Chapter 288 | Public Display Of Affection!

Chapter 288: 288 | Public Display Of Affection!

Dexter shook his head and decided not to investigate.

He installed the Skybalance Cushion on Mira’s chair before she could ask too many questions, explaining only that it would make sitting more comfortable.

Mira’s suspicious expression changed the moment she settled against it. Her shoulders eased, and then she noticed him watching.

"It’s acceptable."

"Of course."

He also fastened one of the Meridian Loom bracelets around her right wrist and left. The moment her mana touched the relic, her eyes sharpened.

"What is this?"

"Something that might make last night’s technique easier."

Mira’s face turned red.

Dexter immediately raised both hands. "I meant the standing. What were you even thinking?’

Mira’s face turned even redder but she immediately glared at him.

Dexter lips curled upwards as he muttered. "Pervert."

"You!"

Dexter chuckled as he dodged her spectral arm and headed tko the kitchen to cook.

He chose a warm, gentle breakfast rather than anything heavy.

The girls had eaten enough festival food to keep an ordinary family supplied for days. The rice simmered while he prepared a nourishing broth, steamed buns, and a small plate of sliced fruit.

He set aside an extra portion before Lyra could appear and ask whether there was more.

By the time everyone sat down, the house smelled of fresh food and warm tea. Selene arrived last.

She had washed her face and combed her hair, but the moment Dexter looked at her, a faint blush returned. He wisely said nothing about the morning.

Instead, he placed the Echo Thread Earrings beside her cup. "These should help when there are too many sounds around you."

She touched the small box. "For me?"

Dexter nodded.

Selene lifted one earring between her fingers. Her expression softened. "Thank you."

Across the table, Mira looked from the earrings to Dexter, then to Selene’s face, then back to Dexter.

He picked up his spoon. "Let’s eat."

Lyra needed no further encouragement.

---

Breakfast was peaceful for almost ten minutes.

That was longer than Dexter had expected.

Mira tested the control of her spectral arms while eating, occasionally pausing to look at the bracelets. Selene wore her new earrings and seemed fascinated by the difference they made.

While Lyra entirely concentrated on the food.

By her third bun, Dexter began feeling proud. By her fifth, he was glad he had prepared extra.

When she finally finished, she set her bowl down and stood. Dexter reached for the kettle as Lyra stepped beside his chair. Before he could ask whether she wanted more tea, she leaned down and kissed his cheek.

"..."

Dexter’s hand froze around the kettle.

’Thank you for the food.’ Her voice was warm inside his mind.

Then, with her pink cheeks and a determined expression, Lyra walked into the sitting room. She settled on the couch, folded her legs, and closed her eyes—as though nothing unusual had happened.

Dexter slowly lowered the kettle.

Mira was staring. Selene had stopped with her cup halfway to her lips.

The silence stretched, and then Mira’s mouth curved. "You’ve corrupted her already, haven’t you?"

Dexter rolled his eyes. "I fed her breakfast."

"So that is what you’re calling it."

"Mira."

Selene lowered her cup carefully. Her face had turned a little pink too. Dexter looked between them and knew the conversation could become dangerous very quickly.

"Stop it. We need to discuss something serious."

The change in his voice was enough. Mira’s amusement faded slightly, and Selene straightened.

Dexter glanced toward the sitting room where Lyra had already begun cultivating, the familiar movement of mana gathering around her while the Dawn Moth Lantern sat unlit on a nearby shelf. He waited until her breathing settled, then lowered his voice.

"About yesterday."

Mira’s expression turned cold. "I thought you would finally get around to it."

"I should have explained properly last night."

"Yes."

He accepted that without arguing, and then he told them.

---

Dexter began with the two men—their strength, their interest in Lyra, and the secluded place they had taken her. He explained how he had followed her heartbeat and what happened when he confronted them.

Mira listened without interrupting. That, by itself, told him how angry she was becoming. Selene’s hand tightened around her cup.

When he reached the part about Aurelyx taking control, both women went still.

"She wanted to leave with them," Dexter said quietly. "Lyra didn’t know what was happening."

Mira’s eyes moved toward the sitting room where Lyra remained peaceful on the couch. Dexter continued, describing the stronger elder emerging from the void.

Selene set her cup down before the porcelain could crack in her grip. Frost gathered around its base. "Grandma Lucy?"

"Yeah. She helped stopped them."

Mira’s lips pulled into a cold smile. "The old generation bullying the weak." A faint crimson light gathered around her fingers. "If I were in my prime, I would have made him eat his beard."

Despite himself, Dexter looked at her. She sounded entirely serious.

Selene’s expression was no gentler. "I would have made him grovel." The temperature dropped another degree. "He’ll come back. People like that don’t forget being forced to retreat."

Mira nodded once. "Then we’ll wait."

Dexter stared between them. For a brief moment, he saw something beyond the women recovering in his house. The Crimson Valkyrie. The Eternal Ice Princess. They had once entered dangerous dungeons and faced things most people only saw in news reports.

And right now, they were furious because someone had hurt him.

Warmth spread through his chest. "Try not to look so pleased," Mira said sharply.

Dexter’a smile widened even more and Selene shook her head, but her expression softened slightly.

Then he became serious again. "There’s something else. I don’t want Lyra told about Aurelyx yet."

Mira’s gaze sharpened. "Dexter."

"Listen first."

She fell silent, and he explained the connection between Lyra’s negative emotions and the Shadow Corruption the danger of telling her that someone else could take control of her body without first having something useful to offer her.

Selene looked troubled. "She deserves to know what is happening to her."

"I know." Dexter didn’t look away. "I’m not saying we should hide it forever. I’m saying I need time to prepare."

Mira studied him. "Prepare what?"

"A way to separate them."