Chapter 1024: Lux’s Doubt
Chapter 1024 – Lux’s Doubt
She did not speak.
There was something tender in the practicality of it.
Just food lifted to his mouth while he sat frozen in thought, ensuring the machine of him did not run without fuel.
Lux accepted every bite.
Sometimes his jaw slowed, as if his mind had gone too far away and his body forgot what chewing was supposed to do.
Naomi waited each time.
Patient.
Calm.
Then offered the next bite.
Aela watched with deep, quiet fascination.
In the shrine, care had been a memory.
The king’s world had taught her that power took. That contracts chained. That someone stronger could smile and call it protection while draining your life through ancient clauses.
Here, power looked different.
No one bowed or begged.
They cared like people who had the right to interfere.
Aela whispered, almost to herself, "This is strange."
Ely smiled faintly. "Yes."
"Good strange."
Sira heard them and looked over. Her voice was softer than usual. "He gets like this when the burden becomes too many pieces. He can hold it. That’s the problem. He holds too much."
Fiera’s tails lowered. "And if no one stops him, he’ll pretend the weight is just part of his posture."
Gula nodded sadly. "Like carrying snacks but never eating them."
Mira looked at her.
Gula blinked. "What? It is a serious metaphor."
"It almost was," Mira said.
Rava smiled faintly. "Let her have it."
Gula nodded in gratitude and immediately ate another spoonful.
Lux’s eyes shifted slightly.
Just once. Not fully returning. But perhaps some part of him heard them.
Naomi noticed. She offered another bite.
He took it.
Chewed.
Swallowed.
His gaze stayed distant, but his shoulders lowered a fraction.
Naomi noticed first.
Not because she was closest, though that helped. Not because she had been feeding him like one fed a dangerous royal cat that had forgotten hunger existed. But because Naomi had the kind of quiet attention that did not need magic to become terrifying.
Lux came back to the room one inch at a time.
His eyes focused.
His jaw moved slower.
He swallowed the last bite Naomi gave him and blinked once, as if realizing food had entered his body without approval from the finance department.
Then he looked at the plate.
Then at Naomi.
Naomi smiled softly.
Lux stared for a second longer. "...I’m done with dinner."
Sira’s eyes narrowed. "Are you done, or did you just remember you have a mouth and decided to announce retirement?"
Lux leaned back in his chair. "I’m done."
Gula looked offended on behalf of dinner. "But dessert still exists."
"Dessert always exists."
"That is why hope survives."
Lux almost smiled. That tiny almost was enough to make everyone relax another fraction.
He reached for his coffee.
His fingers nearly touched the cup.
Then Yue moved.
She lifted the coffee away and placed a cup of tea in front of him instead.
Lux slowly turned his head toward her.
Yue met his gaze calmly, expression perfectly composed, as if she had not just committed treason against Greed.
Lux stared.
Yue stared back.
Yue said, "Too much coffee."
The words were simple.
Lux looked at the tea.
Then back at her.
Yue continued, "This tea will help you relax."
Lux’s expression became so blank it circled around and became funny.
Fiera pressed her lips together.
Mira looked away, shoulders already shaking.
Gula whispered, "She stole from Greed too."
Sira murmured, "Braver than Zehar."
Naomi quietly hid the coffee behind the water jug.
Lux saw it.
He was Lux Vaelthorn. He could detect missing assets from emotional temperature alone.
But he also saw Yue’s face.
This was her version of worry.
A dragon did not flutter. A dragon did not hover. A dragon did not fuss with blankets or feed him bite by bite.
Lux exhaled through his nose. "Fine."
He took the tea.
Gula gasped softly, as if witnessing history.
Lux drank it all. He simply emptied the cup, placed it down, and stood. "I’m going to my room."
Sira immediately looked like she wanted to follow.
Lux glanced at her before she could move. "Alone."
Her mouth tightened.
Lullaby lifted her hammer slightly. "Rest."
Lux looked at her. "I will."
Everyone at the table doubted that sentence spiritually.
Lux knew they doubted it. He said nothing else.
Dark-gold light folded around him. Then he vanished.
His bedroom welcomed him with dim light and silence.
Lux stood there for a moment. Then walked toward the large windows overlooking the mansion gardens.
Outside, the wards shimmered faintly against the night. Fenrir’s shadows moved along the outer perimeter. Veyra’s plants curled like patient knives beneath the moonlight.
Lux lifted his hand. "System."
A dark-gold panel appeared before him.
[At your service, my lord.]
Lux loosened the robe around his shoulders and sat on the edge of the bed.
The system window expanded.
[Current Status: Physically stable.]
[Core Damage: 0%.]
[Fatigue: Denied by user. Therefore, likely severe.]
Lux stared at it. "Do not start."
[As you wish, my lord. I will refrain from observing the obvious with unnecessary cruelty.]
A pause.
[For approximately three seconds.]
Lux sighed. "Analyze Cyrinne."
[Request acknowledged.]
The panel flickered.
[Cyrinne Karess]
[House: Envy]
[Status: Envy Heiress Candidate]
[Contract Brand: Active]
[Lie Detection Cross-Reference: No major falsehood detected.]
[Emotional State During Disclosure: Controlled anxiety. Strategic urgency. Mild attraction. Poorly concealed.]
Lux looked at the panel. "Delete that last line."
[No.]
"System."
[Historical accuracy matters, my lord.]
Lux rubbed his forehead.
The system continued, mercilessly polite.
[You possess The Eye of Truth. You can detect lies. You know Cyrinne Karess was honest regarding the legend, Envy’s old guardianship and the risk surrounding your Heaven contracts.]
Lux’s gaze sharpened.
[Why do you still not believe her?]
The bedroom grew quieter.
Lux looked past the panel, toward the moonlit garden.
For a few seconds, he said nothing.
Then, softly, "Instinct."
The system did not respond immediately.
Lux’s mouth curved, but there was no humor in it. "And... let’s say trauma." A pause. "A lot of trauma."