The Student Guardians Are Obsessed With Me - Chapter 54

Arthur and Adrian’s gaze turned to Eleanor.

 

“Is it possible to change paper instead of ink?”

 

“Paper?”

 

“The paper we’re using now is thick and smooth, but when we used it before, it seemed that the ink was slowly absorbing.”

 

Arthur nodded at Eleanor’s words.

 

“It seems possible. There are some papers used in our print shop, would you like to take a look?”

 

“I’d love to.”

 

After looking at the samples and running some tests, they were able to find a kind that was slightly rougher but less smudged. Even the price was cheaper than the original one.

 

It was decided to try issuing it for a few weeks with the changed paper. Eleanor, who had even finished looking over the homework for the amount of work to be sent out next week, said as she left the door.

 

“You did a good job today too, Rian.”

 

Adrian spoke, resting his hand on Eleanor’s head.

 

“If my father saw you today, he would have been very proud. When are you coming over for dinner?”

 

“Yeah, it’s about time. Tell me when it’ll be fine.”

 

“You’re always welcome, Ellen.”

 

Be it day or night, or early in the morning.

 

***

 

A shadow fell on Sienna’s face as she stared down at her test paper.

 

‘I lost again! I worked really hard this time, though.’

 

Sienna glanced at Demian’s test paper, looking sullen

 

Again, this time she couldn’t beat Demian by two questions. She even prepared diligently while reducing the amount of time she played with her dog.

 

When will the day come when she will be able to defeat Demian? These days, Sienna has become a little anxious.

 

Demian was a really nice and decent kid. He listened well and made concessions well. He didn’t even spill when he ate.

 

But, to be honest, she was also a bit jealous. He didn’t even seem to be trying so hard, yet he got ahead every time.

 

“What’s your score?”

 

Then Lucas cocked his head and looked at Sienna’s test paper. She nervously folded the test paper.

 

“You don’t need to mind it.”

 

“Don’t wanna.”

 

Lucas annoyingly stuck out his tongue. Sienna frowned and turned her head away from him.

 

“What about your score?”

 

“100 points.”

 

“Whoa. You’re so smart!”

 

Lucas patted Demian’s arm in admiration. Demian smiled briskly and lowered his long eyelashes.

 

“Demi got everything right.”

 

“Why are you telling me that?”

 

Seeing Sienna react more harshly than usual, Lucas smiled round and round.

 

“Hmmm. Are you jealous?”

 

Those words touched Sienna’s sensitive parts. She set the book down with a thud.

 

“Stop minding me and study. You get it wrong all the time on your own.”

 

“Why suddenly…”

 

A little taken aback, Lucas raised his eyebrows and opened his lips. No matter how much he thought about it, it wasn’t much different from usual, yet today, Sienna was acting more harsh.

 

‘Should I say sorry?’

 

As Lucas pondered for a moment, Sienna moved to the next seat and fired back sharply.

 

“I don’t have time to talk stupidly with you. Play alone.”

 

The feeling of being sorry as much as an ant’s eye booger completely disappeared. Hurt by her sarcasm, Lucas turned his head away from Sienna.

 

Eleanor, who had been out for a while, sensed the strangely cold air.

 

“What happened?”

 

A silent answer.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Eleanor’s eyes widened. Apparently there was an argument between Lucas and Sienna, yet neither of them opened their mouths.

 

‘It’ll be resolved soon, won’t it?’

 

Eleanor, who watched them for a moment, shrugged her shoulders.

 

Lucas and Sienna had a quarrel from the first day they met. To the extent that if they didn’t argue for a day, it was even weirder. However, the two secretly took care of each other because they were afraid of hate.

 

When Lucas accidentally spilled something, it was Sienna who picked it up, and Lucas was the one who responded most enthusiastically to Sienna’s excited chatter about something.

 

However, Eleanor’s expectations were wrong.

 

“Sienna?”

 

“…”

 

“Lucas?”

 

“…”

 

“Are you not going to talk today too?”

 

Sienna and Lucas hadn’t said anything to each other for two weeks. And it wasn’t just between the two kids.

 

As the two talkative children kept their mouths shut, the atmosphere in the class began to deteriorate. No matter how much Eleanor raised her tone and joked, all she got back was a sour reaction.

 

“Really?”

 

Eleanor sighed as she leaned back.

 

Sienna tapped the book with the tip of the pen and bit her lower lip, while Lucas puffed out his cheeks sullenly and avoided Eleanor’s gaze.

 

There were many times when her body had a hard time because of the class work with the children, but there was nothing hard on her mind. Yet lately Eleanor’s head started pounding as the class approached.

 

Perhaps it’s becoming more like its owner, the geranium pot placed by the window is also starting to wither. That was a bad sign.

 

But there was really a different problem.

 

“Demi.”

 

“…”

 

“It’s fine. The two just quarreled for a while. Friends usually fight over trivial things, and then become close again as if nothing had happened.”

 

In the cold and awkward atmosphere, even Demian began to get stressed out. Eleanor hugged and comforted Demian, yet his expression was still dark.

 

I can’t do it anymore.

 

As if determined, Eleanor straightened her back and put on a stern expression.

 

“Sienna, Lucas. The two of you will stay after today.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I don’t want to!”

 

The two children wrinkled their faces and shook their heads.

 

“No can do. We can’t go on like this any longer.”

 

But this time, Eleanor was also adamant.

 

“Talk to each other and unravel what has accumulated.”

 

“I don’t want to talk to that kid.”

 

“Me too?”

 

“Then there’s nothing you can do. The two of you should see each other and eat dinner together.”

 

Eleanor spoke, crossing her arms tightly. Although Sienna and Lucas whined, Eleanor didn’t waver.

