By the time Luke walked out of the Research Institute, evening was already close. The low sun stretched everyone's shadows long across the ground, and the sky was washed in a soft, gentle glow.
He climbed into the carriage and rode back the way they came, first dropping Navis and the other two off at the workshop.
As for everything that came next with the Research Institute, Wenward would handle it—staff assignments, materials, any other needs.
He'd take care of it all for Luke.
That was the beauty of working with the government. With the Institute joining in, Luke could basically save a huge chunk of money.
After leaving the workshop, the sun sank a little lower at the edge of the horizon.
Watching the steady flow of pedestrians along the street, Luke stretched lazily, a deep sense of ease settling over him.
"Huh?"
Just as he was about to step into the carriage, he turned his head, strangely, and looked toward the far end of the street.
Yurna Doer asked, puzzled, "Your Highness, is something wrong?"
"It's nothing."
Luke pulled his gaze back from the empty end of the road and got into the carriage, thinking for a few seconds.
Just now, he'd faintly felt someone staring at him—hard and direct. No doubt it was that sixth sense warning him… but when he looked over, there was nothing.
With no leads at all, Luke stopped thinking about it. He leaned back, closed his eyes, and rested.
The carriage rolled on. By the time the sun was just a sliver above the skyline, it stopped at his front gate.
He stepped down and saw the courtyard gate standing open. Luke was already used to it.
When he walked inside, he found two more rocking chairs had appeared, along with a full matching set—sun umbrella and all—neatly arranged in the yard like this was some kind of beach resort.
Lux and Fiora were sprawled out on the chairs, basking in the last warmth of the day. On the small tables beside them sat a serving of ice cream and a glass of iced cola each.
Seeing the two of them living even more comfortably than he was, Luke twitched the corner of his mouth. He couldn't even be bothered to comment. He just dropped into his own rocking chair.
The chair swayed gently back and forth. The yard was quiet, with only the steady whoosh of the waterwheel turning.
None of the three spoke. They simply enjoyed the lazy calm, feeling the light breeze brushing across their skin.
It was like the chair had some kind of magic to it. Paired with the peaceful atmosphere, just lying down made your body refuse to move and your mind refuse to think.
In that moment, both body and soul loosened completely.
Even Fiora lost to that heavy, languid comfort.
Until—after some time passed.
Lux was the first to slowly open her eyes. She stared blankly at the sky as the last smear of sunset faded away, looking like she still hadn't fully woken up.
Then she patted her stomach and muttered, "I'm hungry…"
As soon as she said it, Fiora also opened her eyes.
Unlike Miss Crownguard—who could admit she was starving and still refuse to move a finger—Fiora sat up and, without thinking, stretched her arms high with a long, unguarded reach.
If Luke had opened his eyes right then, he would've caught the graceful curve of her figure as she arched.
After the stretch, a lot of the sluggishness slipped away.
Only then did she add, a beat later, "I'm hungry too."
Lux finally broke free of the chair's spell and sat up, rubbing her stomach with a dramatic sigh. "I'm so hungry I don't even have strength left."
Then both girls turned their gaze toward the third rocking chair at the exact same time.
The message was obvious.
But the person being hinted at acted like he hadn't heard a thing—rolling over and going right back to sleep.
Two minutes later, Luke opened his eyes in defeat and sat up.
He turned around and saw two rich girls staring at him in total silence.
Their eyes were so intense his back started itching like someone was poking him.
As a prince, he'd always been able to do whatever he pleased. Ever since these two had started showing up for free meals, Luke was feeling, for the first time in his life… like he had a job.
No. This couldn't continue.
Looks like yesterday's "lesson" hadn't been enough.
Thinking that to himself, Luke stood, scratching his head as he wandered toward the kitchen.
Lux immediately trailed behind him, reminding him, "You promised me candy apples last time. I still haven't gotten any."
Luke yawned. Thinking about it… yeah, that did sound like something he'd promised.
He couldn't remember what had happened then, but he had definitely told Miss Crownguard she'd get the first taste once they were made.
And over the past few days, he'd completely forgotten.
It was fine when it was forgotten. But once he remembered, he realized he wanted them too—he had always been a sweets person.
When he'd been out shopping last time and saw Red Delicious apples, candy apples had immediately popped into his head.
So he said, "Then we'll make candy apples first. Something to hold us over."
Lux nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes!"
Once they got to the kitchen, Luke told Lux to go down to the basement cold storage and bring up the chilled Red Delicious apples.
Even after so many days, the apples were still fresh. They already kept well, and Luke had put them into cold storage the moment they got home.
While they thawed on the side, Luke started prepping.
The most important part of candy apples was the sugar shell on the outside—done right, it wasn't just "melt sugar and dunk."
People liked to talk like making them was simple, but the quality had a clear difference.
The sugar itself mattered. The technique and timing mattered. And the apples had to be good too.
Second by second, time passed.
