"Ah, look who decided to join me" father said as he ate a piece of grape from the dining table. I sat beside him and started eating my favorite banana pancake. It has been weeks since I attended the ball. There were also some other balls that I was invited to, but chose not to attend because I rather work than join some tea parties or socialize. Social season is at its peak every year, for two months, therefore each noble families must host a ball or tea party, as ordered by the Royal Family.

"I'll be going to the palace today pa" I sip a bit of the hot chocolate. Father ate the vegetable salad in front of his plate, but it was clear that it was not his most favorite food based on his reaction upon eating some.

"It's nearly 10 in the morning, are you even allowed to go in?" I just ate and smiled at him. After nearly finishing my banana pancake, I stood up to go

"You're going already? But what about your pancake?"

"I'm already full" I smiled and went closer to him and kissed him on the cheek "I'll see you later, Papa"

I immediately walked towards the door of the mansion.

"Miss! Your shoes!" Adrina came running down the stairs carrying my shoes. I looked at my feet and didn't notice that I wasn't wearing one. I stopped walking and let Adrina come to me.

"Geez, Miss" she said as she knelt and put on the shoes on my feet "How could you keep forgetting these things"

"I'm sorry I--"

"Shush. I told you to stop apologizing to servants like me, Miss" her eyes were still focus on putting on my shoes

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. She sounded like an older sister, no, she is an older sister to me.

"I said, I got so much things to think about that I keep forgetting to wear shoes. Besides, being barefooted feels great"

"And dirty" she said immediately. She brushed her uniform skirt after she finished tying the knot on my shoes. "And you're settled. Off you go, Miss" I started walking fast towards the carriage.

"Thank you, Adrina!" I exclaimed as I rode unto the vehicle. The carriage immediately started moving fast, for I am very late for work. Our house in the capital is not too far from the palace so it was only about five minutes when I finally arrived at the main gate of the Grazie Royal Palace. After seeing the Cortese Family's emblem located on the sides of the carriages, the knights stationed at the main gate let me pass immediately without any inspection taking place. The carriage move past an enormous garden, and in the middle of it was an enormous fountain. It was big enough that about fifteen children could play and bathe inside it. The carriage stopped. Mr. O'Mally, the family footman, didn't have the chance to open the carriage door as I was in a hurry and opened it myself.

"See you this afternoon, Mr. O'Mally!" I shouted as I jumped down the carriage. I ran inside the king's palace, slightly carrying my dress, and walked faster, it could probably be called running. I heard some knights greeting me a good morning, all I could do was nod and smile for I am such in a hurry. After a long semi-running inside the king's palace, I finally arrived at my office.

"10:23 in the morning. I'm surprised you still thought of coming to work" a voice immediately stated after I closed the door to my office. She's standing in front of my office table carrying notes while crossing her arms.

"Ah, you came to work" I said, avoiding her eyes as much as possible.

"Yes, I did, Lady Cortese. Even though you told me not to" I went towards my desk and sat on the chair.

"Come on now, Nani. I could fire you for not following orders" I say

"You can't really fire me, Miss"

Well, she is right about that. It was always Nani who would handle most of the matters that were in no need of my approval. She always did a great job. Losing someone like her would mean throwing away a rare rose gold diamond, which is found only from the lands of Epertium.

"Well at least you could follow my orders" I replied

"I would rather get busy" then she moved to the table near the couches and took some files then brought them into my desk.

"These are important documents that you need to see. It all needs your approval. I do say that there are some great ideas after I read some of them" she commented. Reading documents that were important is not part of Nani's job. She is only supposed to hand me the documents and if I ask her opinion about it, then that's the only time she would say something. I only stared at her. She noticed me staring, then she fixed her eyeglasses.

"Something is wrong, right?" I asked.

"Nothing's wrong. Come on now, Miss. Read the documents, we still have a lot of things to do"

"Something really is wrong"

"As I said, nothing is wrong"

"Really, Nani? Because I don't think you would be here at 7 in the morning just to work."

"How did you know I came in at 7?"

"Your suit is not pressed properly. Clearly you came in a hurry"

"But how did you know it's 7?"

"I don't. I just guessed. You usually wake up at 5, eat your breakfast at 6, prepare your clothes then you would check your garden. But since there was no visible dirt unto the hem of your dress, you didn't do the gardening today. Hinting that you came in a hurry, which is odd." I gave my chin a gentle rub and eyeing her, as if I'm being suspicious of her.

She sighed. Then she looks at me. She took off her glasses and carried a chair in front of the desk so she could look at me straight in the eye.

"Don't tell anyone, alright?" she said

"Got it"

"Not even Angie"

"Uhh... I think that would be--"

"I'll tell her myself so just please... don't tell her yet, alright?"

