Sefina shot Mia an annoyed look, then spoke to her coldly:
“If you don’t get out now, I’ll make you copy the Introduction to Elements ten times—and you won’t get any snacks!”
Though her voice wasn’t loud, it carried a powerful sense of authority, reaching Mia’s ears loud and clear.
Mia shivered instantly, clearly startled by this “strict” punishment.
Teacher is too scary! Ten times!
And she’ll cut off my snacks! Knowing she absolutely couldn’t mess around anymore, Mia hurried to the office door, calling out in a flustered voice, “Um… Goodbye, Teacher! I’ll be going now!”
Mia was already gone from the office corridor, vanishing without a trace in mere seconds.
Sefina watched Mia disappear into the distance, shook her head helplessly, and turned to close the office door.
As the lock gave a soft “click,” she leaned her back against the door and let out a deep sigh.
“Really, that girl…” she muttered to herself, rubbing her neck where she’d just been bitten. There still seemed to be a lingering strange sensation there.
She walked over to her desk, her gaze falling on the white over-the-knee socks on her left leg, where several dried blood stains stood out starkly.
Thinking about Mia’s grabby hands, she deftly opened the drawer beneath her desk and took out a brand-new pair of pure white over-the-knee socks.
White socks do get dirty easily, so she always kept several pairs both in her office and at home.
What? Why not wear black ones?
No special reason—Sefina simply liked white! (Definitely not because the author does)
So, Sefina swiftly changed out of the dirty socks, put on the new white ones, and straightened her skirt.
With that, her mood felt completely refreshed. She sat back in her chair and looked at the remaining files on her desk.
There wasn’t much work left. With Mia and Kefi as her two assistants, her workload should lighten considerably in the future, which eased Sefina’s mood a bit.
She focused her attention, throwing herself into the final batch of grading.
The pen rustled softly as time slipped quietly by. After about an hour, Sefina finally put down her red pen and let out a long breath. At last, everything was done.
She glanced at the wall clock—the hands showed it was already nearing evening. As expected, no one else had come to apply for the assistant position that afternoon.
Two assistants… Hmm… Thinking it over, as long as the division of labor was handled properly, it should actually be enough.
At least she wouldn’t have to exhaust herself with paperwork like before.
Sefina stretched in satisfaction, her petite body relaxing in the chair, her joints making a faint sound. She felt a bit tired, but it was mostly the relief of having finished her work.
“At this hour, I can go find Teacher Shalina for dinner,” Sefina murmured to herself, already mulling over tonight’s menu in her mind.
“What should I have for dinner tonight…”
She let her mind wander as she stood up and walked toward the door.
However, just as she opened the door—
“Ah!”
A faint yelp came from outside, followed by a dull thump as something soft collided with the door.
“Sorry, I didn’t know someone was behind the door…” Sefina quickly apologized, peering out to see what had happened.
When she saw who had been knocked down by the door and was now awkwardly pushing herself up from the floor, she was slightly surprised.
“Ellaria?!”
Ellaria was sitting on the floor, a hint of flustered panic on her face, her golden hair a little messy and draping down.
Sefina hurried forward and reached out to help Ellaria up, asking with concern, “Are you alright? Why are you here?”
She was puzzled—how had Ellaria happened to be standing right at her door, only to get hit by it opening?
Ellaria stood with Sefina’s help, her gaze a little evasive.
She patted the dust off her skirt, hesitated for a moment, then spoke, a bit tense,
“N-no, it’s nothing, I was just passing by.”
In truth, Ellaria hadn’t been “just passing by” at all.
She had been pacing back and forth in front of Sefina’s office for quite a while, struggling inwardly, unsure whether to knock and go in to tell Teacher Sefina she wanted to be her assistant.
But just as Ellaria was caught in her inner struggle, the door had suddenly opened from inside.
Seeing her awkward expression, Sefina found it strange, but didn’t press the matter and believed her “just passing by” explanation.
Her tone softened. “Be careful next time, don’t stand so close to the door. I’m heading to dinner now.”
With that, Sefina was ready to leave.
But at that moment, Ellaria instinctively reached out and gently tugged at Sefina’s sleeve.
Feeling the slight tug at her cuff, Sefina paused, turning slightly, her wine-red eyes questioning,
“Is something the matter?”
Ellaria’s hand tightened around Sefina’s sleeve, then released.
She hesitated for a moment, emerald eyes full of conflict and indecision. She wanted to say something, but when the words came to her lips, she seemed too embarrassed to speak.
In the end, as if giving up on some thought, she instead blurted out an invitation:
“Teacher, um… would you like to have dinner together?”
Ellaria inviting her to dinner? Sefina blinked, a bit surprised.
From what she remembered, Her Highness the Princess seldom invited others to share a meal, especially after all the previous misunderstandings and awkwardness between them.
Hmm… Still, maybe this wasn’t a bad idea. It’d be a good chance to ease their relationship a bit.
So Sefina explained, “I was planning to eat with Teacher Shalina.” She glanced at Ellaria and asked, “Would you mind?”
Ellaria shook her head quickly, indicating she didn’t mind.
“Alright,” Sefina nodded. “Come with me, then.”
So, Sefina led Ellaria toward Teacher Shalina’s office.
After a short walk, they arrived at the door to Teacher Shalina’s office. Sefina raised her hand and knocked, calling out clearly,
“Teacher Shalina, are you there?”
Shalina’s gentle voice soon replied from inside, “I’m here, come in.”
Sefina and Ellaria pushed the door open in response. The scene inside came into view—
Teacher Shalina was seated behind her desk, wearing her usual gentle smile. And beside her stood a girl.
This girl had sleek black hair styled into two neat braids that hung over her shoulders. She had a delicate face and a quiet, gentle air, appearing both warm and intelligent.
Shalina greeted Sefina with a smile, “Good evening, Teacher Sefina.”
Her gaze shifted to Ellaria behind Sefina, flashing a small look of surprise before returning to its usual warmth.
Then Shalina turned to the black-haired girl at her side and introduced her to Sefina and Ellaria:
“This is my assistant, Feliel, a third-year student.”