The tension from the receiving room lingered only for a moment longer.
Mike was still frowning, Max was quietly observing Olivia’s face, and Nur stood nearby waiting for any further instruction.
Olivia exhaled once—slow, controlled.
Then she spoke.
“…Enough.”
Both boys looked up.
Mike blinked.
“Enough of what?”
Olivia glanced toward the garden window.
“This atmosphere.”
Silence.
That single sentence changed everything.
Mike tilted his head.
“What does that mean?”
Olivia turned slightly toward them.
“We are going outside.”
Max paused.
“Outside… where?”
Olivia answered simply.
“Picnic.”
A beat of silence.
Mike stared at her like she had just switched the entire world without warning.
“…Now?”
“Yes.”
Max’s gaze softened slightly, just a fraction.
Mike immediately brightened.
“We are going to eat outside?”
Olivia nodded once.
“Before the day becomes complicated again.”
That was the only explanation she gave.
And for the boys, it was enough.
Mike instantly grabbed Max’s sleeve.
“We win again.”
Max corrected calmly, “This is not a competition.”
“It is emotionally.”
Olivia already turned away.
“Prepare something simple.”
Nur immediately nodded.
“Yes, Grand Duchess.”
She started moving at once.
And behind them— three shadows shifted.
Peter.
Lucas.
Lem.
All three had been standing outside the corridor line without announcing themselves.
Watching.
Listening.
Peter sighed under his breath.
“She’s resetting the atmosphere again.”
Lucas frowned.
“She is taking them outside after that confrontation?”
Lem didn’t speak at first.
Then quietly:
“Interesting response.”
Because it was.
No lingering political focus.
No emotional reflection.
Just immediate redirection toward stability.
Mike’s laughter echoed faintly ahead as he followed Olivia down the corridor.
Max walked beside her quietly, matching her pace without needing instruction.
Olivia’s expression, however, shifted slightly the moment she noticed the three men following at a distance.
Her eyes narrowed a fraction.
“…Why are they here.”
It wasn’t loud.
But it carried perfectly.
Peter cleared his throat.
“Coincidence.”
Lucas answered at the same time.
“We were leaving.”
Lem said nothing.
Olivia stared at them for half a second longer.
Then turned away.
“…Do what you want.”
And continued walking.
That was it.
Dismissal.
No approval.
No invitation.
Just complete indifference.
Peter exchanged a look with Lucas.
“She didn’t even try to stop us.”
Lucas replied flatly, “Because she doesn’t care.”
Lem followed behind them at an unhurried pace.
“Incorrect,” he said quietly.
“She cares.”
Both men glanced at him.
Lem continued, eyes on Olivia’s back.
“Just not about us.”
Ahead, the garden opened into a wide grassy area near the estate lake.
A small picnic cloth was already being prepared by Nur, who looked like she had accepted chaos as a permanent state of existence.
Mike immediately ran ahead.
“I choose this spot!”
Max corrected calmly, “It is already chosen.”
“It is emotionally chosen.”
Olivia sat down first without ceremony.
Mike dropped beside her immediately.
Max sat next to Mike, still quiet.
The three men stopped at the edge of the field.
Peter whispered, “We are not invited.”
Lucas replied, “Clearly.”
But none of them left.
Because Olivia, sitting there with the children, looked different again.
Not softer this time exactly.
But unreachable in a different way.
Like the space around her had narrowed into something only those two boys could enter freely.
Mike leaned closer to Olivia while she poured tea.
“You are less scary outside.”
Olivia didn’t look at him. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“That is incorrect.”
“It is true.”
Max added quietly, “She is the same.”
Mike shook his head.
“No.
Outside she forgets to be serious.”
Olivia finally looked at him.
“I do not forget.”
Mike grinned.
“You are forgetting right now.”
Olivia paused.
Then calmly reached over and tapped his forehead once.
“Eat.”
Mike immediately sat properly.
“Understood.”
Max looked down slightly, almost hiding a small smile.
Behind them—
Peter watched quietly.
“She really ignores us completely when they are there.”
Lucas’ expression stayed unreadable.
“That is her priority structure.”
Lem, however, spoke again softly.
“No.”
Both men looked at him.
Lem’s gaze stayed fixed on Olivia.
“That is attachment.”
Silence.
Because Olivia, without looking at anyone else around her, gently adjusted Max’s sleeve and handed Mike a plate at the same time.
Effortless.
Natural.
And completely exclusive.
Peter exhaled slowly.
“…That’s worse.”
Lucas didn’t respond.
Because he had already realized it.
They were not being pushed away.
They were simply not included.
The picnic continued under the soft afternoon light.
The lake nearby reflected calm ripples, and the estate for once felt unusually distant from politics.
Mike was loudly explaining something to Max again, this time about “strategic bread distribution,” while Max listened with the patience of someone enduring a lecture he had already disproven internally.
