Lucas and Sienna, who had always been at odds, came to an agreement for the first time. Even Demian, who had been sitting with a bored face the whole time, had his eyes came alive.
Lucas lowered his voice and whispered quietly.
âI wonder if theyâre lovers.â
Gasp. The three children drew in a breath. Still, all three were still at an age when they were shy and itchy even by the letter âloâ for âloverâ.
In the next moment, Lucas and Siennaâs faces became serious.
âThen, what about my uncleâŠ?â
âMy older brotherâŠ?â
Demian blushed slightly. In Siennaâs eyes, it was an expression that looked like a winnerâs composure. Demian didnât say anything, but he felt a little bit mean for no reason.
âLetâs get one thing straight for now. His Highness the Crown Prince, hasnât even gotten in it properly yet.â
Sienna sat up with her back straight and said calmly. Then Lucas immediately got angry and asked.
âWhat do you know about my brother?â
âHmph, thereâs such a thing as a womanâs intuition.â
âYouâre talking as if you were a woman. Youâre as big as a strawberry.â
Lucas said as he poked the strawberries with a fork. Sienna snorted.
âYou know that youâre shorter than me, right?â
âWhat are you talking about!â
Sienna made Lucasâ face hot with an undeniable fact. In reality, Sienna was a little taller than Lucas by about two fingers.
It was a natural thing at that age, but because his opponent was the nasty Sienna, Lucasâ pride was seriously hurt.
Sienna glanced sideways at Lucas and shook her head. âHow childish.â That thought was plainly written on her face.
âYes. Letâs say Your Highness is taller. Itâs going to be like that soon anyway, and thatâs not whatâs important to me.â
Sienna, who poured milk into a teacup and dipped sugar cubes into it, said elegantly, stirring a teaspoon.
âI want to maintain a cooperative relationship with Your Highness for the time being.â
âCooperative relationship?â
âLetâs join forces.â
Sienna nodded her head as her chubby legs twitched. Great adults often cross their legs like this before bringing up an important story.
Sienna whispered secretly with her rather solemn face.
âI want her to marry my uncle.â
Lucas, who involuntarily swallowed his saliva while concentrating, leaned back as if steam had leaked.
âIf so, I donât want to. I also quite liked the Lady.â
âI know. So, letâs cooperate with each other only for the time being.â
Sienna added, nodding her head lightly as if she knew that.
âUntil we separate our common enemy.â
Common enemy, the word had a strange power to move peopleâs hearts.
The eyes of the two children turned to Kaidel as if attracted by a magnet.
Kaidel was still staring at Eleanorâs face. His ever-twitching lips, his half-closed eye revealed her fondness for her.
The condition of Eleanorâs face was even more serious. Her face turned pink, and she couldnât even look straight into Kaidelâs face.
âWhat on earth is Uncle doing at such an important moment?â
I was relieved to hear that the two of them even went on a date!
Sienna glared hard at her uncle, Adrian. Shamefully, the Crown Prince and Adrian were heating up with unimportant political talks.
âAnyway, men⊠They donât know whatâs important.â
Before long, Lucas and Siennaâs cold eyes turned to Demian. Demian looked at the two of them alternately with a slightly nervous face.
âI have no personal ill feelings toward Demian, but for the time being, your brother will be my enemy.â
âMine too!â
Lucas agreed with Siennaâs words. The two children, who growled as if they would eat each other whenever they met their eyes, soon became partners who matched well.
Temporarily, but anyway.
âButâŠâ
Demian opened his mouth involuntarily. It was a very small voice, so no one could hear it, yet Demian shut his mouth in surprise at the fact that he had uttered it subconsciously.
Apart from the confused Demian, Sienna and Lucas were also in serious trouble.
âAs you saw earlier, the most likely candidate for Teacherâs husband right now is the Duke. To be honest⊠If I look at it objectively, heâs very cool.â
Siennaâs face flushed red. To be honest, any woman with normal eyesight would feel the same way. Among the men she had been watching for eight years of life, whether it was long or short, Duke Valentine was the best in terms of looks.
âAs expected, Teacher also had an excellent sense of aesthetics.â
Looks are very important when choosing oneâs marriage partner. Sienna deeply sympathized and nodded her head.
But it was too early for her to despair. Izmel and Adrian, the other two men, were also possessors of good looks.
In addition, there was a realm called âtasteâ in the world.
As a result of Siennaâs analysis with her own objective gaze, although Kaidel was handsome, he was inferior to Adrian in his delicacy, affection, and aggressiveness.
In fact, she even thought that Izmel was the strongest in that area, but he still maintained a lukewarm attitude, so she didnât think there was a need to be wary in advance.
âMy older brother too.â
âI know. The same goes for my uncle.â
Lucas was completely caught up in Siennaâs pace. He asked, tapping the table.
âSo what are you planning to do?â
âHave you heard the saying that knowledge is power?â
âOf course, I have. Who do you disregard me as?â
Lucas furrowed his eyebrows.
