Ansu, wearing an apron, returned to the living room to find Celia and Vera chatting and laughing together.
The atmosphere... seemed quite warm?
He breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. It seemed that letting the two of them spend more time together was beneficial after all.
After all, this was not the yandere version of Celia from after the truth was revealed; she wouldn't do anything terrible to his sister Vera, and Vera was naturally not the type to be unreasonably troublesome.
"Alright, alright, you two ladies should go wash your hands," Ansu said with a smile. "A feast is ready!"
"Yay!" Vera ran happily toward the bathroom.
Celia stood up unhurriedly, and seeing that Vera had disappeared, she gave Ansu a disgruntled look.
"Your family's black tea is really quite bad. Don't buy this kind next time."
"Hmm?" Ansu was stunned for a moment, wondering why she was suddenly talking about tea.
"I've been filled with water by your sister... I'm almost full before even starting the meal." Celia looked at Ansu helplessly. "Why is your sister being so polite today?"
"Um..." Ansu watched her rub her stomach and let out a chuckle. "Isn't being polite a good thing? That child was probably just too happy to see you..."
"Is that so?" Celia recalled the awkward atmosphere at the beginning and gave a non-committal hum.
She couldn't tell how happy the girl was to see her, but Vera certainly looked delighted whenever her brother was mentioned...
Once both had washed their hands and were seated around the circular dining table, Celia was indeed surprised to see the dishes she had never encountered before.
She instinctively glanced at Ansu. He had spoken so extravagantly that day that she thought he was just bragging out of habit, but it turned out he truly had a unique perspective on cooking...
Preparing such a large spread must have been quite a hassle.
Celia looked at Ansu, who was still wearing his apron and giving off the vibe of a gentle and considerate husband, and she couldn't help but smile.
He was truly virtuous and capable...
"Ms. Hailey doesn't like greasy food, so I made many light dishes." Ansu remembered that Celia hadn't had much of an appetite lately, so he specifically placed the winter melon and pork rib soup near her. "Quickly, try this!"
Celia picked up a spoon, took a small sip, and then nodded with a smile. "Yes, it's delicious."
"I'm glad you're satisfied." Ansu recommended several other dishes to her. "This stir-fried seasonal vegetable is also good. Oh, and there's mushroom soup. It would be even better if you ate at least a little meat; I highly recommend this sautéed shredded pork with green peppers!"
"Mm-hmm..." Celia watched Ansu fuss over her, a soft smile remaining on her face.
Following Ansu's introductions, she sampled each dish one by one and nodded repeatedly.
"Vera, your brother's culinary skills are truly impressive. You are quite lucky at home."
"My brother is amazing, of course!" Vera was busy stuffing her face, her response sounding almost like an automated reply.
After another sip of the light and fresh soup, Celia gently set down her spoon.
She rested her chin in her hand and gazed at Ansu sitting across from her, remembering the scene of him feeding her bite by bite that day. A slight sense of regret tugged at her heart...
It was a pity that since they were in front of Vera today, Ansu certainly wouldn't do such a thing...
If only Vera weren't here.
"Brother! Feed me!" Vera suddenly pointed to a piece of beef that was quite far from her, a pitiful expression on her face. "I'm small, I can't reach it~"
"Sure!" Ansu instinctively picked up the piece of beef, but when his chopsticks were halfway there, he instinctively glanced at Celia.
Celia stared blankly at the warm interaction between the siblings.
"Um... wouldn't it be better if I just moved it closer?" Ansu suddenly had a stroke of brilliance and stood up with a smile.
"I don't want to..." Vera pouted and looked at her brother gloomily. "Don't you feed me every day at home, Brother? What's wrong today?"
"Um..." Ansu glanced at Celia again, only to see her eyes narrowing slightly as she watched him with a beaming smile.
However, that smile looked a bit strange to Ansu...
"Isn't it because we have a guest today..." Ansu gave Vera a look, wanting her to cooperate.
"Oh... that's true!" Vera looked toward Celia thoughtfully and then offered an apologetic smile. "With an outsider here, Brother has become shy! Fine then, Brother doesn't have to feed me today~"
Outsider... Celia's eyes flickered, and the smile on her face dimmed slightly.
