Anya tried to keep her composure, tried to look stern and tried to stay angry as she knew if she forgave her mother she won’t keep on doing such things in the future.
But when Fauna looked down with those trembling, puppy-like eyes of hers—the sa pleading gaze she always used whenever she wanted forgiveness—her resolve started crumbling and it finally collapsed.
"Fine.." Anya finally sighed, turning her head away as her tone softened. "Fine, don’t look at like that. I’ll forgive you this ti."
Fauna’s face instantly lit up, her ears fluttering slightly in delight.
"Oh, thank you, Anya! Thank you!" She squealed, hugging her daughter tightly. "You really are the sweetest, most adorable daughter in the world!"
Anya rolled her eyes, but a faint smile tugged at her lips as she returned the hug—briefly, before pulling back with an exhausted sigh.
"But I already know what you’re going to say next." She said. "You’re going to ask to co and spend so ti with you and Mika to relax, have fun, do sothing spontaneous."
Fauna’s grin widened. "Well, of course—"
"But I can’t." Anya cut her off, her tone gentle but firm. "I have too much work to finish. I can’t afford to lose any more ti. This short conversation alone is already costing precious minutes."
And hearing this, Fauna froze, her mouth falling open.
"Wait—did you just reject ti with Mika? Reject him?!"
Anya blinked, puzzled by her mother’s expression, while Fauna threw her hands dramatically into the air.
"Unbelievable! I bring you this golden opportunity, this divine chance to spend ti with the man you love, and you turn it down?! Are you even my daughter?! There’s no way the Anya I know would do sothing like that."
Mika chuckled softly as Anya sighed, shaking her head.
"If it were any other work." She said calmly, turning toward him with a small smile. "I’d abandon it in a heartbeat to be with you. Spending ti with you really is...the best thing in the world."
Fauna crossed her arms, pouting.
"You could’ve said spending ti with was the best thing in the world too..." She muttered under her breath.
"But..." Anya continued, her tone becoming more serious. "A new realm has just opened. I’m in charge of drafting all its laws and regulations."
Mika looked around the ssy library full of papers and notes, then back at her.
"That’s sothing you’re used to, isn’t it? Why does it seem like this ti it’s really stressing you out?"
Anya’s eyes narrowed slightly, her composure flickering as irritation seeped into her voice.
"Because of the bastards in that council." She said bitterly. "Since I’m the only mber representing the battle angels—and they know I usually work alone—they’ve decided to gang up on ."
"They dumped most of the workload on my desk, gave impossible deadlines, all just to watch fail. They want humiliated, want to quit the parliant so they can laugh about it."
Her hand curled into a fist over the papers, her calm voice edged with hatred.
"But I won’t let them. I will never let anyone look down on or on our family. So I’ll finish it. Every draft, every law, every regulation—no matter how long it takes."
Hearing her declaration, Mika let out a irritated groan.
"Of course." He muttered under his breath. "Just another ’brilliant’ move from those self-righteous pests sitting in their silver towers."
His tone dripped with disdain as he crossed his arms.
"They can’t fight us head-on, so they stoop to underhanded tactics like this—petty, indirect sabotage. It’s pathetic."
Anya blinked at him, montarily surprised by his frustration, as he looked down at her.
"So they dump all the work on you, knowing it’s impossible to finish in ti...and you’re actually entertaining them by doing it all yourself?"
"Well, I can’t let them win, can I?" Anya gave a faint, weary smile.
"I an, can’t you ask for help?" Mika frowned, resting his chin on his hand. "You have the entire student disciplinary council under you—those kids practically worship you."
"If you so much as send one ssage, they’d be here in an instant. You could get this done ten tis faster."
Anya hesitated for a mont, then smiled faintly and shook her head.
"You’re right, they would. They’re talented, and I trust their ability. But...I can’t do that." Her voice softened. "I get uneasy when soone else handles my work. I keep thinking they’ll miss sothing or misinterpret a clause."
"It’s...a habit I can’t break."
"So you’d rather do the work of thirty people alone than risk one typo." Mika said dryly.
"Yep." Anya nodded without sha. "When I do it myself, I know it’s flawless. Besides..." She added with an almost mischievous grin. "...the deadline is in four days. As long as I stay awake and live off coffee and energy drinks, I’ll finish it. It’s not a problem."
"Not a problem?" Fauna finally interjected, looking horrified. "Anya, you can’t do that to yourself! You’re not made of iron!" She marched forward, pointing accusingly at her daughter. "Even with a SSS-class blessing, your body has limits! You’ll break down at this rate!"
Anya smiled faintly, reaching up to pat her mother’s hand.
"Mom, it’s fine. It’s not the first ti. I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again. I can manage."
