Shortly after the parting hour of the fifth day arrived at dusk, Mortis, who had been busy handling affairs in the temple, finally returned home.
As soon as she entered, she saw Lucian teaching her daughter how to draw.
In her eyes, the two of them looked so close, as if they were a true father and daughter, while she was just the stepmother.
'I was only gone for five days, so why does it feel like there's no place for me in this home anymore?'
Mortis suddenly felt uneasy inside.
"Have you finished everything you needed to do?"
Lucian's voice sounded, carrying a hint of concern.
Hearing his words, Tribios, who was focused on drawing, immediately looked up, and the moment she saw her mother, she quickly dashed over like a little butterfly.
"Mama!"
Mortis scooped her daughter into her arms dotingly, and the two pressed their faces together in an affectionate embrace.
Seeing this, Lucian hurriedly stood up, planning to leave and give the mother and daughter some private time together.
As for what was going on at the temple and the city, he had no interest at all.
"Tribios misses you very much, so spend more time with her."
Lucian smiled at Mortis, then patted Tribios's head before turning to leave.
"Mama, can Big Brother sleep with us tonight? I like sleeping with him."
Tribios's sudden request left both Lucian and Mortis a little embarrassed.
Even though they knew she was just being innocent, it still felt a bit awkward to sleep together so suddenly.
"But, my sweet girl, our bed is very small. Once we get a bigger one, we'll invite him, okay?"
Mortis was only coaxing the child, but in Lucian's ears, it sounded a little different.
"Okay..."
Tribios pouted regretfully, then looked at Lucian and waved her hand.
"See you tomorrow, Big Brother!"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
Lucian smiled back, and with that, he left the room, but just as he closed the door, he heard voices from inside.
Tribios: "Mama, can I go to work with you tomorrow?"
Mortis: "Oh? Why do you want to work?"
Tribios: "Big Brother said you work really hard, so I want to help make things easier for you."
Mortis: "Thank you, my sweet girl, but not yet. There are still some bad people around, and they might hurt you."
Tribios: "Why not let Big Brother chase them all away?"
Mortis: "Big Brother likes you, and he likes me, but we can't just take advantage of that because of his feelings for us. Liking someone goes both ways. He does so much for us, so we should be grateful and do things for him in return. Do you understand?"
Tribios: "Mm, I understand!"
Tribios: "Then can you buy me some colored pens? I want to draw Big Brother a picture as a gift. I also want to tell him thank you for liking me."
Mortis: "Of course you can, my sweet girl."
Lucian, who hadn't even gotten far when he heard this conversation, couldn't help but smile as a warm feeling bloomed in his chest.
Honestly, he never expected anything in return.
He only treated this place like a game, planning to finish the script, leave, and get his reward for clearing the script, but now... he was starting to feel reluctant to leave.
'Hahh... I really am getting sentimental...'
Lucian sighed to himself, unable to hold back his smile as he left through the secret passage.
When he reached his own chambers, he found the bedroom alone was much larger than Mortis's whole place, so calling it luxurious was no exaggeration.
It was only natural.
He was, after all, known as the divine envoy in the public eye, so the people in power had to save face and never stopped Mortis from giving him such a fancy place.
However, now that all those people had been eradicated by him, he could stay here with a clear conscience.
===
As time passed to the next day, someone knocked on the door to Lucian's chambers at the entry hour (dawn).
Lucian opened the door and was greeted by the sight of Mortis, a stunning beauty with red hair and elf-like ears.
She stood at the doorway, dignified and elegant, her white dress dazzling against her crimson hair, making her look even more divine.
As expected of a holy maiden.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
As Mortis greeted Lucian with her usual smile, Lucian smiled back and greeted her as well.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yup, thanks to you for giving me this place."
"Fufu, it's only natural." Mortis chuckled softly while covering her mouth. "You're the divine envoy and also my savior. Me doing my best for you is a given."
After saying this, she fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
"By the way, can you come see Tribios?" Mortis asked softly. "She has something she wants to say to you."
Lucian didn't even need to guess—it was surely about the gift they had talked about last night, so he nodded without hesitation, closed the door, and followed Mortis back home.
Once again, they went through the complicated secret passage to the underground room.
As soon as the door opened, a flash of red shot out and jumped in front of Lucian.
It seemed Tribios had been waiting here for a long time.
"Good morning, Big Brother!" Tribios greeted as she held up a drawing. "Big Brother, this is a gift for you. Thank you for liking me! I like you too!"
Lucian, however, stood frozen on the spot.
He had expected a gift, but he didn't expect Tribios to jump out like this, which really caught him by surprise.
Cracking a smile, Lucian took the drawing paper from Tribios.
On the paper, there were three little figures—a man, a woman, and a child.
It looked like the three of them were holding hands, with a temple, trees, and the Dawn Device in the background.
Seeing the drawing, Lucian felt a strange sense of happiness, something he couldn't really describe.
"Hmm, this is wonderful. I really like it, thank you."
Lucian brushed his hand over the paper, and emerald-green branches soon grew out of thin air, weaving around it to form a photo frame.
Seeing how much Lucian cherished her gift, Tribios couldn't have been happier—she beamed like a flower in full bloom.
"I also have a gift for you, to thank you for everything you've done for me." Mortis took out a red string with a white five-petaled flower attached. "I made it myself, and I've blessed it. I hope you like it."
She gently lifted Lucian's left hand and tied the red string around his wrist.
"In my homeland, there's a saying, 'a thread ties the fates of those destined to meet'—and that thread is this red string."
Upon hearing this, Lucian looked at Mortis with a half-smile.
"Doesn't that mean you giving me this red string is because you want to tie me to your side?"
Lucian's blunt question instantly surprised Mortis, who instinctively averted her eyes.
A blush eventually crept over her face, but she still tried to stay calm.
Just as Lucian had guessed, Mortis really did have that thought—she just didn't dare admit it.
Frankly, there was no helping it.
One should know that both of them had only known each other for seven days, while that so-called 'love at first sight' only happened that quickly in fiction.
However, considering their current situation, maybe this really was what they called love at first sight?
"Mm..."
In the end, Mortis, in a low voice, affirmed Lucian's question.
However, in the next moment, as if remembering something, Mortis bravely looked up to meet Lucian's gaze, her expression slightly nervous.
"Um... Actually, I've never been married... My child was actually born from a fruit gifted by the Titans..."
Tribios was still young and didn't understand what they were talking about, so she just blinked her big eyes, looking at her mother and big brother curiously.
Looking at Mortis's sincere yet tense gaze, Lucian smiled slightly and gently patted her head.
"I know."
In fact, he had already guessed as much.
When he played the game before transmigrating, he had checked the background story and never heard anything about Tribios's father, not even a single word.
Besides, as Tribios grew up, she looked more and more like Mortis—almost as if she was carved from the same mold, without any trace of another parent.
Because of that, Lucian was sure that Tribios had no father.
As for where Tribios came from, he could now somewhat guess.
She was a child born from the divinity of the three Titans of Fate, entrusted to Mortis to raise. Perhaps, eight years ago, the Passage Titan had already designated Tribios as the future demigod to inherit their Coreflame.
"Well then, I also have a gift for you."
Lucian, still smiling, raised his hand.
"Abundance's blessing—may you live a long, prosperous life."