"Lucian, I made some—"
Serfina entered the room, holding a tray of pastries, but before she could finish her words, Lucian raised a finger to his lips, making a quiet gesture, his eyes hinting at Robin, who was asleep in his arms.
Seeing this, Serfina's eyes softened, then, with a gentle smile, she quietly walked to the sofa, set the tray down, and carefully lifted the sleeping girl from Lucian's arms.
As expected of a mother, her movements were truly fluid and practiced—Robin didn't stir at all.
After a year of living together, Lucian had come to know this little family well.
Serfina was known across the halovians as a beauty, and also as a proud single woman—not because she was an arrogant, independent woman who didn't need men, but rather because fate had played a cruel joke on her.
Many years ago, when she was still living in the Montour system, on a quiet Sunday morning, two swaddled babies were silently placed at the gate of her carefully tended garden.
But sadly, their weak cries barely reached her ears, which made her not notice their existence.
Thankfully, a little robin bird perched near the babies, chirping repeatedly as if calling for help on their behalf.
In that moment, Serfina finally noticed the two babies thanks to the bird, and felt her heart melt completely.
From that day on, she decided to become the mother of the two.
However, raising two abandoned babies drained her strength and youth, which made love and marriage never cross her mind, since she poured all her love and gentleness into the two precious gifts that heaven had bestowed upon her.
In the end, because the baby boy had been found on Sunday, he was named Sunday.
Meanwhile, since a robin had called her for help that morning, the baby girl was named Robin.
It was that simple—nothing more, nothing less.
"Putting Robin to sleep must've been tiring..." Serfina said softly, then picked up the tray of pastries and offered it to Lucian. "Here, have something to eat."
Lucian took one pastry and put it in his mouth.
In that instant, the crisp layers broke under his teeth, and the cool, smooth cream inside burst with the tangy sweetness of starlit berries.
"Mhm, even better now." Lucian narrowed his eyes in satisfaction. "Absolutely way better than that bitter drink Mikhail makes."
Hearing this, Serfina chuckled, her lips curving faintly as she sat across from him.
Seeing Lucian eat the pastry, she put the tray down again, then had her hands rest gracefully on her knees—her posture proper and elegant as always—but her gaze couldn't help drifting toward him.
"You…" Serfina hesitated, then spoke in a voice softer than usual. "You've been really good to Robin and Sunday..."
Lucian raised his eyebrows, then looked up at her.
"Why are you saying that so suddenly? I've always been good to those who behave—no matter their size, y'know."
At Lucian's slightly joking words, Serfina's fingers curled faintly, not denying his claim.
It had been a year since she had started living with him.
Although the heroic figure she had first met had shown his iron, ruthless side, she now also saw his gentleness.
Now, the savior who had fallen from the sky with thunderous might had brought not only order and power to Penacony, but also something she thought she would never have.
"Why... Why did you choose us...? I mean, there are so many others who want..."
Serfina paused, the words left unsaid, but Lucian understood what she wanted to say.
In fact, over this past year, so many women had tried to win his favor—halovians, pepeshi, intellitrons—the list was endless.
Yet he had chosen only Serfina—the single halovian mother.
"Well, when I first came, you were the one who wouldn't let go of my neck and also the one who believed in me." Lucian said with a smile, then blinked his right eye at Serfina. "Now you're asking me why?"
Seeing this, Serfina's cheeks couldn't help but flush red.
Now that he mentioned it, she remembered that first meeting—how she had clung to him, refusing to let go of his neck.
"W-Well... that was… a special situation..." Serfina stuttered as she made an excuse. "A-Anyway, my life already belongs to you—that won't change."
With that, she hurriedly stood up, turned, and then left the room without looking back.
Lucian stayed silent, unable to shake the feeling that there was more behind her words.
===
In the evening, like every other day, Lucian, Serfina, Robin, and Sunday gathered together in the dining room for a warm dinner, but unlike the past dinners, this time something unexpected happened.
"Mama, can big brother be my papa?"
Robin suddenly looked up at Serfina and asked a sensitive question out of nowhere.
"Other kids all have dads—I want one too!"
Hearing these innocent-sounding words, Serfina instantly froze, her body going rigid as color flooded her cheeks, spreading quickly to her ears and slender neck, while the wings behind her ears unfolded involuntarily.
