The Atmosphere Turns Awkward

After the siblings and Celia finished their initial greetings, Ansu suddenly felt the atmosphere turning awkward.

"Um... Ms. Hailey, you look very beautiful today." Ansu could only offer this compliment, as Celia's efforts to dress up were always stunning.

Celia was wearing a pure white, elegant long dress and a matching women's hat, with a lily on the hat making her appear pure and refined.

The witch before him seemed to have lost her usual unapproachable noble air, and even the smile on her face appeared soft and friendly.

It had to be said that the fashion-conscious witch was always very good at styling herself, and this particular outfit was intentional; she likely didn't want to leave Vera with a sharp or difficult impression.

It seemed she had actually listened to what he had told her.

That was good.

Then today's family lunch should be pleasant and warm.

"Is that so? Thank you for the compliment~" Celia smiled softly, though she still hoped to hear Ansu praise her in other ways.

After all, talking about money and such... was still a bit too tacky.

Vera couldn't help but glance at her brother, having naturally caught the flash of amazement in his eyes just now.

She had specifically woken up early to dress herself up, yet she hadn't managed to get that kind of look from her brother...

Honestly, has Big Brother just gotten used to seeing me for over ten years? I'm very beautiful too! Where do I fall short compared to her!

Vera took another look at the elegantly poised Hailey Lawrence.

But unfortunately... no matter how critical her gaze was, she couldn't find a single flaw in that perfect, beautiful face. Her brother's female boss was indeed stunningly beautiful...

Not only was she good-looking, but her temperament was also excellent...

She even had a larger chest!

With just those few glances, the sense of defeat in Vera's heart grew stronger. She looked down at her own flat little frame, and a sudden surge of frustration had nowhere to go...

Calm down, calm down...

This is only because I'm still young. When I grow up, it's not like I won't have a chance.

Besides, in terms of looks, I haven't actually lost by much! Brother always praises me as the most beautiful!

Hmph, this woman is only a tiny bit better looking than me...

Vera tried her best to suppress those messy thoughts, the smile on her face remaining polite and formal.

"Ms. Hailey, please have some tea." Vera watched Hailey, who was elegantly crossing her legs to one side with her eyes fixed on Ansu, as she pushed the steaming black tea across the coffee table.

"We don't have any particularly expensive drinks to serve you, so I hope you don't mind."

"No need to be so formal." Celia felt that the little girl was quite pleasant today, so she smiled and handed over the gift she had been carrying.

"This is a small gift. I hope you like it, Vera."

"For me?" Vera blinked in surprise, curiously unwrapping the gift box.

Ansu knew what the gift Celia had brought was. When Vera opened the packaging, an exquisite small orrery was taken out.

It was a sophisticated magitech toy driven by expensive magic crystals that could simulate the orbits of multiple celestial bodies; it was exactly the kind of gift Vera would be interested in.

"This is so beautiful!" Vera kept fiddling with the rings on the orrery, looking at her brother in surprise. "Brother, I remember saying I wanted to buy one last time..."

Even if she disliked her brother's female boss, since the other party had given her a gift, Vera still offered a smile of thanks.

"Thank you, Ms. Hailey. I..."

But after just a moment of surprise, Vera looked at the orrery in her hand and suddenly thought of something.

She looked at her brother, who seemed to have known the result all along, her gaze suddenly becoming a bit complicated. "Brother... you must have told Ms. Hailey about my hobbies, otherwise how would she know..."

"It's good that you like it. It's the thought that counts, so don't say too much." Ansu rubbed Vera's hair with his large hand, interrupting his sister's questioning.

"Mm..." Vera looked at Hailey, who was elegantly sipping tea, feeling that after this round, her momentum had inexplicably weakened by a few points...

"Today's lunch is quite grand, so I'll head to the kitchen first to prepare the ingredients." Ansu turned away from Celia's gaze and tried to give Vera a pleading look. "Vera, you two chat for a bit. Take good care of our guest, I'll be back in a while!"

"Mm... okay." Vera sighed inwardly and nodded obediently.

After Ansu left, only Vera and Celia remained in the large living room.

Vera smiled and watched the other party.

Celia also smiled and watched Vera.

The atmosphere momentarily fell into awkwardness.

Vera thought of what her brother had specifically instructed her. Although she was quite reluctant, she took the initiative to find a topic.

"Um... Ms. Hailey, is the black tea good?"

Celia nodded with a smile. "Yes, it's delicious."

"Oh..."

Vera really didn't know what else to say.

The atmosphere fell into awkwardness again...

The aroma of black tea filled the living room as the two stared at each other. Finally, it was Celia who couldn't take it anymore.

She looked at Vera helplessly, thinking that Ansu's sister seemed quite cheerful but her personality was actually a bit dull... So she put on a smile and asked with concern:

"I heard you went back to school recently? How are you getting along with your classmates?"

"Not great." Vera curled her lip and said disdainfully, "My classmates are all boring and incredibly childish."

"Oh..." Celia nodded silently.

After that, the two had nothing left to say.

If Ansu were present right now, the atmosphere would have been awkward enough to make him curl his toes...

Vera could only politely keep pouring tea for Celia, while Celia politely and elegantly accepted refill after refill. By the end, she actually felt like she needed to use the bathroom...

She couldn't help but glance at Vera, who was still smiling, wondering if this little girl was trying to make her look foolish this way.

Finally, Vera spoke up, taking the initiative to talk about Ansu, and only then did the two find some common ground.

"My brother... how is his performance at work? Is he very capable?"

"Yes, he is very capable." Celia nodded. "Your brother doesn't follow conventional rules when handling problems; he uses many different methods to achieve his goals..."

Like that time he reported the Squirrel Party.

"Mm, that's true..." Vera remembered when they were little; her brother was especially good at driving wedges between the bad kids, and the sisters at the orphanage would always believe him. Back then, her cute-looking brother was like an innocent-looking schemer...

"Brother especially loves playing little tricks, and he has so many bad ideas!" Vera couldn't help but reveal a soft smile.

"Exactly, exactly! That's just how he is!" Celia laughed along.

Even though they were on completely different wavelengths, the two somehow managed to agree, and the awkward atmosphere softened considerably.

"The big boss of our organization thinks very highly of him. Your brother is quite impressive."

"Of course my brother is impressive~" Vera's small face was full of pride.

Celia looked at Vera's proud expression and said quietly, "The relationship between you two siblings is really good. I really envy your relationship..."

Celia had felt this envy since she first met the two siblings because she had been alone for a very long time.

Hunger, running for her life... these filled her childhood until she was taken back to the cult by her teacher. At that time, she was incredibly happy and hoped her teacher would talk to her more; she also yearned for the warmth of a family.

But her teacher was a cold person, and as they spent more time together, she discovered that her teacher, just like those elders, seemed to dislike demihumans quite a bit...

Celia initially thought this 'dislike of demihumans' shouldn't include her.

But following many subsequent events, Celia keenly discovered that her teacher was wary of her... she had indeed been a bit 'self-deluded.'

So... she quite liked this warm, family-like atmosphere, and because of Ansu, she also wanted to try and blend into this environment.

Celia looked at the young Vera. Her obedience and politeness today gave her a feeling...

Getting past Ansu's sister should be quite easy, right?