Chapter 307

"Huh?" Lucas was momentarily stunned. What kind of reason is that? Too many people? That's not even the issue here!

"Stop! Don't take off any more!" Lucas groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead in frustration. "Go to Nicole and the others."

Amelia paused, tilted her head slightly, and looked at Lucas with her green eyes. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks before she turned away and muttered flatly, "No. They're too annoying."

"Too annoying?" Lucas was dumbfounded. What did Nicole and Mina do?

"Mm. They always want to hug people." Amelia said in the same indifferent tone. Without hesitation, she continued undressing, quickly slipping out of her clothes. Her pale back was now exposed, with two prominent scars standing out against her smooth skin.

Last night, Nicole had taken Amelia to the hot spring for the first time. Being small and delicate, she had immediately become the center of attention—Nicole and the others kept trying to help her wash up, hug her, or simply dote on her. Their overwhelming enthusiasm had startled her.

Now, completely undressed, Amelia's thin frame was even more apparent. Under Lucas's soft, sympathetic gaze, she instinctively placed her hands behind her, covering her backside, and stepped toward the hot spring pool without another word.

"Seriously…" Lucas smiled bitterly. She was shy enough to cover her butt, yet bold enough to bathe here? Now that she was already in the water, he couldn't just throw her out.

"Nicole, Amelia is over here," Lucas called out toward the bamboo partition. "She's already in the bath, so just let her stay."

"Eh???" A series of shocked voices rang out.

Mina, Nicole, Ayesha, Helen, Freya—all of whom were in the middle of undressing—froze in place. Even Annie, who had been hesitating in the corner, stared at the bamboo wall in disbelief. Amelia actually went to the other side?

"Amelia is too cunning," Annie slumped in defeat. Once again, she was going to be the smallest-chested one in this group. She glanced at the waves surrounding her and sighed. "If I had known, I would have gone to the Young Master's side too…"

"Ah! Annie, do you want to go to the Master's side too?" Hazel, completely bare, clasped her hands in front of her chest and looked up at Annie with wide eyes. "Then Hazel wants to go too!"

"Uh…" Annie's body stiffened as she immediately felt several sharp gazes land on her. She quickly waved her hands in denial. "No! That's not what I meant! The Young Master didn't invite me, so why would I go…? Uh… wait, no, I… I…"

"Tsk tsk tsk… So our dear Annie is just waiting for the Young Master to invite her, huh?" Mina crossed her arms over her chest, smirking teasingly. "How about this—why don't you go over and help him scrub his back?"

"Really? I can?" Annie's head snapped up, her brown eyes gleaming with excitement.

"No, you cannot!" Freya quickly interrupted in a panic.

Helen's light eyes flickered with hesitation. "Isn't that… a little inappropriate?"

"…" Annie pouted, her face flushing red as she turned away. Damn it, I got too carried away again. Every time she bathed with them, it just ended up being one big blow to her self-esteem.

"How about I go?" Ayesha suggested, placing one hand on her hip, her curvy figure on full display.

"No way." Nicole, Annie, and Helen spoke in unison.

Letting that busty cow go over? She probably wouldn't get eaten alive—Amelia was there, after all—but there would definitely be some questionable interactions.

"Alright, as long as Amelia is there, the Young Master will be fine." Nicole sighed, pressing her lips together. "Let's just enjoy the hot spring."

Originally, she had planned to personally deliver the snacks to Lucas, then casually stay and soak in his side of the bath. But now that Amelia had completely thrown off her plan, everyone was watching her too closely. She had no choice but to send a maid instead.

"Ohhh!" Ayesha flipped her long purple hair and pranced toward the hot spring in light, bouncy steps—her ample chest practically swinging in front of Annie's face.

"Ugh… damn it." Annie clicked her tongue, sulking as she begrudgingly started undressing.

"Splash!"

One after another, they stepped into the hot spring…

"Hah..." Lucas let out a soft breath. Listening to the voices chatting beyond the bamboo wall, he turned to glance at Amelia, who had her back to him. Only then did he begin undressing.

After placing his clothes into the cabinet and grabbing a towel, he stepped into the hot spring. Leaning against the edge of the pool, he stretched out his body—the water temperature was just perfect.

Amelia's ears twitched slightly. Only when she heard the sound of Lucas entering the water did she turn around. Her face carried a faint blush as she fixed her gaze on Lucas, then mimicked him by leaning against the edge of the pool.

"How is it? Never experienced this before, right?" Lucas soaked his towel in the water, wrung it out neatly, folded it into a perfect square, and placed it on his forehead.

"No. We never liked water before." Amelia replied calmly.

As beastkins of the bird type, how could they possibly like water? Once their wings got wet, it was difficult to fly—especially on rainy days, which they absolutely hated.

"Soaking in a hot spring once in a while is good for the body." Lucas said, letting his whole body sink into the water, leaving only his head resting against the edge of the pool.

"Will it make my wings grow back?" Amelia's green eyes lit up with anticipation.

"Uh… probably not." Lucas shook his head. He couldn't say yes or no outright—knowing her, if he said it could, she'd probably spend all day soaking in the hot spring.

"Oh." The moment Amelia heard it wouldn't work, she immediately lost interest.

"…Besides your sister, do you have any other companions?" Lucas was clearly just trying to make conversation.

Amelia's ears twitched slightly, but she didn't respond. Her remaining companions were struggling to survive. Without her elder sister's leadership, they had to ration their wheat carefully.

"Do you want to go back to them?" Lucas asked softly. From her silence, he could already tell she had people she cared about.

"..." Amelia pressed her lips together, her green eyes dimming slightly. She didn't want to go back. With one less mouth to feed, her companions would have a little more to eat. Besides, she couldn't fly anyway—going back would just be a waste of wheat.

Everyone was already saving the wheat for those who could still fly. They had to go out searching for food, and if possible, they were even trying to take on tasks to earn something.

But even with those tasks, most of them ended in failure. After all, her elder sister had taken the strongest warriors of their tribe with her.

Lucas sighed inwardly. His attempt to probe her thoughts had failed. The girl was even more closed off than he had imagined. Or perhaps, she was afraid to express her true feelings. No, more than that—she was silently protecting the people she cared about in her own way.

"Hoo… ha…" Lucas took a deep breath and then submerged himself in the water. He stayed underwater until he reached his limit before resurfacing.

"Ahh, that feels amazing!" He gasped for air, relishing the sensation of pushing himself to the limit and then finally breathing again. It was oddly refreshing.

Amelia, intrigued by his actions, mimicked him—taking a deep breath before diving underwater.

"Heh, still just a kid," Lucas chuckled to himself, watching the water's surface.

Thirty seconds passed. Air bubbles started rising—but she hadn't come up.

"…No way. A fearless duck?" Lucas was momentarily stunned before quickly swimming toward where Amelia had dived.

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