Chapter 429: Help her

"Hmm... This feels wonderful." Monica sighed contentedly, a beautiful smile spreading across her face as she settled against Luke in the bathing tub.

The builders had constructed it at his request long ago, yet he had never actually used it for its intended purpose until now. Always on the move and doing things rather than enjoying his life.

However, today, he had a great time with the one woman he came to love both as his mother and his mate in this world.

Warm water lapped gently against their bodies, and for once, Monica seemed in no hurry to leave the comfort of his embrace.

"It’s surprising you’re still awake after we went at it for so long." Luke glanced down at her with a hint of amusement.

Of course, by long, he meant barely an hour, but considering how Monica usually grew exhausted afterward, sometimes even fainting from the intensity, he had every reason to be surprised by her current energy.

"I don’t know." Monica nestled closer to him, seemingly just as curious about the change herself. "With my growing age, I should have become lazier and more fragile. Yet lately, I’ve been feeling much more energetic than I was some time ago." She shifted comfortably in his lap before lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Even some of the neighbours have been saying that I look younger and seem much livelier these days."

"Is that so?" Luke raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I hope no men have started ogling you under the pretense of praising your beauty." His tone was playful, but the faint darkness lurking in his eyes suggested that the thought was considerably less amusing to him than he wanted her to believe.

"Not at all." Monica tilted her head to look up at him, damp strands of hair clinging to her cheeks and framing her beautiful face. Her smile softened as she leaned closer and whispered, "Thankfully, the only man who looks at me that way, the only one who praises me, is the man I love."

Luke hummed in satisfaction, his expression growing considerably more pleased. "And it’s better this way." His arms tightened around her waist, his hold becoming a little more possessive as he drew her closer. Lowering his head toward hers, he added with an unmistakable note of pride, "My mate belongs to me alone."

A faint blush crept across Monica’s cheeks, but she made no attempt to hide her smile. Instead, she rose slightly in his embrace and pressed a tender kiss to his cheek. "I love you, Luke."

Luke’s teasing expression softened at those words. He gathered her against his chest, holding her close while his hand moved in slow, affectionate strokes along her back.

For a little while, he simply enjoyed the warmth of her body and the quiet intimacy they shared, with no need to fill the comfortable silence between them.

Then, as though remembering something, he lowered his chin and asked, "Can you do something for me?"

"Hmm?" Monica tilted her face toward him, her cheek brushing against his chest as she waited for him to continue.

"I’ll be bringing Thea over for dinner." Luke paused briefly before adding, "Perhaps you could help her feel more comfortable around everyone?"

Monica understood the circumstances surrounding Thea, so she didn’t dwell on the matter for long before nodding. "Of course. She might be a little eccentric, and I know she can be difficult to deal with at times, but I believe she has a good heart."

Luke chuckled at her easy acceptance. "Don’t be too merciful with her just because you feel sorry for her. If she speaks sharply or behaves rudely, reprimand her when necessary. Despite her age, she’s still very much like a child on the inside, so you’ll have to make the right decisions when dealing with her."

His tone carried a hint of helplessness, as though he had already accepted that Thea would give them plenty of reasons to worry.

Monica smiled faintly before a thought crossed her mind. She lifted her head from his chest and looked at him with a more serious expression. "Luke... does Roxanne know about your relationship with Thea?"

She was well aware of the brief physical relationship Luke had shared with Thea during their trip and for a short while afterward.

It hadn’t lasted long, nor had Luke ever claimed to have developed any deeper feelings for the woman. Back then, Monica had even cautioned him against getting involved too deeply, particularly because

Baldon was a man who could become troublesome when his pride was wounded. She had no desire to see Luke dragged into an unnecessary conflict over something that had already ended.

However, circumstances had changed considerably since then.

With Baldon gone, Thea had lost the one person whose presence had defined much of her life, leaving her with little to hold on to in the village.

Whatever her past with Luke might have been, he was now one of the few people she could turn to for support, especially given the bond they had once shared.

Monica didn’t intend to stand in the way of that. If anything, she wanted to help Thea find her footing again.

Still, she believed there was something that needed to be settled first. Roxanne deserved to know the truth before they extended their support to Thea, particularly since the two women had once shared a complicated relationship of their own.

Monica had no intention of allowing an old misunderstanding to grow into a new source of resentment.

"She does..." Luke breathed, his voice softening slightly as he considered the conversation he had already had with Roxanne. "I’ve told her everything, though it turned out she already knew."

He let out a quiet sigh, his gaze drifting toward the water before returning to Monica. "And, well, her reaction was much milder than I expected. She was hurt, I could tell, but she still encouraged me to support Thea if that’s what I wanted to do."

Monica nodded in agreement. "She’s right. Bring Thea over today. I’ll have a chat with her, not about the painful things she’s been through, but about what comes next. She needs something to look forward to, and I think it would be better to help her focus on the future rather than keep dwelling on the past."

Luke’s lips curved into a faint smile. He snuggled closer, resting his chin against her shoulder as though he had just been granted permission to remain there indefinitely. "I knew I could rely on you."

Monica chuckled softly, reaching up to stroke his hair as she settled comfortably against him.

...

’Alright, System. It’s time to level up.’

Luke sat in his room after taking a bath, having been abandoned by his mate for a rather trivial reason known as cooking.

Well, his stomach was rumbling loudly enough to argue that her decision had been entirely justified, but that didn’t change the fact that he would have preferred to spend a little more time with her. Unfortunately, even a man of his standing had little authority over a woman who had decided it was time to prepare dinner.

Still, since Monica was gone and he had the room to himself, he might as well put the time to good use. He had been sitting at the same threshold for long enough, and there was no reason to delay his advancement any further. More importantly, reaching the next level would finally allow him to unlock his second element, something he had been looking forward to for quite some time.

He opened his status window and examined his attributes.

[Level: 3]

[Strength: 60]

[Speed: 65]

[Defense: 70]

[Intelligence: 55]

[Gamma: 45400/45400]

[Gamma Points: 12000]

[To Level Up: 2000 GP]

[Host, are you sure you want to level up?]

Luke raised an eyebrow at the notification. "Would it hurt, or would I faint?"

His question wasn’t without reason. During his previous advancements, he had occasionally been sent into a trance-like state for a short period, leaving him temporarily unaware of his surroundings. Although the experience hadn’t caused him any lasting harm, he had no intention of casually dismissing the possibility that the next breakthrough might be more demanding.

After all, he was about to cross another threshold, and he would rather know what to expect before committing himself.

However, the System’s response was reassuring.

[Not with the host’s current strength.]

Luke shrugged. "Then go ahead."

[Command accepted!]

A cold shiver ran down his spine before the message popped up,

[Ding! You have leveled up!]

[Ding! Host, you have been reward with the skill <Kinetic Burst>]

[Ding! Host, you have been rewarded with 5 attribute points.]

[Host, you have reached the required level to draw your lot and unlock your second attribute.]

Luke rubbed his hands. At last. He would now have his treat.

’Okay now, spin the wheel.’

~~~

A/N:- Guess his second element. Thanks for reading. Leave a review to motivate me.