Chapter 157: Guided Tour

Blanche waited with Argy until Asher's shift began. Although the young man had figured out that she was really there to see the pixie about a computer issue, he had no idea that the pixie was actually Nicky.

He helped his mother without asking a single question. Instinctively, he trusted her completely. She always knew what she was doing.

To keep her promise, Blanche passed the time by calling Kiyan. The moment she told him he was on speaker with Argy beside her, he immediately started lecturing them both.

"What are you plotting this time?" the forty-something asked suspiciously.

"Just spending the evening with my son. It's not like I know anything about his life in Epsilon," she replied, only half lying.

Merely hearing his voice made her melt. It had that cruel gift of making her feel safe, making her smile... and making her feel guilty all at once. A few words were all it took to throw her completely off balance.

Deep, authoritative, and strangely warm, his voice sent shivers down her spine. She was fascinated by an attraction she still couldn't fully understand.

"I know you're up to something," he continued. "And sooner or later, I'll find out what."

She said nothing.

Sooner, yes—if her plan unfolded the way she hoped.

"Sebastian is going to get jealous of his own son if he catches you..." he added.

"He's not here," Argy interrupted. "He won't be back before dawn."

"Trust me, son. Now that he knows Blanche is at his place, he'll take every opportunity he can. Do you hear me?"

Blanche pouted... then activated Lie.

"I won't leave Argy's side for a second."

Before she had even finished speaking, Argy's eyes widened like saucers.

Thanks to his unique ability, especially when magic was involved, he could sometimes see and hear events five seconds before they actually happened.

This time...

Nothing.

Not the slightest inconsistency.

Not even the faintest trace of deception.

This reeks of dark magic, he thought.

The trick worked.

Eventually, Kiyan stopped pestering them.

The three of them savored that rare family moment with quiet hunger, each instinctively aware of how precious such moments had become.

Time slipped by unnoticed.

The conversation wandered naturally from one subject to another without any real direction. They shared memories, stories Blanche had never heard before, embarrassing childhood tales about Argy that he desperately tried to downplay while his parents laughed, then drifted toward lighter topics simply for the pleasure of talking.

Several times, silence settled between them.

It was never awkward.

It was the silence of people who had nothing to prove, nothing they needed to fill with words, because simply being together was enough.

Blanche watched her son.

Argy laughed more easily than usual. His smile looked less forced, younger... almost carefree. For a little while, he was no longer the university student juggling multiple identities, nor the young man carrying responsibilities far beyond his years.

He was simply a son again.

She treasured every second.

Her gaze kept drifting back to him with quiet affection, almost contemplative, as though she were trying to engrave every smile, every laugh, every expression into her memory.

They talked for over an hour.

An hour that flew by effortlessly, carried by laughter, teasing, and the warmth unique to families who, despite years apart, secrets, or distance, always manage to find their way back to one another.

A fleeting thought crossed Blanche's mind.

Some meals were forgotten the very next day.

Others...

Stayed with you for a lifetime, simply because the right people had been sitting around the same table.

Eventually, Blanche hung up after sincerely promising not to do anything reckless.

Technically, everything had been carefully planned.

It took her a few moments to recover from the call. Kiyan still had that hold over her. Sometimes she dreamed of breaking free from it.

Far more often than she cared to admit...

She didn't mind it at all.

She felt lighter. A burden she hadn't even realized she had been carrying had finally lifted from her shoulders.

Soon, she could feel it.

He would be entirely hers.

By Babylon, she couldn't wait.

Since it was still early, Argy offered her a quick tour of the penthouse.

Including Sebastian's private apartment.

A bad idea?

Probably.

But Blanche had never been able to resist curiosity when it invited her in so politely.

In high spirits, her son began with the king's main office, where His Majesty's private elevator opened—the very elevator Blanche would eventually have to take to visit Asher.

The entire right wing of the floor belonged to Argy.

The left belonged exclusively to the king.

Argy led her to a door that opened successively into Sebastian's bedroom, walk-in closet, and bathroom.

He stepped inside.

Blanche followed on tiptoe.

Everything was as understated and elegant as in her son's rooms, carrying that same sense of quiet perfection where nothing seemed to have been left to chance.

The bedroom embraced a distinctly industrial style, blending matte black steel with dark wood in an almost effortlessly masculine harmony. Exposed steel beams echoed the wide walnut floorboards, while the anthracite polished concrete walls were softened by wooden panels that warmed the space without diminishing its character.

The furniture, all clean lines and impeccable craftsmanship, radiated understated luxury. An enormous bed occupied the center of the room, its solid wood headboard seamlessly integrated into a built-in bookshelf where carefully arranged volumes stood beside a handful of decorative objects: an antique pocket watch, a model sailing ship, and a handcrafted chess set.

Across from the bed, a vast floor-to-ceiling window flooded the room with soft daylight, silver reflections dancing across the metal surfaces.

Nothing was out of place.

Not a discarded shirt.

Not a book left open.

The order was almost military without ever feeling cold.

A faint scent of leather and polished wood lingered in the air, giving the room an unexpectedly welcoming atmosphere despite its restraint.

As she took it all in, Blanche couldn't help but smile.