Chapter 458: They Need To Remember Who Their Daddy Is!

Nadia’s heart sank the instant she sat back down.

She had screwed up.

Badly.

She had completely shattered the momentum Mika had been building, the careful pressure he had applied without even consulting him.

She had stepped in while he was still moving, still speaking, still doing exactly what was needed. And from the way he was looking at her now, he was not happy about it at all.

Her stomach twisted with regret. She hated that cold, disappointed stare more than anything in the world.

So she immediately reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a gentle, almost desperate shake.

"I-I’m sorry, Mika." She whispered, voice low enough that only he could hear. "I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that, but I had to."

"The situation was getting too out of hand. I was worried something drastic would happen, so I...I went over you and said those things. I’m really sorry for that."

Even while pleading, her voice remained mostly monotone—the same flat, controlled tone she used in every public setting.

To anyone who didn’t know her well, it would have sounded almost mocking.

But those who truly knew Nadia could hear the faint crack beneath it, the way her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, the subtle tremble in her breath.

But Mika didn’t reply.

He simply continued to look up at her, dark gaze steady and unreadable.

Nadia’s panic deepened.

"I’m really sorry, Mika. Really, I am!" She continued, voice cracking just a little more.

"If this had gone on any longer, everyone would have gotten paranoid. They would have thought we were announcing war on them. And as you can only imagine, the consequences...once that kind of information leaves this room, panic would spread everywhere. Chaos."

"Even if it didn’t start a war immediately, it would create so many problems—issues that could ruin everything we’ve worked for. This agreement might never come to fruition, and we’d make enemies out of everyone."

"So...So I had to step in."

She held him tighter, fingers digging into his shoulder like she was trying to convey how deeply sorry she was through touch alone.

But Mika still didn’t speak.

He just stared.

Finally, Nadia couldn’t handle it anymore.

Her tiny nose began to twitch—small, rapid movements that anyone else might have mistaken for an oncoming sneeze or an itch.

But those close to her knew exactly what it meant.

She was about to cry.

Even when Nadia cried, it was always a strained, almost painful sight—her face barely moved, her expression remained mostly frozen, but the tears would come anyway, and her nose would quiver with the effort of holding everything back.

Right now, she looked like she was on the verge of breaking because she felt like a terrible mother.

After everything Mika had done to support her tonight—standing up for her, defending her, carrying the burden she couldn’t—she had undercut him without warning.

She had put him down in front of everyone. The thought that he might dislike her even a little, especially now that he had finally come back, made her chest ache horribly.

She was trapped in that horrible position, not knowing what else to do except fight back the tears.

Fortunately, Mika had no intention of letting her cry.

He finally let out a deep, heavy breath. His expression softened, the dark anger draining away as he patted his lap once.

"Come here, Nadia." He said quietly. "Sit down."

The moment the words left his mouth, Nadia didn’t hesitate.

She immediately climbed onto his lap, her very plump, full bottom spreading warmly across his thighs.

But she didn’t stop at just sitting—she leaned fully into him, resting her head on his shoulder like she needed his support more than anything else in the world.

Mika wrapped one arm around her waist, the other gently stroking up and down her back in soothing circles.

"It’s alright, Nadia." He murmured. "I’m not mad at you. I’m not angry about what you did at all."

Nadia’s voice came out weak and shaky.

"You’re lying...You definitely are mad at me for what I did..."

He almost laughed. "I’m really not."

He tilted her chin up, making her meet his eyes.

Hers were bright, too bright, the tears she couldn’t shed making them gleam.

"The truth is there’s nothing you could do to make me angry at you. After all, after everything I put you through as a child? The tantrums, the messes, the trouble I caused?"

He stroked her cheek, gentle.

"You never got truly angry with me. Not once. So why I get angry at you?"

She shook her head weakly.

"That’s different, Mika. You’re my son. A mother doesn’t get angry at her child."

He pinched her cheek softly.

"And you’re my mother. A son doesn’t get angry at the woman who gave him everything."

Her heart clenched.

"Besides..." He added, his voice lighter. "..with a face as gorgeous as yours? Even if you did something to annoy me, I’d forget about it the moment I looked at you."

"Mika..."

Her heart raced. The warmth in his words washed away every negative emotion she had been carrying. She felt completely neutral—more than neutral.

She felt so much happiness that she had to actively control it so it wouldn’t burst out of her.

But she wanted more of this feeling.

So, shyly, she turned her head and pushed out her cheek toward him.

Mika knew exactly what she wanted and he chuckled.

"My, my. Does my mother want a kiss?"

Nadia pouted—just the tiniest, most adorable pout.

"I do deserve it. After all, I felt so bad. If you don’t kiss your poor mother, my heart is going to break and I might accidentally destroy this entire building just because I’m feeling sad."

Mika shook his head, amused.

"Wow. As expected of a diplomat like you—blackmailing your own son."

But he didn’t refuse.

He gently cupped her face with both hands and gave her a big, warm kiss on the cheek.

Then he turned her head and kissed the other cheek.

Finally, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

Nadia’s eyes fluttered half-closed, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

"Now, is that enough?" Mika asked, voice teasing but fond. "Is that enough to appease my beautiful mother right here?"

Nadia immediately curled deeper into his embrace, rubbing her face against his chest with a small, giddy smile.

