“Ian? D-Don’t tell me that you prepared these?”
Vivian’s eyes widened in shock when she saw him.
Ian’s expression froze.
“Do I look like I know how to cook?”
“Hehehe… Nope,” Vivian admitted before sticking her tongue out.
It was only then that Ian looked away and explained that he had ordered someone to deliver the food instead.
As for Sigrun…
“After her mistake, I asked her to stay in school and reflect upon her actions for a few days.”
Once everyone sat down and began eating, Ian slowly explained why Sigrun wasn’t having dinner with them.
At his words, Vivian and Susan looked up in surprise.
Mistake? What did she do?
Only Kurt didn’t react as he continued to enjoy his dinner. It was as if he had known about it all along.
Once dinner was over, Susan cleared the table before returning to her room.
Exhausted from the long day she had had, she wanted to rest early because she was worried she couldn’t wake up in time to make the long trip to school.
Knock! Knock!
“Come in.”
Susan, who was rummaging through her wardrobe, went to open the door.
“Ian?”
She had not expected the one knocking on the door to be the person she missed dearly.
Ian nodded indifferently as he was never one to show much emotion. All along, he always wore a frosty expression on his face.
Nevertheless, in the past, he would smile when in front of her and would talk to her in a gentle tone.
“I just want to tell you that you don’t have to go to Flinders tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
Susan was pleasantly surprised.
“Really?”
“Yes. That teacher is unfamiliar with the rules for exchange students. Therefore, I went to see another teacher. Now that everything is cleared up, you can continue studying at Atlantius tomorrow,” Ian explained at the door.
Susan was filled with joy after hearing the news. Overwhelmed by emotions, she stretched out her hands and hugged Ian around his arms.
“Ian, you’re wonderful! This way, I’ll never have to leave your side again!”
Lost in her ecstasy, she accidentally let out a Freudian slip.
As the air between them suddenly froze, Susan, who had regained her senses, didn’t dare move a muscle, as if she had been struck by lightning. Even Ian seemed paralyzed in his position.
Amidst the air of awkwardness, Susan felt the urge to run somewhere and hide.
In truth, that was exactly what she did. As if she had been jolted by electricity, she let go of Ian and fled into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.
Bang!
No explanation was forthcoming at all.
After staring blankly at the door for a while, Ian turned around stiffly and returned to his room. Once inside, he realized that his heart was pounding furiously.
What’s going on? She’s my aunt!
The next day, everyone had woken up.
Vivian was boisterous as usual. It wasn’t until Kurt dragged her into the bathroom to get her to wash up did she come down for breakfast wearing her backpack.
Immediately, she could sense that something was different.
“Kurt, did you notice that something feels strange this morning?”
“What’s strange?”
After leading her out, Kurt heard her ask as he stuffed her freezing cold hands into the pockets of his down jacket.
Holding a carton of milk in her hand, Vivian mumbled while drinking, “In the sense that Susan and Ian didn’t say a word at all.”
Kurt grunted and replied, “It’s good manners not to speak during a meal.”
“But, both of them avoided looking at each other, as if they had done something wrong. Didn’t you notice it?”
“No.” Kurt was annoyed.
In the end, he took out her favorite sweet and stuffed it into her mouth to stop her from sticking her nose into the business of others.
“Mmph!”
“Finish it quick as you won’t be allowed to eat that in school. By the way, Susan will be coming back to our school. Therefore, remember to call the restaurant to make a booking for lunch.”
“Okay!”
Vivian’s eyes lit up in delight.
Without saying another word, she spread her arms wide and hopped onto Kurt’s back. Filled with bliss, she enjoyed the precious moment both of them shared together.
Meanwhile, Susan, too, was in a particularly good mood that morning.
When she woke up and saw Ian, she was indeed embarrassed at first.
After breakfast was finished, they headed to school on Ian’s bike. Sitting behind him, she felt a warm sensation in her heart when both of them were bathed by the golden rays of the morning sun.
“Ian, when we arrive at school, will you go over with me?”
“Yeah.”
Ian readily agreed without needing her to explain further.
With the morning breeze blowing across her face, Susan’s smile widened when she recalled the time they were at the University of Pollerton. Back then, he didn’t know how to ride a bike yet, so she had to take him around.
But now, their roles were reversed.
Can I bring him back to me? He is mine after all.
