Chapter 143: Nervous

"Mommy, I had the best dream!" Matthias stretched, sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes with chubby little fists. "I saw Daddy in my dream! He was so big and strong!"

"It wasn’t a dream, sweetie. He’s in my room right now."

I walked over to the bed, sat beside him, and gently smoothed down his messy bedhead. The moment the words registered, every trace of sleepiness vanished instantly, as if it had never been there in the first place. He scrambled off the mattress and darted out the door, racing toward my room.

Surveying the remaining mountain of packing ahead of me, I let out a heavy sigh and decided to follow him.

The scene framing the doorway was so quiet, yet cut through me with such sharp intensity, that I froze in my tracks. Magnus had opened the remaining albums, quietly leafing through them, and was now holding an envelope filled with photos—my photos. I hadn’t wanted him to see those; I was still deeply self-conscious of how drained and broken I had looked during that dark time.

"You don’t need to look through those, there’s nothing interesting in there," I murmured, stepping closer and reaching out a hand to take the envelope.

Magnus smoothly pulled it back out of reach. "I want to see. Even if it’s just sunsets and birds."

And that was mostly what he found inside. Photos I had snapped out of sheer boredom over the years: golden sunsets, pale dawns, birds on wire, the city wrapped in dusk. There were very few pictures of me in that bundle—just a couple taken during my pregnancy, and a few afterward, holding our newborn son.

The entire drive to the estate, I couldn’t pull Matthias away from the window. He was practically glued to the glass, taking in everything outside with pure wonder. The sight of the Upper District triggered an explosion of squeals and excited gasps. He had never been beyond the boundaries of the lower sector, and to his young eyes, everything out here seemed grand, luminous, and surreal.

I, on the other hand, was terrified of what awaited us upon arrival. The knowledge that people here would recognize me pressed a dull, heavy weight into my chest. Five weeks ago, I had infiltrated this very estate under false pretenses, manipulating my way into the trust of everyone who worked here. Their attitude toward me now was going to leave much to be desired, and I knew it.

The closer we drove, the tighter the anxiety coiled within me. Fear crept up silently, digging its claws into my ribs and twisting my stomach into a knot. My thoughts scrambled frantically with nowhere to escape.

The only small relief was knowing that alongside my son, another trusted soul would be by my side: Adam. He had decided to return to the Upper District with us—not just because he had loved ones left behind, but because Matthias’s recovering health required constant monitoring.

Matthias had been thrilled by the news; he considered Adam a dear friend, addressing him with innocent simplicity: "Gramps."

The first time he had said it, I started to correct him, but one look at Adam’s soft, moved expression made me hold my tongue. We were family. Perhaps not by blood, but he had done more for Matthias than any true grandfather ever could have.

We pulled up directly in front of the grand entrance. Outside, as usual, only security guards paced the grounds, but through the high windows, I caught the curious, watching faces of the housemaids. I sucked in a deep breath, preparing to speak to Magnus, but he was already stepping out of the car. He rounded the vehicle, opened my door, and lifted our drowsy son straight from my arms. Matthias had drifted off just a few minutes prior, and I envied him—he would wake up only after the storm had settled.

"You have nothing to be nervous about," Magnus murmured, his voice thick with absolute authority. "You are the mistress of this home. If anyone dares look at you sideways, they will be thrown out on the spot. They were hired to perform a job—one that does not include monitoring the private lives of this household—and whatever opinions they hold will stay strictly to themselves."

Cradling our son effortlessly with one arm, he offered me his free hand, helping me down from the car. I knew he was right, yet the coils of tension tightening my neck refused to ease. He guided me toward the grand entrance. When we stepped across the threshold, the head housekeeper was the only one standing in the grand foyer, her hands nervously clutching the hem of her apron.

"Alpha Magnus... what a..."

"Is the nursery prepared?" Magnus cut her off sharply.

The housekeeper flinched, nodding on pure instinct. "Yes, Alpha. What are your further orders?" She tried, unsuccessfully, not to stare too openly at the sleeping child cradled in her master’s arm.

"In three hours, a mandatory assembly of all household staff in the main drawing room."

Without deigning to offer her another word, he guided me toward the grand staircase. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of several heavy freight trucks pulling into the courtyard below.

"What’s all that?" I asked softly once we reached the upper landing and Magnus pushed open the door to a master suite that carried his distinct, intoxicating scent.

"Kid’s furniture," he answered smoothly. "And the equipment from the aquarium shop for our son’s room."

The air caught in my lungs at that single word.

Our son.

Magnus gently laid our sleeping boy in the center of the vast bed and pulled the duvet over him. Matthias immediately rolled onto his side, hugging a pillow tightly and burying his face in the soft fabric as his breathing deepened, slipping fully into a heavy sleep. Until his body completely restored its balance, he would sleep for long hours—a vital sign that his healing was taking root.