Chapter 44: You Tamed My Daughter?!

Yelena folded her arms and raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a sly smirk as she glanced between Mika and Charlotte.

She already knew her daughter’s temperament well, Charlotte loved Mika in a way that was far beyond normal, almost to a scary degree. And now, after seeing Mika playfully charm another girl right in front of her, Yelena was almost certain she was about to see fireworks.

’This is going to be good.’ Yelena thought to herself, feeling almost giddy as she leaned against the wall. ’Let’s see how Mika handles my little monster when she goes feral on him.’

She imagined Charlotte’s voice rising, her emotions boiling over, and Mika finally cracking under the relentless barrage of a girl who loved him too much for her own good.

Honestly, Yelena was already looking forward to seeing him flustered and overwhelmed for once, maybe even watching him crumble a little under her daughter’s rage.

The thought of that cool, smug expression of his breaking apart was just too delicious to pass up.

But to Yelena’s utter shock...Mika didn’t look flustered in the slightest.

Instead, he tilted his head slightly and gave her a calm, almost amused smile.

"Yelena...you’re expecting me to get battered and scolded to death right now, aren’t you?"

That caught her off guard. "...What?"

"You’re thinking Charlotte’s going to lose it and rip me apart for flirting with that nurse, aren’t you?" He continued, his tone teasing but steady.

Yelena blinked, then scoffed and smirked.

"Well...of course. Even though you and Charlotte aren’t officially together yet, you’re not stupid, Mika."

"You know how much she loves you. Any normal girl would get mad if the guy they liked pulled something like that, never mind Charlotte, who’s on a whole other level."

She then gestured at Charlotte, who was standing behind Mika, her hands clenched at her sides, her lips quivering.

"I mean, look at her. You think she’s calm? Ha...Any second now, she’s going to explode and drag you through the wringer."

"And honestly, I want to see it. It’s about time you got a taste of what happens when you push a girl like her too far."

But Mika didn’t even blink. In fact, he smirked slightly and said in a smooth, confident voice.

"Really? Is that so? Then why don’t we see for ourselves?"

Yelena raised an eyebrow in surprise. ’What’s he planning?’

Without breaking eye contact with her, Mika turned slightly and stretched out his hand toward Charlotte.

"Charlotte. Come here."

Yelena almost burst out laughing.

"Oh, Mika, you really think she’s going to listen to you after that? You’ve got some nerve—"

But her words froze in her throat when, to her utter shock, Charlotte faltered.

Her fingers twitched nervously, her lips parted as if to say something sharp, but no words came out. Instead, she lowered her gaze and, after a moment of clear inner struggle, she slowly walked toward Mika, each step hesitant but obedient.

"What in the world...?"

Yelena muttered under her breath. Her daughter, the firespark who would usually go nuclear over something like this, was yielding?

Mika waited calmly as Charlotte stopped in front of him, fiddling with her fingers and biting her lip. He looked down at her gently and asked.

"You saw what happened with that nurse just now, didn’t you?"

Charlotte nodded, her face pink, though not from anger.

"What did you see?" Mika prompted softly.

Charlotte hesitated, her voice trembling as if she was forcing the words out.

"I saw you...talking to her. You were comforting her. And...and you were..." She swallowed hard. "Flirting with her a little."

"And?" Mika pressed.

Charlotte bit her lip harder and added in a small, strained voice. "It...it was obvious the nurse liked you. She probably wanted something more."

Yelena’s eyes widened slightly. ’So she does understand what just happened. This should be the part where she explodes.’

But Mika smiled and said, "That’s exactly what happened."

Then he glanced back at Yelena, his smirk growing sharper. "And you see, your mother here seems to think you’re going to be furious with me now. That you’re going to yell and fight and scold me until I’m on my knees apologizing, right?"

Yelena folded her arms, still confused but keeping her tone snarky. "Well, yeah. That’s what any girl with a heart would do...Especially her."

Mika turned his gaze back to Charlotte, his voice warm but firm.

"Is that true, Charlotte? Are you furious? Are you going to get angry at me for what I did?"

