Chapter 1099: No Dinner

Chapter 1099 – No Dinner

Lux opened his eyes. For several seconds, he did not move.

He simply stared at the ceiling.

The ceiling stared back.

Judgmental.

Lux blinked once. Then exhaled slowly.

Morning had arrived.

Again.

And for a number of times Lux no longer wished to calculate, he woke up naked, surrounded by women, in a bedroom that looked like it had personally lost a war against desire.

The curtains were half torn from one side.

The blanket had surrendered somewhere near the door.

A shopping bag from last night lay open by the chair, spilling several pieces of clothing, some for Runa, some definitely not for Runa, and one tiny cat outfit with a ribbon that would absolutely get someone cursed if the former tower sorcerer ever saw it.

Lux slowly turned his head.

Gula slept across his left side, cheek pressed to his arm, mouth slightly open, looking deeply satisfied in a way only Gluttony could after surviving pleasure, snacks, more pleasure, and then more snacks.

Sira was on his right, one arm draped over his waist like she had conquered territory and signed the treaty on his skin. Even asleep, her face carried smug pride.

Lullaby was sprawled sideways near his legs, hugging a pillow and half of his ankle, because apparently Sloth claimed body parts based on convenience.

Naomi slept curled near the headboard, hair loose, one hand resting against his shoulder. Her expression was peaceful, softer than usual, and Lux’s chest warmed at the sight.

Rava was near the edge of the bed, covered in a sheet, one leg hanging off as if she had fought gravity and lost.

Yue slept with impossible elegance despite the chaos, long hair spilling like silk over the pillow, her face calm enough that anyone would assume she had not contributed to the destruction of half the room.

Mira was curled near Naomi, using Lux’s discarded shirt as a pillow.

Fiera had claimed his night robe.

The fox woman slept with the robe wrapped around herself, black hair spread across the mattress, white tails occupying more space than legally reasonable. She looked too comfortable. Criminally comfortable. Like she had stolen it, knew she had stolen it, and would argue inheritance rights if confronted.

And Ely... Ely was sleeping near the foot of the bed with one arm over Lullaby, face serene, as if she had entered the room last night to "check on everyone" and somehow became part of the problem.

Lux stared.

Then closed his eyes.

The reason was simple.

His pheromones had been too thick.

Last night his Primordial Lust Blessing had turned the mansion atmosphere into a written invitation.

A formal one.

Gold ink.

Embossed.

"Dear women who already desire Lux Vaelthorn, please report to his bedroom at your earliest convenience. Snacks optional. Dignity unlikely."

They had come one by one.

Some curious.

Some pretending they were only there to scold him.

Some already smiling.

Some not even pretending.

Lux turned his head toward the clock.

6:32 AM.

Early. It was always early.

His body could spend the entire night drowning in desire and still wake at dawn like a cursed executive with internal scheduling software.

"Coffee," he whispered.

His brain screamed it.

Coffee first. Coffee before explaining why his bedroom looked like an underground pleasure cult had hosted a shareholder meeting.

Then his Lust instinct purred somewhere deep inside him.

’Look what you did last night.’

Lux opened one eye.

That was not helpful.

The instinct continued, deeply pleased with itself.

’Isn’t that impressive?’

His women slept in various places, in various positions, wrapped in sheets, pillows, robes, tails, and in one case, shopping bags.

If normal reporters walked in, he would be finished.

Destroyed.

Arrested by mortal law.

Convicted by public opinion.

Executed by comment sections.

Headline: Mysterious Billionaire Found in Mansion With Multiple Exhausted Women, Claims "They Came Voluntarily Because of Pheromones."

No jury would survive that sentence.

Lux rubbed his face.

Technically, he had not abused anyone.

Quite the opposite.

He had spent the night satisfying the accumulated desire of women who had absolutely arrived with intent, consent, confidence, and in Sira’s case, probably a battle plan.

But reality had terrible optics.

The Greed System flickered awake.

[Morning Assessment Initiated.]

Lux groaned quietly. "No."

[Room Integrity: 41%.]

[Bed Integrity: 22%.]

[Pillow Casualties: Severe.]

[Household Satisfaction: Critical Success.]

[Congratulations! You survived your own pheromone economy.]

Lux whispered, "I need coffee before sarcasm."

[Do you want me to show your progress last night?]

"No."

[Progress includes stamina performance, household bond resonance, pheromone output curve, and property damage by participants.]

Lux paused.

"...property damage by participants?"

[Highest Contributor: Yue Xianlong.]

Lux glanced at Yue.

The dragon woman slept like a goddess carved from moonlight.

"Of course it was."

[Second Highest Contributor: Sira.] ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Lux looked at Sira.

Sira smiled faintly in her sleep.

She knew.

Somehow she knew.

Lux sat up slowly, careful not to wake anyone.

Gula made a soft sound and grabbed at empty air where his arm had been.

Lux froze.

She settled after a second, hugging the pillow instead.

He escaped. Barely.

He put one foot on the floor.

Then the other.

Still naked.

He stood in the wreckage of his bedroom like a king surveying a battlefield he had personally caused.

His stomach growled. Loud.

Lux looked down at himself. "Ah."

The bad thing was he had skipped dinner.

That explained the hollow feeling under all the demonic stamina.

His incubus body could maintain desire for an absurd amount of time. That was never the problem. Royal Lust blood did not collapse from long indulgence. His stamina for that kind of night was, unfortunately, one of the things the System described as "unfairly optimized."

But food was still food.

Energy was still energy.

Even immortal-ish demonic biology had administrative costs.

Gula had gone out after the first part of the night to grab food.

Lux remembered that.

She had returned with a plate in one hand and a guilty face, then declared that "continuing without snacks was bad planning."

But by that time Lux had already been occupied with Sira and Yue, which was a sentence that sounded like a military campaign.

Then Naomi and Ely joined after dinner.