Watching the lively yet undeniably seductive chaos unfolding before him—especially Himeko's embarrassed, flustered expression, her slightly disheveled appearance, and those misty, pleading eyes—Lucian, who had been silently observing from the side the entire time, felt his throat tighten slightly.
In the end, he couldn't suppress the fire burning inside him any longer.
In the next moment, Lucian's figure vanished in a blur, and before anyone could react, he appeared directly behind Himeko in the blink of an eye, effortlessly catching her in his embrace before she could slip away again.
Warm, soft sensations instantly spread through Lucian's hands as Himeko's attempt to escape came to an abrupt halt.
"Himeko, surrender peacefully... or you'll end up just like Baiheng."
Seeing Lucian join the fray, Jingliu and Fu Xuan immediately stepped forward without hesitation. Moving in perfect sync, they worked together to pull Himeko free from Lucian's embrace before firmly pinning her to the ground, leaving her with no room to break away.
"You little wild mare, even if you became an Emanator of Trailblaze thanks to Lucian, you still don't stand a chance."
Jingliu spoke with a faint, confident smile, her calm expression making her words sound even more provocative.
"Just behave yourself, Himeko."
Fu Xuan nodded in agreement, her tone carrying an unmistakable note of satisfaction.
Held firmly beneath Jingliu and Fu Xuan, Himeko struggled with all her strength, yet every attempt to free herself proved completely futile. Like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, she could only glare resentfully at Lucian, her eyes filled with frustration and silent accusation.
"So you're helping them bully me? I don't—"
Before Himeko could finish her protest, Lucian suddenly leaned down and captured her lips with a kiss, swallowing the rest of her words before they could escape.
From that moment onward, everything completely spiraled out of control.
Before long, the water churned violently throughout the bath pool, wave after wave crashing against the edges as countless unimaginable sounds echoed throughout the bathhouse, shattering the quiet atmosphere that had existed only moments before.
"I didn't tell you to come after me!"
Jingliu's startled exclamation echoed through the bathhouse.
"Don't come over here! I don't want to cut in line!"
Fu Xuan's hurried protest followed almost immediately afterward.
"That's right! Just like that! Let them gang up together!"
Watching from the side, Baiheng found the entire spectacle so endlessly entertaining that she burst into laughter more than once, occasionally clapping her hands and cheering them on as though she were watching an especially exciting performance.
"...You... You're all insane..."
Himeko had believed that everything she had experienced within the dream had already prepared her to face reality, but the truth struck her like a heavy hammer, overwhelming both her mind and body until she felt as though she might lose consciousness at any moment.
Only after what felt like an eternity did the bathhouse gradually return to its peaceful state, the once-restless water slowly settling into calm silence once again.
Looking at the three women resting comfortably in his arms, each possessing her own distinct charm while all sharing equally flushed cheeks, eyes shimmering with lingering affection and unmistakable satisfaction, Lucian could not help but feel that life had become as complete as anyone could ever hope for.
===
At the same time, in another room, March lay peacefully on a soft bed, her breathing calm and even as she slept soundly, completely unaware of the joy and laughter unfolding in the bathhouse.
At this moment, she was immersed in a wonderful dream, and the gentle smile gracing her sleeping face made it obvious that whatever she was dreaming about was filling her heart with genuine happiness.
However, only a moment later, without the slightest warning, her eyes suddenly flew open.
Yet the clear blue-pink eyes that normally reflected nothing but innocence had transformed into an unfathomable crimson, carrying a faintly sinister aura that made them deeply unsettling to behold, enough to send an involuntary chill crawling down anyone's spine.
"Hmm..."
March, yet not March, slowly sat upright and rubbed her temple with a slight frown, as though trying to dispel the lingering haze clouding her thoughts.
'Strange... It feels like I just had a dream...'
In that dream, there had been a man named Lucian who looked exactly like the Lucian March had met only a short while ago.
'Evernight, huh... What a nice name. I'll take it.'