Charlotte stiffened, her fists tightening for a brief moment, then she looked up at him with wide, glistening eyes and shook her head.

"No..." She whispered softly. "I...I’m not angry. I won’t get angry at you at all."

Yelena’s jaw nearly dropped.

"...You, what?"

Charlotte’s voice was small but steady now as she continued. "It’s not my place to get angry. Whatever you do...it’s your choice. I...I won’t interfere."

"Charlotte!" Yelena blurted out. "What the hell are you saying?! You’re seriously okay with him flirting right in front of you?!"

Charlotte glanced briefly at her mother before returning her gaze to Mika, her expression unwavering. "Yes. It’s his business...and I trust him."

Hearing this, Yelena felt her eye twitch. Her daughter, the one she expected to tear Mika apart, was letting him off the hook completely, and worse, she looked utterly submissive as she said it.

And then, to make matters worse, Mika calmly reached out and began ruffling Charlotte’s hair, his fingers sinking into her soft locks with a practiced ease.

"Good girl." Mika said softly, almost like he was praising a puppy. "You’re such a good girl, Charlotte, for letting this matter go and not getting angry. That’s exactly how you should be."

Charlotte blinked in surprise for a split second, but then, rather than swatting his hand away like Yelena expected, she let out a goofy little giggle.

"R-Really? You mean it? I’m...I’m really a good girl?" She asked, her voice high and filled with an almost childlike excitement.

"Of course." Mika replied with a smile, using both hands now to ruffle her hair more thoroughly.

It looked less like he was praising a young woman and more like he was petting a beloved pet.

"You handled yourself just like I wanted you to. I’m proud of you for holding back and not giving into those wild emotions this time...That’s a huge improvement from how you used to act in the past when I had any sort of interaction with women."

Charlotte’s cheeks flushed as she squirmed slightly under his touch, but rather than pulling away, she leaned into it with a dopey grin.

"Ehehe...as long as it makes you proud, Mika, I’ll do anything...Anything at all."

Yelena stood frozen, staring at them with wide eyes.

’What...the...hell am I watching?’

Her daughter, her powerful, headstrong daughter, was being praised like an obedient dog and acting like she loved it.

Even after Mika flirted with another girl right in front of her, she was giggling like an idiot under his hands.

Yelena couldn’t decide if she was horrified, amazed, or just...completely dumbfounded.

But then, her lips slowly curled into a smile. Not one of amusement, but something sly and sharp.

"You really are something else, Mika." Yelena said, folding her arms across her chest.

Mika paused, glancing at her with calm, steady eyes.

"You’ve got some nerve." Yelena continued, her tone almost admiring, but with a dangerous edge. "Not only did you flirt with another girl right in front of the daughter of a goddess, someone who, mind you, could one day have the power to control the minds of everyone in this city."

"...But you also went ahead and treated her like a little puppy, patting her head and praising her for holding back her emotions."

Charlotte blushed even deeper, but she didn’t protest. Instead, she kept giggling softly under Mika’s hand.

Yelena tilted her head slightly, her crimson hair catching the light as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"And you did all this while I, her mother, a battle angel who helped save this world, stood right here watching you...You didn’t even care how I’d feel seeing my daughter getting played like this. Mika..."

She bit her lip softly and let out a small, breathy laugh.

"You really are brave...Or maybe just crazy."

After saying such confrontational words, Yelena thought that Mika would panic like anyone would in this sort of situation. But to her surprise, Mika didn’t falter.

Instead, his smirk grew as he pulled Charlotte even closer by the wrist, as if he was showing her off. Charlotte stumbled slightly, letting out a small, shy squeak, and her blush deepened.

"Brave, huh?" Mika said, his voice cool and slightly teasing. "So tell me, Yelena...are you angry about what you’re seeing right now?"

"Are you upset that I’m playing with your daughter’s heart like this? That I’m taking advantage of her feelings?"

His tone was almost confrontational, his sharp eyes challenging her as if daring her to say yes without any fear in his heart...