"That’s what worries ." Fauna muttered, her voice trembling slightly.
Mika watched the two of them quietly, a small, thoughtful smile curving on his lips.
"Like mother, like daughter." He murmured.
He rembered vividly how Fauna had once done the sa—working herself to exhaustion to save lives from disease back then.
She had nearly destroyed her body for the sake of others, and now Anya was doing the sa thing for her cause.
With a sigh, he stepped forward, his expression soft but serious.
"Anya." He began gently. "I know your dream. You want to beco soone who can shape society—soone who can protect people through rules, discipline, and law. That’s admirable."
Anya looked up, her eyes steady but tired.
"But if you keep acting like a lone wolf..." Mika continued, his tone firm but caring. "...you’ll never get there."
"Being a leader doesn’t an carrying all the weight yourself. It ans building a team you can trust, assigning responsibilities, and guiding them so they don’t make mistakes."
He smiled faintly.
"A kingdom isn’t ruled by a single queen, no matter how capable she is. Even the best monarch needs her ministers."
Anya lowered her gaze slightly, his words settling deep in her mind.
"What I’m trying to say is if you keep going like this...." Mika said with sincerity. "...you’ll burn out. And if that happens, you’ll never reach the goal you’re working so hard for."
For a mont, the room was silent except for the soft hum of the lamp. Then Anya exhaled, a small, tired smile tugging at her lips.
"You’re right." She said quietly. "I already know that what I’m doing is wrong. I shouldn’t be taking it all on myself."
She looked up at him, her smile growing warr.
"I’ve been trying to change, actually. I started depending on others little by little. It’s not easy, but I’m getting there. I’ll find the balance eventually. You don’t need to worry about breaking down, Mika."
Fauna’s expression softened, visibly relieved.
"That’s my girl." She said proudly. "Finally letting soone help for once."
Mika smiled too.
"That’s good to hear." He said, his tone teasing again. "But how about starting right now?"
"What do you an?"
"I an..." Mika said with a grin. "Why don’t you let help? We’ll finish this together."
He leaned slightly closer, his eyes glinting playfully.
"Or are you going to reject too—because I might make mistakes like everyone else?"
Anya’s reaction was imdiate. Her eyes glowed with warmth, and she shook her head quickly.
"No! No, of course not!" She said earnestly. "You’re different, Mika. You don’t make mistakes. Honestly, I’d probably make more mistakes than you."
"So that’s a yes, then?" He chuckled.
She hesitated for only a second before nodding.
"Yes...but are you sure? there’s just so much to do, and I don’t want to make you work when you ca here to relax. And Mom probably wants to spend ti with you too. It wouldn’t feel right taking that away."
Fauna smiled gently and stepped closer.
"Oh, sweetheart." She said softly. "You don’t have to worry about that. You don’t need to ’spend ti’ with to make happy. Just knowing Mika’s here—and seeing him help you is more than enough for ."
She reached out to brush her daughter’s cheek lovingly.
"And if he can make your load lighter, then I’m all for it."
"Thanks, Mom." Anya smiled faintly.
"Exactly what she said." Mika nodded, his grin widening as he folded his arms. "And don’t worry—this won’t take long."
"How long?" Anya asked curiously, tilting her head.
Mika thought about it for a second before saying.
"One or maybe one and half—"
"One day?" Anya interrupted, surprised by how much ti was reduced.
But to her shock, Mika instead said,
"No, not one day...One hour."
Both Fauna and Anya blinked at him in disbelief.
"One hour?" Anya repeated, her composure cracking for the first ti. "Mika, this workload would take a professional team three weeks! Even I’ve been pushing myself to get it done in four days!"
Mika just smirked, the playful gleam in his eyes unmistakable.
"Then I guess you’re about to see what I can really do."
Anya stared at him for a long mont, blinking as though trying to decide whether he was joking or not.
Then it hit her—this was Mika.
Her lips curved upward into a small, knowing smile.
"You know...for a second, I almost forgot who I was talking to." She said softly, amusent mixing with curiosity in her voice. "If anyone else told they could finish three weeks of legal docuntation in an hour, I’d assu they’d gone insane."
She tilted her head slightly, the exhaustion in her face fading into sothing far more animated.
"But since it’s you, I suppose it’s not that impossible."
"So you’re finally starting to rember who I am?" Mika raised a brow.
"I never forgot." Anya replied smoothly, folding her arms as a playful spark glinted in her tired eyes. "I just needed a second to catch up with your absurd confidence."
"Then keep your eyes open, Anya." Mika stepped closer. "Because by the ti you blink, your paperwork’s going to be history."
"Alright, then, Mister Miracle Worker."
She rested her chin on her hand, watching him with growing intrigue.
"Show what you’ve got."
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