Indeed, she was none other than Evernight, the other persona of March 7th.
Instinctively, Evernight lowered her head to examine the cute pink pajamas she was wearing. The soft fabric and adorable design perfectly reflected March's bright, cheerful, and innocent taste.
However, Evernight herself preferred dark crimson and black, the colors of blood and the endless abyss. Compared to those colors, these pink pajamas felt completely out of place on her, making her frown ever so slightly.
As soon as that thought crossed her mind, the pink pajamas vanished without a trace, instantly replaced by an elegant black coat dress that suited her far better, accentuating the mysterious and oppressive presence surrounding her.
Somehow, she also produced a black umbrella from nowhere and casually opened it, despite the fact that it was the middle of the night and she was standing indoors.
A crimson-eyed girl.
Wrapped in an eerie, unsettling aura.
Standing alone beneath an open umbrella inside a dimly lit room.
Anyone unfortunate enough to witness such a bizarre scene would probably scream in terror and be scared half to death.
Fortunately, there were no outsiders here.
'I remember that in the dream, Lucian separated me and turned me into an independent being... I'm nothing more than an obsession... can something like me really become... human?'
Evernight had always been extraordinarily sensitive to memories, and the memories that had suddenly surfaced in her mind were somehow affecting her very existence.
As a result, she found the entire situation so absurd and incomprehensible that even the power of Remembrance seemed incapable of erasing those memories from her mind.
In other words, those memories had to originate from an authority over memories far greater than anything she had ever encountered before, an existence that stood on an entirely different level.
No matter how she thought about it, every clue, every possibility, and every conclusion ultimately pointed toward Lucian.
Everything suggested that what she had experienced had not merely been a dream. Yet now, she did not feel as though she had undergone any earth-shattering transformation. Aside from possessing an incomparably clear sense of self and a mind that felt far more lucid than before, everything else about her seemed almost exactly the same as it had been.
Walking over to the window, Evernight quietly gazed into the night as the cold moonlight bathed her slender figure in its pale silver glow, gently illuminating her face and making her crimson eyes appear even deeper, colder, and more mysterious.
'Whether it's real or not, I'll only know the answer after meeting Lucian...'
Indeed, there was no point in wasting any more time dwelling on meaningless speculation.
A simple test would reveal everything.
And so, with that thought in mind, Evernight quietly pushed open the door and silently disappeared into the night. Having inherited March's memories, she was already thoroughly familiar with the surroundings, allowing her to navigate the area with ease as she made her way toward Lucian's room.
A few minutes later, however, when she arrived at her destination, she found the room empty, with the bedding still perfectly neat and untouched, making it obvious that its owner had never returned to sleep.
'Where has he gone so late at night?'
Evernight tilted her head slightly before closing her eyes in concentration.
Her unnaturally sharp senses quickly caught the faint sound of splashing water drifting through the quiet night from somewhere in the distance, interwoven with restrained, fragmented noises that were more than enough to make an ordinary person's face flush bright red.
'Tch... quite the commotion...'
Following the sounds, Evernight instinctively lightened her footsteps, moving through the darkness with the silence and grace of a nocturnal cat until she reached the bathhouse, where wisps of mist still drifted lazily through the air beneath the faint glow of dim lanterns.
Rather than barging inside, she quietly leaned closer and peered through the narrow gap in the wooden door.
Just one glance—only a single glance—and the playful indifference that normally lingered across Evernight's face instantly froze solid.
'What the—?! What kind of ridiculous scene of utter chaos is this?!'
It was no exaggeration to say that the sight before her could only be described as utterly catastrophic.
Inside the bath pool, the water still churned violently, as though a fierce storm had only just subsided.
Himeko's beautiful crimson hair clung to her snow-white skin as she lay limply across the smooth stone floor like a lifeless jellyfish. Her unfocused eyes were glazed over, while her cheeks glowed a deep crimson, leaving the elegant dignity and refined composure she normally carried shattered beyond recognition.
