I AM A MAGE BUT WITH MILF SYSTEM

Chapter 861: What happened to our deal

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.”

Julian smiled lightly and stepped further onto the balcony.

“I missed you and Uncle,” he said. “It has been days since I last saw either of you. With the King’s visit arriving so suddenly, I thought it proper to pay my respects.”

Louisa studied him for a moment longer. Then she gestured toward the chair opposite hers.

“Sit, then.”

Julian moved forward and took the seat across from her.

As he settled, his eyes moved over her without hurry. The white robe, still slightly damp in places, followed the lines of her body more closely than formal wear ever did. Her wet hair framed her face in a way that softened her usual sharpness, though the intelligence in her eyes remained as keen as ever.

Louisa returned to her seat with careful grace, crossing one leg over the other. She then reached for her tea, more to occupy her hands than out of real thirst.

“You chose an interesting time to visit,” she said. “The entire duchy is in motion because of tomorrow’s reception. Most people are too busy to take leisurely walks across the gallery.”

“That is precisely why I came now,” Julian replied. “After tomorrow, free moments may become even rarer. I did not want too much time to pass without seeing how my aunt and uncle were faring.”

Louisa’s lips curved in a faint, unreadable smile.

“How thoughtful of you.”

She lifted the cup, took a small sip, then set it down again.

“Liam is bathing. He should be finished soon. Marcus is with his tutors. And I… was simply enjoying a quiet moment before the castle becomes unbearable with preparation.”

Her gaze sharpened slightly as it settled on him again.

“You look well,” she said. “More well than before. The duchy has been full of talk about you these past weeks.”

“People enjoy talking. I prefer results over expectations.”

“And yet results have a way of changing the board,” Louisa answered. “Your father has grown more confident. The nobles who once sat comfortably in the middle have begun leaning toward him again. Even tomorrow’s visit will be read as a sign of favor, regardless of what His Majesty actually intends.”

She paused, watching him closely.

“Which leaves some of us to wonder what the young lord of Astran intends to do with all that attention.”

Julian met her eyes without looking away. The air between them carried a quiet tension beneath the polite surface of the conversation.

Meanwhile, the butler who had remained hidden near the doorway, finally turned and walked away. His footsteps faded down the corridor until the balcony was left in true privacy.

Only then did Julian’s smile widen slightly.

“Do you always keep stalkers in the castle, Aunty?”

Louisa finally loosened, the careful stiffness in her shoulders easing as she breathed in relief. She glanced toward the now-empty doorway before answering.

“He reports directly to Liam,” she said. “Eavesdropping is part of his duty. Anything worth noting finds its way back to my husband before the hour is out.”

Julian gave a small nod, as if the explanation confirmed something he had already suspected.

“So that was the reason.”

His expression shifted into a faintly wounded look, almost theatrical.

“You were speaking to me as if we were strangers. I was sad, you know. I thought our relationship was stronger than that.”

Louisa rolled her eyes.

When she spoke again, her voice was lower, stripped of its earlier public formality.

“Cut your acting. Why did you really come here, Kraven?”

Julian leaned back in his chair.

“I did miss you, Aunty,” he said. “Even though you are always planning and calculating, I grew used to your presence. Then, without any warning, you simply vanished into this side of the castle. Days passed without a single meeting. With the King’s visit arriving so suddenly, I thought it was time I came to see you myself.”

Louisa studied him in silence for a few seconds. Her wet hair still clung lightly to the side of her neck, and the white robe shifted as she adjusted her posture.

“You make it sound as if I disappeared to spite you,” she said. “Liam preferred that we keep a lower profile while the balance inside the main castle remained uncertain. There was no deeper meaning to it.”

“Is that so?” Julian’s tone remained mild. “And yet the timing was too convenient.”

Louisa’s fingers tapped once against the arm of her chair.

“Not everything is a scheme aimed at you,” she replied. “Some decisions are simply about survival.”

“Survival,” Julian repeated softly. “An interesting word. Speaking of which…”

He let the pause stretch just long enough to change the weight of the conversation.

“By the way, Aunty. What happened to our deal?”

The effect was immediate.

Louisa’s expression tightened. For the first time since he had arrived, she did not have a smooth reply ready. Her gaze lowered slightly, then moved away toward the courtyard. The silence that followed was more revealing than any answer she could have given.

She said nothing.

That silence confirmed Julian’s suspicion.

Liam must have found another path. Something promising enough that Louisa was already reconsidering the private arrangement she had made with him.

Perhaps the King’s sudden visit had opened a new route for their faction.

Whatever the reason, her hesitation spoke clearly enough.

**

Julian’s smile faded.

A thick, suffocating aura suddenly erupted from his body.

It was dense, oppressive, and spread through out the balcony like a heavy palm pressing down from the heavens.

The environment seemed to tremble under it.