Chapter 427 --426
Chapter 427: Chapter-426
Julian let out a dry scoff, straightening up and pulling his hands off her desk. He shook his head, a mixture of disbelief and genuine amusement dancing in his ice-blue eyes."Manage it independently," he repeated, his tone returning to that smooth, completely nonchalant baritone. "Right. Of course. Why did I expect any other answer from the great Empress Regent?"
He turned around and walked over to a high-hanging basket of orchids, casually poking at a trailing vine. He didn’t look defeated at all; he just looked like a guest who found the palace entertainment slightly unusual but highly amusing.
"You know, back in the North, if a man told his fiancée she was acting like a machine, she’d either throw a wine glass at his head or burst into tears," Julian said over his shoulder, his silver hair catching the bright afternoon light through the glass ceiling. "But you? You just give me a vocabulary lesson on ’administrative efficiency.’ It’s actually kind of refreshing. At least I don’t have to write you any poetry."
Elara didn’t answer. She picked up her silver quill, dipped it into the inkwell, and smoothly returned to writing her guard logs. Her mind was already re-categorizing Julian’s presence from a "potential disruption" to a "stable, low-impact variable." As long as he stayed at this level of casual compliance, his presence in the palace would require zero extra management.
"Master," Mahir’s low voice rumbled from the door, his golden eyes still tracking the prince like a hawk waiting to drop from a branch. "The third cohort’s shift rotation is beginning. Do you require a change of escort?"
"No, Instructor Mahir," Elara said without looking up from her parchment. "The current arrangement is sufficient. Secure the eastern gate logs before the evening bell."
"Understood," Mahir grumbled. He gave Julian one last, pointed glare, his long tail giving a heavy, warning twitch against his leg before he stepped back into the corridor to maintain his post.
Julian casually strolled back toward the glass exit, his hands tucked back into his pockets. He stopped by the door, turning his head to give her one last, lazy smirk.
"Enjoy your administrative efficiency, Elara," he said smoothly. "I’m going to go find that chief engineer and make sure my quarters don’t turn into a desert tonight. See you at the next official script reading."