I AM A MAGE BUT WITH MILF SYSTEM

After bathing, he dressed. Not in his traveling clothes, but in the fine tailored garments that spoke of wealth. He wanted to look the part of a wealthy patron, someone who belonged in Mara’s hidden chamber.

He ate expensive foods—ordering the finest dishes the inn’s kitchen could produce. He drank expensive wine, allowing himself to enjoy the luxury of this world’s finest offerings.

Finally, as the ninth bell of the evening tolled through the city, Julian stood before the mirror in his room, adjusting his collar one last time. He looked every inch the wealthy VIP.

It was time to visit Mara.

Julian left his room and made his way through the now-quiet corridors of the inn. Most guests had retired for the evening or were enjoying entertainment in the common rooms below. The third floor was nearly deserted as he navigated the familiar path toward the hidden passages Mara had shown him.

After some time, Julian reached Mara’s office at the end of the eastern corridor and knocked twice.

“Come in.”

She was seated behind her desk when he entered, already dressed for the occasion. Her hair was pinned up, a few loose strands falling freely from her face. She looked up from the ledger she had been reviewing and paused.

Her eyes moved over him slowly, taking in the fine tailored jacket, the crisp collar, the confidence in his posture.

“Well,” she said, setting her quill down. A small smile touched her lips. “You came prepared.”

Julian smiled back, unhurried. “I had to. This is quite a special occasion.”

Mara studied him for a moment longer, something calculating moving behind her eyes. Then she rose from her chair, smoothing her gown.

“Indeed it is.” She moved around the desk and gestured toward the door. “Then let’s not keep anyone waiting. Kraven may already be there.”

They moved through the inn together, Mara leading the way through a side corridor that bypassed the common rooms entirely. The kitchen was ahead—Julian could smell it before he saw it.

When they pushed through the heavy door, the kitchen was mostly dark. Two cooks remained, moving quietly near the far end, baking in the last of the fires for the night. They glanced up briefly at Mara’s entrance, then looked away just as quickly.

Helena sat at the long preparation table in the center of the room.

She wasn’t doing anything. Just sitting, her hands folded in her lap, her back straight in the way people held themselves when they were trying very hard not to fall apart. She was dressed simply, her auburn hair brushed and loose around her shoulders. She looked younger than Julian had expected, and considerably more beautiful than their previous meeting.

She looked up when they entered.

Her eyes moved to Mara first, then slid briefly to Julian. S

Mara approached her without ceremony. “Helena.”

“Miss Mara,” she replied. Her voice was steady and that surprised Julian slightly.

“How are you feeling?”

Helena was quiet for a moment. Her fingers tightened slightly in her lap, the only visible crack in her composure.

“I’ve been better,” she said at last, with a faint, hollow smile.

Mara tilted her head. “That’s understandable.” She paused, letting the silence sit for a moment before asking, “Are you ready?”

Helena looked down at the table. The two cooks near the fire continued their quiet work, paying no attention. The kitchen felt very still.

Then she looked up, met Mara’s eyes, and nodded.

It was not a confident nod.

“Good,” Mara said softly. She extended her hand.

Helena rose from the bench, smoothed her dress once, and accepted Mara’s hand.

Julian said nothing. He simply watched, noting the slight tremor in Helena’s fingers as she stood.

Mara led them to the back wall of the kitchen. Her fingers found the invisible groove in the stone and she pressed it.

A soft click.

The hidden door swung inward, revealing the narrow passage beyond. Warm light glowed faintly from somewhere within.

Mara stepped through first. Helena followed. Julian stepped through last, and the door swung shut behind him.

The passage was even more confusing than Julian remembered. It curved nine to ten times before straightening into the final one toward the chamber.

Mara walked ahead of him, with Helena between them. The older woman moved silently, her eyes fixed on the stone floor ahead of her feet.

It was Mara who broke the silence.

“I was in quite the dilemma,” she said, her voice low. She glanced back at Julian over her shoulder. “About how to introduce you to Kraven.”

“Oh?” Julian kept his tone easy.

“He’s… selective about who he shares these occasions with. Territorial, in the way wealthy men tend to be about their particular entertainments.” She turned forward again, one hand trailing lightly along the wall as they walked. “I had to think carefully about what story would serve.”

Julian said nothing.

Mara glanced back at him again, and this time her gaze moved over him properly.

“But then I saw you this evening,” she continued, and something satisfied moved through her voice. “And the problem solved itself.”

“Is that so.”

“You look every part the nobility.” She said it plainly, not as flattery but as observation. “The clothing helps, of course. But it’s more than that. The way you stand. The way you speak. Men like Kraven can smell a pretender within minutes, but they can also smell the real thing.” She paused. “You are the real thing.”

Julian smiled slightly. “More than you know.”

“So,” Mara said, “I am going to introduce you as the son of a marquis from a distant land. Traveling on private business, staying here while you arrange certain affairs. A man of breeding who appreciates particular entertainments—someone I thought Kraven might enjoy meeting.”

Julian considered it for a moment. “That works quite well.”

Mara smiled, and even from behind Julian could hear the satisfaction in it. “I thought so. You’ll be placed beside him in the lounge. Close enough to converse naturally.”