Chapter 447: Her Rock, Her Pillar, Her Very Treasure

The guard’s soul left his body.

He stood frozen, his face drained of all color, his hands trembling at his sides.

He had just tried to arrest Lady Nadia’s personal guest. He had mocked him. Laughed at him. Called him delusional.

He was going to be fired. Blacklisted. Ruined. Or even killed

Just then—Nadia turned her gaze toward him.

She didn’t say anything. Didn’t move. Didn’t change her expression in the slightest.

But the guard felt the full weight of her attention, and it was like standing in front of an avalanche.

He was going to die. He was going to—

Mika burst out laughing.

"Relax! Calm down!" He waved his hands, still laughing. "I’m just joking! He didn’t do anything that bad. Just doing your job, right?"

He clapped the guard on the shoulder, who nearly collapsed from the sudden relief.

"But can you at least open the barricade now? Now that I have proof right here—" He gestured at Nadia. "—I think we can let me through."

"Yes! Yes, of course! Right away! Sir!"

The guard nodded frantically, stumbling over himself to get to the barrier.

"Sorry for the inconvenience! Please, right this way!"

He fumbled with the lock, his hands shaking so badly it took three tries to get it open.

Mika slipped through the gap and turned back toward the crowd.

He spotted the girl who had helped him earlier, who was staring at him now, her mouth open, her eyes wide.

He gave her a friendly wave.

"Thanks for the help! Appreciate it!"

She didn’t respond. She couldn’t. Her brain was still trying to process what she had just witnessed.

Mika then turned back to Nadia, who was waiting for him with that familiar, unreadable expression.

They began walking down the red carpet together.

Side by side.

"How was the traffic?" Nadia asked, her voice as flat as ever.

"Horrible." Mika complained. "My hands are still sore from holding the brakes so many times. I had to park my scooter four blocks away and walk the rest of the way."

Nadia glanced at him.

"Why are you even using a scooter? There’s no need for someone like you to do something like that."

Mika shook his head emphatically.

"Scooters are the best. They’re easy to move around, they have great fuel efficiency, they’re comfortable, they can carry a passenger, they have storage space—" He counted off the benefits on his fingers. "—and they look really cool."

He grinned at her.

"I’d much rather ride in style than just fly overlike you always do. You should try it sometime, Nadia. Scooters can be pretty cool."

Nadia considered this for a moment.

"Okay, Mika. I’ll buy one."

"I’ll hold you to that."

They reached the entrance of the building and entered.

For a moment, there was blessed silence.

And then, behind them—the chaos resumed with renewed intensity.

"WHO WAS THAT?! WHO WAS THAT BOY?!"

"HOW CAN HE TALK TO LADY NADIA LIKE THAT?!"

"I WANT TO BE THAT BOY! HOW CAN I BE THAT BOY?!"

"JEALOUS! I’M SO JEALOUS I COULD DIE!"

The photographers were in a frenzy, checking their cameras, scrolling through their shots.

"DID YOU GET A PHOTO?! TELL ME YOU GOT A PHOTO!"

"No! I don’t know why—his face is completely blurry! Every shot is blurry!"

"Same here! It’s like the camera can’t focus on him!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN’T FOCUS ON HIM?! HE WAS RIGHT THERE!"

The news anchor was shouting into her microphone, her professional composure completely shattered.

"LADY NADIA HAS JUST ENTERED THE BUILDING WITH AN UNKNOWN INDIVIDUAL! A YOUNG MAN—WE CAN’T IDENTIFY HIM, AND FOR SOME REASON, NONE OF OUR FOOTAGE CAN CAPTURE HIS FACE CLEARLY!"

"BUT WHOEVER HE IS, HE MUST BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO HAVE SUCH A CASUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BATTLE ANGEL HERSELF!"

The guard who had almost arrested Mika was sitting on the ground, being fanned by a sympathetic colleague.

"Here, drink this. You look like you’ve aged ten years."

"I almost...I almost arrested Lady Nadia’s..." He couldn’t even finish the sentence.

The girl who had helped Mika was still standing where he had left her, staring at the building entrance, her mind completely blank.

She had thought he was just a handsome man.

A random, handsome man who needed directions.

And now he was walking into the most important political event of the decade, side by side with one of the most powerful woman in the world.

She stared at the closed doors of the building, her heart pounding.

