Chapter 634 – Money Rules The Realms
He sank deeper into the bath, watching a fourth holographic screen open. dia feeds. s. Blurred photos of his press conference, including one viral screenshot of him with his shirt open, expression smug, captioned "We’re Stonkin’ Up, Baby."
Lux nearly spat his coffee.
He laughed. Loud and real. Like the Greed prince he was.
He kicked one leg over the tub edge, tail drifting lazily in the water.
"Money rules the realms."
Steam curled around his horns as the holographic charts hovered obediently in front of him. Green everywhere. Candles rising. Numbers climbing like they knew who was watching. The bathwater lapped against his waist as he leaned back, one arm resting on the marble edge, coffee cup balanced casually in his hand.
This.
This was peace.
[Your vitals are stable. Stress levels reduced by 73%. Libido levels... elevated.]
Lux snorted. "Yeah, no shit."
He took another sip, eyes half-lidded, watching HellCoin tick upward another fraction of a percent.
[May I ask your plans for today, sir?]
Lux humd, thoughtful. The sound echoed softly in the marble chamber.
"Plans, huh..." he murmured. "Let’s see."
He rolled his wrist, flicking the hologram aside, replacing it with a ntal list. Not a written one. He didn’t need that. This was instinctual now. Strategy layered over indulgence.
"Maybe I’ll start by taking care of the daughter of that shitty uncle of mine," he said lightly.
The water rippled as his tail swayed once, slow and deliberate.
"That lamia."
A pause.
Then, with a very specific tone.
"Lylith Seravelle."
The na tasted like old wine and hidden knives. Lux’s eyes sharpened just a little. Not angry. Curious. Calculating.
A cunning glint flickered in his gaze. A smirk tugged at his lips.
"I want to know how she is now," he continued. "After everything."
[Clarify intent. What are you going to do with her, sir?]
Lux tilted his head, considering.
"What do I want to do?" he repeated, as if tasting the question. "Plenty of options."
He lifted the coffee cup again, watching the steam rise.
"I could absorb her wealth," he said calmly. "Every asset. Every hidden account. Drain it to nothing and leave her scrambling. No more leverage. No more pretending she’s clever."
[That is within your capability.]
"I know." His smile widened faintly. "I could also break her. Isolate her politically. Make her a cautionary tale. My dead uncle would choke on it."
[Or...?]
Lux’s gaze drifted, unfocused now, mory creeping in.
Her eyes.
Not lust. Not fear.
Calculation.
That faint, sharp scent of greed that wasn’t hunger, but ambition. The kind that wanted sothing from him. Sothing transactional. Sothing cold.
He went quiet for a few seconds.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"...Or," he said, "I could see if she’s entertaining."
[Entertaining in what sense?]
Lux chuckled softly. "Let’s not pretend you don’t know how my mind works."
[Based on your historical behavior, the probability of you adding her to your harem is 41%.]
Lux froze.
Just for a beat.
The water sloshed faintly as his body stilled.
"...No," he said after a mont.
Not angry. Not defensive.
Just... certain.
"I don’t think so."
[Reasoning?]
Lux leaned back deeper into the tub, head resting against the marble edge. His eyes closed briefly as he thought it through properly. Not emotionally. Logically.
"She didn’t look at like my girls," he said slowly. "Not like desire. Not like affection. Not even like curiosity."
He opened his eyes again.
"She looked at like leverage."
[You dislike being treated as leverage.]
"Exactly," Lux replied. "That’s my role. I have plenty of people who want to use . So no thank you."
A quiet chuckle escaped him as he sipped his coffee again.
"But..." he added, voice lowering, "...that doesn’t an I won’t use her."
[Elaborate.]
Lux’s smirk returned. Sharper now.
"I could bind her," he said. "Not emotionally. Not carnally."
His tail flicked once, slicing the water.
"Business."
[You an a contract.]
"Yes," Lux said simply. "A soul deal. One she can’t refuse but thinks she benefits from. Turn her ambition into a leash. If I can’t have it... I have to control it. Especially soone dangerous like her. She could turn her back on ... or try to kill again by taking another demon contract. Afterall, now she knew the demons exist..."
[Servitude arrangent.]
"In prettier words," Lux replied. "Asset. Vassal. Whatever title keeps her ego intact."
He lifted his coffee cup in a mock toast to the floating charts.
"Business becos my servant."
[In other words, you intend to do what you usually do.]
Lux laughed quietly. "When you put it like that, I sound predictable."
[You are consistent.]
"Thank you. Consistency builds trust. And empires. That’s what I do."
He drained the last of his coffee, setting the cup aside as the tray dissolved back into the villa’s service system. His shoulders relaxed. Muscles loose. Sated.
"Anyway," he said, waving one hand dismissively. "That’s later."
[What else is on your schedule?]
Lux’s expression softened. Just a touch.
"I might drop by Ariel’s place," he said. "I wonder how she is."
[Ariel. rmaid. Emotional bond probability: high.]
"Yeah," Lux murmured. "It’s been a while."
His gaze drifted to the far window, where sunlight filtered through enchanted glass, scattering light across the bathwater in shimring patterns. He imagined the sea. Salt. Cool water. Ariel’s voice. The way she laughed when she thought no one was listening.
"After all this chaos," he added quietly, "I think I owe her a visit."
[Noted. Do you require transportation, gifts, or contingency planning?]
Lux smiled.
"Always contingency planning," he said. "But no gifts. Not yet."
He stood, water cascading off his body as he stepped out of the tub, muscles catching the light. Steam rose around him like a curtain as he reached for a towel.
"Let’s see what the day brings," he said casually. "If it brings profit, pleasure, or problems."
[Probability suggests all three.]
Lux laughed again. Low. Satisfied.
"Good," he said. "I’d be bored otherwise."
And sowhere deep in the system core, Greed purred.
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