"Yes...That’s enough. More then enough." She whispered, voice full of quiet joy.

She felt light and warm and safe.

But just as she was basking in the moment, she suddenly looked around—and absolute horror flashed across her face.

She was still in the middle of the grand negotiation hall.

Everyone could see her.

She immediately pulled back in panic, thinking the entire room had witnessed such an intimate sight.

Even though she didn’t mind if a few people saw her being affectionate, this was too public. Too many eyes. Too much at stake for her image.

Mika realized what was happening and patted her back soothingly.

"Calm down, Nadia. Calm down. No one can see us right now."

She blinked.

"I already enacted a barrier around us." He explained. "They can’t see anything that’s going on inside, but we can still see what’s happening outside. So it’s no big deal."

Nadia slowly reached out a hand, extending it forward. She felt a strange, watery resistance in the air—like dipping her fingers into an invisible pool. It really was a barrier.

She let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness, Mika. Thank goodness no one saw that."

His voice was light, teasing. "What? You don’t want anyone seeing you being affectionate with me?"

Seeing that he looked hurt, Nadia immidietly shook her head in a fluster.

"No, Mika—I mean, yes—I mean—" She stopped, fidgeting. "It’s just that...I’ve negotiated and dealt with so many people over the years. Whenever I do, I always act in a very dominant and authoritative manner. I never let the other party speak for even a second."

"So if the same people suddenly see this side of me...it’s rather embarrassing. I still want to keep up my scary image, after all. It works in my favor. It would be ruined if they saw me cuddled up in your arms like this."

Mika teased her with a grin.

"If you’re really that scared of your image getting ruined, then we don’t have to be intimate at all."

He made a small motion like he was about to help her off his lap.

Nadia immediately grabbed onto his clothes with both hands and snuggled even tighter against him.

"No, Mika! No! I’ll never let you go. No matter what you say, I’ll never leave your side!"

She buried her face in his chest, looking all cute and adorable—like a stubborn kitten refusing to be moved.

Anyone else seeing this scene would have fainted on the spot.

This was the same woman who had once stood against the most powerful existence in the world and barely showed any emotion.

And now here she was, curled up in a boy’s embrace like she never wanted to move again.

Mika chuckled and stroked her back.

"It’s alright, Nadia. I’m joking. I won’t do such a thing."

But Nadia still refused to scoot aside, clinging to him like her life depended on it.

Mika didn’t seem to mind at all.

He let out a long breath and looked out at the dignitaries slowly filtering back into the hall after the break, his expression turning thoughtful and a little whimsical.

"Nadia." He asked quietly. "Do you think the reason I said all of that was to invoke a war right now? Do you think I’m someone who wants everyone to fight each other and never have a moment of peace?"

Nadia pulled her head back just enough to look at him.

"No, Mika. You’re the exact opposite." She shook her head firmly, calm and collected. "You’re someone who loves peace and harmony and quiet places where you can be by yourself and do your own thing."

"If a war were announced, everything you love would be shattered and you’d be forced into situations you don’t want to be in. So of course there’s no way you would want something like that to happen."

Mika smiled faintly.

"Then why do you think I said all those things? Why do you think I almost provoked war between all sides?"

Nadia tried to think about it. She searched for an answer, but nothing came. She looked back at him, waiting.

Mika let out a deep sigh.

"It’s all because of you, Nadia."

She pointed at herself, surprised.

"Me?"

He nodded, then looked out at the dignitaries with a slight hint of disdain in his eyes.

"All these years, you’ve never used your power unfairly. You’ve been a diplomat. Equal. Fair. You never pressured anyone, never threatened, never let your authority overshadow your arguments."

She nodded slowly. That was true. It was something she had always been proud of.

"You think that’s a good thing."

She frowned. "It is a good thing."

He shook his head. "It’s honorable. It’s noble. But it’s not always good."

She went still.

"Because you’re so fair, because you’re so careful, people forget. They forget who you are. What you’ve done. What you’re capable of."

His voice hardened.

"They forget that you don’t need to argue. You don’t need to negotiate. If you wanted something, you could simply take it."

"A word from you, and every realm in this room would bow. Every government, every leader, every army—all of it would crumble if you wished it."

She said nothing.

"They’ve forgotten that. So they push. They argue. They oppose you for profit, for power, for reasons that have nothing to do with what’s right. And you let them. Because you want to be fair."

Hearing this, Nadia let out a deep sigh and thought about the early years after the war.

How everyone had treated her with deference, with gratitude, with something close to reverence. Whatever she had asked, they had done, no questions asked.

But as the years passed, that had faded.

The same diplomats who had once thanked her for saving their worlds now argued over trade routes.

The same leaders who had sworn eternal gratitude now questioned her motives.

They pushed. They tested. They forgot.

She had noticed. She had let it happen, because that was how diplomacy worked. Every nation looked out for its own interests. It was natural. It was fair.

But as the years went by, more and more of this happened

And eventually, it came to this point.

This agreement—something so obviously good for the world was being stopped by so many individuals for their own personal reasons and their own greed.

Nadia understood then—why Mika was doing this.

All of it—the provocations, the threats, the way he had loomed over the delegates like a shadow promising ruin.

It wasn’t cruelty. It wasn’t recklessness. It was strategy, yes, but more than that...

...it was love.

His eternal love for her, that refused to let others look down upon the women he once looked up to.