When Luke finally carried a plate of finished candy apples out, Lux's eyes lit up instantly.
Bright red apple pieces—sorted by size—were skewered on wooden sticks, coated in a crystal-clear sugar glaze, and sprinkled with a dusting of white sprinkles. Like tiny fruit trees heavy with shiny "harvest," they looked ridiculously tempting.
Just the presentation alone conquered her on the spot.
Some things look delicious before you even taste them.
Fiora also looked over. It did look appealing, she had to admit… but she wasn't interested in sweets.
In her opinion, only children got obsessed with sugary snacks.
It was just sugar and apple, wasn't it? How good could it really be?
She glanced at Lux, who'd taken one bite and immediately narrowed her eyes in bliss.
Fiora let out a quiet, amused scoff in her head, picked up a skewer casually, looked it over, then leaned in and took a light bite.
Crunch.
The crisp crack echoed softly. The sugar shell wasn't as rock-hard as she'd expected, and it melted quickly on her tongue.
The glaze was shockingly sweet but not cloying—then came the apple underneath, and the sweet-and-tart flavor spread through her mouth like something clicked into place.
The duelist's cool, detached eyes brightened in an instant.
So good…
Without realizing it, Fiora took another bite. That sweet-and-tart balance hit just right, and before she knew it, she'd finished the entire skewer.
She licked her slightly glossy lips, then reached out for a second one.
And froze when she noticed Luke watching her.
Her hand paused midair. "What?"
Luke smiled. "Nothing. Good?"
Fiora didn't answer, just gave a small nod.
Luke kept smiling. "I thought you weren't interested in sweets like this."
Seeing he wasn't actually mocking her, Fiora extended her hand again, took a second skewer, and quietly ate it with measured, careful bites—like she was reviewing a sword form.
But remembering what she'd thought earlier—only kids obsessed over sweet things—her cheeks warmed a little.
As she savored the flavor, she couldn't help feeling relieved she hadn't said any of that out loud.
Luke had made plenty, and while candy apples did help wake up your appetite, you still couldn't live on them.
So he started preparing dinner.
With three people, it was the basics: three dishes and a soup. He moved around the kitchen, going back and forth, and didn't mind the cooking process at all.
Out in the living room, Lux and Fiora played five-in-a-row, sharpening their "skills" against each other.
Most games ended with Lux losing, and with every win, Fiora's confidence slowly returned.
She started preparing for her revenge match tonight.
After a full dinner—food and drink both thoroughly handled—the three gathered in the living room again.
And the person sitting opposite Fiora now… was Luke.
As for Lux—since neither of them could beat Luke anyway—she only had the right to watch from the side.
Luke looked at Fiora and asked, "So what's the deal? Same punishment as yesterday?"
"No." Fiora's lips curved into a faint smile, calm and effortless. "Yesterday's punishment was a little too boring."
Luke blinked, surprised.
He'd been wondering how to bring up raising the stakes—only for this duelist to offer it herself.
Naturally, Luke wasn't about to refuse. "You already have something in mind?"
Fiora thought for a moment. "If you lose, you practice swordplay with me."
"So you're still hung up on that." Luke pinched the bridge of his nose. "And if I win?"
"I practice swordplay with you?"
"…"
Staring at her smiling face, Luke went flat. "You really have the nerve. Either way, it's a punishment for me."
"Then you tell me," Fiora said.
Luke thought it over. His gaze drifted to Yurna Doer, then to her maid outfit, and his eyes brightened.
"If I win, you wear that outfit."
Fiora followed his line of sight to Yurna. She knew exactly what outfit he meant.
She turned back and gave him a look of pure disdain. "That's it?"
Luke didn't care about the look at all. "If you wear it, you also do what someone wearing it is supposed to do. How's that?"
Fiora considered for a second, then lifted her chin and agreed. "Fine. And my winning condition changes to the same thing. But you don't have to wear it."
She briefly imagined Luke in a maid outfit. It sounded… oddly compelling, actually, but on second thought, unnecessary.
And she'd already felt like her earlier "punishment" of making Luke practice swordplay wasn't quite enough.
Luke's idea was perfect.
If Luke lost, she could still order him to practice swordplay anyway—plus anything else she wanted.
"Deal," Luke said, nodding.
With the terms agreed, Luke smiled casually. "You go first."
Seeing how relaxed he looked, Fiora sneered inwardly.
You'll find out in a minute how stupid it was to underestimate me.
One night of grinding plus an entire day of study had led her to an epiphany: she'd grasped the true essence of five-in-a-row. She could now see through the mysteries hidden in this tiny board.
Honestly, when she'd been destroying Lux earlier, she hadn't even used her full strength.
Now, she was absolutely confident she could take Luke down.
With elegant, pale fingers, she pinched a white piece and placed it on the board with the poise of a master.
Watching her "expert" demeanor, Luke narrowed his eyes, suddenly suspicious.
Did she actually figure something out?
With that thought, he focused, deciding to take the match seriously.
