Meanwhile, at the Dawn orphanage.
The hour was indeed getting late. Ellaria watched as the children finished the delicacies Feliel had brought and the candies she had shared with them.
Seeing them rub their eyes and begin to yawn one by one, she knew it was time to leave.
“I should head back to the academy,” Ellaria said to Feliel. But in her heart, she was still thinking about… ahem, that sock which needed “processing.”
“Be careful on the road,” Feliel replied in her usual flat tone, though her eyes were much softer than usual.
“Are you not heading back yet?”
“I’ll stay a bit longer. On holidays, this place is my home,” Feliel answered softly, her gaze sweeping over the familiar tables, chairs, and the faces of the children.
Ellaria nodded in understanding and bid the children goodbye once more. Amidst the sweet, sugary calls of “Goodbye, Princess sister,” she left the warm inner rooms of the orphanage.
Feliel watched Ellaria’s figure disappear into the night until the courtyard gate gently closed. She turned to see the caregivers arranging for the children to wash up for bed, the commotion gradually dying down.
Feliel didn’t join the cleanup. Instead, she silently climbed the narrow stairs to the attic.
*Creak — * The sound of a door being pushed open rang out.
“Campbell, I’m back.”
***
On the other side.
Sefina pushed open the door and followed the faint sounds she had heard, walking down the hallway toward the balcony.
As expected, she saw two familiar figures at the entrance of the living room connecting to the balcony — it was Mia and Kefi.
The moment Mia and Kefi saw Teacher Sefina walk out, they were instantly petrified, freezing in place.
A deep blush spread across their cheeks at a visible speed. Their eyes flickered away, not daring to meet Sefina’s gaze.
Their fingers twisted nervously at the hems of their clothes, and their entire bodies radiated the panicked aura of thieves caught in the act.
Having just finished their “misdeed” only to be caught by the owner herself, a massive sense of shame and tension nearly overwhelmed them.
“Te… Teacher Sefina, you… you’re awake?”
Mia was the first to speak, stammering with a voice as small as a mosquito’s hum.
Kefi was so nervous she couldn’t even squeeze out a single word. She kept her head low, wishing she could find a crack in the floor to crawl into.
Her mind was filled with the “shocking” images she had seen earlier while changing the teacher’s clothes.
Sefina looked at the two of them. Although she still felt some fatigue from the alcohol, her consciousness was mostly clear.
She gave a soft “Mm” and swept her gaze over them, asking in a calm tone, “Did you two bring me back?”
Mia and Kefi were like primary school students being called on by a teacher. They nodded vigorously, their movements so wide they almost snapped their necks.
“I appreciate your hard work,” Sefina said with a slight nod of gratitude.
Her gaze inadvertently drifted past them, landing on the drying rack on the balcony.
There, her dress swayed gently in the night breeze, the marks of it being washed clearly visible.
Sefina’s gaze lingered on the dress for 2 seconds before returning to the two nervous girls in front of her. Her voice betrayed no emotion, asking placidly:
“The dress… was it also you two who changed me and washed it?”
!!!!!
This question struck Mia and Kefi’s frayed nerves like a bolt of lightning.
Their tension reached its peak in an instant, their hearts beating so fast they felt like they might leap out of their throats.
Kefi’s head hung even lower, the tips of her ears turning beet red. Mia, on the other hand, reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, jumping in fright.
“Ye-yes! Teacher, I’m sorry!” Mia practically blurted out, her voice cracking due to her urgency and shame.
She didn’t dare hide a thing and stammered out the whole story:
“I-it’s just… we saw that you were drunk and wanted to give you some hangover soup… B-but I was clumsy and accidentally spilled the honey water on your clothes… We were afraid the honey water wouldn’t come out if it dried, so we… we…”
She was too embarrassed to say the words “took off your clothes,” but the meaning was already more than clear.
Kefi bit her lip tightly at the side, her heart clenching. This was what she had been most worried about.
Taking off a teacher’s clothes without permission, especially while she was unconscious — no matter the reason, such behavior seemed far too rude.
She was afraid to see a look of displeasure or disgust on Teacher Sefina’s face.
However, the expected scolding did not come.
After listening to Mia’s stumbling explanation and seeing their shameful expressions as if they wanted to apologize with their lives, Sefina let out a soft sigh.
She did feel a flicker of instinctive bashfulness at having her body seen, but that emotion quickly faded.
After all, the root cause was her own intoxication; they were only trying to take care of her out of the goodness of their hearts.
‘Besides… we’re all girls, so helping me change shouldn’t be much of a problem.’
‘It might be a bit awkward, but it’s not some unforgivable sin. They had good intentions.’
Sefina convinced herself inwardly, suppressing that bit of unease.
Sefina took a step forward and reached out both hands, gently stroking the tops of Mia and Kefi’s heads. The movement was very soft, carrying a sense of reassurance.
“There’s no need to feel sorry,” Sefina’s voice was even gentler than usual.
“I should be thanking you for taking care of me while I was drunk and even washing my clothes. I’ve troubled you.”
Feeling the gentle touch on their heads and hearing their teacher’s kind words, Mia and Kefi’s tense nerves relaxed instantly, like a popped balloon.
The two of them exhaled in unison, their hearts finally settling back into place as a massive sense of relief washed over them.
‘Thank goodness… Teacher Sefina really is understanding!’
“It was no trouble! No trouble at all!” Mia waved her hands frantically, a look of relief finally appearing on her face.
Kefi finally dared to look up, stealing a glance at Teacher Sefina. Seeing that there was no anger on her face, she was completely at ease and whispered, “It’s good that you’re alright, Teacher.”
Sefina looked at the night sky outside the window and said to them, “It’s getting late. Hurry back to the dormitory and get some rest.”
“Mm-hmm! Goodbye, Teacher!”
“Goodnight, Teacher Sefina!”
The two of them nodded in agreement and left Sefina’s villa after saying their goodbyes.
Watching the retreating backs of the two girls disappear through the door, Sefina closed it gently and leaned against the frame, rubbing her temples, which still throbbed slightly.
She was still a bit skeptical of her “one-cup-and-done” alcohol tolerance.
In theory, Sefina had a clear understanding of her own tolerance; there was no way she would pass out after just one glass.
‘I’ll have to investigate what happened later.’
This unexpected nighttime interlude seemed to have come to a close.
But was the night really over?
Meanwhile…
Inside the Principal’s office in the core area of Oselenka Magic Academy, another conversation had only just begun.
Rofilia sat behind her large desk, her fingertips lightly tapping the surface. Her expression was as calm as ever.
Since the interrogations of the people caught a few days ago had yielded results, duncan, the Captain of the Patrol, was currently reporting on the matter.
The hour was late, but the office remained brightly lit.