"My, my! So you're the new sister joining us, huh? Welcome, welcome! My name's Baiheng, Lucian's wife. From now on, we're all one big family!"
Upon hearing Baiheng's words, March and Stelle were instantly stunned.
What sister?
What wife?
They had never heard that Lucian actually had wives on the Xianzhou Luofu as well, yet the foxian woman was standing right in front of them, acting so open and enthusiastic that it didn't seem like a joke at all.
Stelle quietly took the opportunity to observe the three godmothers who had suddenly appeared.
One was cold and elegant, one was proud and aloof, and one was bright and cheerful—the lineup was surprisingly complete.
The cold woman with white hair and crimson eyes wore flowing white robes that fluttered lightly around her body, making her look just like an immortal fairy from an eastern fantasy drama.
The short pink-haired girl looked small and adorable while naturally carrying an air of authority. Somehow, the contrast only made her even more attractive, to the point that Stelle unconsciously thought that pushing her down would probably feel amazing.
The fox-eared beauty was equally eye-catching, her warm smile and passionate personality making people instinctively want to get closer to her.
Unlike Stelle, March covered her mouth in disbelief while secretly admiring them inwardly.
'All three of them are so pretty, and each one has her own charm... Lucian's way too much of a playboy, isn't he?'
Having thirteen wives in Izumo was already ridiculous enough, yet somehow there were three more here.
At this rate, could there be another three at the next stop as well?
Was the entire cosmos secretly Lucian's personal harem land?
Meanwhile, while March was questioning reality, Himeko was caught off guard by Baiheng's sudden enthusiasm.
Himeko maintained a polite smile as she subtly tried to pull her hand back, only to realize that the other party was holding it quite tightly and had no intention of letting go.
"Uhh, hello? I'm Himeko, the navigator of the Astral Express. I think you may have misundersta—"
Before Himeko could finish speaking, Fu Xuan suddenly walked over and calmly interrupted her.
"Since you're here, just make yourself at home. From now on, we're sisters, so there's no need to hold back."
Even though her expression was not particularly warm, her tone strangely carried a sense of calm approval.
"Correct."
Jingliu slowly nodded in agreement beside Fu Xuan, briefly adding in her usual concise manner.
Himeko completely froze at those words, her beautiful eyes filling with obvious confusion.
"W-Wait! You three really misunderstood! Lucian and I are just ordinary friends! I only came here as a member of the Astral Express crew while Trailblazing along the way!"
Ordinary friends?
How could Lucian possibly have that many ordinary female friends?
If Himeko were a man, then that statement would have been one hundred percent believable, but since she was a woman, maybe fifty percent believable at best.
Fu Xuan, Jingliu, and Baiheng all wore expressions of disbelief as they looked at Himeko.
Speechless, Himeko glanced between Jingliu and Fu Xuan before instinctively feeling that Baiheng seemed easier to talk to.
"Miss Baiheng, right? Please rest assured, I clearly know that Lucian is a married man. I absolutely have no improper thoughts toward him, and I would never interfere with your family. Right now, we're simply traveling together as friends. Really, I guarantee it in the name of the Astral Express's navigator!"
Right after her words fell, the air suddenly fell silent for a second.
Jingliu and Baiheng exchanged a subtle glance because those words sounded oddly familiar, as though they had heard something almost identical before.
In the next moment, they immediately remembered.
"Hahahaha!"
Baiheng burst out laughing before elbowing Fu Xuan beside her with a teasing grin.
"Well? Did you hear that, Xuan? I mean, the last person who swore that confidently and practically had 'I'll never become Lucian's woman' written all over her face... wasn't that you?"
At Baiheng's teasing, even Jingliu rarely showed a faint smile as she calmly nodded.
"Mm, the previous person who swore in the name of the Master Diviner is standing right here."
After getting jabbed by Baiheng and hearing Jingliu's words, Fu Xuan's fair cheeks instantly flushed red before she immediately glared at them in embarrassment and irritation.
"W-What nonsense are you talking about?! I... I..."
"I what?"
Baiheng pressed further with a mischievous smile.
Fu Xuan instantly found herself speechless.
After all, there was no way she could openly admit that she herself had once firmly drawn the line and insisted on keeping her distance from Lucian, only to completely fall for him not long afterward.
In the end, she could only force herself to remain calm, lightly cough twice, and once again look toward the bewildered and shocked Himeko.
"Ahem... anyway, crude as their words are, they're not wrong. Since you already said that, according to this bastard husband's strange law, you'll most likely be unable to escape him. As the saying goes, learn from past experience, so... you might as well start interacting with us as his wife now and save yourself trouble later."
If it had been the old Fu Xuan, she definitely would not have said something so ridiculous and absurd.
However, after spending so much time with Lucian and the others, her disposition had gradually changed as well.
Of course, this was merely another side of her that she showed in private, because to outsiders, she was still the dignified and authoritative Master Diviner who inspired respect throughout the Xianzhou Luofu.
"???"
Himeko fell silent, her face full of confusion.
What did they mean by saying that those words meant she could no longer escape Lucian?
What kind of bizarre family logic was that?
And what was that strange law supposed to mean?
Was Fu Xuan stating her position wrong or something?
Why did it somehow feel like it had produced the exact opposite effect?
More importantly, they were actually directly inviting her to interact with them as Lucian's wife.
