I AM A MAGE BUT WITH MILF SYSTEM

Chapter 870: Romance novel?

Julian stepped forward.

The yard seemed to grow quieter with each step he took. Rows upon rows of knights stretched before him, their armor catching the pale morning light.

Now, finally, he stood before the full formation. Hundreds of eyes fixed on him, waiting for him to speak.

And he did.

“You all understand what day this is,” he said, his voice easily reaching each and everyone present there.

“His Majesty is already on our duchy’s soil. Before the sun climbs much higher, the royal carriage will enter these gates. From that moment onward, every movement you make will be seen not as the action of a single knight, but as the face of House Astran.”

The soldiers maintained pin-drop silence.

“There will be no disorder,” Julian continued, letting his gaze sweep once over the front line.

“You will not speak unless required. You will not place your hands on your weapons unless commanded. If an order is unclear, you will look for Commander Aldric. If the situation changes, you will still look for Commander Aldric. There is one chain of command in this yard today. Only one.”

A few of Liam’s soldiers remained perfectly expressionless, but Julian could see the shift in their attention and posture.

“This meeting is not a battlefield,” he said. “And it is not a stage for internal ambition, either. Whoever stands in these ranks does so as a sword of Astran. If you cannot accept that, step out now.”

No one moved. They knew this was a test.

Julian’s gaze then traveled slowly over the formation; from the front line to the deeper ranks, measuring them one final time.

“Good,” he said, satisfied that no one had left.

“If that is clear, then listen carefully to Commander Aldric. He will assign your posts, your duties, and everything related to how you are expected to compose yourselves.”

He paused, then continued in a sharper voice.

“Is that clear?”

The knights saluted as one and answered at full strength.

“Yes, my lord!”

The sound of their gauntlet striking their breastplate filled the front yard for few more breath before the silence took over again.

…

With that settled, Julian left the rest to Commander Aldric and turned back towards the castle.

Behind him, the commander’s voice rose again almost immediately. He seemed to be dividing the ranks and briefing them on their position. The sound of shifting armor and marching boots followed Julian, but he did not look back.

He said what needed saying. The rest was not his duty to manage.

**

Once inside, he quickly realized that he had nothing immediate to do.

Vanessa was nowhere to be seen, Olivia was absent as well, and even his father was still occupied by the maids.

Julian found himself entirely free.

He walked into the main hall and simply enjoyed the sightseeing, since there was little else to occupy him.

The decorations here were denser than anywhere else in the castle.

Banners hung at perfect intervals. The carpet beneath his feet was smooth to walk on. The lamps were adjusted to cast a soft, golden glow.

Every detail had been arranged so precisely that it left nothing open to scrutiny.

After a while, having drifted through the hall without any real destination, he stepped into one of the adjoining corridors.

That was when his eyes fell on a familiar figure.

A wicked little smile touched his mouth.

A group of maids stood farther down the corridor, tidying the space while having a conversation with each other. They were too absorbed to notice his presence.

“How do you think His Majesty looks in person?” one of them asked, pausing mid-fold with a cloth still in her hands.

“I am more curious about the Crown Prince,” another replied, leaning in as though this were a great secret. “I read a novel where the crown prince was so handsome that he blinded the female lead the moment she saw him.”

The others laughed under their breath.

“Where do you even find novels like that? I can never get the ones I actually want.”

One of the maids nudged the speaker with her elbow, grinning from ear to ear.

“You like the spicy ones, don’t you? The kind where the alpha forces the young princess.”

The accused maid flushed at once and tried to hide her face behind the cloth in her hands.

Step. Step.

The sound of approaching footsteps cut cleanly through their gossip. The maids turned, and the moment they recognized him, their eyes widened in perfect sync.

In the next breath, their laughter vanished almost entirely, swallowed by something closer to panic. They hushed completely and bowed as deeply as their posture allowed.

Julian smiled at the sight.

How obedient.

He came to a stop in front of them. For a moment he said nothing and simply let the weight of his presence settle over the group.

A few of the maids looked as if they were holding their breath, unsure why the young lord was here.

But Julian’s attention was already fixed on one figure in particular.

She was the maid who had spoken about reading novels involving the Crown Prince. Even with her head lowered, he recognized her immediately.

Sera.

The maid Vanessa had once assigned to seduce him, and if possible draw information out of him. They had been intimate before, and for a time she used to come to him regularly, about once a week.

Then, after Vanessa’s attitude toward him began to change and her old suspicions softened, those visits stopped completely.

Vanessa must have ordered it. That was the only explanation that made sense.

She seemed to recognize that his eyes was on him. Even while holding her bow, her eyes darted upward more than once… before she forced them down again.

Julian let the silence stretch just long enough to make the whole group grow stiff.

Then he spoke in a soft tone.

“You were discussing novels.”

Several of the maids flinched as if he had caught them mid-theft rather than mid-gossip. One of them nearly dropped the cloth in her hands. Another kept her head so low it looked painful.

“M-my lord,” the oldest-looking among them managed. “We were only speaking carelessly while finishing the corridor. Forgive us.”

Julian’s gaze moved over them before returning to Sera.

“I was not offended,” he said. “I was interested. One of you mentioned a spicy novel. Something about an alpha and a young princess, if I heard correctly.”