 

Lucas, who was pouting his lips, pointed at Demian, who was sitting next to him, he said.

 

“Then what about Demian?”

 

“Why Demian? It was the two of you who fought.”

 

Lucas looked at Demian and asked.

 

“Demi, what are you doing when you get home?”

 

“Homework.”

 

“You can do it here too!”

 

Lucas grabbed Demian’s hand. Lucas, who didn’t want to be alone with Sienna even if he died, said with twinkling eyes.

 

“You said that my fountain pen was amazing, right? I’ll lend you that too! I’ll lend it to you for three nights!”

 

Demian’s eyes widened greatly. It was a little tempting.

 

‘Three nights?’

 

It reminded me of the fountain pen that Lucas had been bragging about for days, saying that his brother gave it to him as a gift. The silver nib was a very nice thing.

 

“Demi, can’t you just stay with me?”

 

I don’t want to be alone with him.

 

Sienna also said while looking at Demian. Seeing her almost crying, Demian didn’t feel nice.

 

Demian stared up at Eleanor.

 

“Demi, if you want to be there, of course you can. If you want to go, do so.”

 

While Demian was contemplating, the Duke’s carriage arrived. After a while, Kaidel, who had come to pick up Demian, cautiously stepped inside.

 

Sensing a slightly different atmosphere than usual, Kaidel asked Eleanor in a low voice.

 

“What happened?”

 

“It’s been a long time since Lucas and Sienna quarreled. Demian is also uncomfortable in the middle, and honestly, I have a hard time too, so we have to see the end today.”

 

Eleanor let out a deep sigh and replied lowly. Her cheeks, which were always ruddy, were pale.

 

“Demian, let’s go.”

 

Eleanor held out her hand to Demian. Demian, who was looking at Kaidel and Eleanor side by side, opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.

 

“Can I stay a little longer?”

 

“But your brother came too…”

 

Eleanor pointed at Kaidel and tried to convince Demian.

 

“It’s fine. I can wait.”

 

Kaidel quickly intercepted the words. Strangely, his expression brightened.

 

That said, Eleanor had nothing more to say.

 

“Alright, then…”

 

Eleanor sat down with Lucas and Sienna. Demian sat down some distance away from them and opened the book she had given him for homework.

 

“Now you talk to each other about why you’re offended. When the other person is talking, you should never interrupt or make fun of it.”

 

“But…”

 

“No ‘but’ for today.”

 

Eleanor said, meeting Sienna’s eyes.

 

“Hngg.”

 

Sienna and Lucas, who had scored a lot, inflated the ball.

 

“I’ll be back in an hour. Then tell me what the two of you were talking about.”

 

Eleanor stroked Demian’s hair and said.

 

“Demian is the supervisor. You can do it, right?”

 

Demian nodded his head. Although Lucas and Sienna looked at each other disapprovingly, they quietly obeyed Eleanor’s words. They were really good kids anyway.

 

“Start now.”

 

***

 

After giving Sienna and Lucas time to talk, Eleanor headed to the living room. Kaidel was sitting on the couch reading her newspaper. The maid put down a warm teacup in front of him and walked away.

 

As Eleanor approached, Kaidel raised his gaze.

 

“I think it will take about an hour. Is that fine with you?”

 

“Mmhm.”

 

“Honestly, I didn’t expect Demi to stay. After the two of them quarreled, he got a lot of stress being in the middle.”

 

She sat down next to Kaidel. Caidel’s tense body tightened up a bit.

 

“Ah, right. Do you know how to take care of flowers?”

 

“Why?”

 

“The geranium leaves have withered a bit. I poured water well, but I don’t know why. Could you look at it for a second?”

 

Kaidel willingly followed her. Eleanor opened the door and strode toward the window.

 

“What could be the problem?”

 

“When was the last time you watered it?”

 

“Yesterday.”

 

Kaidell ran his fingers through the soil and scanned the leaves.

 

“Looks like overwatering is the problem. That’s why it withered.”

 

“Overwatering?”

 

Kaidel nodded his head.

 

“Overwatering is just as dangerous as dryness.”

 

Kaidel scribbled a few things to keep in mind when caring for potted plants on a piece of paper on the desk.

 

“It’s more difficult than I thought. The flowers blooming on the roadside just feel amazing.”

 

“That’s right. Suitable soil, light, wind, water, temperature, interest, indifference…”

 

Kaidel agreed and followed her.

 

“Plants are sensitive, and even if a little bit of certain conditions aren’t met, the flowers will soon wither and the leaves will lose their luster. At the same time, they’re strong, if they know what is wrong and fill that part, they will quickly regain their strength.”

 

Eleanor made eye contact with him at his words. A very strange smile appeared on her lips.

 

What kind of expression is that, he wonders.

 

Kaidel’s eyes narrowed slightly.

 

“Why are you smiling like that?”

 

“It’s just, the more I get to know you, the more you seem like a very different person from my first impression.”

 

“What was your first impression of me?”

 

You were scary. Very much, at that.

 

But she couldn’t say that. Eleanor, who had been turning her eyes, turned the point of the arrow at Kaidel.

 

“What was your first impression of me?”

 

Kaidel was taken aback. His momentary misunderstanding of her as a madman the moment he ran into her at the Imperial Palace came to his mind.

 

However, a faint smile spread across his lips. The way she meticulously wiped ha child’s hands, the way she pretended to grumble and expressed affectionate concern, the way she lifted the child’s chin with a nonchalant face and met eyes.

 

Kaidel met her green eyes looking at him with a little anticipation. It was shining just like that day.

 

He slowly parted his lips.

 

“You were pretty.”