Mike was still lecturing Olivia seriously about “basic survival habits” when Nur entered the garden quickly, her expression unusually tense.
“Grand Duchess.”
Olivia looked up calmly.
“What is it?”
“The Countess of Verin has arrived unexpectedly.”
The peaceful atmosphere shifted immediately.
Mike’s expression dropped.
Max quietly closed his book.
Olivia’s face returned to its composed stillness instantly.
“Why?”
Nur stepped closer, lowering her voice slightly.
“She claims she wants to speak about yesterday’s tea gathering.”
At the edge of the garden, Lem’s gaze shifted faintly—sharp, attentive.
Peter muttered under his breath,
“That woman spreads rumors faster than disease.”
Lucas already looked irritated.
Unexpected noble visits after public gatherings rarely meant anything clean.
Olivia stood smoothly.
“Prepare the receiving room.”
Nur didn’t hesitate.
“Yes, Grand Duchess.”
She turned immediately and moved to carry out the order, already mentally calculating what this visit meant, because unlike servants, Nur actually understood the political weight behind every noble name that entered this estate.
Mike frowned.
“She’s annoying.”
“You met her once,” Olivia said calmly.
“That was enough.”
Max glanced toward Olivia quietly.
“She came because of yesterday.”
“Yes.”
“And because of me,” Mike added flatly.
Olivia’s gaze shifted toward him immediately.
“No.”
Mike frowned harder.
“She definitely did.”
Olivia stepped closer to the boys.
Then calmly adjusted the slightly crooked collar of Mike’s shirt first.
A small, natural gesture.
Mike immediately went quiet.
“She came,” Olivia said evenly, “because nobles become uncomfortable when something stops behaving the way they expect.”
Max watched her carefully.
“And we stopped behaving correctly.”
Olivia looked at him.
“You behaved perfectly.”
Instant answer.
Certain.
Both boys visibly relaxed slightly.
Lem noticed it immediately.
Interesting.
She corrected them without softness, without emotional overindulgence—just certainty that anchored them.
Peter observed quietly as well.
And again—
Olivia with the children was not the same Olivia who faced nobles.
More present.
Less guarded.
Lucas suddenly realized something uncomfortable again.
She never looked tired with them.
Not once.
But every political interaction drained her almost immediately.
Mike narrowed his eyes suddenly.
“You’re going to deal with her alone, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“That means she’s definitely terrible.”
Olivia exhaled faintly.
“That is not how logic works.”
“It is emotionally correct though.”
Max nodded once.
“…That is true.”
Olivia stared at both of them briefly.
“You are becoming difficult.”
Mike looked proud.
“You raised us well.”
The words came out naturally again.
Raised us.
This time Mike didn’t even notice.
But Peter did.
Lucas did.
And Lem—
Lem’s gaze sharpened slightly at Olivia instead.
Because she didn’t correct it.
Not once.
Instead, she simply looked at Mike calmly before speaking.
“Stay here until breakfast is finished.”
Mike crossed his arms.
“You skipped breakfast too.”
Olivia ignored that entirely.
Which only confirmed it.
Mike looked offended.
“Unbelievable.”
Max quietly pushed a plate of untouched pastries toward Olivia.
“You should eat first.”
For a moment—
Olivia paused.
Then sat back down without argument.
That alone made Peter visibly blink.
Lucas looked genuinely surprised. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Because no one redirected Olivia like that.
Yet Max simply waited.
Patient.
Certain.
After a few seconds, Olivia picked up a pastry.
Mike immediately looked victorious.
“We won.”
“This was not a battle,” Olivia replied calmly.
“It absolutely was.”
From the side, Nur returned briefly to observe the situation, her expression caught somewhere between relief and disbelief at how naturally the children influenced Olivia compared to anyone else in the estate.
Lem watched from the shadows silently.
And something unfamiliar stirred faintly in him again.
Not envy.
Not desire.
Just recognition of something he had never had space for.
A place where authority didn’t feel like control.
Where strength didn’t demand distance.
Meanwhile Olivia calmly finished half the pastry under strict supervision from two children who clearly believed they had successfully “negotiated” with her.
And somehow— that scene felt more untouchable than any political threat in the mansion.
Even Peter and Lucas stood there silently, realizing the same thing at once:
no noble, no knight, no assassin in this estate could step into that space.
Because it didn’t belong to power.
It belonged only to them
The receiving room was prepared quickly under Nur’s supervision.
Everything was arranged with precision—tea, seating, distance between chairs.
Not too formal.
Not too relaxed.
Just controlled enough to prevent immediate hostility.
Nur paused briefly at the doorway before speaking quietly to Olivia.
“She is waiting inside, Grand Duchess.”
Olivia nodded once.
“Stay outside.”
Nur hesitated.
That was unusual.
Normally, she would remain close.
