CHAPTER 54: CALM BEFORE THE STORM (1)

Amon was standing in the garden, yawning as he stretched his arms into the air.

"Yawn~."

He rubbed his eyes and looked at the dawn. The sun was slowly rising, coloring the town with its soft glow.

There was birds chirping sound.

Vixra and the others were inside the house. There had been no incident during the night,everything was safe.

From the upper floor, Amon could hear the voices of children waking up.

"They’re awake. I just hope they’re disciplined children, or it might become even harder here."

Yes. Children could be more dangerous than one might think. Amon himself had been quite mischievous in his younger days.

"Let’s go and have breakfast now. Everyone must already be there."

He walked toward the house.

Entering it, his feet carried him straight to the dining hall.

When he arrived, he saw Selena, Vixra, and Jareth already sitting there.

He raised his hand with a smile. "Good morning, everyone."

Even though most of them had barely slept, he still decided to greet them.

"Good morning, Junior~. Did you have a good morning walk?" Vixra greeted him with a smile, gesturing for him to sit beside her. She patted the chair next to her.

"Good morning," Selena said. Her expression was as usual—cold and bored.

"Morning," Jareth added, keeping his words short as always.

Amon smiled and sat down beside Vixra.

"So ho—" Before he could finish, they heard many footsteps and the chattering of children approaching the dining hall.

The group turned their faces toward the door.

One by one, the children entered. Small feet, little hands, and curious, innocent faces.

They stopped at the door, staring at the four young people with wide, inquisitive eyes.

Behind them, Sister Kreta spoke gently.

"Look everyone, these are our guests. Say hello to them. They’ve come here to help us find your friends."

The children fell silent, simply staring at Amon and the others.

Both sides observed each other.

Finally, a young girl of about six broke the silence.

"Will you really find our lost friends?" Her voice was low but audible, her dark eyes full of expectation.

The group exchanged glances, then nodded in unison.

Selena rose from her seat and walked toward the girl and the other children.

Bending down on one knee before the girl, she stroked her messy brown hair and said softly,

"Yes. We will find your friends."

There was a warm and gentle smile on her face.

Amon froze. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

He had seen Selena smile before—sometimes a normal smile, sometimes a cruel or amused one. But this... this was different. There was no coldness or mockery, only kindness.

The girl’s eyes widened.

"Thank you!" she said, breaking into a cute smile.

The other children, seeing this, began to chatter excitedly.

"This big sister is so pretty!"

"She’s kind!"

"She looks like a princess!"

The whole hall filled with their voices, no longer tense or nervous.

Selena stood up again and asked the girl, "What’s your name?"

The girl blinked and answered with a bright smile. "Lily!"

Amon, still staring at the scene in disbelief, muttered inwardly.

Is this real? She’s really the president I know, right?

Shaking his thoughts away, he waved his hand at the children.

"Hey guys! This handsome big brother’s name is Amon!" He smiled kindly, not using his usual creepy grin.

The children’s wide eyes turned to him.

"Why is he calling himself handsome?"

"That’s what I’m wondering. The other big brother looks more handsome."

"Maybe he’s just delusional."

Amon kept his smile, but his eyes twitched. He was barely holding himself together.

"Pft—hahaha!" Vixra burst into laughter beside him. Wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, she smiled at the children.

"I’m Vixra. You can all call me big sister~"

"I am Jareth. Call me whatever you want,"

Jareth said calmly, though there was a faint hint of amusement in his tone.

"Oh! Another big sister! She’s also beautiful!"

"And the big brother with blue eyes is really handsome!"

Amon listened to the children’s comments with a fake smile.

’They’re too honest. Damn it. Calm down, Amon. They’re just children. They can’t understand your charm yet.’

"Tell me your names now," Vixra asked them gently.

One boy stepped forward. "My name is Elon."

Another chimed in, "Mine’s Samuel."

"...Catherine."

"...Joy."

One by one, they introduced themselves.

Some were shy and quiet, while others were mischievous and lively.

Selena returned to her seat.

Clap! Clap!

Sister Kreta clapped her hands. "Now that’s enough chatting. Go take your plates and get breakfast."

The children hurried to the corner table where Sister Lisa stood, serving breakfast. One by one, they received their food.

Meanwhile, Kreta served Amon and the others.

Amon sat in silence, feeling a little down. His shoulder slump down.

"Don’t be sad, Amon. They’re just children," Vixra said, patting his back to comfort him.

A frown appeared on his face. "Who’s sad? I’m not sad at all. Why would I be sad?" he replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Some children just told you the truth—that you’re not handsome," Selena said with a slight smile as she studied Amon’s expression.

"Oh, Selena, don’t be like that~" Vixra tried to soothe him.

"You are... handsome, okay." There was a noticeable pause in her sentence.

Amon just smiled bitterly.

’Just last night she was calling me cute and handsome. Now she’s struggling to even say it again.’ He thought.

"Don’t worry, a man’s charm depends on his muscles. I can see you have a strong build. You are handsome."

It was Jareth who spoke from across the table.

Amon’s eyes lit up with hope. Only a man could truly understand another man.

"Senior Jareth, you’re the best senior!" Amon said brightly, his gloomy mood lifting in an instant.

Jareth smiled with pride, straightening his back and nodding.

But,

Both Selena and Vixra frowned.

They remembered clearly how Amon had also called them the "best senior" before.

"I thought I was the best senior~. You just said that to me last night," Vixra remarked with a small smile, though her eyes were sharp. They were not kind.

"Hmm... I also remember you saying that to me. Right after I reduced your punishment for sneaking out of the Academy the second time," Selena added coldly, her finger tapping against the dining table.

Sweat formed on Amon’s forehead. The tension was palpable. Only Jareth continued eating his food calmly. Without any problem.

’Shit! Damn ! Fuck my mouth! Why do I go around complimenting them?!’

For the first time in a long while, Amon truly regretted trying to sweet-talk beautiful women.