âDisregard. Thatâs your own sense of inferiority. Weâre on the same side. Did you forget?â
ââŠAlright, so keep talking.â
Lucas didnât know what a sense of inferiority was, yet he nodded his head. Since acquiring some kind of âsenseâ is a good word, he thought that âa sense of inferiorityâ wouldnât be a bad word either.
âWe need information. It means you have to figure out what Teacher likes and dislikes. That way, the Crown Prince or my uncle will be able to act in a way that pleases her.â
âThatâs right.â
âWeâre going to share that information among ourselves, but keep it a secret from the Valentine brothers.â
At Siennaâs words, Lucas widened his eyes in admiration.
âPink Hair, you have a very good brain for things like this, donât you?â
âThe word mean is a little intrusive, but Iâll take it as a compliment. Itâs better to keep your brain running under any circumstances.â
Sienna nodded her head a couple of times as if she was being kind.
âAnd we agree not to interfere with each otherâs plans and to help each other when necessary.â
âGreat. Instead, you mean to work together to sabotage the Valentine brothersâ plan?â
âEven Your Highness has an extraordinary brain toward this cheap way.â
âOf course.â
Lucas didnât even know what the word âextraordinary brainâ meant, but Siennaâs eyes were shining as if she had seen it again, so he accepted it as a compliment.
âUntil the situation changes, please take good care of me.â
âAlright. I agree.â
The two children clasped their tiny hands under the table. The alliance was established.
***
âDemian, you look a little pale. Whatâs going on?â
Eleanor looked at Demian and asked anxiously. For some reason, his expression seemed a little uncomfortable. Demian paused for a moment and shook his head.
âAre you really okay?â
ââŠâ
Demian gave a small nod of his head. He didnât seem to be sick, but something was different from before. She blinked once at Kaidel to pay attention to Demian, and he stared down at his brother. Demian was very nervous.
Kaidel searched thoroughly to see if Demian was really fine. Eleanor bit her lip as he looked like a military dog looking for a target.
How could he not be scared when he was being ripped off from head to toe with such a tough face and dry gaze? Eleanor clicked her tongue inside.
Eleanorâs gaze passed naturally to Sienna and Lucas. The two children were still whispering something.
âThey get settledâŠâ
Eleanor burst out laughing.
âBut why isnât it loud? Didnât the two of them raise their voices every time they bumped into each other?â
Her eyes narrowed.
Instead of raising their voices, the two were looking at each otherâs faces and giggling. Lucas and Sienna were such a perfect match that it was hard to find anything in common other than their age. Is it possible for these two to suddenly become close like that?
Although curious, Eleanor soon took interest, as children of that age often did things that couldnât be understood.
âWhatever it is, itâs good to get along well.â
âWhat?â
At that time, after talking with Izmel, Adrian smiled and asked.
âSir Lucas and Sienna. You two look pretty friendly.â
âCome to think of it, thatâs right. Are you tired of fighting?â
âThis is only the second meeting, but the kids seem to get along quickly.â
Adrian nodded his head in agreement with Eleanorâs words.
It was then. Eleanor turned her head at the sound of shoes clanking in the distance. A woman in a fancy dress was approaching the table.
ââŠMother?â
Izmel opened his mouth with a slightly bewildered face.
âMother? If itâs the mother of His Highness the Crown PrinceâŠâ
Adrian and Kaidel immediately rose from their seats. As the surprised Eleanor stood up awkwardly, Demian, Lucas, and Sienna also got down from their chairs and stood up.
âWeâre greeting Your Imperial Majesty the Empress.â
âOh my, you donât have to be so strict. Since I visited without an invitation, I havenât been polite.â
When they politely bowed, the Empress gently dissuaded them. Izmel asked the Empress.
âWhy did you come all the way here yourself, Mother?â
âI was curious and came to see it. I have ears to hear too. Duke Valentine, long time no see.â
âYes, itâs been a while since I greeted you. â
Kaidel bowed his back and answered politely.
âItâs been a while, Young Marquis Blake. How is your mother? I havenât seen her since I havenât been to social events in months.â
âYes, she is well.â
The Empressâ gaze turned to Eleanorâs tense face. The Empress was such a beauty that even the faint wrinkles around her eyes felt elegant. Eleanor gulped down saliva.
âAre you Lady Everett?â
âYes, Your Imperial Majesty. Itâs an honor to meet you. This is Eleanor Everett.â
âI told you not to be so strict. Iâm not a scary person.â
But itâs difficult⊠Itâs scary.
Eleanor smiled brightly, hiding her true feelings.
âYouâre gentle and beautiful.â
I want to take her as a daughter-in-law.
Eleanor, who was nervous, fortunately didnât hear the Empressâ whisper.
âIs it okay if I call you Eleanor?â
âOf course, Your Imperial Majesty.â
âLooks like your meal is done, but if you donât mind, why donât we take a walk together before you leave?â