Who was he?

—

Even though the interior of the building was just as grand and elegant as its exterior—perhaps even more so, with floors that gleamed like mirrors and chandeliers that cast warm, golden light across every surface—the scene inside was not so different from the one outside.

Everywhere Mika and Nadia walked, people stopped.

Conversations died mid-sentence. Important figures, dignitaries from a dozen worlds, officials who wielded power that could shape the fate of nations—they all turned to look.

Their eyes followed the Battle Angel as she moved through the corridors, her blue gown flowing behind her, her face a mask of perfect composure.

And in their eyes, Mika could see it.

Awe. Respect. Reverence.

No matter how high their station, no matter how much power they commanded in their own realms—they were nothing next to her.

They wanted to approach her. Mika could see it in the way they leaned forward, the way their lips parted as if to speak.

But they couldn’t.

There was an invisible aura around her—something that made even the bravest among them hesitate.

It wasn’t hostile, exactly. It was just...there.

A reminder of who she was, of what she was capable of.

Mika glanced at her, a frown tugging at his lips.

"You know." He said, keeping his voice low. "I was expecting this to be a small party you were hosting. A little gathering. Maybe some dignitaries, some wine, some awkward small talk."

"But...its this."

He gestured around them at the grand hall, the important officials, the palpable tension in the air before looking back at her in reluctance.

"You didn’t think to mention that it was the most important meeting that’s going to change the future of multiple worlds?

"Sigh..." He shook his head liked he was tired. "It would have been nice if you’d given me a heads-up about that."

Nadia’s expression didn’t change, but something in her eyes flickered with amusement.

"If I had told you the truth, you wouldn’t have come."

Mika opened his mouth to argue, then closed it.

"I know how much you hate tedious things like this. The moment I mentioned a formal diplomatic event, you would have found some excuse to run off."

"You would have made up a dozen reasons why you couldn’t attend. You would have—"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Mika held up his hands. "So you tricked me."

"I didn’t trick you." Her voice was perfectly flat, perfectly calm. "I simply...omitted certain details to ensure your attendance."

Mika stared at her.

"That’s the definition of tricking someone."

Nadia considered this for a moment.

"...Perhaps."

They continued walking, passing more clusters of officials and diplomats who parted before them like the Red Sea.

Mika could feel their eyes on him—curious, envious, bewildered.

Who was this young man walking beside Lady Nadia as if it was the most natural thing in the world?

How could he possibly be with her.

But he just ignored them and tried to steer the conversation back to practical matters.

"But seriously—why did you ask me to come? You’ve been working on this for ten years. You’ve orchestrated everything meticulously. You don’t need my help."

They reached a door at the end of the hallway—larger than the others, clearly reserved for someone of importance.

Nadia paused with her hand on the handle.

"I am confident, Mika. Everything has been prepared. If everything goes according to plan, there should be no problems."

She opened the door.

"But I’m also...slightly nervous."

Mika looked at her in surprise.

Nadia didn’t meet his eyes. She was staring into the room ahead, her profile calm, her expression unreadable.

But there was something in her voice—a slight hesitation, a tiny crack in that perfect composure.

"This has been going on for years. Ten years of negotiations, compromises, setbacks, and victories. I’ve prepared for every contingency. I’ve thought of every possible outcome."

She finally looked at him.

"And yet, I can’t shake this feeling. This bad feeling in my heart that something will go wrong. That despite all my preparations, something will happen that I didn’t anticipate."

Mika opened his mouth to respond, but she continued.

"And that’s why you’re here."

Her eyes softened—just barely, just enough for someone who knew her to notice.

"You’re my support. My pillar. With you by my side, all my nervousness disappears. I don’t have to worry about anything."

Mika felt something warm spread through his chest.

He was about to say something—something heartfelt, something about how honored he was, how grateful—

—until Nadia’s lips curled upward.

"There’s also the fact that there might be some tricky questions that come up later. Some difficult problems that need to be handled."

She looked at him with an expression that was almost smug.

"So you’re going to step up and deal with all of it."

Mika’s warmth evaporated.

"Wait."

He stared at her like he walked into her trap.

"So basically, you’re throwing all the burden on me. You’re expecting me to solve all your problems."

Nadia tilted her head.

