Kahina froze at that, a hint of confusion surfacing in her eyes.
Seeing her reaction, Lux and Fiora both guessed Luke had probably hit the mark.
Their gazes drifted toward him—did this guy actually have something real?
"The most recent physical assessment… I barely passed."
Kahina sighed and finally voiced what had been unsettling her. "My dream is to become an outstanding knight someday, but lately I've been feeling more and more pressure. I'm starting to doubt whether I can really achieve it."
It was obvious she was lost, and her mood sank with the admission.
"From your face, it looks like you're only in a temporary bout of uncertainty. It won't become an obstacle for you," Luke said. After thinking for a moment, he smiled. "And setting physiognomy aside—just my personal impression of you—I think you'll definitely make your dream come true."
At Kahina's age, a little confusion was perfectly normal. But just as Lux had said before, Kahina had set her goal early, and she'd been moving toward it for years.
She was a girl with a firm heart. She wouldn't be taken down so easily by a brief period of doubt.
Hearing Luke's encouragement, Kahina felt inexplicably steadier inside. She nodded softly.
"Do mine."
Fiora, clearly intrigued now, pulled out two gold coins and tossed them to Luke.
Then, without waiting for him to prompt her, she lifted her right hand, palm up.
Luke caught the coins, slipped them into his pocket, and calmly took her hand.
Fiora's expression didn't change—cool and indifferent as always, her eyes still icy and steady.
But as Luke's motions continued—pressing her palm, rubbing her fingers, kneading and lightly stroking as though turning her hand over and examining it from every angle—
Fiora's breathing sped up a little. The sensation was unfamiliar in a way that made her uncomfortable. More than once she wanted to yank her hand back, but she forced herself to endure it.
She kept up the appearance of composure, smoothed her own mind, and waited in silence.
To be fair, her hand really was oddly "playable." Despite being a hand that had gripped a sword for years, her palm was soft, warm, smooth, and fine.
After a while, Luke lifted his head. After some thought, he said, "Your three major markings are similar to Kahina's—your star marking is also disordered. But yours collides with the island marking. That's a sign of misfortune, and it might actually affect you."
"Your life line is a bit thicker than most people's—also a very good sign for longevity."
"Next is your Sun mount—right here under the ring finger. It's full, which suggests you're a wise and calm woman. Your career path will be very successful."
Fiora nodded, thinking that was the end.
But Luke still didn't let go. He pointed to the area beneath her thumb. "The key point is your Moon mount here. There's a fine line called the 'Teacher's Eye'—it looks like an eye. This is a powerful mark. It's related to your romantic fate…"
Fiora paused slightly.
By instinct, she wanted to stop him—but she also wanted to hear it, so she stayed quiet.
Kahina and Lux perked up too.
"Tsk tsk. This Teacher's Eye line of yours is interesting—extremely rare."
Luke sounded impressed, his expression a little strange.
Fiora frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means that in the future, there's a very strong chance you'll marry an exceptional man—excellent in every way. This is a truly rare, top-tier spouse-luck sign. Not only do you 'boost' him, he 'boosts' you too."
Fiora listened with a blank, stunned expression, a little dazed.
"Especially since this mark also means the two of you are highly compatible. In the future, you might end up having a lo—"
"Enough!"
Fiora snapped back to herself and yanked her hand away, cutting Luke off coldly.
Luke asked, puzzled, "You don't want to keep listening? I haven't even talked about your face yet."
"No need," Fiora said. "Go read Lady Crownguard's next."
"Alright." Luke nodded and didn't continue.
Besides, Fiora's face didn't really differ much from what her palm had already indicated.
Lux, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately bounced over. She handed him two gold coins and stretched out her small hand, extremely curious about her palm and face.
Meanwhile, Fiora sat off to the side, looking calm on the outside, but her breathing had unconsciously quickened and her heart was hammering.
Even she hadn't expected this.
Spouse-luck?
A spouse-luck sign?!
And she'd marry an exceptional man?
Without realizing it, she lifted her eyes toward Luke.
She hadn't heard the rest, but she could guess what it would have been.
Marrying was one thing—there was also the bit about having many…
No matter how she tried to adjust her mindset, she couldn't settle down.
Over here, Luke had already taken Lady Crownguard's hand.
Her hand was beautiful—slender fingers and a soft, delicate palm. Once he held it, it felt bonelessly soft, the kind that made you want to toy with it a little.
But Luke had no extra thoughts, because the moment he touched it, he felt that Lux's palm reading was unbelievably chaotic.
As someone with "foreknowledge," he could guess part of why it was messy—but from the palm lines, it seemed like it wasn't just that.
That made it a real test of skill.
So Luke's eyes turned serious, his focus sharpening.
