At the dining table, Kiana quickly finished gnawing on a chicken leg, her eyes darting toward the opposite side.
She saw Lierre constantly placing food into Bronya's bowl, offering her concern from time to time.
Meanwhile, she was being left out in the cold.
This wasn't the first time this had happened!
It was as if her aunt had found a new favorite and forgotten the old, completely neglecting her own niece the moment she had a daughter!
Not long ago, Lierre had been full of warm inquiries for her, but now she wasn't even willing to sit by her side—she didn't even spare her a glance!
"Auntie is biased!"
Kiana puffed out her cheeks in jealousy, complaining in a low whisper.
Although her voice was small, no one here was an ordinary person, so every single one of them heard the complaint.
Shua, shua, shua.
The others simultaneously turned their gazes toward Lierre and Bronya, their expressions filled with various complexities.
"!"
Bronya's heart trembled. Turning to meet Lierre's gentle gaze, she quickly lowered her head and began to pick at the plain white rice in her bowl, one small bite at a time.
The collective gaze of the group was hard to handle, and Lierre's love felt incredibly heavy. Right now, she had no choice but to act like a head-burying ostrich.
"Ahem, how can you say I'm biased? It's clearly because Kiana has been clinging to Cecilia lately, leaving me no chance to get close," Lierre said, spreading her hands innocently.
Kiana was stunned on the spot.
She scratched her head and thought back on her recent behavior. It seemed to be exactly as Lierre said, so she said somewhat guiltily, "It seems... that's right. I misunderstood. Sorry, Auntie."
"Mhm. A good child admits her mistakes. This weekend, I'll take you to the amusement park to relax properly."
"Hooray!"
Kiana's gloom vanished instantly, and she began to cheer and leap with joy.
Cecilia shook her head slightly, her eyes filled with smiles.
If all went well, an optimist like Kiana would live a carefree life forever, but... would Otto let her go so easily?
A flash of worry crossed Cecilia's eyes, but she quickly hid it.
She looked at Lierre and Theresa, seemingly noticing something strange, and asked, "Strange, why are you two sitting apart today?"
Normally, Theresa and Lierre sat together. Aside from the height factor, there was another reason known to everyone.
Perhaps before long, Theresa, who had been single for decades, would officially be off the market.
Theresa's hand froze as she was placing food in Kiana's bowl, and Lierre's expression turned a bit odd.
When had it reached the point where simply sitting apart would attract everyone's attention?
"You two didn't have a fight, did you?" Murata Himeko set down her red wine, her eyes scanning back and forth between the two.
"We did not!" Theresa denied vehemently.
"Alright, my mistake then."
As if she had found her answer, Murata Himeko let out a sigh.
It looks like they definitely had a fight.
Having been together for so many years, did she not understand her old friend's temperament?
Lierre had likely accidentally made Theresa angry.
Cecilia thought for a moment and suggested, "Speaking of which, I haven't seen you two on a formal date yet. Don't tell me you haven't gone on one even once?"
The moment those words were spoken, everyone's gaze converged on Theresa and Lierre.
The silent Fu Hua and Cheng Lixue both pricked up their ears, wanting to hear the upcoming gossip.
"I, I, I..."
Theresa turned bright red and stammered, unable to give a clear answer. Finally, she looked at Lierre as if pleading for help.
Don't just stay silent!
"Not even once," Lierre spoke truthfully.
Upon hearing this, Theresa closed her eyes in resignation.
In the next second, as expected, Kiana exclaimed in shock, "Are you serious? Haven't you two known each other for decades? It's almost time for the engagement, yet you haven't even had a single date?"
In the stories Lierre told her about her childhood, Lierre and Theresa had known each other for a very long time.
Fu Hua: "?"
Strange. If it's truly as Kiana said, why don't I remember someone like Lierre?
Could it be that my memories haven't fully recovered yet?
"There are still three days before Overseer Otto arrives. Why don't you take this chance to go out and cultivate your feelings?" Cheng Lixue suggested.
"Lixue's suggestion is good. Overseer... Otto has a sharp eye. If he perceives that the feelings between you two aren't deep, perhaps you'll eventually be forced apart," Fu Hua speculated.
"A-are we talking about playing the role of the villain who breaks up the lovers?" Raiden Mei associated the situation with that phrase.
"So, go out on a date together tomorrow," Cecilia said, clasping her hands together and looking at the two with great anticipation.
"But I have to accompany Kiana tomorrow..."
"Auntie, don't worry about me! Your lifelong happiness is more important!" Kiana gallantly abandoned her plan for the amusement park.
"..."
Lierre looked at Theresa; the two were at a loss for words.
Early the next morning.
Under the watchful eyes of the group, Lierre had no choice but to take Theresa's hand and walk out of the gates of St. Freya Academy.
After waiting a while, Cecilia and Cheng Lixue glanced at each other and moved to follow.
As guards, they could not stray too far from Lierre.
"Mei, let's sneakily follow them too," Kiana said, eager to try.
"But..."
"What's there to hesitate about? Aren't you curious about their date?"
"That... alright."
Raiden Mei hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing under Kiana's persuasion.
"Bronya, do you want to follow too? If things go well, they'll be your future parents... uh, that doesn't seem quite right, but you get the idea. Are you going?" Kiana asked, looking down.
Bronya's eye twitched, and she shook her head without hesitation. "Bronya wants to go back to her room and play games. I do not plan to participate in this."
The excitement belonged to them; Bronya only found it noisy.
With a back that seemed to carry the weight of the ages, Bronya walked toward her bedroom with heavy steps.
"She looks pretty happy. Let's ignore her and head out!"
Just as Kiana and Raiden Mei were about to follow, Murata Himeko stopped them.
"Auntie Himeko, you aren't going to stop us, are you?" Kiana blurted out.
The smile on Murata Himeko's face froze, and she pretended to be angry. "Who are you calling auntie!"
"Teacher Himeko, Kiana didn't mean it," Raiden Mei explained on Kiana's behalf.
"I'm not actually angry, but don't call me that next time, or even I will get mad. To clarify, I didn't come here to stop you."
Murata Himeko smiled. "What I wanted to say was: count me in."
Fu Hua stood in place, watching the three departing backs.
Aren't there a bit too many people following? Is this really going to be okay?