CHAPTER 513: DIPLOMACY

Chapter 513 – Diplomacy

The milk was warm. Soft. Comforting.

He took a sip, then leaned back slightly. Calm. Casual. Relaxed enough to unsettle someone used to diplomacy, not dinner parties.

The servants, led by Lyra, arrived with practiced grace. They placed the appetizers in front of each guest—colorful bites of roasted lotus root, caramel-glazed starfruit, warm puffs of truffle air bread, and a delicate cucumber blossom soup that shimmered faintly with gold leaf.

No meat. No blood. No aphrodisiacs. No war food.

Lullaby called it ’Celestial Safe Mode.’ Vegan, sweet, diplomatic.

The air smelled like chamomile and almond milk, mixed with incense designed to calm high-mana individuals.

Naomi fidgeted.

Rava was calm but observant, her eyes constantly shifting between Solara and Selena.

Lullaby sipped her drink with both hands, completely oblivious to the tension in the air. Or maybe pretended not to be.

Sira?

She hadn’t even touched her food.

The silence lingered too long.

Lux smiled politely. "I’m glad you came," he said. "I know this is our first time sharing a table like this..."

Selena blinked. Then chuckled softly. "You’re right," she said, stirring her tea without looking up. "And oddly enough, it’s more tense."

Solara leaned forward, resting her elbows lightly on the table, chin on her folded hands. "Are you happy, Lux?" she asked gently. "This house... these people?"

He nodded. "I am. Very."

Solara smiled, but her gaze flicked briefly toward Sira. She didn’t say it, but it was there... ’Is this really peace?’

And Lux caught it.

He lifted his fork and took a bite of lotus root, chewing slowly. The root snapped clean but left a mild sweetness—delicate, boring, but safe.

"Formal doesn’t suit me," he admitted. "But I’m trying to... bridge."

Celestaria finally moved, tilting her head just slightly. "You feel it too," she murmured.

Lux met her eyes.

Yeah. He felt it. The awkward stiffness. The echo of too many unresolved arguments hiding behind perfect smiles. He saw it in how Selena’s lips twitched every time Sira shifted. In how Solara’s glow dimmed just slightly when Lullaby giggled. In how Celestaria, the diplomat of Heaven, didn’t even touch her tea.

They wanted to be closer.

But they didn’t know how to do it without risking war.

Every woman at that table had power. Pride. History.

Some had entire realms behind them.

Some had kingdoms waiting for commands.

Some could rewrite fate with a whisper.

And all of them were staring at their plates like the vegetable tarts might explode.

Lux could practically hear the tension breathing.

He leaned back, ran his thumb along the rim of his glass, and spoke gently.

"So... I know this feels a bit formal. A bit awkward. But I really do want you all to enjoy it. This is supposed to be a housewarming, not a house-colding."

Naomi stifled a laugh. Rava smirked. Mira coughed into her cup.

Lullaby didn’t understand the joke but nodded enthusiastically anyway.

Across from them, the goddesses exchanged glances.

No verbal reaction. No immediate softening. Just that subtle nonverbal conversation that celestials were too good at—half a second of shared thought. It wasn’t disapproval. It was hesitation.

Finally, Celestaria set her glass down and spoke.

"I understand," she said slowly. "And it was I who hoped you would invite us."

Lux blinked.

There it was. The honesty creeping out.

Sira’s fork paused.

Naomi glanced up.

Even Mira’s eyebrows lifted.

Celestaria didn’t usually reveal her intentions so plainly.

Lux’s shoulders eased. Just a little. Progress.

They began to eat. Quietly at first. Small bites. Tiny sips.

He watched carefully—this was the real test.

Solara cut into the caramelized apple blossom and took a bite.

She chewed. Elegant. Calm. Measured.

"So... how’s the food?" Lux asked lightly, trying not to sound like a nervous chef waiting for Michelin stars.

Solara swallowed gently and nodded. "Quite nice."

Lux grinned. "All made from mortal ingredients. Everything neutral. No infernal seasoning. No celestial blessed wheat. Just... normal."

Solara nodded again, almost impressed. "It is refreshing."

Mira chuckled. "Don’t put your guard up too much. You knew Lux before we did."

Selena lifted her eyes from her plate and spoke softly, the silver in her voice warm.

"We trust him. Truly. Or we would not be here."

That statement—not dramatic, not poetic—hit harder than any oath.

Because celestials did not travel willingly.

They did not eat food outside their realm’s purity.

They did not place themselves in another domain without divine escorts and priesthoods monitoring the air.

And here they were.

Sitting at Lux’s table.

Eating mortal food.

On demon hospitality.

It meant trust.

Real trust.

Lux felt it. In his spine. In his chest.

He tapped the table gently. "She’s right. And I really appreciate that."

He wasn’t joking now. The words were honest.

Lux rarely spoke in honest. Most of his life was polish and charm, business and leverage.

But this moment was real.

"I hope you enjoy the place and the food," he added, voice warm. "And... I hope you don’t mind some light conversation with my women."

The goddesses nodded.

Solara smiled. "We do not mind."

Selena glanced across the table, eyes resting on Naomi first—kind mortal woman who didn’t know she was sitting inches away from power that could rewrite laws of physics if insulted.

Naomi swallowed and tried not to stare too long. "Um... I’ve always wondered. How long have you three known Lux?"

Solara chuckled. "Long enough to learn he negotiates like a serpent but makes promises like a saint."

Lux blinked. "That sounds like an insult and a compliment."

"It is," Selena replied, sipping her tea.

Naomi giggled.

Rava rested her chin on her hand. "So you don’t dislike us?"

Selena blinked. "Dislike you? No. If anything, it is... strange."

"Strange how?" Mira asked, genuinely curious.

"We rarely meet mortals connected to infernals," Solara explained. "Usually such relationships are transactional, or political, or... fleeting."

"We expected the same here," Celestaria admitted.

Lullaby tilted her head. "But you keep watching him with soft eyes."

The entire table froze.

Lux choked on his milk.