As the front desk attendant said, Lavender Manor's Lavender bath bags were indeed very good.
After half a month adrift on the ship, Lux was finally able to thoroughly clean herself—although she never lacked clean water at sea because Ino could make ice, the problem was that Ino could only make ice water.
For the strong-bodied Lux, a cold shower was not a problem, but cold, icy water for a bath was a bit hard to accept.
Now it was good; with 24-hour hot water and pleasant-smelling Lavender bath bags, Lux soaked in the bathtub for almost an hour, so long that Klein had finished a lesson with Ino before she finally got out of the water!
"Go take a bath!" Lux, wrapped in a bath towel, happily went to Ino's side, pulling her towards the bathroom, "Make sure to soak for a full hour! We paid for it!"
The reason "we paid for it" made the usually frugal Ino obediently shut her mouth. With the mindset of "the money has already been spent," she dutifully began to soak in the bath as Lux requested.
In fact, Ino also loved to stay in hot water, letting her whole body warm up—but before receiving Klein's guidance, her bath water always cooled down very quickly, making it impossible to properly enjoy a hot bath.
Now, after following Klein's lessons for a month, she could easily control the magic within her. In this situation, she could finally enjoy a happy hot bath!
Warm water, fragrant Lavender—Ino even buried her head in the bathtub like a child, gurgling and blowing bubbles.
Little Ino splashed around in the large double bathtub, like a free-spirited fish.
...
Outside the bathroom, Lux wrapped her golden hair, then leaned back and lay on the soft, large bed.
She stretched out her limbs, fully extending herself, letting herself sink into the bed, completely enveloped.
The delicate velvet duvet cover, the soft Nasherai silk bedding.
At this moment, Lux even had a faint feeling of being at home.
Lying on the grand bed of Lavender Manor's top hotel, looking at the still brightly lit port outside the window, at this moment, Lux felt as if she had returned to Demacia Capital, to her own small bedroom in Crownguard Manor.
Ino in the bathroom stopped blowing bubbles and instead poked her head out of the water, happily humming a folk tune from Silvermere.
And hearing Ino's song, Lux suddenly felt a pang in her eyes for no reason.
She reached out and gripped the hilt of her sword, not bothering to wipe the dust from the scabbard, hugging the sword to her chest and gently biting her lip.
"Klein!" Lux said in a low voice, "I miss home."
"...Good child," Klein said gently, "Which child who leaves home doesn't miss home?"
"I miss my mother," Lux closed her eyes, "and my father, my brother, my aunt, Sona—I really want to tell them everything I've seen."
"..."
"I really want to tell them these stories, stories different from Demacia," Lux sniffled, "I wonder if father has returned from Sorrow Pass, if mother still plays the flute, if brother is used to the barracks, if aunt has left The Capital, if Sona is doing well in the orchestra."
"..."
"Just now, Klein, just now, I almost thought I was in my own bed," Lux blinked, large tears rolling down from the corners of her eyes, "Really—you know, I really thought I was home, in my own bed!"
"..."
"I tell myself I don't regret leaving Demacia," Lux choked out, "But, Klein, I miss them so much!"
At this point, Lux could no longer suppress her sadness. She curled up, hugging her sword, and finally broke down into sobs.
"Boo hoo hoo, Klein, I really miss them!"
"Klein, we can definitely go back, right?"
"You promised me that someday we would return with glory!"
"Boo hoo hoo, am I very stupid, very fragile?"
"Boo hoo hoo..."
"..."
Klein just listened in silence.
Only when Lux had cried herself out did he speak again.
"My silly girl, though you are sometimes a bit foolish, you are not fragile at all—missing your hometown is not shameful, and missing your family is certainly not a sign of weakness."
"..."
"Only those who cherish happiness have the Courage to continue on an unknown path!"
"..."
"I miss home too—I promise, you will return to Demacia laden with glory, but I can never go back to my home."
"..."
"Alright, when you've cried enough, clean yourself up, don't embarrass yourself in front of your junior sister—"
"Don't you dare tell anyone!" Hearing this, Lux finally pouted, "If you dare tell, I'll... I'll throw you in the toilet!"
...
Ino, who had just taken a hot bath, didn't notice anything amiss.
However, perhaps because she was finally on solid ground, or perhaps because she had been drifting for so long, after the lights were out, she clung tightly to Lux, unwilling to fall asleep.
"Rest early, Ino," Lux, being clung to tightly, said helplessly, "We have a lot to do tomorrow!"
"I can't sleep, Lux," Ino whispered, "I've never slept on such a soft bed; it feels unsettling."
"How about... we remove a layer of the mattress?" Lux suggested, "Maybe that will make you more comfortable?"
"Will that make you uncomfortable?" Ino was a bit embarrassed, "If it's softer, I'll just get used to it, it should be fine—"
"Get up, you!" Lux chuckled, pulling up the quilt and pulling Ino off the bed with it, "Quick, quick! We're going to Zaun in a few days, and by the time you get used to a soft bed, you'll have to switch to a hard one!"
The two young girls giggled as they quickly removed a soft mattress layer, then lay back on the bed, shoulder to shoulder.
This time, Ino finally felt much more comfortable.
Lying on the bed, feeling a softness similar to home, she also remembered the small courtyard far away on the outskirts of Silvermere.
Ino wanted to hold her breath, but some things, the more you try not to think about them, the more you do—soon, Ino's quiet sobs filled the darkness.
"...Ino, if you want to cry, just cry," Lux paused, then reached out and gently patted Ino's shoulder, "Which child who has left home doesn't miss home?"
"Brother might already be a knight, even able to go to war with the army," Ino continued to sniffle, "But I still can't help but cry..."
"Crying is not shameful—only those who cherish happiness have the Courage to continue on an unknown path!"
Klein's Small Class · Piltover's North and South City:
The Grand Canal of Piltover divides the city of Piltover into two halves, North and South.
The South City has a poorer environment, mostly industrial and Academy District; the North City has a better environment, mainly high-end residential and trade areas.