But after a few moves, Luke's expression drifted right back into lazy indifference.
He looked at Fiora. She was intensely concentrated, cool eyes locked on the board, every move played with solemn care.
Luke chuckled softly to himself and yawned.
So it was a false alarm. He'd thought she was about to do something impressive.
Turns out she'd just gone from a total beginner… to a slightly less total beginner.
At the end of the day, still a beginner.
The only person as serious as Fiora was Lux, watching from the side.
She stared at the board just as hard, not daring to make a sound for fear of breaking Fiora's focus.
Inside, she was quietly tracking both their patterns, looking like a diligent student.
After a dozen or so moves—
Fiora's pace slowed. The focus on her face sharpened into tension.
She could feel the pressure, and she realized every step from here on out mattered.
Lux noticed Fiora becoming more and more cornered too, confusion filling her wide eyes.
She didn't understand how Luke had suddenly seized such an overwhelming advantage.
A few more moves later, Luke placed a black piece.
"I lost." Fiora conceded instantly.
Before Luke could say anything, she began analyzing her defeat on her own. "I understand. The problem was at moves six, seven, and eight. If I'd been more cautious there, I definitely wouldn't have lost."
Lux stared at the board, trying to remember. She couldn't recall the exact moment either, but she still nodded along.
After a long stretch of self-analysis, Fiora finally raised her eyes to Luke. "Again. I won't lose this one!"
Even as she said it, that thick confidence was still there.
Five minutes later.
The confidence on Fiora's face started to drain away.
For someone usually calm, her mind was turning messy.
Another five minutes.
Fiora fell into the same confusion as yesterday, hesitating over her moves.
After the final five minutes—
Fiora's shoulders trembled slightly, and she was fully questioning her entire existence.
"How many games was it? Fifteen, right? Fifteen days." Luke smiled faintly, then added, "I think we can stop here for today. You don't even make me want to bother beating you anymore."
Faced with that kind of humiliation, Fiora could only lower her head and swallow it.
Fifteen days… even hearing the number made her feel a kind of despair.
And right now, she truly had no desire to continue. Her mindset was on the verge of collapse. She knew that in this state, no matter how many games they played, she would never beat Luke.
Just when Luke thought tonight's games were over—
Lux suddenly stood up with total confidence. "I get it! My turn!"
Luke paused, staring at her. "You mean you're replacing Fiora?"
"Exactly!" Lux lifted her chin. "I've figured out the real way five-in-a-row is meant to be played!"
The sun was out, the rain had stopped, and Miss Crownguard thought she was unstoppable again.
Luke looked at her in surprise. "Then have a seat."
Well, well. He'd assumed there wouldn't be any extra entertainment tonight.
And now Lux was volunteering to march up and donate herself.
Fiora stepped aside to make room. Lux sat down brimming with momentum and shot Fiora a confident look like, Trust me.
"I'll avenge you."
Fiora nodded, a tiny spark returning to her eyes as she prepared to watch closely and see what Lux could do.
"You go first," Luke said, giving her the opening move.
Lux suddenly asked, "What if it ends in a draw?"
Luke didn't understand why she'd even ask that, but he smiled casually. "Then it still counts as your win."
"Perfect!" Lux grabbed a white piece and slapped it onto the board.
Across those dozen-plus games, she had finally discovered a guaranteed winning method!
When the enemy is strong and I'm weak, direct confrontation won't work!
Luke invented five-in-a-row. His skill was obviously nothing to scoff at. She couldn't beat him head-on.
So at times like this, you play the distance game!
She would completely abandon the idea of winning. She wouldn't attack even once.
She'd just stick to him like glue and block everything!
All she had to do was drag it out until there were no moves left—then it was a draw!
And a draw was her victory!
At the thought, Lux was practically laughing inside.
But when the game reached the twenty-fifth move…
She stopped laughing.
The smile vanished from her face as she stared blankly at the board.
"Huh? Looks like you lost, Miss Crownguard."
Luke spoke with exaggerated surprise as he placed a black piece down—completing a clean five-in-a-row to end it.
At first, he hadn't understood where Lux's confidence came from.
But the moment he saw her response to every move—instantly chasing him and trying to block with the intensity of someone determined to smother him completely—Luke understood her plan.
No wonder she'd asked that weird question about draws.
Her head was always full of crooked little schemes.
If blocking were really that easy, five-in-a-row wouldn't even be a game.
"That doesn't make sense…"
Lux stared at the board, unable to figure out where it had gone wrong.
Off to the side, seeing Lux jump in, Fiora's eyes had brightened at first—
Only for the light to fade again. She looked numb.
She'd thought Lux might be a powerful teammate.
Turns out she was just… another donation.
"It must be something I didn't block. One more!" Lux declared after staring at the board for a long time and coming to that conclusion.
She still refused to believe her idea had any flaw. So it had to be that she'd missed a block somewhere. Another game and she'd definitely be fine!
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