Not that he hadn’t expected something along the lines of this.

He was hoping it wouldn’t come to that point, but it was precisely why he encouraged his wife to get dressed for the night.

Not only so he wouldn’t get a stomach ache by sleeping like that, but also so they would be prepared for anything.

If not the people close to them, maybe some lunatic from elsewhere would attempt something as stupid as a suicide mission. Who knows?

At this point, he firmly believed that everything was possible. After all, wasn’t he a living proof of that?

Like right now. He was staring at a group of faces no one would ever want to encounter in the dead of night.

The Prince who had somehow accepted his fate, simply pursed his lips, doing his best not to die of embarrassment on the spot before weakly offering, "A massage... He was giving me a back massage..."

And it really was just that. At least ideally.

When it came down to it, Xavier had been the one to suggest it in the first place.

Since his wife had been so determined to learn about seduction, the Prince could only fall back on what had originally bridged their physical contact. It was simple. Familiar. And allegedly safer.

More importantly... Luca had seemed very interested.

Maybe a little too interested, in fact.

His eyes had sparkled the moment Xavier mentioned it.

In hindsight, that should’ve been his warning.

At the very least, he could’ve prepared himself for this heartfelt—yet slightly dangerous—display of affection. Perhaps with a few pain relievers on standby.

But looking at the crowd currently sprawled across the floor, it seemed that was no longer the main concern.

Duke Leander cleared his throat, straightening slightly as if presenting a formal case.

"W-we heard disturbing sounds," he began, voice firm despite the situation. "And when someone yelped, we were concerned for safety!"

He said it like a man justifying a lawful intervention.

And for some reason Xavier couldn’t even retort because he feared that he might have actually sounded a little too distressed at that time.

Ahem. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

But to everyone’s surprise, Luca immediately bowed.

"Oh no! I’m so sorry for waking everyone up!" he said earnestly. "I-I didn’t control my strength properly and pressed harder than I should’ve!"

There was no hesitation. Just a pure, genuine apology.

For a moment, it looked like the world had dimmed around him, and it was enough to make everyone uneasy.

While others, after their own bouts of personal recalibration, had gained better control over their abilities after drinking the concoction made from the Queen of the Night, Luca’s case was... quite different.

The out-of-body experience aside, he hadn’t gone through the same drastic adaptation period. Instead, there were moments when familiar actions would suddenly carry far more force or spiritual energy than expected.

It didn’t start that way, but whenever he got too excited, he would end up... overcharged.

And unfortunately, he had been just a little too enthusiastic upon realizing one of his dreams.

Before anyone could react, Luca raised his hand again—

Several people visibly flinched.

"!"

But this time, his palm landed gently against Xavier’s back.

A collective breath was released.

Duchess Amelia, the ever-patient woman who had since taken ten deep breaths and fully grasped the extent of their misunderstanding, stepped forward with composed grace.

"We apologize for barging in," she said calmly. "And for breaking the door."

Her gaze shifted briefly to the unfortunate remains of said door before she exhaled.

"Luca, if you’re alright with it... Perhaps Xavier could stay with you tonight," she added. "It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to remain here with the door like this."

But just as anyone could probably expect, Duke Leander immediately snapped his head toward her.

"Lia!" he gasped. "B-but we have plenty of rooms! Surely we’re not so lacking that our son and son-in-law must share one—!"

"Of course we’re not," Amelia replied smoothly. "But as you’ve pointed out, son and son-in-law. They’re married. What’s the issue with them sharing a room when it’s even like that at the academy?"

Her reasoning was flawless.

There really wasn’t any reason to say that, but she simply wanted to make up for the intrusion. After all, they had clearly disrupted a private moment.

And to be fair, she had only come to stop her husband, and because that yelp had sounded far too alarming for two people who were clearly stronger than most.

Luca, however, brightened at the offer.

"Really?" he asked, eyes lighting up. "Of course, Mom! He can stay with me!"

From the bed, Xavier managed to add, still face down, "Thank you, Mother. I’ll be in his care."

"...!"

"This!"

Duke Leander looked like he had just melted on the spot.

It was honestly tragic.

Everyone else, sensing the need to retreat immediately, began gathering themselves and making a swift exit—dragging the gooey Duke along like he had no choice in the matter.

But just before leaving, Duchess Amelia paused and glanced back.

"Just use a spiritual barrier if you intend to continue... this," she said with a small sigh. "And... be careful."

She honestly meant that after seeing that wild hand that her child wielded. She wasn’t even sure she’d be able to survive it had it been her in Xavier’s place.

There was a faint, knowing look in her eyes before she turned away, clearly resigned to the fact that these two were... unique.

"Goodnight, Mom! Papa! Everyone!" Luca called cheerfully.

Voices answered back in a rush as footsteps quickly retreated down the hall.

And then—

Silence.

The golden-eyed cadet turned back to Xavier, who was still sprawled across the bed, white hair fanned out in complete disarray.

There was a brief pause.

Xavier, whose back had thankfully survived, suddenly felt a sense of unease settle in.

Because in that room—now missing a door, with the hallway still faintly echoing—

His little wife leaned closer and whispered:

"Husband... shall we?"

He said it with a soft, flushed smile.

And Xavier almost choked.