Chapter 1148: Vacation Status: Cancelled [Part 2]

Chapter 1148 – Vacation Status: Cancelled [Part 2]

She pulled the cushion closer.

Lullaby, without opening her eyes, murmured, "Please schedule the war for the afternoon."

Lux looked at her. "I’m trying."

[You have received another emergency notification.]

"Of course I have."

He opened the Sin Houses announcement.

A crimson emblem expanded.

[Seven Sin Houses: Emergency Communication]

[Royal enforcement units have confronted Wrath House personnel.]

[Wrath House has refused entry to royal investigators.]

[Armed hostilities have occurred.]

Lux exhaled. "Wrath."

Sira leaned over his shoulder. "Already?"

"Apparently, His Majesty decided to audit the one house least likely to appreciate unexpected visitors."

[Preliminary reports indicate that royal soldiers attempted to seize restricted military records.]

[Wrath personnel resisted.]

[Casualties reported. Numbers unconfirmed.]

Lux’s expression hardened.

This was no longer merely administrative pressure.

Kaelmor was creating confrontations that could justify military intervention.

Or perhaps he no longer cared about justification.

Either possibility was bad.

"Send a message to Father," Lux said. "Tell him not to let the royal auditors separate the houses. We need a unified response."

[Message transmitted.]

"Ask Corvus for the latest intelligence from Wrath. No assumptions about casualties until we have confirmation."

[Request transmitted.]

He turned toward the final notification.

The Upper Realm’s seal glowed softly.

Celestaria.

Lux stared at it.

Please.

Just once.

Let it be an invitation to tea.

Preferably with coffee.

He opened the message.

"System, read it aloud."

[Certainly.]

Celestaria’s voice filled the room through the system’s transcription.

"Lux Vaelthorn. The Old Order has formally challenged the current council’s negotiations with the Lower Realm."

Lux’s fingers stopped moving.

Oh?

"The confrontation occurred openly in the Light Court. High Preceptor Aurelion launched a holy attack during proceedings. I countered it. No injuries have been confirmed from the incident."

Sira sat completely upright. "He attacked Celestaria?"

Lux stared at the message. "Apparently, Heaven has discovered workplace violence."

The recording continued.

"The Old Order has demanded a court decision on whether negotiations should proceed. We also have reason to question whether its representatives have made undisclosed commitments to King Kaelmor."

Lux slowly leaned back.

Below, Kaelmor had ordered audits against every Sin House.

Above, the Old Order had moved against Celestaria’s council.

Both on the same day.

Both targeting the institutions willing to negotiate with him.

The timing was almost offensively obvious.

Celestaria’s message concluded.

"We need to coordinate before either realm’s situation escalates further. Contact me as soon as possible."

The seal faded.

Silence settled over the bedroom.

Even Gula had stopped hugging her cushion.

Lux looked at the financial reports.

Then at the Wrath announcement.

Then at the empty space where Celestaria’s message had been.

His vacation was dead.

Buried.

Its funeral had been cancelled due to insufficient funding.

[Sir?]

"What?"

[Would you like me to update your schedule?]

Lux opened his eyes. "No. Coffee. Now."

[Shall I summon a servant?]

"Yes."

[And breakfast?]

"For everyone."

[Understood.]

Runa chose that moment to climb onto his lap. She looked up at him. "Meow."

Lux stared down at her.

Then scratched behind her ears.

"You’re lucky you’re cute."

She purred.

Sira leaned against his shoulder, studying the screens with a distinctly wicked smile.

"So," she murmured, "are we declaring war on Hell or Heaven first?"

Lux took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Neither."

His gaze returned to the forged authorization.

Then to the royal emergency announcement.

Then to Celestaria’s message.

"We’re going to make them regret starting one." Lux dismissed the screens with a flick of his wrist. "We move in an hour."

Gula looked at him.

Her shoulders drooped. Her eyes widened with an expression of such profound sadness that Lux might as well have announced the permanent abolition of food.

He blinked. Then sighed. "I mean after breakfast."

Gula brightened immediately. "Oh! Then I’m ready for war."

"Of course you are."

[Coffee delivery confirmed.]

Lux smiled. "Finally. Some good news."

A servant entered with a silver tray, carrying a steaming cup of coffee and the expression of someone who had wisely decided not to ask why seven emergency reports were floating above his employer’s bed.

Lux accepted the cup.

One sip.

Ah.

Civilization.

"Just remember," he said, turning toward Sira and the others, "in and out. Fast. If we can hide, we hide. If we can avoid a fight, we avoid it."

His smile sharpened.

"But if we have no choice except open confrontation..."

He took another sip.

"Then we do it."

[Your proposed strategy has been classified as: Sensible.]

[An unusual development.]

Lux ignored him. "Hmm..."

A woman’s voice drifted through the bedroom.

"Here I am, having only just escaped that boring coffin, and somehow I’ve acquired a war."

Everyone turned.

The voice continued, rich with lazy amusement.

"In both Hell and Heaven, apparently. How ambitious."

A woman stood beside the open balcony doors.

Long black hair cascaded over a fitted dark dress. Her obsidian horns curved elegantly above her head, their silver cracks barely glowing. Her red eyes wandered across the bedroom with the unmistakable interest of someone inspecting a particularly entertaining collection.

Lilith.

Lux nearly choked on his coffee.

Not because she had appeared.

Because he hadn’t sensed her approaching.

At all.

Her temporary form was solid. Her feet touched the carpet. Her hair stirred in the morning breeze.

But her power?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

His senses registered an ordinary woman standing by the balcony.

An ordinary woman with horns, ancient markings, and a smile that suggested she considered international catastrophes a form of breakfast entertainment.

[Unknown entity detected.]

[Threat assessment unavailable.]

Sira’s eyes narrowed. "Who is she?"

Lux lowered his cup. "Lilith." Then he added, "The demoness. The first demon who brought civilization to Hell."

Gula slowly sat up.

Lullaby opened both eyes.

An event of considerable historical significance.

Lilith smiled at them. "My, my. You certainly have some women here, Little Greed."

Lux chuckled. "This isn’t all of them."

"I know." She laughed softly. "I looked around before coming here."

Lux stared. "You toured my mansion?"

"Such a lovely place." Lilith approached the bed, caught Lux’s chin, and planted a leisurely kiss on his cheek.

Sira raised an eyebrow.

He looked at Lilith. "Seems Kaelmor panicked when he discovered you’d escaped."

Her smile thinned. "Of course he did."