No matter how she looked at it, this entire situation was simply absurd beyond belief.
Himeko genuinely felt as though the worldview and common sense she had built over decades were currently being subjected to repeated, violent impacts.
"No... You three really have it wrong. How could feelings possibly be determined by a single sentence? Lucian and I only have a working relationship built on mutual respect, nothing more. I don't have any feelings for him beyond friendship."
Himeko spoke firmly and decisively, feeling that she had already made herself clear enough this time.
However, the three women opposite her simultaneously revealed expressions that practically screamed, 'You're still too green.'
"Little sis, this big sis has already been through it. Your sister Fu Xuan swore way harder than you back then, but afterward... heehee..."
Baiheng spoke gently while patting Himeko's shoulder with the demeanor of a seasoned veteran who had already been through it all.
Upon hearing her words, a vein immediately twitched on Fu Xuan's forehead.
"Baiheng! No one will think you're mute if you stay quiet!"
Yet despite her embarrassment, Fu Xuan never actually refuted the statement, which only made it seem even more convincing.
"Talking more is useless. If it's not now, it will be later. It's only a matter of time."
Jingliu also did not appear interested in continuing a pointless argument and simply summarized the matter in her calm, indifferent tone.
At this point, Himeko, completely speechless and at a loss, rubbed her forehead with a helpless expression, already beginning to feel a headache coming on.
"Uhh, this... this is simply unreasonable... Lucian, aren't you going to do something about this? Why are your family relationships so... so strange?"
Himeko finally turned toward the true culprit behind all this chaos, who had been silently watching everything with an amused expression.
Inside, she was filled with confusion and disbelief, completely unable to understand what kind of spell Lucian had apparently cast on these women.
Lucian couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at the scene unfolding before him.
He had imagined that when he returned, his three wives would rush over to hug him, then complain about how long he had been gone, how unhappy they were that he rarely stayed home, and even misunderstand Himeko, showing her cold attitudes or unpleasant expressions.
But never, not even in his wildest expectations, had he imagined something like this happening.
Not only had his three wives shown no displeasure whatsoever, but they had not even bothered to question him. Instead, they had directly dragged Himeko over and accepted her as his wife and one of their sisters.
However, the most important part was that they already seemed completely accustomed to this sort of thing. In their eyes, as long as it was a woman personally brought home by him, then she definitely could not be unrelated to him.
It was honestly understandable.
From their perspective, they knew very clearly that any woman with normal emotions would eventually find it impossible to resist Lucian's charm. On top of that, he even possessed the ability to change one's past through dreams, making him practically unbeatable in that regard.
All three of them had already experienced it firsthand, so no matter how much Himeko denied it now, it only meant that the right moment had not arrived yet. Once she personally experienced that miraculous dream, she would definitely come to them on her own and call them sisters.
Jingliu, Fu Xuan, and Baiheng all believed that firmly, without the slightest doubt.
And so, after enjoying enough of the show, Lucian finally stepped forward with an amused smile. He casually wrapped an arm around Fu Xuan and Jingliu's shoulders before looking toward Himeko.
"What's so strange about it? Isn't this pretty harmonious? And as for the stuff they said, don't mind them. We'll just interact normally, and I won't force you to do anything."
"You girls should stop teasing her, too."
"They're all my companions from the Astral Express—Himeko, March 7th, and this is my goddaughter, Stelle."
Lucian then introduced Jingliu, Fu Xuan, and Baiheng to the Astral Express crew as well.
Only then did Stelle quietly lean closer to March and whisper in a low voice.
"See, March? Calling Himeko 'Mommy' wasn't wrong, right?"
Hearing that whisper, March immediately covered her face with one hand, feeling awkward on Himeko's behalf.
"Stelle, stop talking already! Himeko's seriously gonna die of embarrassment!"
Himeko truly had blushed at this point, though it was the kind of blush born from anger, embarrassment, helplessness, and utter disbelief all mixed together.
"Please don't make this kind of joke anymore. It's really inappropriate."
Originally, Himeko intended to continue emphasizing her position and clear things up once more.
However, Baiheng immediately struck while the iron was hot and happily hooked her arm around Himeko's before she could continue.
"Alright, alright, Himeko, quit overthinking it already. C'mon, I'll take you to pick out a room. Stelle and March, you girls are coming too!"
And just like that, Himeko was half-pushed and half-pulled into the house by Baiheng while her mind remained a complete mess.
'No... I... I really didn't agree to any of this... Can't we communicate properly anymore...?'
Himeko subconsciously turned around to glance back at Lucian, only to see that man smiling warmly while casually waving his hand at her.
At this moment, she suddenly developed the strong feeling that agreeing to come to the Xianzhou Luofu this time might have been an enormous mistake.
Could it really be like they claimed? Was she destined to fall in love with Lucian?
'No, impossible!'
Himeko immediately shook her head hard, trying to throw such an absurd thought out of her mind.
'I keep my word. If I said we're only friends, then we'll absolutely only be friends!'
However, the moment that thought crossed her mind, she inexplicably felt slightly guilty, especially when she recalled Lucian's deep eyes and that gentle smile.
'At most, we'd only become extremely close friends... a male best friend, nothing further than that...'
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
[Support and get early access to upcoming chapters at: patreon.com/VALRRR]