The single meal before her was perfectly balanced with meat and vegetables, red and green in contrast. The precise knife work and unique plating style made the ordinary ingredients look especially pleasing to the eye.
Theresa picked up a custard tart and took a small bite. The crispy yet soft texture, coupled with the incredibly sweet flavor, burst in her mouth.
"Amazing! Your cooking gets better each time. You're almost as good as those famous chefs!"
She praised Seele, who was quietly eating next to her.
Seele's face visibly flushed, her shyness making her seem even more adorable as she softly responded, "Thank you, I'm glad you like it, Aunt Theresa."
"Ah… Aunt? Well, technically, I am quite old, and in terms of seniority, I am Kiana's great-aunt… but, still, call me something like 'Principal' instead. Being called 'Aunt' feels so weird."
Theresa smiled, though her expression grew slightly stiff and awkward.
"Pfft!"
A small chuckle escaped from a certain white-haired girl sitting nearby.
Theresa narrowed her eyes, placed her hand on the table, and flicked her finger.
Zoom!
"Ahhh (๑ʘ̅дʘ̅๑)!!!"
Kiana clutched her throat, her body swaying left and right. After a few seconds, she swallowed the small tomato that had been shot into her mouth, her face flushing.
"Phew… I thought I was going to choke to death!"
"Don't worry, Kiana. With the Kaslana family's vitality, you won't die that easily."
Theresa smiled sweetly while her shiny fork pierced deeply into a piece of bread on her plate. She gave Kiana a "kind" look.
Kiana quickly lowered her head and began shoveling food into her mouth as though she hadn't eaten for three days, swallowing down any complaints she had.
After spending so much time with Sig, her ability to gauge situations and her survival instincts were second to none.
Theresa let out a soft hum of satisfaction.
She then turned to Sigurd and sighed, "I'm sorry, but regarding the book on philosophical doctrines, I need more time to consider."
"Regretting it?"
Sigurd glanced up at her, his expression indifferent.
Theresa shook her head.
"No, I just need to be cautious. My grandfather publicly declared within Schicksal that Welt's philosophy was highly persuasive. He said that, in a different situation, he might have supported it wholeheartedly. However, maintaining the stability of Schicksal is crucial to defeating the Honkai. After that, he imposed a strict ban on those ideas. I don't know all the details, but since my grandfather took it so seriously, these ideas must be significant."
Theresa carefully explained, observing Sigurd's neutral reaction. Feeling a bit relieved, she continued, "As the principal of St. Freya, I have to be responsible for all my students. I'm not comfortable letting them be exposed to something I don't fully understand. Besides, my grandfather's reasoning is sound: with the world in crisis, maintaining the cooperation and development between Schicksal and Anti-Entropy is critical... In short, I need to think more deeply and understand things better before deciding how far I'm willing to go for you."
Theresa's tone carried an apology, but it was more filled with caution.
Now that the mental chains shackling her had been lifted, her mind had fully returned to the clarity and decisiveness she possessed before. Theresa appeared more rational and composed than ever.
Pop!
Sigurd lightly knocked his boiled egg on the table, casually peeling it as he nonchalantly replied, "Fine. Stay here for a few more days. I'll send the relevant books and materials to your room. Once you're done reading, give me a definite answer."
"Thank you for understanding."
Theresa finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although she was older than Sigurd in terms of both age and seniority, she never forgot his power and position, nor the fact that he had bested Otto. In practical terms, Sigurd's thoughts and actions could shift the world's balance.
However, despite all the times she had been "punished" by Sigurd in their past interactions, whenever they had serious conversations, she found him to be reasonable and approachable, not the difficult person many assumed him to be.
After peeling the egg, Sigurd thought for a moment and placed it on Bronya's plate. Gently, he said, "Eat more. You think a lot, so you use up more energy."
"Mm, thank you, Sigurd."
Bronya smiled faintly, accepting his kind gesture.
Sin Mal didn't think much of it. After all, this was Sigurd and Bronya, and she had no reason to be upset.
Clang~
However, the knife and fork in Kiana's hands dropped to the table with a loud clatter.
"@#*%＆¥♚#%!!!"
