I AM A MAGE BUT WITH MILF SYSTEM

Chapter 860: Meeting Louisa

He pushed off the wall, a faint smile touching his lips.

Should I visit them?

The answer formed almost at once.

Yes.

With the royal visit arriving tomorrow, everyone was moving their pieces into place. Leaving Louisa and Liam unobserved for too long would be careless.

Besides, it had been long enough. He wanted to see what kind of expression she would wear when he appeared at her door without warning.

Having decided, Julian changed direction.

Instead of returning to his own chambers, he turned down a side corridor and began walking toward the western annex.

Being the Duke’s younger brother and a high-ranking figure within the royal army, Liam had always enjoyed both prestige and luxury.

Years ago the family had granted him a separate residence that connected directly to the main castle through a long stone gallery. It was smaller than the main castle, but still large enough to be called a castle in its own right.

In the past, when Liam’s faction was stronger, he rarely stayed there. He preferred to occupy rooms in the main castle itself, as if to remind everyone:

“Yes, this is all going to be mine.”

That confidence, however, had faded over recent weeks. Ever since Julian’s rise and the shifting balance of power inside the duchy, Liam maintained distance. He, Louisa, and their son Marcus had retreated into the annex castle, keeping their own counsel and limiting their presence in the main halls.

The corridor leading toward that separate residence was quieter than the rest of the keep. Most of the servants and knights were occupied with preparations for the King’s arrival, leaving the connecting gallery sparsely guarded.

As the gallery opened into the outer courtyard of Liam’s residence, Julian’s smile deepened by a fraction.

It was time to pay his aunt a visit.

**

The courtyard was decently sized, paved in smooth stone and bordered by well-trimmed hedges. In the distance, knights moved along their patrol routes, their armor’s shining under the blazing sun.

Julian’s eyes, however, locked almost immediately onto one particularly interesting figure near the center of the yard.

A young female knight with short, boyish hair stood before four lower-ranking knights. She held herself with clear authority, correcting their stances and issuing instructions.

Even from a distance, her movements carried confidence and control.

The female knight was none other than Cathy.

Julian’s gaze lingered on her for a moment.

Cathy was the same bold, self-assured knight Louisa had once sent in an attempt to seduce him. He still remembered the night in the garden when she had pressed his hand against her chest and tried to draw him in.

Well, Julian rejected her.

After that failure, she tried again and again over the following days, only to meet stronger and increasingly colder rejection. From that point onward, she stopped appearing near him altogether.

A faint smile touched Julian’s lips at the familiar face.

While he was still watching Cathy train her subordinates, a butler with a kind, well-trained expression approached and bowed respectfully.

“Young Master,” the man said. “What brings you here? It is rare to see you on this side of the castle.”

Julian’s smile remained polite.

“I wanted to meet my uncle and aunt.”

The butler froze for the briefest second. The hesitation was small, almost invisible, but Julian caught it all the same. It lasted only a heartbeat before the man regained his composure and straightened fully.

“Master Liam is currently taking a bath,” the butler reported. “Mistress Louisa is on the upper balcony, taking her tea.”

“Then take me to my aunt,” Julian said without missing a beat.

The butler nodded and, without further comment, turned to lead the way.

Julian followed.

They passed through the main entrance of the annex castle, and Julian immediately noticed how closely the interior mirrored the design of the primary castle.

The same style of high arches, the same pattern of mana-lamp, and even the same arrangement of decorative banners along the walls.

It was not difficult to guess the intention behind that choice.

**

They then climbed a tall staircase and continued through several connected halls and corridors. The deeper they went, the quieter the atmosphere became. Fewer servants moved through these passages, and the ones who did stepped aside quickly with lowered eyes.

Eventually the butler stopped before a set of open double doors and gestured toward the space beyond.

“The mistress is on the balcony, Young Master.”

Julian stepped forward.

The balcony was larger than it had appeared from the corridor. It stretched along a significant portion of the upper floor, overlooking the inner courtyard and the distant walls of the main castle.

Soft afternoon light spilled across the stone railing and the elegant furniture arranged near the center. A low table held a porcelain tea set, steam still rising faintly from the cup resting on its saucer.

And there, seated in a chair, with one leg crossed over the other, was Louisa.

Julian’s smile deepened by a fraction as he stepped fully onto the balcony.

Now he could see Louisa even more clearly.

She was wearing a loose white robe that clung softly to her figure, the fabric light enough to suggest she had thrown it on without much concern for formal appearance. Her hair was still wet, as if she had only recently stepped out of the bath.

She did not notice him yet.

Her attention remained on the courtyard below, her one hand resting idly near the teacup.

“Cough. Cough.”

Julian cleared his throat.

Louisa startled by the sudden sound, turned sharply toward the doorway. The moment her eyes landed on him, they widened in clear surprise. She stood almost immediately.

“Kraven…” she whispered.

Julian offered a polite bow, as one would picture from their nephew.

“Aunty. You are here.”

For a few seconds Louisa simply stared at him, as if confirming that he was not some trick of the afternoon light. The initial shock in her expression slowly began to fade, replaced by a more controlled calmness. She straightened fully and quickly composed herself.

“This is unexpected,” she said at last.

Her voice had regained most of its usual smoothness.

“It is rare for you to come to this side of the castle.”