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Wait—hold on a second.

Did she just say what I think she said?

The moment that cold-toned woman—Lucia—casually called Sheila "Mother," the entire atmosphere in the bathroom shifted. What had been borderline awkward now became absolutely unbearable.

Because that meant... yeah. They had just been doing all that—right in front of her daughter.

Yikes.

Even Bokue, who rarely got rattled, found himself momentarily uncomfortable.

Of course, the one most mortified was Sheila herself. After all, she was the one straddling someone in that position when her daughter walked in.

"Lucia... I... how did you even find this place—no, wait, why are you here in the first place...?"

For once, the normally poised Succubus woman was stumbling over her words like a student caught cheating on a quiz.

The silence grew heavier by the second as mother and daughter just... stared at each other across Bokue's shoulder.

❁❁❁❁

Five or six painfully long seconds passed before Lucia finally averted her gaze and looked off toward an empty spot on the floor.

"I'll wait for you outside."

With that, she turned around and walked calmly out of the bathroom, not giving either of them a chance to respond.

Welp.

Bokue had been about to speak up and smooth things over, but... guess that wasn't needed now.

He glanced down slightly.

"So... are we still continuing?"

"..."

Sheila inhaled sharply, her expression caught somewhere between exasperation and amusement.

Then she reached up and gently pinched his nose.

"What do you think?"

Fair enough.

Bokue sighed, gave up, and gently picked Sheila up—setting her aside so he could clean up the aftermath.

At the very least, they couldn't just leave everyone floating around in the bath like that.

❁❁❁❁

Five Minutes Later

In the living room, Lucia sat calmly in an armchair near the coffee table while Sheila took the sofa.

Bokue was the last one to arrive. He'd taken time to properly dry off and dress everyone—Mio, Maria, Zest, Kurumi, and Yuki—and then tucked them into their respective rooms.

Thankfully, the suite took up an entire floor and had more than enough bedrooms, so fitting in Kurumi and Yuki wasn't a problem.

Now standing by the couch, Bokue looked down at the Succubus wife sitting neatly with her legs crossed—still flushed, still in a simple dress, and lightly swinging her bare feet.

Hmm.

Without asking permission, he bent down and casually scooped her into his arms, plopping himself onto the couch and settling her into his lap like a plush doll.

"Bokue! W-Wait a second—!"

Surprised by the sudden lift, Sheila reflexively clutched the front of her skirt, but the back hem fluttered up on the way down.

From Bokue's angle, he got a full view.

Still, the moment lasted barely a second before she landed back in place.

As Sheila settled into his lap—

She almost bit her tongue trying to suppress the involuntary response.

Her inner monologue was interrupted mid-rant as she clenched her jaw hard, doing everything she could not to make a sound.

Fortunately, thanks to her intense self-control, she appeared to Lucia as nothing more than a slightly stiff posture adjustment—just a bit of awkward seating.

Bokue, of course, remained utterly unfazed, holding Sheila like a prized pillow as he turned his attention to the silver-haired maid across from them.

"Alright, back to the matter at hand. Lucia, right? From where I'm sitting, it doesn't seem like you and your mother are particularly close. So I'll ask plainly—why are you here?"

Lucia didn't blink.

"Not close? What makes you say that?"

"Let's start with this—"

He raised a finger.

"Don't answer a question with a question. I'll answer yours in a moment. First, answer mine—what's your purpose here?"

Lucia didn't hesitate.

"Very well. I'll state my position clearly."

She gave a polite nod.

"I'm here on behalf of Lord Ramusas of the Old Demon King faction in the Northern Territories. Tensions between the Old and New factions are escalating, so Lord Ramusas has ordered the recall of Mio Naruse. As the daughter of the former Demon King Wilbert, she's considered part of our side."

"Recall her? Part of your faction?"

Bokue tilted his head.

"Who said that—was that your idea? Or Ramusas?"

"Lord Ramusas orders, of course."

"Right. So is this guy just brain-dead or what?"

"...Excuse me?"

Lucia blinked, visibly stunned. She hadn't expected this well-mannered, almost noble-looking young man to drop an insult that vulgar so casually.

Bokue shrugged.

"Let me break it down for you. When Mio was being hunted by Zolgear's forces under the New Demon King faction, where was Ramusas? When Maria was blackmailed, when your mother was kidnapped—did he lift a finger? Nope. But now, all of a sudden, the New Faction declares open war and he's short on fighters, so he remembers he has a niece? And you think that makes it okay?"

"That's..."

Lucia faltered, clearly unaware of most of that.

Bokue continued:

"He wants people to 'think of the bigger picture'—yet they were never even included in the picture. He wants them to 'sacrifice everything'—but they are the sacrifice. No power, all responsibility? 'With great weakness comes great obligation?' I swear, do all you people go to the same manipulative rhetoric school?"

He exhaled, leaned back, and finished with a smile.

"Anyway. Here's my question now—this Ramusas guy... does he have a death wish?"

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