CHAPTER 514: INSIDE VOICE

Chapter 514 – Inside Voice

Sira glanced up with a lethal little smile. "Lullaby. Inside voice."

Lullaby blinked. "But it was inside my head. Then outside," she said innocently.

Rava snorted.

Naomi turned pink.

Mira covered her mouth.

A small ripple of laughter rolled around the table.

Solara stared at her plate.

Selena tried not to smile.

Celestaria pretended her tea was very interesting.

Lux rubbed his forehead. "Can we not imply romantic espionage at the dinner table?"

Lullaby nodded. "Okay. After dessert."

The tension thinned again—like warm butter under a knife.

[Social Harmony: 83%]

[Diplomatic Hazard: Minimal]

[Goddess Affection: Rising]

Naomi leaned closer to Solara. "If you don’t mind me asking... what do you all do up there? Daily life. Is it worlds of meditation and holy vows?"

Selena laughed softly. "If only. Celestials argue. Debate. Draft laws. Rewrite existence. Handle worship requests. Manage prayer traffic."

"Prayer... traffic?" Mira repeated.

Selena nodded. "Mortals pray, complain, ask for love advice, ask for impossible things. Sometimes? Money, cursing someone, even karma. Someone has to sort it."

Lux raised a brow. "Is this why you sent an email at three in the morning once saying you were busy drowning in prayer petitions?"

Celestaria looked away. "We do not talk about that incident."

Rava leaned in. "What happened?"

Selena exhaled dramatically. "Celestaria tried to implement prayer priority regulations. Mortals staged a spiritual uprising."

Mira’s jaw dropped. "A what?"

"Thousands of prayer streams chanting: ’Fix our love life first!’"

Naomi slapped a hand over her mouth to stop a laugh.

Lullaby didn’t bother—she giggled openly, her whole body softly bouncing with it, like a sleepy bunny finally amused by the world. It wasn’t cruel. Just honest. Innocent. And after everything, even the goddesses couldn’t blame her.

Rava, elegantly propping her chin with one hand, looked toward the ceiling as if connecting dots. "I think I know why this happened," she said, her voice as smooth as seafoam over treasure. "There was this trend last Valentine’s Day. It was all over social media and short-clip platforms. Everyone was talking about it."

Lux raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"At exactly 00:00 on February 14th," Rava continued, swirling her drink, "mortal couples or singles were supposed to post a prayer." She looked pointedly at Solara, Selena, and Celestaria. "To the goddesses of light, harmony, and fate. Asking for love. For a mate. For loyalty. For Some romantic bullshit like that."

Celestaria froze. Her wine glass hovered mid-air. Her poise cracked, ever so slightly. "That..." she said slowly, "is not funny."

Naomi’s hand dropped, revealing a helpless grin. "I’m sorry," she said, eyes wide. "But it kind of is."

"It is," Lux said.

She shot him a glare. "You said you would never speak of it."

He grinned. "I lied."

Sira snorted.

Selena cut a piece of fruit, graceful and calm. But her thoughts were louder than her movements.

She watched Lux every few seconds.

Not with political calculation.

Not with suspicion.

But with the quiet hunger of someone who wanted him but didn’t know how to cross the line.

Solara was the same.

Celestaria too.

Each in their own divine way.

They ate slowly, exchanging polite words and small glances across the table, but Lux felt each stare like a warm hand on his chest.

Solara watched him quietly. There was something disarming about the way he looked in mortal clothes—no armor, no regalia, just simple elegance. He looked softer like this. Beautiful without trying.

Selena let her fingers drift along the rim of her teacup. If he asked, she might bend the rules. Maybe she already had. Maybe part of her wanted to.

Celestaria studied his face, searching for signs beneath his practiced calm. Was he happy? Did he even realize they hadn’t come for diplomacy... but for him?

And Lux?

He did feel it.

Their attention.

Their affection.

Their conflict.

He didn’t name it out loud.

Not yet.

He chewed another bite, swallowed, and spoke gently.

"You know," he said, "this might be the first time demons, mortals, and goddesses sit at my table without someone planning a lawsuit."

Naomi giggled.

Rava choked on her tea.

Mira exhaled like she’d been holding her breath since sunrise.

Solara smiled slowly. "True."

Selena touched her glass. "And it is... pleasant."

Celestaria added, almost too soft, "It is nice to see you like this."

Sira finally spoke—cool, smooth, controlled. "Lux is always like this."

Celestaria lifted her eyes to meet hers. "Not always."

Sira leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "I know more about him than you do."

Solara’s eyes sharpened. "But do you understand him?"

Lux shot her a sharp look.

Not now.

Not tonight.

But Sira didn’t snap. Didn’t unleash pride or poison.

She just said, "Yes. And I love him."

Naomi’s breath caught.

Mira’s eyes widened.

Rava went still.

Celestaria blinked slowly.

Solara straightened.

Selena raised her brows.

There it was.

A confession.

A claim.

A flag planted in the middle of the table.

Lux didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.

Then Lullaby placed her fork on the table and said simply—

"I love him too."

Naomi swallowed. "Me too."

Rava lifted her glass. "Same."

Mira shoved her hair behind her ear. "Obviously."

The goddesses stared at them.

Then Solara’s smile changed.

Not jealous.

Not upset.

But... relieved?

Selena exhaled softly. "Then we are not strange at all."

Celestaria looked down at her cup, eyes warming just a little. "Good."

Lux leaned back and rubbed his temple. "Can we not turn this into a collective romantic declaration while we’re eating salad?"

Lullaby nodded. "Fine. After dessert."

Rava snorted into her drink.

Naomi covered her face.

Mira grinned.

Sira rolled her eyes.

Solara laughed quietly.

And something changed.

Not the food.

Not the table.

Not the rules of heaven or hell.

But something small.

Soft.

Human.

The goddesses relaxed.

Sira’s shoulders lowered.

The mortals breathed easier.

Lux looked around the table and felt it—

That thin thread of comfort.

Of connection.

Of something real.

This wasn’t war.

This wasn’t diplomacy.

This was family forming in real time.

And for the first time tonight...

The goddesses weren’t watching him like a political tool.

They were watching him like someone they loved.

[Social Harmony: 92%]

[Diplomatic Hazard: Dormant]

[Affection Threads: Strengthening]

Lux smiled.

He could handle dessert.