Chapter 55: Mother and Daughter’s Dinner

Before Lu Yue returned home, Yuehua arrived first, dispelling her magical girl attire.
Her outfit shifted to a casual ensemble of shorts, a shirt, and white sneakers.

At the entrance, Alice Phil steadied herself against the wall, slipping off one sneaker with her fingers, then the other.
She peeled off her pristine, odorless white socks, letting her ten round, pink toes stretch freely.

Stretching languidly, Alice Phil flopped onto the living room sofa, arms draped over her head, staring blankly at the ceiling light.

Since the Tier-Seven beast breakout the previous week, Alice Phil, cloaked in Lu Xin’s guise, had been cleaning up the mess left by the now-leaderless Ministry of Natural Resources.

Her tasks included inspecting monitoring networks in nature reserves nationwide and conducting a census of magical beasts—essentially taking on the minister’s duties herself.
Without Yan Huimeng, her tireless workhorse, Alice Phil might have collapsed from overwork.

An Eighth-Tier Archmage dying from exhaustion?
That’d be a cosmic joke.

The workload left her no energy for anything else.

But today was special—the day Alice Phil and Lu Xin, as a couple, returned from their honeymoon.
Having not seen Lu Yue for half a month, Alice Phil was determined to prepare a family feast to bond with her daughter.

I want to hug Little Yue so badly, Alice Phil thought, rolling on the sofa.
Without Lu Yue nestled in her arms, it felt like something vital was missing.

That missing piece… it must be companionship.

Suddenly, the empty living room, with darkening skies outside the window, seemed to melt into a pool of black, malevolent water.
It crept up from all sides, threatening to engulf her.

A suffocating… loneliness.

Curling up on the sofa, Alice Phil hugged her ankles, her breathing labored with an aching pain.
Why do I feel so awful?

Click, clack.

Familiar, approaching footsteps sounded outside the entrance.
Alice Phil sprang up, slipping into pink slippers and rushing to the dining table.
With swift precision, she retrieved dishes ordered from a top-tier restaurant in the capital from the storage ring on her right ring finger, arranging them on the table.

As she reached for the puppet version of Lu Xin, Elizabeth’s words from that day echoed in her mind:

Playing house, maintaining a false family…

She paused, her hand hovering over the ring.
Elizabeth’s words… they held truth.

I just didn’t want to admit it.

Trying to justify this pretend game.

Lies would eventually unravel.

But at least Alice Phil and Lu Yue were real.
Their mother-daughter bond was genuine—Lu Yue was born from her womb, raised by her hands.
Even if their family was incomplete, Alice Phil had done her utmost to create a warm, loving home for Lu Yue.

So, Lu Xin could stay “out gathering inspiration.”
Tonight’s feast would be just Alice Phil and Lu Yue.

The sound of the lock turning came from the door.
Alice Phil stood by the entrance, waiting for Lu Yue to step inside.

…

Lu Yue fished the key from her school uniform pocket, unlocking the door.
Her mind lingered on the difference between Yuehua’s embrace and her mother’s.

With her parents still on their honeymoon, no clear return date in sight, Lu Yue felt abandoned.
Sure, she had Xiao Yan, Liu Lian, and… Lu Ming at school, so she wasn’t lonely.
But without her father and mother at home, something felt missing.

As she turned the key and cracked the door open, expecting a dark living room, she saw the lights on.
Her parents were back.

Fully opening the door, Lu Yue spotted a silver-haired, blue-eyed beauty standing by the shoe cabinet.
“Mom, when did you get back?!” she exclaimed, overjoyed.

“Why didn’t you text me? I missed you so much!”

Dropping her bag, Lu Yue threw herself into Alice Phil’s arms, nuzzling her face against her mother’s chest.

Seeing Lu Yue’s pitiful, kitten-like demeanor, Alice Phil’s heart ached.
Apart from visiting her as Lu Xin that day, she’d been consumed by work, leaving Lu Yue alone at home for half a month.

I’ve let my baby feel neglected, Alice Phil thought, gently stroking Lu Yue’s back.

After soaking in the embrace, Lu Yue looked up and asked, “Mom, where’s Dad?”

If Mom’s back, Dad should be too, right? she wondered.

“Your dad said he got some writing inspiration in Linhai City, so… he’s staying there a few more days,” Alice Phil said, using her prepared excuse.

“Oh, I see,” Lu Yue said, disappointment flickering across her face.

“But I’ve prepared a huge feast for you. Come eat!” Alice Phil said, hoping to shift Lu Yue’s focus with food.
She picked up Lu Yue’s discarded bag with one hand.

Hearing about the feast, Lu Yue’s attention snapped to the dining table, where a spread worthy of a state banquet tantalized her senses.

“Yay, Mom’s the best!” Lu Yue cheered.

“Go wash your hands and come eat,” Alice Phil said with a smile, placing Lu Yue’s bag on the sofa.

They sat at the dining table, and Alice Phil served Lu Yue a heaping bowl of rice, handing her a pair of chopsticks.

Lu Yue was about to dig in but paused, noticing Alice Phil’s doting gaze.
“Mom, you eat first,” she said, offering the chopsticks to her mother.

Caught off guard by her daughter’s thoughtfulness, Alice Phil realized Lu Yue was growing attentive to family details.

Smiling warmly, she took the chopsticks, picked up a vegetable piece, chewed, and swallowed.
“Mom’s eaten. Go ahead, Little Yue, pick what you want.”

Lu Yue unleashed a whirlwind, devouring the feast with a ferocity rivaling Xiao Yan’s.

Watching Lu Yue’s oily-lipped enthusiasm, Alice Phil’s appetite surged.
She felt she could eat three bowls of rice just watching her daughter.

What a heartwarming family scene.