26 Wouldn’t Settle For Anything Less

"Big Sister, do you want maple syrup or whip cream for your pancake?" Chloe asked. "Or do you prefer honey instead?"

"Whip cream please!" Kate answered with a smile.

"Here you go. Should I add more?"

"A little bit more. Yes, that's better. Thank you Chloe!"

"You're welcome, Big Sister!"

Ciel, Claire, Andrea, Elizabeth, and Heinz, looked at the two girls with surprise. Did the sun rise from the West? Why were these two suddenly getting along? They simultaneously stared at Ciel. All of their faces were asking the same question. "What's going on?"

Ciel decisively shook his head. He had no idea how Kate and Chloe suddenly became close to each other. Even though he was surprised, Ciel was also very happy to see this outcome.

He could tell that the two girls were not faking their closeness. Something must have happened, but what could it be? Also, when did it happen?

Ciel tried to recall what happened yesterday. When they were in the pool, Kate and Chloe didn't interact much. There was no indication that their relationship had gotten better after they left the place.

Then during the lessons? Ciel rejected the idea. During the time he was teaching Kate, Chloe was just listening by his side. She didn't do anything out of the ordinary.

Then after he slept? This was the only explanation that Ciel could think of. Something must have happened between the two of them while he slept.

He gazed at the two girls with a smile on his face. He had no intention to pry and ask them for answers. As long as the two of them were getting along, the reason behind it was unimportant.

Kate wiped the cream that stuck on the corner of Chloe's lips using her handkerchief. "Hehe, I didn't know you were also a messy eater, Chloe."

"Geez, don't make fun of me, Big Sister," Chloe pouted. "You're making a big deal out of nothing!"

Claire raised her eyebrows. She was thinking along the lines "Since when did my little sister become this cute?"

Well, her little sister was cute, but her cuteness level had suddenly increased. For some reason, Claire felt that there was something fundamentally different about her sister. She couldn't point out what it was.

However, Chloe felt very different compared to yesterday. Her movements carried a sense of confidence in them. Yes, confidence and a little bit of maturity. Claire narrowed her eyes and looked at Kate.

'Did she perhaps feed something to my little sister?' Claire thought.

(A/N: She did feed her something *grin*)

Aside from Kate and Chloe displaying their sisterly love for each other, breakfast ended without a fuss. The two mothers just watched them in confusion, Claire with suspicion, Ciel with satisfaction, and Heinz with admiration.

"Big Brother, let's study."

"Ciel, let's go! Ah, be sure to wear glasses. You look so smart when you're wearing them."

"Mmm. Let's go to the terrace then. Heinz, please bring the study materials to the terrace," Ciel said. "Don't forget to bring my glasses as well."

"As you wish, young master."

The three children headed to the terrace together. Only this time, Kate and Chloe were holding hands and walking a few steps ahead of Ciel. There was a light spring in their steps and the two of them were chatting cheerfully.

Ciel watched their backs with a genuine smile on his face. Although his hands felt lonely, he was very pleased to see Kate and Chloe walking hand in hand.

If he only knew that the cat and fox had joined hands to assault him while he slept then the smile on his face would disappear completely.

"Should we do moderation again tonight?" Chloe whispered.

"Mmm! Let's!" Kate whispered back. "Ah! Don't forget not to overdo it ok?"

"Don't worry, Big sister. I will do things in moderation."

"Yes. moderation is good. We should do things in moderation."

The two girls giggled and snuck glances at Ciel who was walking behind them. Their smiles were contagious and Ciel's smile grew wider. Poor guy. He didn't know that his lips were going to be eaten tonight!

-----

"Heinz, do you have any idea what's going on?" Andrea wasn't able to resist and decided to seek answers from him. "I've tried to come up with an answer, but nothing comes to mind."

"My lady, I do not know how this came to be," Heinz replied. "Yesterday, the young master, Kate, and Chloe, had an early dinner. After that they went straight to his room to study. I checked on them around seven o'clock last night, but nothing was amiss."

