There was no smile on Feliel’s face; her expression was calm, and her temperament matched her gentle appearance.
But she still politely inclined her head to Sefina, her voice soft: “Good afternoon, Teacher Sefina.”
Sefina nodded to her as a return of courtesy, then got straight to the point and looked at Shalina:
“Teacher Shalina, shall we eat together now? It’s getting late.”
Shalina stood up from behind her desk, stretched lazily, and agreed, “Sure, I’m hungry too.” She walked around the desk, her gaze naturally landing on Ellaria beside Sefina, and asked curiously:
“Teacher Sefina, is Princess Ellaria your new teaching assistant?”
Sefina shook her head and explained, “No, we just happened to run into each other just now, so I brought her along for dinner.”
At that moment, Ellaria’s heart thumped, and a faint expectation arose inside her.
She couldn’t help but wonder if Teacher would take this chance to go with the flow and invite her to become her teaching assistant.
After all, she was right here, and… and she really did want to…
However, the thing Ellaria had hoped for didn’t happen. The topic between Teacher Sefina and Teacher Shalina quickly moved away from her, shifting rapidly to the important question of what to eat tonight.
“I heard there’s grilled Cod Steak at the cafeteria today, and it seems it’s quite good,” Shalina suggested.
“Or we could go see what’s in the East District? I remember a new chef who specializes in Southern Imperial cuisine arrived at the window there,” Sefina said as she rubbed her hair.
The two discussed what would be best to eat and politely asked Ellaria’s opinion:
“Princess Ellaria, is there anything you’d like to eat?”
Ellaria just shook her head modestly and said softly, “Anything is fine for me, I’ll go with what the teachers want.”
Shalina suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to Feliel, who was quietly standing by:
“By the way, Feliel, you haven’t had dinner yet, have you?”
Feliel nodded, still with that serene demeanor.
Shalina enthusiastically invited her, “Perfect, let’s go together.”
Feliel nodded again, readily agreeing.
So, the four of them left the office together and headed to the central cafeteria, which both teachers and students could use.
During the meal, Ellaria maintained her usual cold and reserved princess image on the surface, sitting upright with flawless table manners, her motions as she cut the Cod Steak graceful and precise, fully displaying royal poise.
After all, when out and about, especially in front of the unfamiliar Teacher Shalina and her assistant, she had to pay attention to her image.
Of course, if she were alone with Teacher Sefina, perhaps… things would be a little different.
Sefina was seated next to Ellaria, sitting in a chair that seemed a bit too tall for her. Her feet, clad in white socks, dangled in the air, swaying gently as she chewed.
She quietly enjoyed the food on her plate, listening as Teacher Shalina chatted and laughed, sharing anecdotes and gossip from the academy.
Feliel was also rather quiet; her demure girl’s appearance matched her demeanor. Occasionally, when Shalina mentioned her, she would respond with a soft word or two.
Ellaria, however, was struggling and hesitating inside. Her fingers gripped the knife and fork a little tighter, and her gaze would occasionally and quietly drift to Sefina, who was focused on her food.
The words “Teacher, I want to be your assistant” rolled in her throat again and again, but it was as if something invisible blocked them, and she just couldn’t get them out.
Perhaps, people who lack love always seem strong on the surface but are timid in expressing their true desires, afraid of being rejected, afraid that even the current, seemingly peaceful relationship will be broken.
Ellaria might be one of those people. She was used to protecting herself with arrogance and distance, and when she really wanted to get closer, she instead became clumsy and timid.
The atmosphere at the table was generally harmonious. Shalina seemed quite good at livening things up.
She talked about the latest desserts popular in the capital, complained about how the Summoning Department’s practice field was always being occupied lately, and curiously asked Sefina how the Elemental Department midterm exams would be set this year.
“Go easy on us, Teacher Sefina. I heard your last quiz made a lot of students groan,” Shalina said with a smile.
Sefina swallowed her food and replied calmly, “If the basics are unstable, everything will be shaky.”
Shalina laughed at Sefina’s seriousness, then turned to Feliel:
“Feliel, I finished reading that ‘Ancient Summoning Rune Analysis’ you recommended last time. The part about Mental Resonance was really well written.”
Feliel looked up and gave a faint smile, “I’m glad it helped, Teacher.”
Most of the time, Ellaria just listened quietly. Only when directly asked would she give a short answer.
She felt like an outsider, as if a transparent wall separated her from those light-hearted, cheerful conversations.
Soon, the meal ended in this seemingly harmonious but, for Ellaria, somewhat agonizing atmosphere.
Shalina wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin and smiled at Sefina, “I have some materials to sort out tonight, so I’ll head back first. Feliel, let’s go.”
“Alright, Teacher Shalina,” Feliel replied.
Seeing this, Sefina also put down her utensils and said calmly to Ellaria beside her:
“I’ll go too, then. Goodbye, Ellaria.”
As Sefina turned to leave, Ellaria grew anxious inside.
No! I can’t miss this chance again!
She opened her mouth, wanting to shout out what she wanted to say at the last moment, but when the words reached her lips, it was like a cork stuck in the narrow neck of a bottle.
Her face even turned a little red from holding it in, but in the end, she couldn’t make a sound.
A wave of overwhelming disappointment and anger at her own cowardice washed over her.
Yet, just as Ellaria was about to give up, her eyes stinging, Sefina, who had already taken two steps away, suddenly stopped, as if she remembered something.
She turned right back and stopped in front of the surprised Ellaria.
Sefina raised her wine-red eyes and looked calmly at Ellaria, then asked directly,
“By the way, Ellaria, do you want to be my teaching assistant?”
Ellaria was stunned for a moment, then a huge wave of joy exploded in her heart like fireworks, instantly dispelling all the gloom.
She nodded hard with almost no hesitation, her voice trembling slightly with excitement:
“Yes! Teacher Sefina.”
How could a teacher not see the little struggles in her student’s heart?
Sefina just wanted to give Ellaria a chance to express herself, but since she didn’t dare or was too embarrassed, then… it was up to the teacher to take the initiative.
After all, watching her student look like she wanted to say something but didn’t dare was quite an anxious thing, too.