Chapter 406: Troublesome Family Relations

The moment Astrid heard the mention of her sisters, her expression soured instantly.

She frowned deeply, clearly unhappy with the direction of the conversation.

"Can we please talk about anything else other than my sisters?" She asked hurriedly, trying to steer the topic elsewhere. "Literally anything else."

Mika shook his head firmly.

"Unfortunately, no."

He fixed her with a serious look.

"After all, this isn’t just a casual question about what happened in the past or how you’re doing with them."

"No, it’s much more then that."

"After all, the last time I didn’t check up on you and your sisters, many of you were on the verge of war."

"Tensions were sky-high and if I hadn’t stepped in and solved the problem at the last minute, I’m pretty sure you would have caused some major disruption—a fight with the other sisters that could have had serious consequences."

Astrid shifted uncomfortably.

"So that’s why I’m asking right now. How exactly are you doing with them? Are you fighting? Are you on peaceful terms? And I’m not moving on to the next question until you answer this properly."

His tone was solemn, leaving no room for argument.

Astrid looked like she wanted to protest.

Like she wanted to deflect, change the subject, do anything other than discuss her complicated relationships with her sisters.

But finally, reluctantly, she sighed.

"Since you’re insisting so much, Mika...fine. I’ll talk about them."

She looked at him with a mix of resignation and something almost like relief.

"But fortunately for you, you don’t have to break out any peace treaties or worry about any skirmishes."

"Things are going...rather peacefully, I could say."

Mika raised an eyebrow.

"Peacefully?"

"Yes." She showed a confident smile. "In fact, I’m actually working with Charlotte right now on that project I mentioned earlier. The device to detect illegal demi-human entries."

Mika’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Wait, hold on. You’re telling me that Charlotte of all people is working on your whole ’kick the demi-humans out of our world’ project?"

His voice carried clear disbelief as he added,

"There’s no way she would do something like that. Charlotte has so many demi-human friends. She really likes Nuri too."

"So, there’s no chance she would build a machine just to deport demi-humans and help find illegal ones."

Hearing this, Astrid’s expression shifted.

Something almost...evil flickered across her features.

"That’s the thing, Mika. She never wanted to do it in the first place."

She leaned back slightly, a smug smile playing at her lips.

"When I first approached her with the proposal, she immediately shook her head. Said she would never, ever accept it. Not in a million years."

Mika’s eyes narrowed.

"But I used a little...persuasion to change her mind."

The way she said it made Mika’s stomach turn.

"What exactly do you mean by ’persuasion’?" He asked, his voice carefully controlled.

Astrid’s face glowed—proud, confident, and undeniably cruel as she explained,

"On Charlotte’s team, there’s this demi-human girl. Her residence certificate in our world only lasts for a few more months. So, unless she renews it, she’ll be deported back to her world."

"But here’s the interesting part—her family is struggling to get the proper certification renewed due to some...unforeseen circumstances."

Mika’s expression darkened.

"So I went to Charlotte and made her a simple offer. She helps me out and works with me on this project, and in return, I help her friend out of her situation."

"I can easily sort any issue regarding permits and documentation, after all."

Astrid chuckled, while Mika shook his head slowly, disturbed by the manipulation but not entirely surprised.

"And what was Charlotte’s reaction to all of this?"

"Oh, she got angry." Astrid sneered. "Started shouting and screaming. But that was nothing to me. It was almost like a small, angry puppy barking at my feet."

She waved at the air like she was petting a puppy.

"I just smiled the whole time, which only made her even more furious. It was quite entertaining, actually."

Mika studied her for a long moment before saying,

"You said ’unforeseen circumstances’ regarding her friend’s certification issues. Don’t tell me..."

He paused, letting the accusation hang.

"Don’t tell me you were the one who created those circumstances. Just to get your hold on Charlotte."

Astrid’s expression shifted to one of exaggerated innocence.

"What are you talking about, Mika? I have no idea what you’re talking about at all."

She placed a hand over her heart, feigning offense.

"Please don’t accuse me in such a way without proper evidence. That’s very hurtful."

But the look in her eyes told Mika everything he needed to know.

She had done it.

Of course she had done it.

And the worst part?

She wasn’t even trying to hide it.

The smug satisfaction radiating from her made it clear she considered this a victory.

Astrid, seemingly unbothered by the weight of her earlier revelation, continued casually.

"Things are also going quite well with Anya, you know."

"Did you also manipulate someone on her team to get her cooperation?" Mika couldn’t help but ask.

"Of course not, Mika." Astrid scoffed, looking genuinely offended. "Who do you think I am?"

She crossed her arms.