Lux, on the other hand, watched her hand held in his. It felt warm, and something about it made her feel a little strange—though she couldn't put it into words.
Luke stared at her palm. She stared at Luke's face.
After a while, she felt like her hand was about to sweat, and she asked softly, "Are you done yet?"
A bit of sweat had formed on Luke's forehead. He thought for a moment and said, "Your three major markings are all auspicious, and their positions are normal."
"Your life line goes from thick to faint, then faint back to thick—also a longevity sign."
"Next is your Venus mount. It's full, which means you're full of vitality and you'll stay healthy."
"See these lines here? They curve up and down, tying your career line, life line, and head line together. That's a very typical sign of wealth and status."
With that, Luke released her hand.
Lux's eyes sparkled. "Then what about my face?"
Luke looked at her delicate little face for a few seconds, then said, "Your brows are refined—long and gently arched—which means you don't carry many worries and you often feel happy. Your nose is straight and well-shaped, your bridge is full, and your nostrils are rounded too. That's also a fortunate face."
Hearing that, Lux couldn't help lifting her chin proudly, her expression bright with satisfaction. "Looks like out of the three of us, my palm and face are the best!"
Luke nodded beside her, sighing with feeling. "I have to say—you perfectly embody what it means to have 'fool's luck.'"
Lux's smile vanished instantly. She stared at Luke with a dangerous expression.
Luke then smiled again. "But I see darkness between your brows. I'm afraid you'll run into disaster soon. Give me one more gold coin, and I'll remove that calamity for you."
Lux snorted. "Disaster, my ass. I don't believe that."
Luke laughed. "So you believe the good stuff, but you don't believe the bad stuff?"
Lux blinked. "Of course."
Luke said flatly, "You'll regret it."
"Tch." Lux curled her lip and didn't take it seriously at all.
With her own "sharp wit," she'd already seen through it—Luke's so-called fortune telling was just cherry-picking pretty words.
And that "dark between your brows" line was obviously just him trying to scare her so he could swindle another gold coin out of her little stash.
Absolutely not happening.
Luke withdrew his gaze, thinking quietly.
Just now, he'd only spoken the good parts. He hadn't mentioned a single bad thing.
Lux's palm lines were deep and chaotic—signs that her life might be full of twists and turns, with big ups and downs. And there were parts so messy that even Luke couldn't understand them.
From her face, she'd been troubled by something for a long time—something that had weighed on her for ages.
Luke could guess what it was.
In the future, it would bring her disaster.
Yet oddly, her face also contained auspicious signs mixed in. When he tried to look deeper, he couldn't read it at all.
That meant Luke's current level wasn't enough. Only when his physiognomist level rose would he be able to see more.
At that moment, Yurna came out of the house.
Luke casually swept his eyes over her face—and froze.
What the hell.
He couldn't read Yurna's face at all.
Yurna was stunningly beautiful, not inferior to any of the women present. Yet Luke couldn't glean any information from her at all.
That was ridiculous.
After thinking, he said, "Yurna, hold out your hand. Palm up."
Yurna, slightly puzzled, obediently held out her hand, palm up.
Luke took it and looked—and froze again.
Her palm was almost completely unreadable.
It wasn't that her lines were messy. At a glance, it just looked even more winding and tortuous than Lux's.
As for the rest… he couldn't make it out.
Luke pressed her palm, then pinched each finger.
Then he released her hand. "Alright. That's it. You're fine."
He genuinely couldn't get anything from it. He really couldn't read it.
Yurna pulled her hand back, still confused, but she didn't say anything and turned away to continue her work.
Nearby, the three girls weren't paying attention to Luke anymore.
Lux had already dragged Kahina into another game of five-in-a-row.
And Fiora got up and went to the back yard, clearly intending to beat up the training dummy and stabilize her state of mind.
Luke had nothing to do again. He lay back in the chair, staring at the deep blue sky, his thoughts drifting with the wind.
After a while, Kahina seemed to remember something and said, "Your Highness, this afternoon… my sister might come."
Luke snapped back from his wandering mind. "Sona?"
"Mhm."
"When?"
"I don't know." Kahina shook her head.
Just then, the sound of a carriage approaching came from outside. Not long after, a high-end carriage bearing the Buvelle family crest stopped at the gate.
Luke sat up and watched as the curtain was drawn aside. A woman in a long blue robe stepped down from the carriage—Sona.
Her aqua-blue hair fell to her waist. That classical robe was just as unforgettable as ever, outlining her full, captivating figure.
Her face was elegant and otherworldly—when she descended from the carriage, it was like someone walking out of a painting.
Luke didn't even need to read her face to decide she had to be "child-blessing."
Sona's future children would surely be happy.
"Big sister!"
Kahina rushed over the moment she saw Sona, then pulled her into the yard.
