CHAPTER 182: AN ADVOCATE

"Are you sure?" Ethan asked as he relaxed on the sofa.

With her head resting on his chest, Lillian nodded and scooted closer.

It seemed he discovered a new side of her every day, and right now, the part of her that demanded his pampering had taken center stage.

Though, ironically, their conversation didn’t match her current behavior at all, because despite clinging to him like this, she was advocating for someone else.

"She really likes you," Lillian said, her voice a bit muffled as her face was buried in his shirt. "And she’s trying really hard, you know?"

Ethan stared down at her, a bit surprised,

"...Lillian."

"What?" she asked innocently, drawing little circles on his chest as if she hadn’t just said the most chaotic thing imaginable.

Ethan hadn’t expected Lillian to be the type to suggest this, so he was caught a bit of guard.

Sighing, he muttered, "so you’re advocating for a competition?"

Lillian stopped drawing circles on his chest for a second before she also sighed, "I’ve been thinking it over for a while now and at first it seemed a bit weird, but...."

She sat up, looking directly in his blue eyes.

"But Irina doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon," she finished softly. "And she isn’t pretending to not like you either, she genuinely does. And despite everything she is... she’s been nothing but respectful toward me."

"I see," he muttered.

So that was Irina’s plan, it really was working efficiently well. Internally, he was chuckling though he didn’t show it on his face.

"You do know that the normal reaction is jealousy for most people right?" He said with a straight face.

Lillian puffed her cheeks a little. "Normal people aren’t dating Ethan Carter."

He froze at her answer before letting a chuckle escape and he said,

"That’s not an argument."

"It is for me and definitely is for Irina," Lillian insisted, "she’s scary, yes, dangerous, obviously. But she’s... good to people she cares about. She’s both loyal and protective. And she’s been helping us lot hasn’t she.."

That part, Ethan couldn’t deny. Irina had been an extremely useful ally, territory control, information flow, protection and materials he needed.

"Still," Ethan said, brushing his thumb along her cheek, "you advocating for her is a bit unexpected."

Lillian lowered her gaze for a moment, then lifted it again, meeting his eyes with a new form of determination.

"Because I like things the way they are," she said quietly. "I like us. I like what we have. And I’m not going to let someone else’s feelings ruin that."

She played with the hem of his shirt, her voice taking a softer tone.

"But Irina doesn’t seem to want to take you from me," Lillian said, her fingers gently brushing the fabric of his shirt, "she actually... respects what we have."

Ethan was silent for a moment, as he thought about it for a while. Lillian was right, Irina had never actively tried to wedge herself between them.

If anything, Irina had been painfully careful about boundaries. She had also been willing to aid him when Lillian had been kidnapped, expecting nothing in return.

"So you’re not threatened at all?" he finally asked.

Lillian shook her head.

"Jealous? Yes," She poked his chest lightly, "threatened? No."

"Irina likes you," she said again, quieter this time. "But... she never once tried to pull you away from me. She never told me to ’step aside’ or said anything nasty. She never acted like she deserved you more. She never tried to compete behind my back."

"Is that so," Ethan muttered.

"I just... don’t think it’s fair to dismiss her outright" Lillian continued, "maybe give her a chance, just as you did me?"

"Lillian," he started, "you know this isn’t something small you’re suggesting."

"I do." She nodded. "Which is why I’m not rushing anything, I’m just saying,"

She bit her lip lightly. "If she keeps standing by us and if you find yourself liking her too... then I won’t try to stop you."

Her voice was a bit softer than she intended,

"As long as you don’t forget who loved you first."

Instead of an answer, Ethan cupped her cheeks and placed a soft kiss on it causing her to immediately turn red.

"You’re being surprisingly diplomatic for someone clinging to me like a koala," he said with a chuckle.

Lillian puffed her red cheeks again, making her look cuter than she already was before she curled back into his chest.

"Shut up," she grumbled, "I’m being emotionally mature while cuddling my boyfriend, it’s called multitasking."