Olivia sat between them, quietly eating without interrupting.
Every so often, she corrected Mike with a single word.
Not enough to stop him.
Just enough to keep him from becoming completely unhinged.
“…You are overcomplicating bread again,” Olivia said flatly.
Mike frowned.
“Bread can be strategic.”
Max replied calmly, “It is food.”
Mike pointed at him.
“You are missing the point.”
“I am not.”
Olivia took a sip of tea.
“Both of you are loud.”
Mike looked offended.
“We are not loud.”
Max added, “We are expressive.”
Olivia glanced at them.
“You are loud.”
That ended the argument instantly.
Mike sat back dramatically.
“This household is biased.”
Max nodded once.
“It is structured.”
Olivia didn’t respond.
Because both statements were technically accurate in ways she didn’t care to correct.
From a distance—
Peter, Lucas, and Lem remained standing near the edge of the garden.
Not invited.
Not acknowledged.
Just present.
Peter sighed softly.
“She really is ignoring us.”
Lucas watched quietly.
“She is not even pretending.”
Lem observed the picnic with mild interest.
“She is consistent.”
Peter glanced at him.
“That is what you find interesting?”
Lem’s eyes stayed on Olivia.
“She separates worlds cleanly.”
Lucas’ gaze narrowed slightly.
“What does that mean?”
Lem answered calmly.
“Those children belong inside her decisions.”
A pause.
“Everyone else exists outside them.”
That silence settled heavier than before.
Because it was accurate.
Too accurate.
Meanwhile, Mike suddenly leaned closer to Olivia.
“Grand Duchess.”
Olivia didn’t look at him.
“What.”
“Are we safe now?”
That question shifted the atmosphere slightly.
Max stopped moving.
Even the distant men outside the picnic area went still.
Olivia paused for a moment.
Then answered simply,
“For now.”
Mike frowned slightly.
“That sounds unreliable.”
“It is realistic.”
Max looked at Olivia quietly.
“And later?”
Olivia finally looked at both of them.
Her expression stayed calm—but her answer was firmer. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“Later depends on preparation.”
Mike processed that.
Then nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
Max didn’t ask anything else.
Because both of them understood something now:
Olivia never lied to make them comfortable.
She only spoke in outcomes she intended to control.
A breeze moved across the lake.
For a brief moment, Olivia’s gaze softened again as she watched the boys settle back into eating.
Not openly.
Not dramatically.
Just subtle attention.
Mike noticed it immediately.
“You are doing that face again.”
Olivia blinked once.
“What face.”
“The one where you are not thinking about problems.”
Max quietly added, “It is rare.”
Olivia looked at both of them.
“I am always thinking.”
Mike shook his head.
“No.
Sometimes you stop.”
Olivia didn’t respond.
Because he was wrong.
She never stopped thinking.
She just prioritized differently.
From the distance, Peter watched quietly.
“She looks calmer there.”
Lucas answered without looking away.
“Because she is not managing us.”
Peter exhaled.
“That stings.”
Lem finally spoke again.
“It is not rejection.”
Both men looked at him.
Lem continued,
“It is allocation.”
Peter frowned.
“That does not make it better.”
Lem’s expression stayed unreadable.
“It is not meant to.”
Back at the picnic, Mike suddenly stood up.
“I am going to investigate the lake.”
Max looked up.
“That is unnecessary.”
Mike pointed dramatically.
“Life is for investigation.”
Olivia didn’t even look up.
“Do not fall in.”
Mike paused.
“That sounded like permission.”
“It was a warning.”
Mike immediately ran off anyway.
Max stood after a second.
“I will follow him.”
Olivia nodded once.
“Bring him back if he falls in.”
Max replied calmly, “Understood.”
And he left.
Now only Olivia remained seated alone for a moment.
Quiet.
Still.
From the edge of the garden, Peter noticed it immediately.
“She’s alone now.”
Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly.
Lem did not move.
But his gaze sharpened faintly.
Because the moment the boys left—
Olivia’s expression shifted again.
Not sadness.
Not loneliness.
Just stillness.
Like she was recalculating the space around her.
Then— she spoke without turning.
“You are still there.”
Three men froze slightly.
Olivia finally glanced in their direction.
Expression neutral.
“…Stop following silently.”
Peter cleared his throat.
“We weren’t—”
Olivia interrupted calmly.
“I do not care.”
Silence.
She looked back toward the lake.
“Sit if you are going to stay.”
That was all.
Not an invitation.
Not warmth.
Just permission to exist nearby.
Peter blinked.
Lucas hesitated.
Lem moved first.
And sat down at a distance.
Peter muttered, “He actually listened.”
Lucas followed after a moment, sitting slightly apart.
Peter sighed and sat last.
All three are now positioned at the edge of her space.
Olivia didn’t look at them again.
But the message was clear:
The children were inside her world.
Everyone else— was only allowed to observe from the outside.