The castle of Astran was currently taken over by the sudden appearance of the king’s envoy.
News of the official knight’s arrival had spread like wildfire through every corridor and hall. Servants hurried back and forth, polishing already spotless surfaces and preparing lavish refreshnts. Guards stood taller, their armor gleaming under the morning light.
Vanessa was seen moving gracefully through the western wing, issuing orders to her personal maids. Commander Aldric had returned with the envoy and was now coordinating security with the Duke’s trusted n. Liam and Louisa were both in deep discussion in their private chambers - no doubt calculating how this unexpected visit would affect their position.
The entire duchy seed to be preparing.
**
While all of this was going on, in one particular room deep within the private quarters, the sight was sothing entirely different.
Olivia sat on the edge of the massive gold-plated bed, her posture straight but tense. Julian stood behind her, towering over her seated figure. Her eyes were closed and it seed as if her body was already preparing itself for the familiar sensation of his hands resting on her shoulders.
But this ti, Julian did not imdiately place his hands on her.
"Mother," he said quietly. "Can we do it standing?"
Olivia turned her head sideways to look at him, her brows slightly furrowed in surprise.
"Standing...?" she asked, her voice soft but uncertain. "Does it help better than while sitting?"
Julian scratched the back of his head lightly.
"A bit more, I guess," he replied. "And I want to try a new thing as well. If my guess is correct, it could be beneficial to you as well."
Her eyes raised at that.
"Beneficial?" she repeated, clearly intrigued despite the situation. "How?"
"I am thinking of absorbing your mana and at the sa ti sending you my mana as well. So if my theory is correct, I could help you reach Arch Mage today."
Olivia’s mouth ford the perfect shape of ’0’ at that statent.
For a long mont, she simply stared at him in a dazed silence. Her mind struggled to process what he had just said.
Was he being serious? No, he must be joking.
Reaching Arch Mage from Peak Sovereign in a single session? That was beyond absurd.
Even if she ditated every single day and dedicated her entire life to the path of magic, she would clearly need ten whole years of relentless hard work to have any realistic chance of breaking through to the early stage of Arch Mage.
And that was assuming she could dedicate her entire life to it, which was certainly not possible. She was not an independent woman free to pursue only magic. She had a family to look after. A duchy to help manage. A husband. Children. Responsibilities that no amount of talent could simply ignore.
So him saying she could reach Arch Mage from one session was too hard to believe. Almost impossible.
If she had not personally witnessed Kraven’s weird fortune and rapid rise, she would have laughed it off as youthful arrogance or a poor attempt at humor. But she had seen what he had beco. She had experienced the strange, miraculous effects of his mana reversal technique on her own body.
Still, the claim was staggering.
Olivia remained quiet for several long seconds, her mind waging an intense internal war. Part of her wanted to refuse imdiately. The last session had already pushed her far beyond what was proper, and she was certain that if she agreed, the sa would happen all over again.
But another part of her, the part that had always strived for strength to protect her family, whispered that this could be a once-in-a-lifeti opportunity.
Arch Mage. A realm she had only dread of reaching.
If there was even the slightest chance...
She looked at Julian’s face again. His expression was serious and without any trace of mockery. He clearly was not joking.
Olivia took a deep, shaky breath.
"You... you really think this is possible?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "To help reach Arch Mage in one session?"
Julian nodded slowly.
"I believe so," he said. "Your mana is incredibly pure and abundant, Mother. When we exchange it both ways, it creates a perfect circuit. My mana will help refine and strengthen your pathways, while yours continues to heal . If we do it standing, the flow might circulate even better through your entire body."
Olivia stared at him for another long mont. The rational part of her mind scread that this was madness. But the mory of how much stronger she had beco after the last session silenced those doubts.
Finally, she stood up from the bed.
"Very well," she said softly, her voice carrying both reluctance and quiet determination. "If you truly believe this will help both of us... then I will trust you. But Kraven... promise we will stop if it becos too much. For either of us."
Julian gave her a small, reassuring smile.
"Okay, Mother. I will stop the mont you order to," he said softly.
Olivia’s heart pounded wildly at those words. Stop the mont I order him to...
Would she even be capable of stopping him when those overwhelming sensations took hold of her again?
The mory of the last session still burned vividly in her mind.
Gathering whatever courage she could muster, she stood straight, her hands clasped nervously in front of her, and turned her back to him once more.
She took another steadying breath, trying to prepare herself ntally for what was about to happen. Her red gown felt suddenly too thin, too revealing, clinging to the curves of her body in a way that made her acutely aware of every inch of skin beneath it.
step step
Julian stepped closer behind her.
She could feel each of his footsteps as if they were ringing inside her head. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders at first, the contact sending a small shiver down her spine. Then, slowly, he slid them down to her upper back, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin fabric of her gown.
The position was even more intimate than before.
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