Lucian placed his son in Lady Rose's arms, where the boy began to touch her face, and pull at her hair.
Lady Rose's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't protest, gently prying her hair from the baby's grip, "Is his mother from the North as well?"
His son's mother was a mystery all ladies were curious about. The child had to come from somewhere.
Lucian picked up the teacup, hiding his smile behind it, "It's not important. She is not in the picture anymore, but she gave me the greatest gift I could ever ask for."
The women exchanged glances, maybe wondering if there was a tragic story behind Lucian's words, and if they could be the one to heal his broken heart.
Lady Lily gracefully made her way to his side, handing him a plate of fruits, "Mr. Arclight, you are too modest. Any woman would be proud to bear your child."
Lucian accepted the plate, popping a grape into his mouth as she wrapped her arms around his, pressing her body against his as if to show others her position. He felt her fingers tracing the outline of his biceps through his shirt.
He noticed them stare at his Adam's apple as he swallowed the grape, making them gulp down their saliva.
"I have to agree with Lady Lily," another woman joined in, appearing behind Lucian and leaning in close to his ear, her warm breath tickling his skin.
Lady Daisy was the eldest of them all, a mature woman with a seductive aura around her.
Lucian sent his son a quick look, demanding help through his eyes, but the child only giggled, chewing on his toy, not in the mood to save his father.
The women were getting more daring as the days went by. Not like he didn't encourage them by flirting back, but he had some boundaries.
"My ladies," he said, putting his cup down, then standing up with a woman on each arm, "Please, I can't concentrate on my tea when I have two beautiful flowers attached to me."
"Then why don't we move to your chambers, where we can be more...relaxed?" The older woman whispered in his ear, her hand sliding down his chest to his stomach. "We can have a more...intimate blessing session there." She was the boldest of them all.
Lucian gently removed her hand and kissed the back of it, "Alas, I have to refuse, My Lady. I would be too distracted by your beauty to meditate properly, and it's crucial that I keep my mind clear and focused."
"Oh, Mr. Arclight," she purred shyly, her eyes sparkling at the compliment, "You─"
Lucian crouched down to take his son back from Lady Rose, who reluctantly gave him back, "Is it something smelly that requires my attention?"
His son was turning his head left and right, refuting his father's words, "Abuuu," as if not wanting his embarrassment to be used as Lucian's escape route.
The ladies chuckled at the scene, "We can take care of the child, Mr. Arclight," they offered.
Lucian stood up, balancing his son like a dirty rag before him, using him as a shield, "How could I let such precious ladies get their hands dirty with my son's waste? I will take care of it myself."
They giggled, following after him as he walked outside of the pavilion, their gowns rustling behind them.
"I shall return shortly," he bowed to the ladies, who pouted at his departure.
"Let's go," he said to the feral, who whipped the horses and made the carriage move as he leaped inside and closed the doors behind him.
"Phew," Lucian scrubbed his mouth with a wet wipe from the baby bag, cleaning his body from their touch. He never had the need to scrub his body clean after Celine touched him, not even after she did that.
His son could sit opposite to him in the carriage, but he chose to stand on the seat instead, holding onto the window to look outside.
"Buu," his son pointed at the horses, wanting to ride one. He did that every time they passed by some strangers on a horse.
"Maybe next year," Lucian compromised, "When you are a bit older. I will even teach you how to ride one."
The boy stomped his feet on the seat in impatience, "Abuuh!"
Lucian shook his head, unpacking a diaper and the supplies needed for a change, "First, learn how to go in the potty, then you can ride a horse. Agreed?"
The baby looked away, pretending he didn't hear, but continued to dance in place by bending and unbensing his knees, enjoying the swaying movement of the carriage.
Lucian quickly changed his diaper.
Lord A's had got him a scroll from the black market that claimed to be stolen from the Royal Academy, and contained the method to use the astral plane.
The market was flooded with fake and stolen books from the big houses, but Lord A's managed to get his hands on the genuine ones by using his shady connections and shady deals.
He had been practicing for the past month.
The first step was to detach the mind from the body, and create a projection of the self in the astral plane.
This projection could move freely in any direction, at any speed. It could also manipulate the theory of great gravity to influence the physical world.
Lucian looked at the drawing of an astral projection of a person standing over their body.
The text explained that one could feel stronger astral presences, which would explain how the dean and the duke were able to spot Lucian when he was using his third eye to spy on them.
'I've been using astral projection for so long without knowing it...' he mused.
He did it without meditation, just blackmailing Voice into letting him use it.
Lucian started to practice detaching his mind from his body. There was only one way to be at two places at the same time, and it was through this.
That was his next goal: secure his son's safety while he was away, by creating a second projection to guard him at all times.
The idea would be something like Voice infecting other shackleds' bodies and manipulating them.
Lucian took a deep breath and closed his eyes, using his sixth sense to perceive the world around him. Then he let his consciousness expand, pushing it outside his body.
He did it instinctively before, but now, he had to understand how he was doing it, in order to control it better. He felt a tug on his chest, then on his head, as if something was pulling him out of his flesh.
The golden chains that were hanging around him, moved, following his projection.
'I'm a natural at this,' Lucian thought, finding it to be quite easy to do. He had a higher comprehension than an average person it seemed.
The chains followed him like tails that floated behind him, swaying with his movements.
He could see the carriage, and the horses.
It was different from the third eye's vision, more dream-like and surreal. The colors were not as vivid, the shapes were not as defined, the details were lost as if he was separated from the physical world by a dusty glass wall.
His projection began to divide, creating another image of himself next to him. The chains also split into two, each connecting to one of his projections.
It was an unpleasant feeling, but he endured it, wanting to test his limits.
Voice complained about his daydreaming and his wild imagination all the time, but look at how handy it came now.
He couldn't sense other projections in the astral plane. The communication between the southerners traveled faster than light, the same went for blessings.
He tried to enter the feral's body at the front of the carriage, but it felt like he hit a wall.
The feral also felt the disturbance, looking over his shoulder to see if there was a threat behind him.
'I will have to try it during their rank advancement,' Lucian concluded, returning to his body.
He would probably have to leave a bit of his consciousness there, manifesting it similar to the tattoos on their bodies.