"Hi~ The battle between you two was very exciting. It's just that you ran too fast, and I almost couldn't catch up." Under the tree closest to the cliff, a graceful figure in a white dress appeared out of nowhere, waving and greeting Aya and Mimi.

"Princess Vivian, you're not slow either." Mimi bowed to Princess Vivian, then discreetly nudged a somewhat bewildered Aya to quickly kneel and bow as well.

As for Aya, his attention was entirely on Chirp, who was being embraced by the Queen. Little Chirp's ears drooped down, trembling as it nestled in Vivian's arms, filled with fear towards this elegant woman whom it had called "Grandma" and unaware of what it had been through.

Chirp's eyes lit up upon seeing Aya, but couldn't break free from Vivian's embrace, only sending a look of helplessness.

Unfortunately, Aya had no room to respond at the moment.

Why did the Queen mother come here after all! It was one thing for himself and Mimi to have a showdown, but why was Chirp, who was clearly hidden, still found?

"You know, maybe you're underestimating Princess Vivian." Mimi guessed Aya's thoughts from his expression and couldn't help but sigh. "Would the wife of the War King be just an ordinary person? Although not as strong as the King and Prince Tiran, Princess Vivian's power is no less than that of Prince Brad. If anything, it's said that Prince Brad chose to study both Magic and Chi precisely because his mother is like that."

"Hey, wait a minute! Why wasn't I informed of this information beforehand?"

"Well… sorry, I forgot to mention."

The Princess muttered somewhat guiltily under her breath.

"So, my dear son-in-law, this is considered a victory for me and Mimi."

The Queen mother gently stroked Chirp's neck, causing the fluffy tail of the beast-eared loli to bristle, as she pleaded to Aya with a quivering voice.

"Please take care of things in the days to come~" The Queen mother smiled kindly at Aya, placing her right hand, which had greeted them just now, on Chirp's neck to produce a soft chirp, as the little girl struggled to hold back her tears.

What in the world is this scene from hell?

…

And thus, the game of hide-and-seek ended with Aya's defeat, and Vivian Elysian naturally stayed in the castle after the King and Brad left for the capital.

That being said, she was the Queen of a country after all, so even if she stayed at her daughter's place, there should be a certain level of decorum, not to mention her own personal preferences.

"So, if there's anything Princess Vivian needs, just let us know. We will do our best to accommodate you."

"Yes, then I'll rely on you without any hesitation. Apart from a few trivial matters, just arrange my daily life according to your usual habits, as I'm here to visit my daughter."

After bidding farewell to the King's carriage at the castle gate, the Queen quietly looked back at the grand castle behind her—considering the fact that War King himself had sneaked out, he would undoubtedly receive a scolding from Miss Delia upon his return.

"Yes." Justice, now fully recovered, put on his crisp black butler uniform, standing respectfully behind Vivian.

Beside Justice, Aya and Tiran stood together with somewhat tense expressions.

"Do you have any strategies, Miss Tiran..."

"Not at all. It's just my mom... I have no way to deal with her." It was rare for Aya to hear such words from Tiran's mouth.

They exchanged a glance and sighed simultaneously.

Since the visit of the Queen had not been an official event, they could skip tedious protocols like visits from local nobility, and focus on daily life within the castle.

The first issue to tackle seemed to be the accommodation.

There were plenty of guest rooms in the castle, all designed considering the potential guests to be hosted, with several rooms no less grand than the Princess's master bedroom.

…However, the recent attack by the Glius Federation's landing troops had damaged the tower where the rooms were located, causing the stairs to collapse and the area to be closed off due to focused repair efforts on the main building by Mimi, the rooms in question had rarely been put to use and hence had a lower priority.

"This is easy. Why don't I just sleep with little Tiran?" Vivian, walking in front with light steps, suddenly turned around, clasping her hands behind her back walking backward cautiously, suggesting with a smile.

"Cough!" Tiran, who had been walking behind her mother towards the bedroom, nearly choked on her own saliva. "W-wait, Mom! That doesn't seem quite appropriate, does it?"

Absolutely not! Her room was not just a girl's boudoir; the entrance to the treasury's hidden chamber was also there. If her mother saw that…

"Right! It's totally inappropriate! Tiran's not a child anymore either!" Aya vigorously nodded in agreement.

If the Queen slept in the same room as Tiran, would Aya end up sleeping alone in the outer chamber? The issue was not about privacy but rather...

—had it already reached a point where she couldn't do without her presence?

—It's not like that… well, saying it that way isn't entirely wrong either.

In her contract, Aya sighed in disappointment.

"But Tiran's room is quite spacious, right? The bed can fit not just two but three or four people rolling around on it." Vivian pouted, saying defiantly, "Moreover, Tiran, do you have any objections to sleeping with Mom?"

"N-no…" Tiran hastily averted her gaze, feeling somewhat flustered.

"And what about you, Aya?"

"I have no objections at all." Even the Princess, who usually wouldn't back down, decisively changed her stance.

Vivian nodded in satisfaction and clapped her hands. "Then it's settled! Tonight, I will sleep with my dear daughter."

"Oh, right."

Just as one matter was resolved, the Queen then tapped her head, her amber eyes turning to Aya, as she propped her chin with her index finger. "There are still things that need to be observed about Aya."

"Y-yes." Aya's heart raced involuntarily, another issue to tackle!

Aya clasped the Princess's hand firmly, meeting Vivian's gaze head-on. "Whatever you need to examine, I will prove that I love Tiran!"

"Eh… huh?"

Suddenly mentioned, Miss Tiran was taken aback, blushing slightly as she lowered her head, allowing Aya to hold her hand tightly.

Gosh, this fool shouldn't make sudden confessions like that! It's embarrassing!

"Well, that's a great determination."

Vivian tilted her head slightly. "But, well, I'm not mainly examining that."

"I'm going to examine your attitude towards your mother-in-law."

...What on earth?