"Whatever you say," he chuckled again at her answer before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Will you —" she started but his reply soon came before she could complete her words.

"I’ll think about it," he muttered.

***

Irina, the one currently being advocated for, was in a car headed to the family Mansion.

There was a small smile on her face as she listened to the conversation between the two all the way from here, in Russia.

How was she?

Well, let’s just say she and Lillian were very close friends.

"I’ll think about it."

Her smile widened as she heard his last line.

"Well, well..." she murmured, as she leaned back on the leather seat, " this is progress."

The driver tensed as he glanced on the rear view mirror and saw her smiling. Whenever any of the Romanovas smiled like that, something bad was bound to happen.

And this is the widest of smiles he had ever seen from any of them.

He quickly averted his eyes and focused on the road ahead of them, his job was being a driver, nothing else, he couldn’t start poking his nose where it didn’t fit.

"Well, this just put me in a good mood," Irina muttered again as she looked outside, at the passing buildings.

The annual family meeting was definitely one she didn’t want to attend and would always successfully sour her mood, but today?

It was different, she was in a bit of a good mood thanks to Ethan and Lillian.

Irina rested her elbow against the door, cheek against her knuckles, eyes half lidded with satisfaction as the car rolled through the snowy outskirts of Moscow.

The Romanova family mansion, more of a fortress than a home, could be seen in the distance.

The place looked like some kind of ancient stone fortress kind of like a medieval castle or noble mansion but a lot, lot bigger.

But Irina wasn’t focused on a sight she had seen a thousand times before, she was lost in her day dreams.

Lillian was truly remarkable.

Irina had expected the girl to resent her existence, to see her as a threat from the moment she confessed her interest in Ethan.

Yet instead of hostility, Lillian had offered friendship.

Not immediately, of course, since no modern woman would accept sharing someone they had interest in, but she had accepted it.

’She’s the only woman Ethan could’ve chosen that I wouldn’t mind losing to...’ Irina thought to herself in amusement.

The driver glanced at the mirror again, only this time, their eyes met and he quickly tried to avert it.

"Relax, you’re too jumpy. If I were angry, you’d know," she said, eyes returning to the approaching mansion.

They ran the checks before bowing deeply and waving her car through.

The massive wrought-iron gates creaked open, revealing the long stone driveway leading to the Romanova estate, an architectural monstrosity of both wealth and old power.

Most people found the place intimidating but Irina just found it a whole lot annoying...I mean, can you imagine being a child and trying to find your way around?

Especially after getting lost without your maids.

"Same circus, different year," she muttered to herself as the car continued forward.

Her driver’s hands tightened on the wheel. He didn’t dare speak, but she could practically feel him praying he wouldn’t be pulled into whatever the annual Romanova gathering entailed.

Irina didn’t blame him, after all, he also wished she could disappear right now, but there was no way she would reject a call from their father, not if she wanted to be cut off.

As the car finally came to a stop before the front entrance, Irina sat up straight.

Her smile quickly faded and was replaced by a colder expression, this was the persona she needed to wear here.

Her family’s guards quickly opened the door as she stepped out, the snow quickly resting on her fur coat as she stepped out.

With a sigh, one followed by mist from the cold, she stepped towards the massive doors of the Mansion

"Welcome home, milady," the maid said with a warm, gentle smile which was unlike most faces in this mansion.

"Natalya," Irina nodded.

Natalya had practically raised her. If Irina had something close to a mother in this house... it was this woman.

"You look tired," Natalya observed quietly, stepping closer to adjust Irina’s coat as though she were still a child.

"Is everyone here already?" Irina asked instead of answering, you see, this Mansion was filled with eyes and the slightest bit of weakness she revealed was going to be used against her.

"Yes," Natalya replied, her expression dimming the slightest bit. "Your father is waiting in the main hall. He said to begin immediately when you arrived."

"Wonderful," Irina muttered, stepping inside, "let’s get this drama started shall we."