In the next moment, she covered her mouth and glanced at Lucian, her eyes flickering with panic and, surprisingly, a trace of hope.
"Um… Mama can't decide that..." Serfina replied softly, pretending to be calm. "You have to ask your big brother yourself..."
"Big Brother, will you be my papa, please~?" Robin turned to Lucian, clutching his arm while looking at him with her big, puppy eyes. "I like you! I want you to always tell me stories!"
Children's words were always simple, pure, and free of ulterior motives, so when she said she liked him, she truly did.
As for Sunday's feelings toward Lucian, though similar to Robin's, they were also different.
Unlike his sister, his feelings toward Lucian were not pure liking but more like admiration, like when one saw a hero or an idol to look up to.
Having your hero and idol as your father?
For Sunday, that was undoubtedly the best thing ever!
"Big Brother, I want to call you Papa too!"
Sunday ran over, grabbing Lucian's other arm with excitement and glittering eyes.
Seeing him act like this, Lucian couldn't help but smile.
Look at this little boy—one day he would become the solemn head of The Family in Penacony, but right now he was just a cute little bean.
Still, if he became Robin's father now, how would that even work later?
Would this script become another Tribios's script?
However, if he refused, he would hurt these two kids' hearts—and that could distance them from him in the future.
'Well, damn it all—just go all in. I can deal with the consequences later.'
Lucian sighed inwardly, then nodded to the two kids.
"Alright, I'll be your papa then."
"Papa!"
Robin immediately exclaimed with a big smile, then hugged Lucian's leg.
"Papa!"
Sunday followed his sister's example, wrapping his tiny arms around Lucian's other leg.
Lucian chuckled, then picked both of them up, one in each hand, smiling helplessly.
Who would have expected that he would become a father all of a sudden?
Of course, he also had his own reasons for doing this.
Maybe when the script ended, even the real Sunday would have to call him 'Father'?
On the other side of the dining table, Serfina silently watched the three, a soft smile tugging at her lips, seeming as if she were relieved.
===
As night deepened, Robin and Sunday had already drifted into sleep, and from their room came faint, murmuring dream-talks.
Done with her bath, Serfina stepped out of the bathroom in her bathrobe, and as she walked through the hallway and passed by Lucian's room, he happened to walk out of it.
In that instant, the air thickened—heavy and subtle.
In the hallway, the light from the shooting stars streamed in through the windows, gliding across her flushed cheeks and elegant collarbones.
Thanks to the earlier 'dinner talk,' she was now so flustered to the point that she was unable to meet Lucian's gaze.
Ultimately, she leaned against the wall, her fingers twisting at the belt of her robe and betraying her nervousness, while Lucian's tall figure cast a shadow beneath the soft glow, exuding an imposing presence that carried an oddly compelling pull of attraction.
In the next moment, he walked slowly toward her, each step steady, like a lion surveying its territory, and soon, his faint scent—strong and masculine—seeped into her senses.
"Serfina..."
Lucian spoke up, his voice low and rough, like sanded velvet, scraping gently against her ears and heart.
"Do you really want me to raise the kids with you?"
Serfina, feeling her heart pound wildly and her throat go dry, nodded without thinking.
"I... I... Of course I do..."
Under Lucian's hot gaze that seemed to burn through her, she couldn't help but feel her whole body go weak.
"Earlier, you said your life belongs to me... Doesn't that mean... you're mine?"
Lucian stepped closer, closing the distance until their warmth brushed together, then reached out—not quite touching her—just tracing his fingertips along Serfina's flushed cheek, brushing past her wings and down to her chin, lifting it slightly.
Serfina, feeling the spark in his touch, shivered, her breath quickening.
In her eyes, Lucian's gaze was too intense—too consuming.
It reminded her of the overwhelming power he had shown back then while sealing the Stellaron, and the cold cruelty and ruthlessness he had displayed when blood mist had filled the plaza.
And now, that same strength was directed entirely at her—bare, undeniable, possessive.
It wasn't a question.
It was a declaration.
A hunter's signal to his prey.
Serfina's final wall of reason ultimately collapsed under that fierce, unspoken pull.
In the next moment, she raised her head and met Lucian's deep, endless eyes, seeing no pity in them—only burning desire and a sense of belonging that made her heart tremble.
"Yes... I'm yours..."
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
[Support me and read next chapters early at: patreon.com/VALRRR]