' and 'apology' as she hurriedly grabbed tissues from the side and dabbed at the stained fabric, seemingly trying to wipe Serval clean, only to suddenly stop midway through the motion.
"Ah, this ink is really hard to wash off! Quick, there's a bathroom upstairs! Go wash up immediately—the water temperature stays perfect there, and the body wash is the best! I'll have someone get a change of clothes ready for you!"
Cocolia spoke rapidly, her tone flustered yet insistent as she lightly but urgently pushed the still somewhat dazed Serval toward the office door.
"Hurry! Don't let the ink dry, or it'll be even harder to clean!"
And just like that, Serval was half-pushed out of the office before she could properly react.
Serval lowered her head and looked at her messy, ink-stained clothes, watching the dark blotches slowly spread across the fabric, before turning her gaze back toward Cocolia, who still stood inside the office with a 'sincere and anxious' expression on her face, as though she were genuinely worried.
"..."
No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't shake the feeling that the ink had been spilled a little too perfectly, as though every single drop had landed exactly where it shouldn't have.
'What exactly is Cocolia scheming?'
Filled with doubt and suspicion, Serval pondered with a slight frown, her brows knitting together more and more tightly.
However, the sticky and uncomfortable sensation of the damp fabric clinging tightly against her skin made it difficult for her to continue thinking any further.
In the end, she turned around and headed toward the top-floor bathroom that supposedly had water at the 'perfect temperature' and 'the best body wash.'
Meanwhile, inside the office, the moment she watched Serval leave and her figure disappear, the panic on Cocolia's face instantly vanished, replaced by an elegant and composed smile born from a scheme successfully carried out.
In the next moment, she calmly picked up her teacup, raised it to her lips, and took a light, satisfied sip.
"Serval... my dear friend, this will benefit both you and me."
Just as her words fell, Natasha lightly knocked on the office door before entering.
"Cocolia, what important matter did you need me for?" Natasha asked as she directly sat down in the seat Serval had just occupied, her gaze briefly sweeping across the desk cluttered with scattered ink stains. "Hm? Did you spill ink?"
"Yes..." Cocolia replied with a faint smile. "Natasha, why don't you go take a bath first before we talk? You can use the top-floor bathroom. It has the best body wash there, so go ahead."
Hearing that, Natasha paused momentarily, the motion of brushing back her hair stopping halfway as she glanced at Cocolia with visible suspicion, her brows knitting together slightly.
It couldn't really be helped.
Cocolia had specifically called her over, claiming it was something important, yet the very first thing she did after Natasha arrived was insist that she go bathe first.
No matter how one looked at it, the situation simply felt far too strange.
Still, Natasha subconsciously lowered her head slightly after hearing Cocolia's offer, and immediately caught the faint, unpleasant scent lingering on her body.
After spending so many hours treating patients and rushing around nonstop while collecting corpses and body fragments, she truly did smell somewhat unpleasant all over. Even the clothes on her body carried a faint mixture of disinfectant, sweat, and exhaustion, making her feel slightly self-conscious about herself.
In the end, after only a brief moment of hesitation, she still stood up and headed toward the bathroom upstairs.
Cocolia quietly watched Natasha's departing figure disappear beyond the doorway, a small yet meaningful smile lingering faintly at the corners of her lips before she finally took out her phone.
[Cocolia: I'll be waiting for you in the bathroom—the usual place. I want it now.]
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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