But after a brief moment, she lowered her head.
“As you wish.”
Mike immediately frowned.
“She shouldn’t go alone.”
Max glanced at him.
“She always does.”
That answer didn’t comfort Mike at all.
Olivia looked down at both boys calmly.
“Stay here.”
Mike opened his mouth.
Olivia added, without raising her voice,
“This is not your matter.”
That ended the discussion instantly.
Not harsh.
Just final.
Mike clicked his tongue but stayed back.
Max simply nodded once.
Olivia turned and walked toward the receiving room alone.
Behind her—
Lucas, Peter, and Lem remained at a distance near the corridor entrance.
Watching.
Not interfering.
But not leaving either.
Inside the receiving room, the Countess of Verin sat perfectly composed, hands folded, smile carefully arranged.
The moment Olivia entered, her eyes sharpened slightly.
“Grand Duchess.”
Olivia stopped at a polite distance.
“Countess.”
No warmth.
No hostility.
Just acknowledgment.
The Countess smiled gently.
“I must say, yesterday’s tea gathering caused quite… the conversation.”
“I am aware.”
A pause.
The Countess leaned forward slightly.
“There are concerns being raised about your… recent associations.”
Olivia remained still.
“Such as?”
“The presence of an unknown man within your estate.”
Olivia answered evenly,
“He is not unknown.”
That made the Countess pause slightly.
“Then you admit you are associating with dangerous individuals?”
Olivia looked at her directly.
“I am aware of their nature.”
The Countess’s smile tightened.
“And you believe that is appropriate for someone in your position?”
“Yes.”
Simple.
Direct.
No justification offered beyond certainty.
The Countess studied her carefully now.
“You are changing, Grand Duchess.”
“I am functioning more efficiently.”
“That is not what people are saying.”
Olivia’s expression remained unchanged.
“People speak based on discomfort, not accuracy.”
Silence settled briefly.
Outside the room—
Peter whispered under his breath,
Lucas didn’t respond.
Because it was true.
The Countess tried again, slightly sharper now.
“And the children?”
That word changed the air subtly.
Olivia’s gaze hardened just a fraction.
“The children are not part of this discussion.”
The Countess tilted her head.
“But they are being seen with… questionable influence.”
That was the wrong direction.
Even from outside the room, Lem’s expression sharpened faintly.
Olivia spoke again.
“Questionable is subjective.”
The Countess smiled faintly.
“Then perhaps you would allow proper noble guidance—”
“No.”
One word.
Clean.
Immediate.
The Countess froze slightly.
Olivia continued calmly.
“They are not assets to be guided.”
A pause.
“They are not tools for evaluation.”
Her voice remained controlled.
But colder now.
“They are children.”
Silence.
Even Peter stopped shifting.
Lucas’ eyes narrowed slightly.
The Countess tried to regain control.
“Still, the empire must consider reputation—”
Olivia stepped half a pace forward.
Not aggressive.
Just enough to shift pressure.
“My reputation is not a negotiation point for their safety.”
The Countess went quiet.
Because Olivia’s tone left no space to argue.
Not emotional.
Not unstable.
Just absolute.
A different kind of authority entirely.
After a moment, the Countess forced a polite smile.
“I see… you are firm in your position.”
“Yes.”
The Countess slowly stood.
“Then I believe this conversation is concluded.”
Olivia did not stop her.
“No objections.”
The Countess left shortly after, composed but clearly unsettled.
The moment the door closed— the hallway outside remained silent.
Nur exhaled quietly.
“That went better than expected.”
Peter muttered,
“It did not look like a conversation.
It looked like a dismissal.”
Lucas didn’t respond.
Because he was still processing how easily Olivia controlled a noble far older and more experienced than most court participants.
Lem, however, looked mildly amused.
“She does not negotiate down.”
Peter glanced at him.
“She doesn’t negotiate at all.”
Lem’s gaze remained on the closed door.
“No,” he corrected quietly.
“She simply decides.”
Inside the room, Olivia stood still for a moment after the Countess left.
Then turned slightly toward the window.
Her expression returned to neutral calm.
But her eyes stayed sharp.
Outside, in the corridor—
Mike peeked in cautiously.
“Is she gone?”
Olivia answered without looking back.
“Yes.”
Mike relaxed instantly and ran forward a little.
“Did you win?”
Olivia paused briefly.
Then answered simply,
“There was nothing to win.”
Max followed quietly behind Mike.
“But you didn’t lose either.”
Olivia finally looked at them.
A faint, almost unnoticeable softness crossed her expression.
“No.”
A pause.
“Because this was never about me.”
Mike frowned.
“Then what was it about?”
Olivia looked at both of them calmly.
“Control.”
Silence.
And for the first time— even Peter, Lucas, and Lem standing outside understood exactly what she meant