Chapter 308

"Splash…"

Water splashed everywhere as Lucas moved his arms, diving underwater. As soon as he went down, he saw Amelia flailing her limbs in a frantic dog paddle, her mouth open in terror.

Am I going to die? But I haven't found my sister yet! Did she slay the dragon? Everyone's still waiting for her to come back…

Lucas swam to Amelia and, seeing the surprise in her wide eyes, reached out and hooked his hands under her armpits. With a strong kick, he lifted both of them up to the surface.

"Whoo…" Lucas let out a deep breath, shaking his dripping black hair as he met Amelia's panicked gaze.

He was speechless—almost drowning in such a shallow hot spring? She really was a hopeless duck. The moment she touched water, she completely lost her head.

"You okay?" Lucas asked gently, watching Amelia, who was still in shock. "Maybe you should take a break and rest for a bit?"

Amelia shook her head, her green eyes quietly gazing at Lucas. She didn't say anything—just looked at him. For some reason, the man in front of her seemed much better than before, giving her a strange sense of security, just like her sister did.

"What's wrong?" Lucas frowned. Did she get scared silly? Some kind of shock-induced muteness?

"Do you think I look good?" Amelia suddenly asked, catching him off guard. She placed both hands over her chest and said calmly, "My sister once told me that if a girl is seen naked by someone, she either has to marry him or kill him."

"Cough, cough, cough… What?!" Lucas twitched at the corners of his eyes. What kind of logic is that?

Now, Lucas was incredibly curious about Amelia's sister. Just what kind of lunatic raises a little sister like this?

"So, what have you decided? Are you going to kill me?" Lucas asked with a playful smile. The girl's innocent way of thinking amused him.

"No!" Amelia's green eyes flickered for a moment. Then, to Lucas's shock, she broke free from his arms and threw herself into his embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

"Uh…" Lucas could clearly feel her trembling. Looks like she was really scared. He gently patted her back and spoke softly, "It's okay now."

"You have to marry me!" Amelia turned her head, her warm breath tickling Lucas's ear as she whispered, "Or I'll tell my sister that you saw my body."

Lucas was dumbfounded. A twelve-year-old girl… saying she wants to marry me? This feels so wrong in so many ways.

"Uh… you're still young. I am old and I see you as a child, a cute child. You are like a daughter to me." Lucas said helplessly. If Nicole and the others found out about this, things would definitely turn chaotic.

"In bird beastkins, twelve-year-olds can get engaged." Amelia said calmly. She had only just suddenly thought of marriage, but now the idea seemed natural to her.

In fact, in this era, people married quite young. Among the wealthy and noble, it wasn't uncommon for girls to marry at fourteen or fifteen. Only those with high standards or special circumstances would remain unmarried into their twenties.

"…" Lucas was at a loss for words. She did not hear him at all. Judging by her tone, she seemed to be serious this time. But there was something he didn't understand, so he asked, "Amelia, why are you so sure about me?"

"I don't know," Amelia shook her head and answered simply, "It's just a feeling."

"A feeling?" Lucas was stunned. That's it? She wants to marry me just because of a feeling?

Now he got it. This was just the aftermath of almost drowning—the classic "hero saves the beauty" effect, where the rescued person develops an emotional attachment to their savior.

"Splash~"

Amelia sat down, returning to soaking in the hot spring. But this time, she behaved herself, staying put instead of trying to dive again.

"Phew…"

Lucas let out a quiet sigh of relief and sat beside her. The two of them stayed close, neither saying a word.

He had absolutely no experience dealing with a girl like Amelia—calm, expressionless, and direct. Emotionless-type girls were straightforward, but that also meant he had no idea how to respond to them.

"Lord Lucas, when can we fly into the sky?" Amelia suddenly asked. It was also the first time she had called someone by their name.

"You want to fly?" Lucas was momentarily stunned. He turned to look at Amelia's delicate face, seeing the longing in her green eyes.

This was the first time she had addressed someone properly. It felt like a small but significant step out of her closed-off world—a tiny surprise for the day.

"Mm." Amelia nodded lightly, staring blankly at the rippling water. It had been a long time since she last experienced the feeling of soaring through the sky.

"Alright, but we still need a few more days to prepare." Lucas said gently.

The research department was working hard to build the hot air balloon he had requested. However, since they had many other projects to handle, progress was slow—mainly because making a properly sealed balloon was proving to be quite difficult.

They had sewn together multiple layers of burlap, adding an extra layer to prevent air leakage. For safety, Lucas decided to reinforce it with yet another layer, then applied tung oil for waterproofing. The entire process would take about a month to complete.

In reality, there was already a hot air balloon in the castle's storage—one he had brought from Earth. However, that balloon would be used as a test model for the burlap version. If something went wrong during the flight, they would have a backup plan.

"Mm." Amelia nodded in acknowledgment.

"Are your companions far from here?" Lucas asked tentatively. He was hoping to recruit a few bird beastmen to help him.

"It would take about a full day of flying." Amelia said calmly.

"A whole day?" Lucas was momentarily stunned. That distance was enough to take them beyond the borders of the Siacan Kingdom. But then, how had Amelia even ended up here in the first place?

Lucas could only make rough guesses—he had no idea about the endurance of bird beastmen, how fast they could fly, or if they needed rest breaks along the way.

"Lord Lucas, I'll help you wash your back." Amelia suddenly stood up, sending water splashing around her.

"…Alright." Lucas hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed. He wrapped a towel around his lower body and stepped out of the hot spring, sitting at the edge of the pool.

Amelia picked up a towel and started scrubbing his back. This was something she had learned from Nicole and Mina.

After a while, she started panting a little. Lucas noticed and gently told her to stop. "Here, let me help you now."

"No need." Amelia shook her head and quickly ran back into the hot spring. For the first time, she felt ashamed of the scars on her back.

"I'll be gentle. Or… are you just shy?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"No." Amelia stubbornly shook her head, refusing to come out no matter what.

"..." Lucas turned his head, and from the corner of his eye, he saw a row of heads suddenly appear on the bamboo wall.

The beast-eared girls were climbing the bamboo wall, their heads poking out, staring at him intently.

"What are you doing?" Lucas's lips twitched. When did girls start sneaking to watch men take baths?

"Ah! We've been discovered!" Helen covered her mouth in surprise, then fell from the bamboo wall into the pool.

"It was all Annie's idea." Mina said, blushing as she descended.

"Damn it, I didn't see anything!" Annie shouted angrily from the hot spring. She was too short to climb the bamboo wall.

"Looks like the young master is really different." Nicole said, lowering her head and speaking softly.

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