Chapter 57: Bedtime Stories

Seeing Lu Yue’s tears subside, Alice Phil smiled, pulling over a low stool.
She sat Lu Yue on her lap, gently cleaning the dirt from her fall on the bathroom floor.

After easing Lu Yue into the bathtub, Alice Phil rinsed herself briefly before joining her daughter, sitting across from her.

But Lu Yue wasn’t content to stay still.
Spotting her mother in the tub, she clambered over, resting her head on Alice Phil’s chest with a soft, relaxed hum.

Alice Phil’s cheeks flushed.
Lu Yue’s fluffy hair tickled her chest, and when Lu Yue turned her head, brushing against her neck, it sent a sensitive, itchy shiver through her.

Noticing her mother’s discomfort, Lu Yue looked up, saw Alice Phil’s red face, and hugged her slim waist, resting her chin on her chest.

“Mom… are you annoyed with me?” she asked, looking pitiful.

“No, it’s just… your hair’s tickling me,” Alice Phil said awkwardly.

Lu Yue blinked, then huffed.
She’s clearly annoyed but won’t admit it.
Seeing her mother’s flushed face, an idea sparked.

“Like this?”

Lu Yue playfully nudged her silver-haired head against Alice Phil’s chest with a bit of force.

When Alice Phil didn’t react or shield herself, Lu Yue looked up, catching a nostalgic glint in her mother’s eyes.

Alice Phil’s eyes softened, a happy curve to her lips.
Lu Yue’s innocent, almost infantile behavior reminded her of sixteen years ago, when Lu Yue was born.

In the living quarters of Old Man White Tower’s office, Alice Phil, pregnant and in hiding, had been tracked down and confined there for months.

That night, her mother’s consciousness had descended into the Mercury Puppet to assist with the delivery, while Old Man White Tower waited outside the birthing room.

After a grueling, painful labor, Alice Phil felt the new life separate from her body, collapsing in exhaustion as a loud cry filled the air.

After checks, the Mercury Puppet placed Lu Yue beside her.

Alice Phil remembered Old Man White Tower’s sour expression—like his prized cabbage had been stolen—softening when he saw her weakened state and the tiny infant.
He seemed to come to terms with it, reverting to his usual calm demeanor.

From then on, he never questioned Lu Yue’s origins.
Alice Phil herself didn’t know how she’d conceived Lu Yue—only that her belly began growing after that crusade.

Looking at Lu Yue’s adorable face now, Alice Phil couldn’t resist stroking her head.
The wrinkled newborn face had blossomed into a little beauty.

Her features even resembled the captain’s.

Maybe it’s heaven’s punishment, giving me a child who looks like Corona.

Not just that—when she gained her magical girl powers, her true form became Alice Phil.
After giving birth to Lu Yue, that identity seemed permanent.
She was just Alice Phil… just Lu Yue’s mother.

It was getting late; time to get Lu Yue to bed.

Scooping water to rinse where Lu Yue had playfully bitten, Alice Phil said gently, “The water’s cooling, Little Yue. Let’s dry off and get to bed.”

Standing, she stepped out of the tub, dried herself, and slipped into a nightgown.
As she left, she called to Lu Yue, still in the tub, “I’ll grab your towel and pajamas. No rush.”

Lu Yue watched her mother leave, subconsciously licking her lips, savoring the gentle tone of her voice.

…

After handing Lu Yue her pajamas and towel, Alice Phil flopped onto the air-conditioned master bedroom’s bed, rolling side to side.
Her silver hair fanned out like fine silk.

Satisfied, she stopped, heart full.
Seeing Lu Yue act like a baby today was rare, and it left Alice Phil too excited to sleep.

The moment felt like a dream she couldn’t shake.
If her Dream authority were active, she’d replay it hundreds of times in her sleep.

As if answering her thoughts, Lu Yue’s voice came from the bedroom door:

“Mom, are you asleep?”

“Not yet, baby. What’s up?” Alice Phil replied.

“Can I come in?”

“Of course.”

Lu Yue, clutching a pillow, pushed open the door, climbed onto the bed, and lay beside her mother.

“Mom, I want to sleep with you,” she said, burrowing into Alice Phil’s arms and closing her eyes, as if fearing rejection.

Alice Phil wouldn’t refuse her daughter.
Wrapping an arm around Lu Yue’s waist, she whispered to the pretending-to-sleep girl, “Goodnight, baby.”

…

At Lu Ming’s residence, a tall, gray-haired, green-eyed beauty emerged from the bathroom in a towel.
Spotting a petite, white-haired girl gazing at the moon outside, she asked, “Sis… Mom, why aren’t you sleeping?”

Hearing her daughter’s voice, Corona turned, shaking her head.
“Nothing… just can’t sleep.”

“Is something on your mind, Mom?” Lu Ming asked, drying her hair with a towel and sitting beside Corona.

“Uh… yeah,” Corona mumbled, caught off guard by Lu Ming’s guess.

“What is it? Talking might help,” Lu Ming suggested.

“It’s nothing… just meeting an old friend the day after tomorrow.”

“An old friend? Guy or girl?” Lu Ming asked, curious.
As the legendary Magical Girl Corona, her mother’s old friends must be exceptional.

“A guy…” Corona said, looking at Lu Ming’s face, which bore a faint resemblance to that man, her tone tinged with melancholy.

“Wait, Mom, are you finally falling for someone?” Lu Ming said excitedly.
If true, her mother wouldn’t have to endure loneliness or the pain that man caused, finding companionship instead.

“No, no,” Corona said with a bitter smile.

“Just an old friend.”

Is that really all?