Amelia remained silent, simply locking eyes with Lucas— eyes meeting black—in quiet stillness.
"C-Could it be..." Lucas's eye twitched slightly. Because of their close proximity, he noticed the faint blush creeping onto Amelia's cheeks. Her gaze shifted downward, fixing on her own soft, pale pink lips.
"Mm!" Amelia nodded, leaning forward until her face was almost touching Lucas's. Her eyes stared straight into his, filled with an expression that clearly said, I want a kiss too.
"…" Lucas's mouth twitched as he rolled his eyes. He raised a hand, gently cupping Amelia's cheek, and slightly lowered his head before pressing a light kiss onto her forehead.
"Alright." His gaze softened as he looked at the confusion on Amelia's face and said softly, "Go to sleep."
Amelia raised a hand to touch her forehead, her brows furrowing. This unfamiliar sensation left her at a loss—it was a feeling she had never experienced before.
She obediently nestled into Lucas's embrace, slowly closing her eyes. The slight upward curve of her lips hinted that she didn't mind—it actually felt quite nice.
"Hoo…" Lucas let out a breath of relief. They hadn't known each other for very long, and he still didn't understand why she relied on him so much.
"Ahh~"
Lucas yawned, stretching his lips slightly. Waking up too early, combined with staying up late the night before, was catching up to him. Holding the girl in his arms, he slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Two hours later, the clock struck nine—one hour left until the shadow puppet show began.
"Young Master, wake up..."
Nicole called out softly, bending down to gaze at the two peacefully sleeping figures. She hadn't expected Amelia to be here. The military coat she had seen earlier clearly belonged to Annie, yet now it was Amelia in this spot instead.
Did Annie come and leave, with Amelia arriving afterward? That was the only possibility Nicole could think of. She hadn't realized Annie had become so bold.
"Mm~~"
Lucas slowly opened his eyes, lazily meeting Nicole's gaze. His voice was drowsy as he asked, "Nicole, what time is it?"
"Young Master, it's nine o'clock. There's one hour left before the shadow puppet show starts." Nicole replied gently, reaching out to brush away the stray strands of hair on his cheek.
"Ahh~~"
Lucas yawned.
Lucas yawned again, then noticed that Amelia had also opened her eyes. She pouted slightly as she rubbed her eyes, looking like she hadn't slept enough.
But in the next second, her expression returned to its usual calmness. She glanced at Lucas indifferently before slowly getting up, wrapping her coat around herself, and walking away.
"She's really..." Lucas smiled wryly, stretching as he got up. Then, he asked, "Is everyone awake?"
"Yes, they're already waiting for you in the dining hall." Nicole said softly, quickly picking up his coat and draping it over his shoulders.
"Oh? Looks like everyone's excited." Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed. Helen was up at seven." Nicole chuckled. She had seen the bunny-eared girl busy in the kitchen when she got up.
"Isn't today a school holiday? Why was she up so early?" Lucas asked in surprise.
"Helen said she's nervous," Nicole replied while helping him change. "She's worried she'll mess up the shadow puppet show."
"What's there to worry about? If she makes a mistake, she can just fix it. It's not a public performance—only we'll be watching." Lucas shook his head with a smile. He understood why the bunny-eared girl was anxious. After all, she had taken the lead in writing the script, while he had only helped with revisions.
There were still some issues, after all. Adapting the story to fit this era's style meant that certain details might feel out of place.
After freshening up with Nicole's help, Lucas stepped out and made his way toward the dining hall. Before he even arrived, he could already hear Ayesha complaining about being hungry—though, interestingly, Annie's usual loud voice was absent.
Creak.
Pushing the door open, Lucas saw that everyone was already seated. Annie sat quietly in her seat, avoiding his gaze, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.
"Morning." Lucas greeted softly.
"Morning, Young Master." Mina, Annie, and Ayesha responded.
"Good morning, My Lord." Freya, Elisa, Helen, and Hazel followed.
"Good morning, Lord Lucas." Catherine and Dahlia added.
Everyone had their own way of greeting. Last night, Catherine, Dahlia, and Elisa had stayed overnight at the castle.
Lucas nodded and took his seat. Amelia only cast him a cold glance before looking away. Everyone was waiting for him to start the meal.
"Let's eat." Lucas said, picking up a piece of bread. Only then did the others begin their breakfast.
"..."
The meal was spent amidst a mix of surprise and amusement from Catherine, Dahlia, and Elisa. It was their first time experiencing such a lively and playful breakfast.
Ayesha's astonishing appetite, Mina's gentle politeness, Annie's fierce food-guarding, Helen's thoughtful attentiveness, Nicole's caring nature, Hazel's adorable cluelessness, Lucas's calm smile, Amelia's cold indifference, and Freya's incredible speed—all these little moments made breakfast feel uniquely chaotic yet warm.
Each person had their own unique traits, and this atmosphere made Catherine, Dahlia, and Elisa eager to blend in. Yet, they couldn't shake the feeling that something was still missing.
After finishing breakfast, Lucas led the group toward the shopping street, where the shadow puppet performance was set to take place inside one of the buildings.
As they walked through the bustling streets, the surrounding commoners were left in awe. So many beautiful girls, all following behind Lucas, who led them at the front. Whispers spread among the crowd, and many respectfully bowed as he passed.
Lucas kept a slight smile on his face as he casually paraded through the city with the group of women, making their way to a building with a sign that read Shadow Puppetry. Two guards stood at the entrance, ensuring no one entered before the establishment officially opened.
"City lord," One of the guards greeted with a respectful bow.
"Mm." Lucas nodded and led the group inside.
Right at the entrance was a counter, which would serve as the ticket booth in the future. However, no staff had been assigned yet. Today was just a trial run—a rehearsal, so to speak. Only after watching it would they be able to identify any issues.
This shadow puppet show was an integral part of Lucas's larger plan. If it proved successful, he intended to expand it to other cities. It was also one of his strategies for promoting Sedona City. After all, shadow puppetry was an excellent medium for subtly conveying messages.
Passing the counter, they entered the main hall. Rows of chairs filled the space, neatly arranged for the audience. On the other side of the room stood a large white screen—the stage for the performance.
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