"Don’t think of it that way, Mika. Think of it as...tempering you for your future. A valuable experience for your development. Training, if you will."

"That’s not what this is and you know it." He retorted

"I have no idea what you’re talking about." She ignored him.

Mika groaned, but he couldn’t help smiling.

Despite the deception, despite the fact that he was being used as a shield for difficult diplomatic questions—he was glad she trusted him this much and wanted him here, by her side, for something this important.

"Okay, fine. But I have no clue what’s going on."

He remarked with a contemplative gaze.

"I don’t know the intricacies of this coalition, the key players, the sticking points—any of it. So, how am I supposed to handle anything if I don’t even know what’s happening?"

Nadia stepped into the room and gestured grandly at the table in the center.

Mika followed her inside—and stopped dead.

The table was covered.

Covered in boxes. Boxes upon boxes upon boxes, stacked high, filled to bursting with files. Dozens of them. Maybe hundreds.

"Everything you need to know is here." Nadia said calmly. "The case details, the parties involved, their goals and aspirations, those who oppose the coalition, those who support it."

"Every relevant document, every important negotiation, every critical piece of information."

She gestured at the chair set up.

"You have about an hour to catch up."

Mika’s jaw dropped.

"An HOUR?!" He gestured wildly at the boxes. "There’s no way—this would take days! Weeks! Even for me, this is—"

"Oh please, Mika." Nadia’s voice was perfectly dry. "We both know you can comprehend all of this in a matter of minutes. Don’t act as if an hour is too short."

Mika’s protest died in his throat.

She was right, of course. She was absolutely right.

His speed reading, his information processing—it was more than fast enough to get through this mountain of documents. But still—

"I prefer taking my time reading things." He grumbled. "Not rushing through them like a machine."

But he was already moving toward the table, already opening the first box, already pulling out a file.

He sat down and began.

Page after page, file after file, he absorbed the information. The history of the coalition, the ten years of negotiations, the shifting alliances and broken promises and hard-won compromises.

The seventy-eight realms involved, their resources, their demands, their fears. The human diplomats who supported the coalition, who opposed it, who were on the fence.

Every detail, every nuance, every hidden agenda—he took it all in.

Nadia watched him, and her heart swelled.

She remembered when he was small.

He had been her little assistant back then. Her tiny proofreader. He would sit in her office late into the night, going through her documents, pointing out typos and mistakes she had missed.

He had a sharp eye, even as a child. Nothing escaped his notice.

She remembered how he would frown at her drafts, his small face scrunched up in concentration.

How he would circle errors with a red pen, leaving little notes in the margins.

How he would stay up past his bedtime just to help her finish her work.

She remembered falling asleep at her desk, exhausted, and waking up to find a blanket draped over her shoulders and a glass of water waiting beside her hand.

He had been so small then. So quiet. So diligent.

And now here he was.

Grown.

Sitting at her table, surrounded by mountains of paperwork, wearing a suit that fit him perfectly, his hair slicked back, his face sharp and focused.

He looked like a diplomat. Like a leader. Like someone who belonged in rooms like this, making decisions that would shape the future.

She felt something swell in her chest.

Pride.

So much pride it almost hurt.

He had grown into such a fine young man. Such a capable, intelligent, wonderful young man.

And he was here. With her. At the one of the most important moment of her career, he was here, by her side, ready to help.

She moved without thinking.

Crossing the room, she sat herself down in a chair next to his and rested her head against his shoulder before closing her eyes.

Mika stiffened.

"Nadia? What are you doing? I’m trying to read, you’re going to—"

He stopped.

Because she was asleep.

Just like that. In an instant. Her breathing was soft and even, her face relaxed, her body completely at ease against him.

She had fallen asleep on his shoulder as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Mika looked at her.

At this woman who had shouldered so much for so long. Who had negotiated peace between worlds, who had ended wars, who had saved countless lives.

She was exhausted.

Of course she was exhausted.

And now, finally, with him beside her, she could let go.

And in response, he didn’t move. Didn’t shift, didn’t adjust, didn’t do anything that might wake her.

He simply continued reading, his movements careful, his presence steady, his shoulder a pillow for a woman who had never let herself rest.

Nadia slept.

And in her dreams, she felt safe. She felt warm. She felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

With her son by her side.

Her rock.

Her pillar.

Her treasure who she was so proud of.