Ansu belatedly observed Vera, finally understanding the reason for the strange atmosphere today...
When did his sister become such a manipulative little fox?
"But Brother, don't be so distant!" Vera clung to Ansu's arm like a sweet little sister, acting as if she were being very considerate of the other person.
"After all, she is your boss. Although she isn't one of us, hasn't Ms. Hailey been quite good to you? She was just asking about my studies a moment ago~"
"Um... is that so?" Ansu looked at Celia, who was no longer smiling, and felt a strange chill.
No! Vera, your manipulative act is off the charts today!
Vera could naturally sense the various warnings in her brother's eyes, but she ignored them all.
She looked at the female boss, whose mood had clearly soured, and the smile on her face deepened.
This round! She won!
Hmph! An outsider will always be an outsider. Did she think she could blend in just by trying to please me and my brother?
In her dreams!!
"It really is warm..." Celia let out a strange laugh, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on Ansu. "Does the good brother feed Vera every day?"
"It's not as exaggerated as Vera says... just occasionally, occasionally..." Ansu's smile was a bit stiff as he tried to change the subject again. "By the way, there are so many dishes today. Which one do you think is the best?"
"They're all delicious," Celia said with a smile.
"Ah, is that so... Hiss!" Before Ansu could finish his sentence, he felt someone step on his foot.
He quietly glanced under the table and saw that Celia had taken off her shoes at some point. Her small foot, clad in white silk, was stepping firmly on his ankle...
Looking up again, Celia was resting her chin in her hand, watching him with a beaming smile, even giving him a mischievous wink.
"Eh? What's wrong, Brother?" Vera looked at her stiff brother and asked curiously, "Are you feeling unwell?"
"Um... I'm a little uncomfortable..." Ansu could feel Celia's foot moving slowly and gently upward, seemingly entirely unafraid of being discovered.
"Is it because you're usually too tired? If I had known, I wouldn't have let you work for so long!" Vera, still completely unaware of everything, looked at Ansu with concern as he held his forehead. "Brother, if you're not feeling well, go rest for a bit!"
"It's fine, just a small matter..." As Ansu spoke, he felt that restless little foot under the table and reached down irritably.
He firmly grabbed Celia's foot and gave it a forceful squeeze as punishment.
"Hiss!" This time, it was Celia's turn to have a strange expression.
She glared at Ansu with feigned anger, and Ansu returned a speechless look.
Have you played enough?
Celia certainly hadn't played enough. She smiled at Ansu, leaving him with an innocent look.
No matter how dull Vera was, she felt this meal was becoming increasingly strange...
She narrowed her eyes, looked at her brother, then at the female boss, and then moved her chair to peek under the tablecloth.
Celia had already retracted her leg, and Ansu had withdrawn his hand.
Strange... Vera wore a suspicious expression.
The family dinner seemed to be coming to an end in a strange atmosphere. Just as Ansu was beginning to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking the vile witch wouldn't cause any more trouble...
Vera made her move.
"Brother... your boss is so good to you. When you resign in the future, won't you be quite reluctant to leave her?"
Vera sighed as she looked at her brother. For some reason, she had felt their relationship was a bit odd from the start, and during this meal, that feeling had only grown stronger...
Today was an opportunity, and she decided to test the waters.
"Actually, I'm very grateful to Ms. Hailey for taking care of my brother during this time. However, after he graduates, he shouldn't be short of work, and I don't want him to engage in such dangerous work anymore... So..."
Before she could finish, Celia's expression changed.
She could no longer maintain that fake smile from before and looked coldly at Vera. "Resign? What resign?"
"Your brother will never resign. He's doing perfectly fine working for me. Why would he go looking for another job?"
Seeing the female boss's face suddenly darken, Vera's expression froze.
"Never?"
She furrowed her brows and said with a cold laugh, "Ms. Hailey, what kind of joke are you telling?"
Even Ansu was caught off guard by the rapidly deteriorating atmosphere.
Wait, why did things suddenly explode?
Rate on N.U.
