Seraphine was guided to the parlor. Apparently, the guests haven't arrived yet, so it was fine for the family to be gathered there.
A nonchalant expression sat on Seraphine's face while she attempted to hide her feelings. No matter what happened, she acted as if it had no relation with her.
Before the maid before them opened the door, Lyle placed her hand on Seraphine's hand and softly said, "Happy birthday."
Seraphine's eyes widened due to his words, and she wondered whether or not she had misheard it. She raised her head to see his face, and seeing nothing on it, she shook her head subtly.
Even if he wished him, it was not a big deal to him; it was most likely a courtesy, rather than a sincere wish. After all, this was common.
Seraphine entered into the room and was met with the bubbly face of her mother. The only one in the room with a visibly bright expression was Evangeline.
As
Irked by her attitude, Clayton forwarded his hand and flicked on her forehead. Due to her tender complexion, the place started to redden.Hit by the pain, Seraphine held her forehead and glared at the boy before her. She then exclaimed, "What do you think you are doing!?"He retorted, "What? Do you want to beat me back? Too bad, you are too weak to."As much as Seraphine wanted to refute that, she knew it was the truth; it wasn't possible for her to go against him. She simply continued to glower at him."Don't be too proud of yourself," Seraphine voiced out, "One day, for sure, I will be able to."Before the things between got much heated, Evangeline stepped forward and placed her palm on Seraphine's shoulder.With a gentle expression on her features, Evangeline vocalised, "That's enough, you two. Clayton, it's your sister's birthday today, so indulge her a little more."
Maeryn was dumbfounded as if not expecting that from Seraphine before chuckling to brush off that awkwardness and speaking up, "Ah! Yes, Lady Seraphine. I am sorry; I must have forgotten."Seraphine pulled her hands back.Someone as dense as Maeryn was able to notice the unfriendliness and coldness in Seraphine's tone, and therefore, she didn't dare refute despite her displeasure.Seraphine nodded.This wasn't enough to put down Maeryn's mood for the girl became excited again and rushed to tell, "I heard that you managed to invite the Crown Prince! I heard gossips on how handsome he looked and talented he was! Due to this, I have been looking forward to see him!"Most of the people on the invite list was decided on by Lyle, and as the contents of the novels were getting blurry too, Seraphine didn't remember a small detail as the Crown Prince coming over to her fifth birthday.Nothin
There was Kayden to hold her shoulders and stabilize her prior to she could fall on the ground and embarrass herself."Be careful," he said— his tone holding a hint of panic.Raising her head, she smiled at him brightly and expressed, "Thank you!"After that, he let go of her, and she stood up properly. Then, her eyes fell on the gift packaging in their hand, and a sparkle was present in her eyes."Is that for me?" she commented, pointing at the box.Sharon nodded and said, "My brother and I picked it up for you. I hope you like it, Lady Seraphine."Instead of handing the gift over to butler, Seraphine personally accepted it and hugged the gift. Then, she joyfully voiced out, "Since both of you selected it, there are no chances I will not enjoy it."Other than some close associates, barely any adults were invited, and it could be seen why the Marquis didn't arrive w
Seraphine kept a close eye on Sharon as the little girl ate pastries, treating them akin to a treasure, and once again that ache travelled through her heart.At times, she used her handkerchief to wipe off the crumbs on Sharon's face, and following that, Sharon continued eating in a bright mood.Her eyes then fell on Kayden. She could easily pamper Sharon for to her, the girl was cute and easily resembled a child in her behaviour.Same couldn't be said for Kayden who was much mature, and that's why, although Seraphine was mentally older, she treated the boy as someone of her age."Do you not like these?" Seraphine questioned, indicating the snacks placed before them.Other than drinking tea, Kayden hadn't touched the cookies neither did he go after the cakes. As a child, she didn't believe he wouldn't be tempted unless he wasn't fond of them.He responded, "It's not that I am fond o
When Seraphine opened her eyes, she was greeted with the sight of Clayton in front of her and, instantly, closed her eyes, taking this to be a nightmare."Clayton's face is indeed a nightmare," she mumbled, letting out a groan.In a drowsy state, she was determined to change the character in her dream when she turned to look the other way.However, her wish wasn't accomplished as she felt a pinch on her cheeks which caused her to awaken from her stupor, and pain immediately caused her to open her eyes.Her nose crinkled, and creases appeared between both of her eyebrows due to Clayton. She didn't understand why she needed to start a pleasant day by seeing his face first thing in the morning."Why are you here?" she questioned— her displeased mood showing.Seraphine pulled off his hand from her cheek while she sat on the bed and fixed her hair prior to folding her hands over her ches
