Chapter 37: Mommy Val
Opening my bedroom door, I found Val standing outside in her usual guard post, looking as alert as ever, except for a rare, subtle trace of exhaustion shadowing her eyes.
I paused, frowning slightly at her. "Val? Are you okay? You look like you haven’t slept at all."
"I am... quite fine, Young Master," Val replied, her usually crisp, unwavering tone faltering with a tiny, noticeable stutter. She quickly straightened her posture. "I mean... I am completely functional. I am accustomed to remaining awake for extended periods."
Seeing her insist on standing guard despite looking slightly drained, I couldn’t help letting out a sigh. "Val, seriously, go take a nap. You’ve been guarding my door nonstop."
Val cleared her throat softly, brushing a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "I assure you, I do not require sleep at the moment. It is my duty to accompany you to the main hall."
Seeing there was no way I was going to convince my stubborn bodyguard to take a break, I shook my head. "Fine, do as you please."
As the two of us began walking down the wide marble corridor, a subtle, unusual smile tugged at the corner of Val’s lips.
"You seem to be in a particularly good mood this morning, Young Master," Val murmured, her voice dropping into a quiet, amused tone. "I assume last night was... highly satisfactory?"
I froze mid-step.
I stood stock-still in the middle of the hallway, my mind short-circuiting as the horrifying realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Val had stayed stationed outside my door all night. The soundproofing in the mansion was top-tier, but given her absurdly high-level martial senses, there was absolutely no way she hadn’t heard Yerin sneaking in, our whispered conversation, or the intense, passionate hours that followed.
Seeing my face completely freeze, Val’s smile widened by just a fraction. "Congratulations on your new milestone, Seth."
I slowly turned my head toward her, my throat suddenly going dry.
"Of course," Val continued in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, "I have no intention of reporting Lady Yerin’s late-night visit or your secret relationship to Lord Julian and Lady Alice. However... keeping such a major development strictly between us means you now owe me a favor."
I stared at her in utter disbelief before reaching out to grab her shoulders and giving them a slight shake. "Who are you?! Where is the real Valerie?! What did you do to my stoic bodyguard?!"
Val blinked, completely speechless as I gently shook her back and forth.
"The real Val would never try to casually blackmail her employer!" I exclaimed, letting go of her shoulders. "Since when did you become so sneaky?"
Val looked away toward the corridor wall, a faint pink hue creeping up the back of her neck. "I am simply adapting. You are a terrible influence on my professional conduct, Young Master."
My lips twitched. ’Me? A terrible influence? I’ve been here for only a few days!’
Still, seeing her slightly flushed face and the faint, pleased curve of her lips, I couldn’t help letting out a defeated laugh. "Fine, fine. I owe you a favor. Just don’t make me do anything crazy."
Hearing me agree, a genuinely bright smile broke across Val’s face, easily the happiest and most expressive I’d ever seen her since we met. The sight alone was enough to make my heart skip a beat.
As we reached the grand balcony overlooking the main hall below, I froze for the second time that morning.
The atmosphere in the hall was completely different. Elite, stoic guards stood around the room, and seated on the central velvet sofa beside my parents was an elderly man I’d never seen before.
He looked to be in his late seventies, with slicked-back silver-grey hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and a sharp, tailored dark suit. He held a silver-headed cane between his knees, and even while sitting casually, he radiated a crushing aura of absolute authority, the kind of presence that made the very air around him feel heavy.
’Yeah, nope,’ I thought, taking a slow half-step backward. ’That looks way too official and serious. I’m going back to my room to play video games.’
Before I could complete my retreat, a slender hand shot out and clamped around my wrist.
I looked back to find Val holding me in place, her expression completely serious once again. "You cannot run away, Seth. This meeting is extremely important for your future. You must attend."
I groaned, shooting her a dry look. "Geez, Val... do you want me to start calling you Mommy too?"
Val blinked in genuine surprise, her grip momentarily slackening as a deep blush spread across her face.
Before she could process what I’d just said, I yanked my wrist free, shoved my hands into my pockets, and casually sauntered down the grand staircase, completely ignoring Paige’s dying-of-laughter cackles in my head.
[PFFFFT! Hahaha! "Do you want me to call you Mommy too?!" Host, you’re a menace!] Paige wheezed hysterically in my consciousness. [Did you see her face? Her brain literally melted. Also, I would call her Mommy, no doubt. She’s too hot.]
’Shut up, Paige,’ I replied mentally, keeping my face completely stone-faced as I reached the bottom of the stairs.
Mom spotted me immediately. Her eyes lit up, and the slightly formal posture she’d been maintaining instantly vanished as she jumped to her feet. "Seth! Darling, you’re awake!"
She walked over and wrapped me in a warm, tight hug, kissing my cheek before turning to introduce the elderly man sitting on the sofa. "Seth, come meet your grandfather. This is Alistair Rothschild, my father and the Grand Patriarch of the Rothschild family."
I blinked, taking in the old man’s appearance. The head of one of the most powerful, wealthy, and influential family bloodlines on the planet was sitting right in front of me.
"It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Grandfather," I said with a polite, slightly awkward bow.
I really wasn’t sure how to act around these influential figures. Unfortunately, I couldn’t avoid him like I did back when I was a resturant worker.