When Sona saw Luke, her watery blue eyes blinked. She bent slightly and greeted him with a polite, graceful bow—her posture proper and composed.
Luke smiled. "Welcome, Miss Sona. Thanks for visiting."
Lux greeted from the side too. "Sona, hi!"
Sona smiled warmly at Lux, then raised her pale hands and began signing. Kahina immediately started translating.
"She left in a hurry last time, and lately she's been hearing me talk about—ah, I haven't been talking about you that much!"
Kahina's face reddened as she cut herself off and simplified it bluntly. "She's been thinking about seeing Your Highness again. I told her yesterday she might as well come today, and she agreed."
Sona chuckled softly and nodded, admitting she really had wanted to see Luke again.
Luke was a little puzzled—he didn't understand why Sona wanted to see him.
But since she was here, of course he would treat her well.
"Have a seat. I'll have Yurna make tea," Luke said, giving Yurna a look.
Yurna went inside.
Sona curiously looked around the yard. She found the prince's place… different from other homes.
Kahina pulled her to sit down. Sona watched Kahina and Lux resume their game, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"Does Ionia have five-in-a-row?" Luke asked as he sat down too.
Most Demacians knew Sona came from Ionia.
Eight years ago, a single Noxian cannon blast shattered Ionia's peace, and a brutal invasion began.
Back then, Sona was only eleven. She was forced onto one of the final ships fleeing to Demacia, leaving her homeland behind.
After arriving in Demacia, she naturally entered the Illuminators, where she met the woman who would become her mother—Lestara.
Lestara, representing House Buvelle, adopted Sona, and later discovered Sona's astonishing musical talent.
The war still continued, but Ionia had stubbornly held on. It was said they were uniting now, gradually driving the invaders off the continent.
Before long, they would achieve victory.
But it likely had little to do with Demacia.
After all, Demacia and Ionia were separated by an entire continent—by ship, it took months to reach.
And in between, one would have to cross the whole of the Noxian Empire.
Hearing Luke's question, Sona shook her head, then signed a few gestures.
Before Kahina could translate, Luke went, "Oh," and said, "You mean Go? And similar boards."
Kahina looked over, confused.
Sona nodded and signed again.
"I know a little Go too. Want a game later?" Luke smiled.
Kahina was completely stunned. "Your Highness, I haven't even translated yet!"
This set of signs was something the family had developed specifically so Sona could express herself. Outsiders basically couldn't understand it.
So how were you having a smooth conversation without me, the translator?
Sona also belatedly looked confused.
She'd almost forgotten—outside of her family, no one could understand her signing.
"How did you do that?" Lux asked curiously too. She'd tried to understand Sona's signs before.
After two days, she'd given up.
Facing three baffled looks, Luke smiled casually. "I told you, I can read faces. When Sona signs, her lips move unconsciously along with it. If you understand a little, isn't it obvious?"
Kahina and Lux immediately looked at Sona.
Sona, bewildered, tried to recall whether her mouth moved when she signed.
She couldn't remember clearly… but maybe it was true. Even if she couldn't make a sound, she still knew the mouth-shapes of speech.
Perhaps without realizing it, she did it.
In reality, she did—but Luke didn't truly read it that well.
He was mostly guessing by feel.
Even so, thinking about it made Luke feel impressed with himself.
Didn't that deserve a little hands-on-hips moment?
Lux immediately wanted to test it. She looked at Kahina.
Kahina cooperated and silently mouthed words without making any sound.
Lux watched carefully, but the longer she watched, the more confused she got. She had no idea what Kahina was "saying."
After a bit, the two gave up decisively.
This wasn't a skill a normal person could learn.
How did Luke always have these weird little abilities?
Sona's beautiful eyes stayed on Luke, overflowing with curiosity. She reached out and gently tapped his shoulder.
This time she didn't sign—she only moved her lips.
Luke looked once and said, "I'm very happy to see you."
Sona's eyes lit up instantly, like she'd discovered a whole new world. Her expression brightened with delight.
Then, as if a dam had burst, she began actively "talking" to Luke nonstop.
Luke didn't seem impatient at all. He replied to her, sentence by sentence.
Kahina and Lux, meanwhile, listened to Luke's one-man show for a while and got annoyed. They picked up the board and moved to another spot to play.
Kahina did feel a little disappointed that her translator job had vanished.
But seeing her sister so happy, she also felt Luke was incredible—because it had been a long time since anyone had been able to make Sona this happy.
And Luke, for his part, kept meeting Sona's eager attempts to communicate.
Most of what Sona wanted to say, he guessed correctly.
Once or twice was one thing, but after it happened over and over, Luke started to feel curious himself.
He remembered that last time he'd met Sona at the banquet, he hadn't been able to understand her very well.
But this time… he could.
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