“But… I think it’s fine to stay in Berren City. Anyway, when you miss me during the holidays, you can always come back and visit, right?”
When Ansu City was mentioned, Lichie seemed to get nervous again.
She was truly worried that she would become a burden to Ciel… This was something Lichie could not accept.
She had never attended school and could barely read. She was very aware that she definitely wouldn’t be able to keep up with Ciel’s upward trajectory.
But at least, she could choose not to be a stumbling block and burden to Ciel.
Ciel was slightly stunned when she heard this. She was about to say something to persuade Lichie, but Avena directly spoke first.
“Sister, I don’t think I’ve told you about Ciel’s salary, have I?”
Avena said without batting an eye, “Deton Group pays her 35 pounds—weekly.”
Avena smiled slightly and said, “This is 5 pounds more than the weekly salary of a famous doctor from Harley Street, but Ciel deserves it.”
“How can it be so much money… They aren’t trying to trick little Ciel, are they?”
Lichie asked nervously, “Many children in Clock Tower Alley are lured by high salaries and then trafficked to neighboring countries…”
“Don’t worry, Sister,”
Avena shook her head and said calmly, “The wealth Ciel’s ideas create can increase Deton Group’s annual revenue by tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of pounds. And this is just my conservative estimate.”
“Compared to Ciel’s ideas, I actually feel it’s unfair that she’s only getting this salary.”
“However, at least this way, Ciel and Sister won’t have to worry about Su Pounds in the future and can just enjoy life.”
Hundreds of thousands of pounds… annually…
This was a number Lichie couldn’t even imagine. She turned to look at Ciel and saw Ciel also nodding at her.
Only then did Lichie finally believe their words.
“Moreover, I’ll be very busy when I go to Ansu City. Ciel will be unfamiliar with the place alone in Ansu City…”
Avena said softly, “If you go with her, you can also protect little Ciel. Sister, you don’t want little Ciel to be bullied there, do you?”
Avena looked at Ciel with a smile in her eyes, emphasizing her tone. “Little~ Ciel~”
This was also a small counterattack for Ciel’s “reckless talk” just now.
You dare to call me that, do you?
Ciel took a deep breath, no longer looking at Avena.
Right now, serious matters were more important. She would deal with her properly later.
“I’m… scared… being there alone…”
Ciel followed Avena’s lead, looked at Lichie, blinked, and said pitifully.
Looking at Ciel’s eyes, Lichie really couldn’t resist. Her heart softened, and she said, “Alright… then Sister will go with you.”
Instantly, the pitiful look on Ciel’s face vanished, and she hugged Lichie directly with a smile, making Lichie feel somewhat fooled.
Avena, on the other hand, looked at the happy Ciel, shaking her head with a smile, and returned to her seat.
Tonight’s matter had a satisfactory ending, which also made Avena’s mood better.
The latter half of the dinner was spent in a warm atmosphere. After dinner ended and Lichie left to pack her things, Avena and Ciel got into the carriage to go back.
Before Lichie left, Ciel gave her a small bag with six half-pound gold coins inside. This was spending money for Lichie to rest well during this period. Of course, this money was prepared by Avena for Ciel before her arrival.
Now, most of the money Ciel earned from selling potions was in Avena’s hands. Ciel hadn’t withdrawn it yet, and she hadn’t even asked how much she had made—she herself didn’t know how much money she had.
But it was definitely a few thousand pounds.
On the way back, Avena seemed to be in a very good mood. She leaned back on the cushion with her eyes closed, and lightly hummed some gentle melodies.
She even had a smile on her face until they returned to the room.
This made some servants who had worked here for two or three years and had never seen the Young Mistress smile think they were seeing things.
Only after the room door was closed did Avena turn back to look at Ciel, slightly raising her chin, and said with some pride, “How was it? Wasn’t my performance tonight pretty good?”
“Quite good—except you didn’t discuss it with me,”
Ciel stepped forward, stood before Avena, and said in a tone that was hard to decipher, “How come I haven’t heard anything about a marriage proposal?”
Hearing this, Avena slightly backed away guiltily and said, “Your guardian agreed…”
This matter was indeed something Avena had done without discussing it first. Her voice was much lower.
Ciel pressed on, taking a few more steps forward, until Avena’s back was against the wall and there was nowhere to retreat. Only then did she say, “What did you call me during dinner? I’ve forgotten a little.”
Avena, cornered against the wall, perhaps gained courage from the hard wall behind her. She mustered up the courage and said, “Little Ciel~ What is it?”
“Oh~ So that’s what it was.”
Ciel’s left hand moved slightly forward, gently lifting the hem of Avena’s skirt. Her fingers slid upwards along her tender thigh. “Thank you for the reminder.”
Feeling Ciel’s hand sliding upwards unhurriedly, Avena finally panicked a little. She tried to move to the side, but Ciel leaned forward and directly blocked her escape route with her right hand.
“I… I didn’t mean it, Ciel… I saw your sister calling you that, and I thought it was very cute, so I just…”
At this moment, Avena no longer had the stubborn appearance from before. Her face was almost red to her ears. Her body slid down the wall, escaping Ciel’s “demon claws” in this way.
Taking advantage of this gap, Avena directly slipped under Ciel’s arm, ran a few steps towards the bathroom, created some distance, turned back and stuck out her tongue at Ciel, then directly darted into the bathroom.
Throwing yourself into a trap?
Looking at Avena’s escape direction, Ciel smiled and shook her head, following her directly.
Open the door, enter, close the door, leaving only Avena’s brief, low cry that seemed to be quickly stifled by something.