Her cheeks were puffed out, stuffed full of food, and her eyes widened as she pointed at Sigurd and Bronya, frantically mumbling something in a flustered, hamster-like manner.
"You have hands and feet, right? And you're not injured from any recent battles. If you want to eat, can't you peel it yourself?"
"*%＆¥♚!!"
"How is it any different? It's just an egg."
"&×¥¢♚#!!"
"What's that? 'Playing favorites'? 'Abandoning your promises'? Keep complaining with your mouth full and pointing your greasy fingers at me, and you'll be spending the whole day doing homework."
Sigurd's voice grew cold as he looked at Kiana's pointing finger, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.
Kiana froze, retracting her neck and lowering her head. She picked up her knife and fork, continuing to wolf down her food—though her pitiful, puppy-eyed gaze looked particularly resentful.
Sigurd shook his head, crossed his legs, and smiled slightly as he enjoyed Kiana's unwilling expressions. Her muffled voice was unintelligible to the others, but Sigurd could always clearly understand what she was saying—it was something everyone had gotten used to.
However, while the other girls didn't react, Bronya's expression remained impassive as she chewed her egg, her gaze darkening slightly.
'Looks like I need to act quickly,' Bronya thought.
...
After breakfast, Bronya and Sin Mal went to have a medical checkup, while the others had their own tasks. Naturally, Kiana, who had nothing to do, followed Sigurd.
Thud!
A worker bee smacked against Kiana's head as she peeked around the corner.
"Ow…"
"If you want to come over, then just come. Why are you sneaking around?"
"I was just keeping my distance to give you some space!"
"And who was it that came to disturb my sleep first thing in the morning?"
"That was an accident! The book said that maintaining a bit of distance helps in warming up feelings between men and women!"
Kiana stayed pressed against the wall, raising one finger while her little white tuft of hair wobbled from side to side. Her face displayed a smug and innocent smile.
Sigurd chuckled and shook his head. She was always coming up with all kinds of quirky and bizarre ideas.
Glancing at the day's governmental affairs, Sigurd delegated about a third to Cocolia, who should have some free time by now, another portion to Bronya, and the rest for Raiden Mei to handle whenever she had a moment. That cleared up his own schedule.
"Come here," he said, beckoning to the girl by the wall.
Kiana's eyes lit up, and she ran over, throwing herself onto Sigurd, hugging him tightly.
"Sniff, sniff!"
Pressing her face against his chest, Kiana took a deep breath, savoring the familiar scent and warmth of the man she loved, a pure and contented smile spreading across her face.
"Do you have some sort of skin hunger?" Sigurd asked.
"When it comes to you, absolutely. And it's very, very, very serious."
"If you're sick, you should get treatment."
"Hugging me more, and letting me hug you more, will cure it."
"Cheeky."
Sigurd lightly tapped her head in a soft scolding, but his eyes couldn't hide the doting look.
Then, he sighed.
"What do you think we should do about Sin Mal? She's not going to accept this situation easily."
"Just share a little bit of you with her. But only a little! Your favorite still has to be me!"
"…That's ridiculous."
Sigurd was silent for a moment, then shook his head as he held Kiana's slender waist.
Kiana stuck out her tongue and clung to him with a mischievous grin, saying nothing more.
Having been through so many years of bickering and affection, Kiana had come to understand Sin Mal well. She knew how difficult it would be to have Sigurd all to herself, and she didn't dare to imagine the scene of Sin Mal falling into despair. Sin Mal's circumstances were too unique, and Sigurd was equally special. As for the future, Kiana only hoped to stay by Sigurd's side and share as much happiness as possible. Everything else seemed manageable.
Sigurd didn't grasp Kiana's thoughts, nor did he come up with a perfect solution for Sin Mal. After a while, he gave up on thinking about it for the moment.
"Kiana, do you want to go for a walk? We can clean up some of the newly spawned Honkai Beasts and Honkai Zombies along the way."
"Just the two of us?"
"Yeah, looks like we're the only ones with time."
"Then let's go, quickly! Don't let that annoying Sin Mal catch up!"
Kiana grabbed Sigurd's hand and hurriedly pulled him along, eager to leave.
Sigurd followed her lead, his lips curving into a gentle smile he didn't even notice, perfectly matching Kiana's pace without resistance.
<+>
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