No matter how much she desired to have this serious conversation with him, seeing him sit in front of her made her feel awkward, and she didn't know how to start the words.As Lyle was concentrated on his tea, Seraphine picked up the plate with slice of cake on it and absentmindedly, stuck her fork into it."What was it that you wanted to talk about?" Lyle questioned. "You even softened your attitude for it."Seraphine raised her head and said, "That, Brother, were you hurt by my rude attitude?"The instant those words left her mouth she noticed Lyle had grimaced, and his expression seemed to ask her whether or not she was talking nonsense.Seraphine chuckled. This was after all what she had expected from her brother."In the beginning, Brother, I tried to get along with everyone and do whatever you wanted me to. You noticed that as well, right?But overtime, I hate
"Alright," he said, "This is my fault; I shouldn't try to get your feathers ruffled."Lyle found her incredibly cute, especially when she was being this serious, and instead of following her words along, it made him want to tease her further."And aren't you smart as proclaimed by yourself? Why don't you understand why Kayden and Sharon would be dangerous then?" he pointed out.Seraphine truly felt he was mocking her. Nonetheless, leaning against the couch, she truly attempted to make the heads and tails out of the situation, and understand everything from Lyle's perspective."The Marquis or the twins can't physically harm me neither would the honor of the family be hurt by me hanging around with them. At most, I will be a little talked about.That's not a big deal and wouldn't affect anyone. Are you afraid of the twins manipulating and using me?" Seraphine raised one of her eyebrows.
Prior to attending the classes, she made sure to check with Clayton and recorded what was taught to beginners in sword training.After that, Lyle informed her, on subjects only required for female, she will be taught along with Sharon. As for the gender neutral subjects, the classes will be attended with Eli Weiton and the twins.The sword training classes will be done with Eli and Kayden, and with that, her schedule was all packed. Nonetheless, Seraphine felt satisfied.Eli wasn't fond of her neither was she of that egoistical, cold brat. As long as they kept away from each of their paths, it would be alright.With all that settled, she waited for Kayden and Sharon to arrive, so that they can go shopping together. Shopping would be able to energize her before the classes were able to start.As Seraphine tapped her fingers on the table, she counted time before twins arrived, and hearing their voices
Both Jiyeon and Taeyang was on the cleaning duty for the class. As Jiyeon was arranging the table, she noticed that Taeyang was staring at her with a mildly amused smile on his face.That aggravated her, and she expressed, “What? What are you looking at?”Without saying anything, he made his way over to her. Then, extending his hand, he touched her face and stroked it before voicing out, “You don’t have to do anything to make me jealous.”Her eyes widened at his words, and she stepped back, feeling totally exposed under that gaze of his.She then stuttered, “W-What do you mean?”Clearing her throat, she spoke with more confidence: “What sort of nonsense are you uttering now? Me making you jealous? Why would I do something so absurd?”She scoffed.He chuckled and stated, “Is that so? I know you well, Seraphine. You can’t hide from me.”“What? How can y
“Hold on, hold on, he actually said that to you!?” Aera exclaimed in disbelief. “Whoa! He is seriously a player.”Sitting on her bed, Jiyeon took a sip from her strawberry milk and stared down. The events of the other day still heated up her cheeks. Taeyang simply looked too dashing.“How did he know I was there though?” Jiyeon questioned. “Could it be a coincidence?”“About that,” Aera voiced out, “I might have spilled out your location to him.”Jiyeon raised an eyebrow.“Well, he called me, asking where you are as your phone was shut off, and I told him you’re on a date. Then, he questioned me about the location, and he is too scary. I wasn’t able to hide it.”Jiyeon could see where Aera was coming from. After the confrontation she had with Taeyang the other day, he really had a fierce side to him. Maybe because she w
Just as she was about to hug Yejoon, Jiyeon felt herself being dragged back by a large force, and this caused her eyes to widen. She turned her head to look at the one behind it and was shocked to see Taeyang standing there.What was he doing here?His eyes fiercely stared at her, causing her to be shaken up, and it appeared that he was only slightly away from bursting off at her. This was the first time she had faced this side of hers, making her wonder on how she had possibly offended him.“Who are you? It’s too impolite to pull someone this way,” Yejoon voiced out.Jiyeon smiled at him and expressed, “It’s fine. I know him. You can leave now.”Yejoon seemed a little hesitant. Nonetheless, he nodded before leaving. Before she could wave her hand at him, her face was gripped by Taeyang, and he forced her to meet his eyes.“Who is he?” Taeyang questioned, and his tone held immense intensity&mda