Jingliu and Fu Xuan, sprawled on opposite sides of her, looked no better, both wearing thoroughly exhausted expressions as though every last bit of strength had been drained from their bodies.
Baiheng had it even worse, as she had practically been covered with a white sheet.
Meanwhile, Lucian—the mastermind responsible for everything—stood there looking utterly refreshed and completely satisfied, his hands resting on his hips like a lion leisurely surveying his territory while savoring the spoils of a glorious hunt.
Evernight's mind completely stopped functioning for a full three seconds.
'Just like the Lucian from my dream... no, he's even more of a pervert...'
Seeing such an outrageous scene, there was absolutely no way she could allow that man to get anywhere near March.
Just look at that big and long stick dangling heavily between his legs. If he used that on March, there was no doubt she would definitely die. Even thinking about the possibility made Evernight's expression turn grim.
Knowing that, she would never allow such a thing to happen. No matter what it took, she would stop him before he ever had the chance to lay a hand on March.
Still, there was one point she had to admit had earned Lucian a measure of her respect.
Even though he was mysterious and unimaginably powerful, he had never forced himself on anyone. Despite possessing overwhelming strength that allowed him to take whatever he wanted, he had always allowed others to make their own choices instead of imposing his will on them.
Frankly, that level of restraint was something even Evernight found difficult to deny, and for that reason alone, she was willing to give him more than eighty points.
*Creak—*
In the next moment, without the slightest trace of embarrassment or hesitation, Evernight calmly slid the wooden door open and stepped inside.
"Himeko... the most elegant, refined, and ladylike navigator... Just look at what you've done to her..."
A faint, composed smile rested on Evernight's lips as she made her remark and strolled forward at an unhurried pace. Her steps were steady and unhurried, carrying an air of calm confidence as she leisurely approached Lucian before finally coming to a stop only after she had entered his line of sight.
Sensing someone entering, Lucian instinctively assumed it was March. With a casual wave of his hand, a black bathrobe instantly wrapped itself around his body. At the same time, several large white towels floated gracefully through the air before gently draping themselves over his wives, concealing their thoroughly disheveled appearances beneath layers of soft fabric and restoring a measure of their dignity.
Only after lifting his gaze and taking a proper look did he realize that the newcomer was not March.
That eerie, almost oppressive presence.
That black coat dress.
Those crimson eyes.
Needless to say, it was none other than Evernight.
"Why're you out? Is March in danger?"
Lucian remained perfectly calm as he asked the question, his voice as steady and composed as ever, his expression not showing the slightest ripple of surprise.
Ordinarily, nothing dangerous within this place could have escaped his perception. Furthermore, Evernight only ever appeared whenever March herself was facing genuine danger, so under the current circumstances, there was only one possible explanation: something that had happened within the script had directly affected reality, and that change had reached Evernight herself.
After only a brief moment of thought, Lucian arrived at the answer.
Evernight would never have appeared of her own accord unless the script had altered her memories.
"You're not surprised to see me? I see... then you really are the same Lucian from my dream."
Evernight spoke with her brows slightly raised as she slowly swept her gaze across the absurd scene before her, open disgust filling her crimson eyes while her expression made no attempt to conceal her utter disdain.
"Are you done? If you are, come outside with me. I want to talk, but not here. Honestly, this place is seriously hurting my eyes, and it's even messing with March's memories. Now, I have to clean them up again."
Immediately after saying that, Evernight simply turned around, her black umbrella still open above her head, and walked away without another word or so much as a backward glance.
'Well, since she came out on her own, that kinda saves me the trouble of having to force her.'
Lucian thought in quiet relief before removing his bathrobe and calmly changing into his usual clothes.
In the blink of an eye, the beast who had utterly dominated the bathhouse transformed back into the refined, elegant gentleman everyone knew, as though the savage side of him had never existed at all.
===
[A bonus chapter for reaching 300 Power Stones]
[Support and get early access to upcoming chapters at: patreon.com/VALRRR]