"And as you know, Anya is in charge of laws, regulations, and all that bureaucratic nonsense."

"And apparently she’s currently trying to create a new bill that would make it much easier for demi-humans to enter our world."

"She wants to change all the old regulations that are imposed on them."

Mika nodded slowly. That sounded like Anya.

"Of course, I couldn’t accept that." She shook her with vexation. "I’m completely against it in fact."

"And since these new regulations have to go through me since I have quite a lot of say in these matters—Anya has to win my approval as well."

She shrugged.

"So every few days, we meet somewhere and discuss what we’re going to do."

"How we’re going to move forward with regulations that might satisfy both of us."

"...It’s a whole process."

"How exactly is that going?"

Mika raised an eyebrow.

"Is she also barking at you like Charlotte did?"

Astrid’s expression changed to something more thoughtful—and slightly frustrated.

"No, not at all. Unfortunately, unlike Charlotte, who was easy to manage and predict—Anya was a difficult nut to crack."

She paused, choosing her words carefully.

"She always wears this big, pleasant smile on her face."

"No matter what I say, no matter how much I push back or challenge her proposals, she just keeps smiling."

"She doesn’t get provoked easily. She doesn’t lose her temper. She just...listens, nods, and then presents another angle I hadn’t considered.

But the she gave a haughty smile.

"But I’m able to deal with it."

She quickly added before Mika could ask,

"I’m also meeting with the other two regularly. It’s all been...peacefully productive."

"So there’s your answer, Mika."

She pleasently said, hoping it would appease his spirits.

"You don’t have to worry about me and my sisters. We’re completely all right. No fighting. Nothing."

She hugged him again.

"Now please, just focus on us right now."

Mika let her hug him, snuggling into her warmth, but his mind was still turning.

"I’m surprised, honestly." He admitted. "I wasn’t expecting you to get along with them so well."

Astrid immediately pulled back slightly, looking defensive.

"Who says I’m getting along with them?" She protested, her tone sharp.

"Because of my position—because of the power and responsibilities I hold—I simply have to work with them. I have absolutely no other choice in the matter."

She lifted her chin stubbornly and added in a fluster,

"It’s not like I want to cooperate with them. I’m doing it because I have to."

Mika just shook his head, a small smile playing at his lips.

Instead of arguing, he asked a different question.

"And what about the mothers of those very sisters of yours? Your aunts? How exactly are you getting along with them?"

At this, Astrid pulled back completely and straightened up, her expression shifting to something warmer.

"Of course I’m getting along with them just fine."

She said, and there was genuine affection in her voice now.

"Every single holiday, I call them to wish them well. I make sure to check in regularly."

A small, fond smile appeared on her face.

"Though I will say, Auntie Fauna is quite a handful. Once she gets on the phone, she absolutely will not let go. The last time I spoke to her, she kept talking for two straight hours, and I had no choice but to stay on the line the entire time."

Mika couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

"That definitely sounds like what Fauna would do."

Then he looked at her with a gentle smile, his tone becoming more thoughtful.

"I’m surprised you’re getting along with them so well, though. Just moments ago, you were treating them like enemies, saying they shouldn’t even be allowed to talk to me..."

"...And now you seem perfectly fine with them."

Astrid’s expression became serious again, though not hostile.

"That’s only regarding you, Mika." She clarified. "When it comes to you, everyone becomes my competition. Everyone is a potential threat."

She paused, and her expression softened considerably.

"But Auntie Yelena, Auntie Fauna, and the others—they’re basically like second mothers to me. They raised me alongside my own mother. They were always there for me."

There was a tender look in her eyes now, something surprisingly vulnerable that Mika rarely saw from her.

"There’s no way I would actually disrespect them or ignore them or treat them badly." She said quietly. "They mean too much to me for that."

Then she quickly added, almost as a joke,

"Of course, if they were also to go after you romantically—the way their daughters do—it would be a completely different situation."

"But that’s just a hypothetical. Something like that would never happen, so I don’t really have to worry about it at all."

She smiled slightly, waiting for Mika to laugh at the absurdity of the idea.

But Mika didn’t laugh.

Instead, he looked at her with an expression that was almost guilty, his gaze shifting away slightly, as if he’d done something wrong.

Because right now, what she had just dismissed as impossible was secretly happening.

His relationships with her aunts were changing in very intimate ways—ways that Astrid had no idea about.

And he couldn’t help but wonder how exactly she was going to react when she inevitably found out about all of this.

He could only imagine the storm that would follow.

The fury, the betrayal, the hurt.

But he didn’t want to think about it anymore right now.

Instead, he cleared his throat and shifted gears.