When Roxanne returned home from the Queen residence, Archie and Benny were already waiting for her in the house.
Uncharacteristically, the two boys did not welcome Roxanne at the door that night. Instead, they were seated on the couch and seemed to be in low spirits. No one knew what was going on inside their minds.
Roxanne tossed Lysa a look of confusion.
Lysa shrugged helplessly in response. “They’ve been like this since I picked them up tonight.”
Archie and Benny had been playing happily with Estella. However, the three of them suddenly turned gloomy when they saw Lysa walking toward them.
On their journey back home, it was evident that Archie and Benny were unhappy. Until then, their spirits had not been lifted.
Roxanne was originally overjoyed and looking forward to the medical consultation by the Damaris family. However, when she saw the boys’ dejected faces, the anticipation in her heart was quickly replaced by worry.
“What happened today? Did you guys have a fight with your friends?” Roxanne probed gently as she took a seat next to Archie and Benny.
Only when they heard the sound of her voice did the two boys look up at her. The disappointment was written all over their tiny faces.
Roxanne’s heart could not help but ache. “What happened? Would you like to tell me?”
After a moment, Benny began to speak softly. “Mommy, why didn’t you come to pick us up tonight?”
Archie, on the other hand, merely looked at her with his lips pursed.
Roxanne was dumbfounded. “L… I had something to do tonight. Someone has
helped to solve the problem with the research institute. I had to go visit and thank them.”
After that, she asked hesitantly, “Are you two unhappy because I didn’t pick you guys up?”
The two boys nodded in response.
Roxanne seldom sent them to kindergarten. When she had done so that morning, the two boys thought that she would pick them up as well.
Estella, too, had thought the same. Because of that. Estella had been extremely excited throughout the entire day.
To their dismay, Roxanne was not the one to pick them up at night.
When Estella saw Lysa, her eyes turned red in disappointment.
Archie and Benny were upset at seeing the look on Estella’s face.
They knew that Estella liked Roxanne, and Roxanne had been avoiding Estella lately. Even though Estella would still play with Archie and Benny in kindergarten, they could clearly tell that she was unhappy.
Estella was overjoyed when she finally got to see Roxanne that morning. Her unwillingness to part with Roxanne that morning did not get unnoticed by the two kids.
Therefore, they were just as disappointed as Estella was when Roxanna did not pick them up that night.
Roxanne had no clue as to why Archie and Benny were upset.
Lysa and Madilyn had been sending them to kindergarten and picking them up previously because she had been busy, and the boys had never looked so disappointed before.
“Mommy, now that the issue with the research institute is settled, does that mean we’re leaving the country soon?” Benny asked carefully.
He still remembered that Roxanne had told them that they would be leaving the country as soon as she finished her work in Chanaea.
By then, they would not be able to see Estella anymore. Likewise, Estella would not be able to meet Roxanne anymore either.
At that thought, the two boys lowered their heads miserably.
Hearing the boys mention the matter of leaving the country, Roxanne began to understand where the boys were coming from. Patting their heads gently, she flashed them a comforting smile. “Not yet. We might not be leaving so soon.”
The boys’ eyes lit up. “Really? Why?”
Roxanne’s smile widened. “There’s still something I need to do, so we’ll still be staying in Chanaea. You two will need to take good care of Essie in kindergarten.”
The two boys immediately bobbed their heads vigorously. The disappointment instantly vanished from their faces. As long as they were still in Chanaea, Estella would still have the chance to meet Roxanne.