Jiyeon totally erased from her mind about asking Taeyang about why he stayed with her that night. This was surely done out of friendship, and there was no need to make the matters awkward by probing into this topic. This is how Jiyeon managed to convince herself.But when Taeyang came for the tutoring session on the next day, Jiyeon felt pained upon seeing him, and it was hard for her to keep on behaving normally as if nothing had happened. Taeyang surely had noticed something due to how silent she had been. That’s why, she appreciated him not asking anything about it.As Jiyeon was going through the book in her hand, Taeyang’s phone rang, and a picture popped up on the screen. It was the image of the woman she had seen with him yesterday; she was called Jihye.“Excuse me for a second.”With that said, he stood up and received the call. Jiyeon observed his expressions. His eyes widened for a second— probably shocked by what h
Jiyeon’s breathing for that instant stopped, and her heart clenched painfully. A nauseating feeling arose in her stomach. That’s why, holding her mouth, she stood up and rushed towards the washroom. At the same time, her eyes were flooded with tears.Seeing Jiyeon’s reaction caused a frown to form upon Taeyang’s features, and he did call after her. But she paid no mind to his words. He wanted to go after her, but that’s when his attention fell on her phone. It seemed that she saw something on the device.Picking the device up, his eyes fell on the screen, and that’s when he understood why she had shown such an intense reaction. This was due to a certain name she had seen— Kayden.He shut her phone and let out a sigh.°°°After washing her face, Jiyeon came out of the washroom and then said, “I am sorry. I suddenly felt sick.”Taeyang stood up and made his way over to Jiyeon. H
Taeyang shot her a quizzical look, not clearly expecting her to mention this right now, before that changed to amusement, and he voiced out, “Why are you so curious about that?”Jiyeon believed that she had decent acting skills when she smiled and said, “Am I not your friend? This simply is an enough reason for me to know about it. Now, quick, quick, tell me who is it that managed to steal that heart of yours.”“Because you are my friend?” The boy stated.There was a certain amount of amusement present in his tone, and this caused her to feel nervous. Certainly, he didn’t notice her intentions, right? Although she did feel very much exposed under his gaze, she tried to convince herself that the boy wasn’t capable of reading minds.Jiyeon nodded.“Can I not ask as your friend about the girl you like?”“Of course, you can ask,” Taeyang said, “And as for who the perso
“Of course not. What are you talking about? You can feel comfortable at here. You have done a lot for Jiyeon, and we are thankful to you for that,” her mother voiced out.Hearing how gently her mother was speaking made Jiyeon scoff and say, “I didn’t know that you are able to talk in this manner, Mother; I thought you were only capable of shouting.”This caused her mother to glare at Jiyeon and state, “Shut up! Make yourself useful for once, and set up the table.”Although Jiyeon rolled her eyes at her mother, she did as the woman ordered as she made her way over to the kitchen. Tilting her head from the kitchen, she could see that small conversation went on between her mother and Taeyang. This caused her to wonder what the content was.Nevertheless, Jiyeon was quick to her feet and arranged the table without causing much accidents. Once done with that, she took her seat and called for
Jiyeon had to admit that Taeyang was great at explaining her. It was as if he understood her and knew how to keep her concentration on the subject. No matter how much she wanted to distract him or ask him unnecessary questions, he didn’t let that happen.And as for the last part of the session, he gave her few problems to solve, saying, “After you are able to solve them all and get half of them correct, you can go home.”Jiyeon was dumbfounded by the expectations he held on her. Even on the subject she found the easiest, getting half correct was hard for her.“Can’t we lower the bar a little? Today is the first day after all. Let’s settle for forty percent.”He shook his head and voiced out, “If you get more than fifty percent, I will reward you.”That did sound appealing to her, and knowing that there was no place for argument, she attempted the questions I hopes of attaining that reward. At th
It didn’t take Taeyang long to finish making the breakfast, and even though Jiyeon had a large intake of sugar now, that didn’t take away from her appetite when she smelled the pancakes. This caused her to feel sudden hunger.Taeyang placed the glass of orange juice in front of her before serving her pancakes and covering those up with syrup. Yurie’s mouth watered as she held her fork and voiced out, “Thank you.”After that, given how delicious the pancakes were, it didn’t take her long to finish eating them, and once done with that, she stared at Taeyang with impressed eyes.“Whoa! This is seriously good,” Jiyeon voiced out, “You really have a way to lower my self-esteem.”“Don’t worry about that. Collectively, you are way better than me.”This made Jiyeon scrunch up her nose and vocalize, “We both know that is not the case. I am far from being half as good as you.