Chapter 861 – That Kind of ’Fighting’

The morning came.

"Here I thought you guys were fighting last night... but it turned out to be that kind of ’fighting’."

Lux didn’t open his eyes immediately.

Because that voice?

Yeah.

That tone?

That very specific mix of judgment, curiosity, and "I already know everything but I want to hear you explain anyway"?

Mira.

His internal clock usually had already dragged him out of sleep seconds before someone appeared in his room. But being woken up by someone else?

That was new.

Annoying.

...Interesting.

He cracked one eye open first.

Then the other.

Light filtered through the curtains, soft and gold, painting the aftermath of last night in very unforgiving clarity.

Yeah.

"Storm" was a polite way to describe it.

The room looked like a negotiation between chaos and exhaustion. Sheets twisted beyond recognition, pillows abandoned like casualties, the faint scent of heat and skin still lingering stubbornly in the air like it refused to leave.

The usual.

Lux blinked once.

Slow.

Then turned his head.

Mira stood there.

Arms folded.

Expression flat.

Judging.

Hard.

"Morning," Lux said, voice rough but steady.

He pushed himself up, sitting on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his hair without really thinking about it.

Clock.

6:04 AM.

He squinted.

"You woke me up for this?" he muttered.

Then...

Oh.

Right.

He was naked.

Fully.

No shame.

No panic.

Just... fact.

His gaze drifted slightly.

Yue.

Beside him.

Still wrapped in the blanket, though it barely qualified as "covered." The rise and fall of her breathing was steady, calm, controlled, too controlled.

Lux’s eyes narrowed just a fraction.

"Lux," Mira called him once again.

Then he looked back at Mira and smiled. This time he gave her the most innocent smile he could muster.

Mira didn’t react.

Instead, she clapped. Twice.

-Clap! Clap!

Sharp.

Efficient.

Lux didn’t even question it when a servant appeared almost instantly, placing a cup into his hand before disappearing like they’d never existed.

He lifted it.

Took a breath.

Paused.

It was herbal tea.

"This is not coffee."

Mira’s eyes didn’t soften.

"Drink."

Lux gave her a look.

A very specific look.

The kind that said ’you’re testing me right now and I don’t appreciate it’.

"Really?" he asked.

"It’s better for you."

"I didn’t ask for better."

"You promised to reduce your coffee intake."

Lux stared at the cup like it personally betrayed him.

Then drank anyway.

Because arguing would take longer.

The taste?

Clean.

Herbal.

Balanced.

And completely lacking the aggressive punch his brain expected first thing in the morning.

He swallowed.

Paused.

Then looked at Mira again.

"...This tastes like regret."

"Drink it."

He drank more.

Because she wasn’t going to let it go.

A quiet sigh escaped him.

Yeah.

He deserved this.

Probably.

Then...

"I thought we were going to take Yue to meet my family," Mira said.

Her tone didn’t change.

But the weight behind it did.

"Why is she in your room?"

Lux didn’t answer immediately.

He took another sip.

Slow.

Then glanced sideways at Yue again.

Then back to Mira.

"Not me," he said calmly. "She came by herself."

Mira blinked.

Once.

"Please do a better lie."

"I’m not lying."

"You expect me to believe that?"

Lux shrugged.

"I don’t need you to."

Mira’s eyes narrowed.

"She came just for s*x?"

Lux snorted.

"No."

He set the cup down, stretching his shoulders slightly, feeling the aftereffects of last night settle in his muscles in a way that was both satisfying and... distracting.

"She smelled Kaelmor on me."

Mira went still.

That landed.

"You met the king?" she asked.

Lux exhaled.

"Yeah."

Casual.

Too casual.

"I killed his guards," he added, like he was mentioning the weather.

Mira stared at him.

"You what?"

"They had his brand," Lux said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Which means he felt it when they died."

A pause.

"He came looking."

Mira’s arms tightened.

Lux smirked faintly.

"So I made an alibi."

Her expression didn’t change.

"You what?"

"I needed him to see me somewhere loud," Lux said, tone shifting just slightly, more focused now. "Distracted. Visible."

His eyes flicked briefly to Yue again.

"And I needed him to think she was dead. So I went to a club."

Mira followed his gaze.

Silence stretched.

"He doesn’t know?" she asked.

"Not yet."

Lux leaned back slightly.

"We cover her as long as we can."

A beat.

"Or he comes for her."

Mira exhaled slowly.

"To kill her."

Lux nodded.

"Or chain her again."

That part hung heavier.

Mira’s gaze softened for a fraction of a second, just a fraction, before snapping back.

"That makes sense," she admitted.

Then immediately.

"But it still doesn’t explain why you slept with her."

Lux paused.

Just a second.

His mind replayed fragments.

Heat.

Tension.

Control slipping.

Her.

"I made her relax," he said.

Mira stared at him.

"You ’made her relax.’"

Lux nodded.

"Yes."

Silence.

Then she smiled

"You’re unbelievable."

Lux shrugged.

"She was ready to kill me."

"And your solution was—"

"To remove tension."

"With s*x."

"It worked."

Mira opened her mouth.

Closed it.

Then pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You’re insane."

Lux smirked faintly.

"I know."

A soft shift behind him.

Subtle.

Controlled.

Lux didn’t turn.

Didn’t react.

But inside, yeah.

Yue was definitely awake.

And listening.

He picked up the cup again, taking another sip like nothing changed.

"...Anyway," he muttered. "Plan still stands."

Mira exhaled.

"You’re bringing her to my family like this?"

Lux finally glanced back at Yue.

Then back at Mira.

"We’ll get her clothes first."

Mira stared at him.

Flat.

"That’s your big strategy."

Lux grinned.

"Step one."

Mira almost smiled.

Almost.

Then caught herself.

"Get dressed," she said, turning away slightly.

Lux raised the cup in acknowledgment. "Yes, dear."

Yue didn’t open her eyes yet.

She stayed still beneath the blanket, body relaxed, breathing even, as if she were still asleep, but inside?

Wide awake.

Fully.

Aware of everything.

The sound of him drinking that herbal tea, slow, reluctant, judging it like it personally offended his existence. The faint shift of his weight on the bed. The quiet rhythm of his breathing settling again after Mira left.

The room felt... different now.

Less chaotic.

Less heated.

But not calm.

Not really.

There was something lingering.

Something unspoken.

Something that didn’t belong to contracts, or power, or strategy.

And that... irritated her.