Chapter : 678

Olivia stood in the center of the living room. She wore her spotless dark-blue uniform. Her silver-tipped spear leaned against the wall. She crossed her arms over her chest. She looked strict. She cleared her throat loudly.

"I need everyone to listen to me," Olivia announced. Her voice was firm and serious.

The girls of the 13th Unit stopped what they were doing. They looked at their disciplined teammate.

Sayma closed her notebook. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Do we have a new mission from the Upper Council?"

Laxmi tossed a tiny orange spark of fire between her fingers. She grinned a wide, excited grin. "Is it a fight? Please tell me we get to fight someone. I am bored today."

Zinia cracked her knuckles loudly. The strong earth mage nodded. "I can use a good workout. Point me at the target."

Luna lay flat on the floor rug. She rubbed her sleepy eyes. "I hope it is not a mission. Missions require standing up. I just found the perfect sleeping spot. Please do not make me move."

Princess Iris sat in a comfortable armchair. She smiled a gentle, calm smile. "What is the matter, Olivia? You look very stressed."

Olivia let out a long, frustrated sigh. She uncrossed her arms. She rubbed her forehead.

"I need permission for one thing," Olivia stated clearly. "It is a personal matter. It is not an official mission. But it involves the unit."

Naomi sat on the sofa. She wore simple dark pants and a green shirt. She leaned forward. Her green eyes looked full of concern. "You can tell us anything, Olivia. What do you need permission for?"

Olivia looked down at the floor. She actually looked a little embarrassed. This was a very rare sight. Olivia never looked embarrassed.

"There is a guy," Olivia confessed. Her voice sounded very annoyed. "He is a noble. I met him during my extended border mission a few months ago. He is persistent."

Sayma tilted her head. "Persistent in what way? Is he an enemy spy?"

"No," Olivia groaned. "He is pestering me for marriage."

The living room went silent for one second. Then, chaos erupted.

Laxmi burst out laughing. She pointed at Olivia. "A marriage proposal? Someone wants to marry you? But you are always yelling at people! You make us do push-ups in the rain!"

Zinia chuckled a deep, booming chuckle. "The guy must really like strict women. Does he know you hit people with a spear?"

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Olivia glared at Laxmi and Zinia. The glare was sharp and terrifying. Laxmi instantly stopped laughing. Zinia coughed and looked away.

"It is not funny," Olivia complained. "He sends me letters every single day. He sends me expensive flowers. He waits outside the Upper Council building when I go to submit paperwork. He refuses to take no for an answer. I told him I am not interested. I told him I am a dedicated soldier. He just calls me playing hard to get."

Risa hugged her stuffed teddy bear. She looked very worried. "That sounds very annoying. He should respect your words."

"He does not respect my words," Olivia agreed. "He thinks he can win me over with his money and his status. I am losing my patience. If he sends me one more bouquet of roses, I am going to snap his carriage in half."

Princess Iris looked very sympathetic. "We can file a formal complaint. I can use my royal authority to make him leave you alone."

Olivia shook her head. "He is a high-ranking noble. A formal complaint will cause a massive political scandal. It will draw negative attention to the 13th Unit. We cannot afford bad press right now. We need a simpler solution."

Sayma clicked her pen. "What is your proposed solution, Olivia?"

Olivia took a deep breath. She looked directly at Sayma.

"I want to pull a Sayma move," Olivia declared.

Sayma blinked. She pushed her glasses up again. Her cheeks turned slightly pink. She knew what Olivia meant.

"A Sayma move?" Laxmi asked. She looked very confused. "What does that mean? Are you going to read a book at him until he goes away?"

"No," Naomi laughed softly. Naomi understood immediately. "She means a fake boyfriend. Sayma used a fake boyfriend to trick her family during that arranged marriage meeting."

Ira stood perfectly still near the window. Her pale face showed zero emotion. Her robotic mind processed the information very fast. She ran the statistical probabilities. She calculated the available male candidates in their immediate vicinity.

There was only one male candidate.

Ira's eyes widened just a tiny fraction of an inch.

"Do not tell me," Ira stated flatly. Her voice lacked emotion, but it carried a very clear sense of disbelief.

Olivia turned her head. She looked at the far end of the sofa.

Ken Eliot lay upside down on the sofa cushions. His legs hung over the backrest. His head rested on the floor. He wore his baggy gray sweatpants. His white shirt was wrinkled. He held a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips on his stomach. He was eating chips upside down.

Ken stopped chewing. He noticed the entire room staring at him.

He blinked his sleepy dark eyes. He swallowed his food.

"Why is everyone looking at me?" Ken asked lazily. He did not sit up. "I am practicing anti-gravity digestion. It is a very advanced scientific experiment."

Olivia pointed a strict finger directly at him. "Yes. I am talking about Ken."

Ken dropped a potato chip on the floor. He slowly rolled off the sofa. He sat up. He dusted the chip crumbs off his shirt. He looked at Olivia with panic.

"Wait," Ken protested loudly. He waved his hands in the air. "Hold on a minute. I am a background character. I do not do romance plots. I am unqualified for this job."

"You did it for Sayma," Olivia argued firmly. "You pretended to be her boyfriend. You can pretend to be my boyfriend for one afternoon. I just need you to walk around town with me. The guy is watching the estate right now. I want him to see me with another man. He will finally give up."

Ken let out a massive, dramatic groan. He drooped his shoulders as far as they could possibly go.

"This is like a harem anime," Ken complained lazily. He slipped his hands deep into his pockets. "The lazy main character gets forced into fake dating every single girl in his group. It is a overused trope. The writers are out of ideas."

Naomi smiled a very warm, bright smile. She walked over to the sofa. She sat down right next to Ken. She did not yell at him. She did not scowl. She playfully bumped his shoulder with her arm.

"Come on, Ken," Naomi encouraged gently. Her green eyes sparkled. "It is just for one afternoon. Olivia needs your help. You are the only guy we have."

Ken looked at Naomi. He liked when she was nice to him. But he hated walking around the city.