I AM A MAGE BUT WITH MILF SYSTEM

Chapter 871: Shocking request by the young lord

“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.”

The corridor seemed to freeze.

For a second, none of them were able to decide whether it would be worse to admit it or pretend that they had no idea what he meant.

A maid near the wall went scarlet. Another stared at the floor with the intensity of someone praying to disappear into it.

Even the air felt awkward.

Sera’s fingers tightened against the fabric of her skirt.

“My lord…” one of them began, then failed to find a safe continuation.

Julian’s smile remained polite, which somehow only made the question more dangerous.

“Well?” he continued. “Which one of you reads that sort of story? I am curious what the servants of this castle consider entertaining before a royal visit.”

The maids exchanged a series of tiny, panicked looks without daring to lift their heads properly.

Being scolded would have been easier. But being questioned by the young lord about illicit romance novels was so far outside their expectations that none of them had a prepared a response for it.

At last, the maid who had done the teasing earlier forced her voice out in a trembling rush.

“I-it was only nonsense, my lord. Idle talk. We meant no disrespect to the royal family or to the Crown Prince. We were being foolish.”

“I did not ask whether it was foolish,” Julian said. “I asked about the novel.”

Another wave of silence followed. One of the younger maids looked close to fainting. Someone swallowed so loudly it was almost funny.

Sera finally spoke, her voice quieter than the others but more controlled.

“It was only a cheap story passed around among the lower staff, my lord,” she said. “Nothing worth repeating in front of you.”

Julian’s eyes settled on her fully at that.

Of course she would be the one to try to close the subject cleanly.

“Is that so?” he asked.

“Yes, my lord.”

The other maids nodded rapidly, clinging on her answer like a rope thrown to a drowning women.

Julian watched them for a moment longer, clearly entertained by the sheer scale of their embarrassment. The mighty Castle of Astran was prepared to receive a king, and yet a handful of maids looked ready to collapse because he had asked about a romance novel.

His smile deepened slightly.

“Then I suppose,” he said, “it must have been a very memorable story, to leave all of you this flustered.”

Their blushes deepened at once.

Julian let the silence hang for a breath longer. Then he asked, almost casually,

“Are any of you married?”

The question caught them off guard all over again. For a second, none of them answered. Their eyes shifted sideways, uncertain, until one by one those glances gathered on the oldest girl among them, the same maid who had spoken earlier to try to smooth things over.

Feeling the weight of their stares, the oldest girl swallowed and answered,

“I am married, Young Lord.”

Julian gave a slight nod, as if that settled one small part of the matter.

“Alright,” he said. “Then aside from you, I need two of you to please me. You will be handsomely rewarded.”

The words landed with such sudden bluntness that the group seemed to freeze in place. One maid’s fingers clenched hard around the cleaning cloth she was holding. Another stared at the floor so intensely it looked painful.

Meanwhile, the married maid’s eyes widened, clearly torn between relief at being excluded and shock at what had just been said in front of all of them.

Before the others could fully process the request, Julian raised one hand and pointed.

“You will be the one.”

His finger was aimed at Sera.

Her shoulders tensed immediately. Even with her head still lowered, the reaction was obvious.

The other maids stiffened around her, some in pity, some in pure disbelief.

The corridor remained painfully quiet.

Sera slowly lifted her gaze just enough to meet his. There was no open refusal in her expression, but neither was there the easy composure she had once worn when Vanessa first sent her to him.

Julian’s smile remained calm, almost pleasant.

“Do not look so tense,” he said. “I told you there would be a reward. I am not in the habit of making people serve me for nothing.”

The married maid opened her mouth as if to say something, then wisely closed it again. One of the younger girls looked close to trembling. Another kept darting glances between Sera and Julian, as if still struggling to believe that the young lord of the house had walked into an ordinary corridor, asked about romance novels, and then selected company as easily as he might select wine.

Julian finally lowered his hand.

“Well?” he said, his eyes still on Sera. “Do you understand?”

Sera bowed again, deeper this time.

“Yes, Young Lord. It will be my pleasure to serve you.”

Her answer seemed to surprise the other maids more than Julian’s request itself. A few of them glanced sideways at her before quickly remembering themselves and lowering their eyes again.

Julian looked over the remaining women with mild interest.

“Sera is quite special,” he said. “We have already been intimate with one another, so don’t be surprised.”

The effect was immediate.

Wave of pure, unhidden shock washed over the gathered maids.

A maid being intimate with the son of the Duke?

To them, Kraven was not merely a young noble. He was a figure so far above their station that even the crown prince in their cheap novels felt more reachable by comparison. The idea that one of their own had already shared a bed with him struck harder than the original request.