"Strange. Very strange. Clearly, both of them are not faking their interaction."

"Isn't this a good thing, My Lady? The two of them getting along is the best case scenario for the young master."

Andrea lightly coughed. "What best case scenario are you implying, Heinz?"

"Lady Kate and Lady Chloe becoming best friends is the best case scenario."

"Indeed. I guess I was just overthinking things."

Heinz didn't say anything else. He had other things on his mind. Last night, his master, Arthur sought him out. The two of them discussed the recent kidnappings. Heinz proposed to call back the other members of Lazarus who were still doing their missions to heighten the security around the estate.

Arthur considered his suggestion, but still decided to reject the proposal. Aside from the members of Lazarus that currently resided in the Belle Estate, the others were doing high profile missions.

They couldn't pull them out even if they wanted to. This proved how important their missions were and failure was not an option.

Heinz closed his eyes to recall the discussion they had last night. He needed to make sure that he didn't miss anything.

-----

"Batman and the rest don't have any pending missions right?" Arthur asked for confirmation.

"I was planning to send them off to another mission, but I guess it would be best to have them stationed here to protect the young master, and young lady," Heinz replied. He was also worried about the recent kidnappings. If their hunch was correct, the organization behind them was backed by people in high places.

Arthur nodded his head. "Until Ciel and Kate are safely enrolled inside the academy, don't let Batman's team take on any missions. Their priority is to protect the two of them."

"Understood."

"Make sure to tell Sebas this information as well. I don't want anything to happen to Chloe and Claire as well."

"I will remind him, Sir."

"You can go."

After the discussion, Heinz immediately went to see Sebas and relayed the information. Although the two of them were from different mercenary groups, both of them had collaborated on several missions together. Lazarus and the Jackals had a very harmonious relationship.

-----

Inside the Kerr Mansion…

"What happened to our grandson?" A chubby woman with a homey face asked Mark. "Why did he suddenly become studious?"

"It's because of Love, Emily," Mark answered his wife. "Our grandson is in love."

"Really?!" Emily suddenly became excited. "Who is the girl? Is she pretty? Is she a good girl? What's her name? What is her family's background? What..."

Mark was bombarded with a series of questions. He was unable to answer any of them because Emily didn't stop her barrage, leaving the old man with cold sweat running down his back.

"What are her three sizes? Do you know the kind of hobbies she has? What about…"

"Stop!" Mark wasn't able to hold it in anymore and raised his hands in surrender. How could he possibly know about Kate's three sizes? He was afraid that more unreasonable questions would come if he didn't stop his wife from talking.

"The girl's name is Kate. She's a very lively and pretty girl.," Mark said patiently. "She's currently staying at the Belle's residence. Ciel and her have an ambiguous relationship."

"Hmm, so it's a love triangle?" Emily asked with a frown. She had already seen Ciel. Based on looks, her grandson had no chance of winning. However, if it came down to personality then she believed that her grandson wouldn't lose to anyone. Afterall, she was the one that raised him!

"I'm not sure. Ciel introduced her as a friend."

"Only a friend? Then it's fine! As long as the two of them are not engaged, then may the best man win."

"You think Ethan has a chance?" Mark asked.

Emily crossed her arms over her chest. She looked at Mark as if he was an idiot. "Do you want to sleep on the floor tonight?"

Mark lightly coughed. Emily was the type to carry out her threats. If she said that he would be sleeping on the floor, he had no choice but to sleep on the floor. If he were to go against her orders, then he might find a 'poisonous plant' in his meals.

"Emily, I was just joking. Of course Ethan has a chance. He's my grandson afterall!"

"I want to meet this girl."

"Eh?"

"Invite her here within the week. I'll make preparations first. I need to make sure that she will have a good impression of our family."

Emily smiled. If she liked the girl, then she would help her grandson win her heart. If not, then Ciel could have her. She only wanted the best for her grandson, she wouldn't settle for anything less.