Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 257. An Hour Longer Than She Needed To

Rick had been looking at Fredrich’s face during the third question, especially during that half-second pause, and nothing came up from him.

He had sufficient experience to maintain complete control. He did, however, respond to a specific question about where existing documents were by talking about future plans for storage and calling it a procedural matter.

Heinz attempted to leave, but Carmilla halted him at the mansion’s door, armed with an impromptu list of tasks.

She gave him clear directions and sent him on his way with the kind of confidence that comes from knowing how to handle a situation without making it feel managed. He would probably still get lost.

But he would be busy and not in the Council chambers, which was the point, just so that he didn’t fuck up anything.

At the end of the meeting, everyone shook hands warmly, and Fredrich said he was thrilled to have Rick’s input back in the process. Fredrich pulled Rick aside for a moment as the chamber emptied, as two men with a common goal would do.

Fredrich said, "I hope the fire last night didn’t keep you from sleeping too much."

"Unfortunately, these things happen during recovery periods, and Valdris is still getting better after the total corruption attacks." He put a hand on Rick’s shoulder to show he was friendly.

"I’m happy you’re back after that small recovery... We do better work with you here as the Hero of Mature Hearts, of course."

"And also... the one major power you’re looking for is right here, so better impress her." He said while looking at Zephyra, and then Rick did the same.

Rick smiled, "Well... it’s my job, and I can’t seem to enjoy that for too long, or else it gets boring," and then watched Fredrich laugh while leaving him.

And then Rick stood in the room that was empty for a moment.

Zephyra, who was still there, said, "He said we work better with you here."

Rick gave it some thought. He didn’t say, ’things run better’ or ’the city is safer.’

"It feels like a personal framing of your partnership with Fredrich in managing Valdris." She put her folio under her arm. "Since yesterday’s arrival, he has been doing this consistently."

"Small additions. Subtle language choices. He is crafting a narrative in which both he and you are aligned, while simultaneously constructing an administrative framework that operates independently of your involvement."

Rick said, "If I go on another mission—"

"The framework keeps running under his administration because of decisions you helped approve... you become the authority that legitimizes it without being necessary to its function." She walked toward the door. "He is a very careful man."

Rick walked out beside her this morning.

...

The afternoon was different from the morning. It was slower and warmer, and the sun came through the courtyard garden at the angle it did in the early afternoon when it cleared the mansion’s east wall.

Rick had planned to sit down and think about what had happened that day. What really happened was that he found Sophia in the courtyard garden, in her portable pen, looking at a leaf with the full focus of a scholar who has come across something truly worth learning about.

The house staff member who had been watching her was called inside for something, and Sophia and the leaf were having a private conversation that seemed to be going well.

Rick sat down on the garden bench and watched. "Oh man... will I ever get a cute baby like that with one of my partners someday...?"

"The leaf was apparently fascinating for her... and I could respect that, or maybe it’s just the baby’s innocent thoughts."

About fifteen minutes later, when Zephyra came out to get her daughter, she saw Rick and stopped in the doorway with the look of someone who was adjusting their expectations of what they were going to find.

"She’s not bothering you," Zephyra said.

Her statement aligned with the facts.

"She hasn’t said a word the whole time and even cried for a bit. That’s a very professional way for a baby at that age." Rick giggled.

"She can’t talk yet, and she won’t cry unless she’s hungry."

"I know, and that’s what I mean about a very professional way."

There was movement at the corner of Zephyra’s mouth. It wasn’t quite a smile, but it looked like one that was being thought about before being put away for later.

She walked across the courtyard and picked up Sophia. On the way, Sophia grabbed Rick’s finger with both hands and held on with the firm grip of someone doing an experiment.

Rick stayed still and looked down at Sophia so she wouldn’t be scared. "How old was she again?"

"She’s nine months now, and last week, she started pulling herself up to stand. " Zephyra answered while looking at Sophia. "She’s about six weeks ahead of where she should be in her development."

"Of course you kept track of that."

"It’s relevant information for a mother like me."

"It’s not a bad thing, though. Rick awkwardly laughed after realizing he said something unnecessary.

Zephyra was still standing there with her usual blank expression, even after Rick just said that. Sophia was carefully examining Rick’s finger with her mouth, which meant that the experiment had moved on to a new stage.

"Even though this sounds dumb for me, but..." Rick said, "She has your eyes."

For a moment, Zephyra looked at Sophia with an expression that didn’t show any thought at all. "Yeah, I know that... Heinz says the same thing."

She stopped for a moment. "At least he’s right about that..."

She said it in the same flat, precise tone as everything else she said. Rick noticed the difference, though.

It was the only thing she had said about Heinz in a full day that wasn’t about logistics.

He didn’t force it.

"You can sit down if you want..." Rick said while patting the spot next to him. "I’m not doing anything useful right now."

"I have work to do."

"You always have work to do... why don’t you relax for a bit with your baby?"

Sophia was able to get Rick’s finger out and then tried to eat the bench instead, which at least showed that she was using the same scientific method every time.

"See? She’s interested in the bench."

"Yeah, I guess you’re right..." Zephyra looked at her, then at the bench, and then she sat down with Sophia in her lap and opened her folio.

She was busy working as she usually does, and she was also sitting in a garden in the afternoon, next to someone who wasn’t asking anything of her. This was different from working alone in a room, though.

Rick leaned back on the bench and looked at the garden. He let the afternoon be what it was.

After a while, Zephyra said, "You’re patient," without looking up from her folio.

"Yes, with people I respected."

She wrote something down. "That’s a very narrow qualifier."

"It’s not as narrow as it sounds."

She didn’t say anything after that.

And then after a minute, Sophia fell asleep in her lap all of a sudden, like very young babies do when they are done being awake. Zephyra kept working, but her shoulders were a little less stiff than usual.

She stayed in the garden for an hour longer than she needed to, which Rick thought was significant.

He didn’t say anything about it. He simply sat on the bench, allowing the afternoon light to envelop him.

"It feels like a family here..." Rick thought to himself. "And I’m still hesitant to play with Sophia because she can be scary with that blank expression and answer..."

"I need to step up to get her attention more so that making a Spirit Bond with her would be possible..."