I nodded in agreement.

"It's about Julius. He, uh... he's been convincing me to go on a vacation" she said

"Wha--? What's wrong with that?" I asked

"It's not about the vacation part, it's the convincing part"

"Why? What happened?"

"Well, for the last two days, he would wake up every five in the morning when normally he wakes up at six, just so he could woe me into going to a vacation. He would always hug me in the mornings, hold my hand during breakfast, carry me when I went on my way to my garden."

"So what? Are you trying to brag about your married life?"

"It's just too much, Nina! My personal space can't handle it. I mean, I don't mind him doing all those things, but I just wish he would let me take care of my garden in peace. Do you know how hard it is to prune while somebody is sticking on you from behind? Do you? No, cause you don't do gardening and you don't have a husband, nor a lover"

"Nani, come on. Don't rub it on my face"

"And besides, I kind of did something that I don't think he would like"

"What is it?" I move my chair even closer

"I... I kind of ruined his painting. He doesn't know it was me yet"

"Uh oh"

"It was really bad, I could only get away today because he arrived home late yesterday and was still asleep when I woke up. And also, I don't think I could go on a vacation yet. The social season is at its peak and as your secretary, I need to manage the events you would like to host."

"Being a general commander sure sounds nice, you only worry about physical activities and not drain your mentality"

"Lady Cortese, please stop thinking about changing your occupation. You need to host an event because that is tradition and was commanded by the very first Queen herself. Every highest member of the society must hold at least one event during the social season. You are the Duke's only daughter, making you the 5th highest Lady in all Grazie."

It's difficult getting out from Nani's shield of professionalism. She does her job so well that she sometimes forget we went to the same school together and are actually best friends. I always thought that she would be a workaholic Lady, but was really surprised when I heard she was the first one to get married out of the three of us. Julius, Nani's husband, is the son of Marquis Atello and is currently the General Commander of the country. We didn't really know each other because he went to a Knight University, but Nani and Julius were childhood friends. I didn't really saw his face until we graduated from University, when he came to visit Nani.

"Can't I just shift jobs?" I lazily asked

"I could do all your job, if you give me the Cortese inheritance" she replied

"Should I give it to you?"

"Yeah, right. That's a whole other process and is much even greater work than the ones you have right now. You would need the approval of the current head, then you'll need to sign at least a hundred petitions from the people of your territory, then you need another ten petitions from the nobles, do some essays on why you would want to give your title, then you'll need to go to the King's courtroom to discuss all--"

"Alright, stop. I know that, Nani, I also went to the same school as you"

"I know, I just wanted to remind you how much hassle you would have if you give me your title. So please, give me work before my husband finds a way to come barging in here, convincing me to go on a vacation. If I really get convinced this time, you'll definitely do all these works by yourself."

"Alright"

I started moving my pen, writing some suggestions and recommendations about some new businesses and problems related to agriculture, charity and other organization that help the duchy be a better place for the citizens of the country. It's too much work to put on details on what I really do, but mostly, I just sign and approve new business plans to the people in my territory.

~*~

A knock on the door caught my attention. I stopped moving my pen and let the guest come in. I immediately stood up when I saw a unique red-head person, his hair still messy, wearing a white long sleeve loose shirt and a trouser, not wearing any shoes. The guards outside my office closed the doors as soon as he entered.

"Your Highness" Nani and I curtsied, lowering our head. A noble greeting towards the royal family.

"Please, raise your head" he stated, smiling. We followed what he said. He went on his way to sit in front of the chair of my desk.

"What a pleasure to have you inside my office, Crown Prince Laurel." I said. Then I sat down when I saw how comfortable he became upon sitting on the chair.

"Oh, drop the formalities, Dani. I only came to visit and remind you about eating your lunch." he pointed at the clock on my right and saw that it was already one in the afternoon.

"Shoot. Nani, please do call the chef and tell him that I would like to eat lunch"

"Understood, Lady Cortese" I watch her as she makes her way to the door. As soon as she opened the office doors, the General Commander appeared in front of her. His blonde messy hair shone under the light of the room as I saw him face Nani. I couldn't see Nani's expression because I could only see her back. But the two of them looked at each other, not moving. After about a minute of staying still, Nani suddenly ran back into my office, Julius ran after her. Now, the two of them are running around my office. It was as if Nani's running for her life.

"Stop! I'm telling you Julius, don't try to run after me." Nani said while she kept running away from Julius. Her husband did not talk as he kept on running after her. Not long, Nani squealed when Julius finally caught her by her waist. He easily scoop Nani into his arms, carrying her as if she's a princess, he then adjust her into a more comfortable position.

How dare they do this in front of me. They're probably bragging how fun it is to have someone. I do wish I could have someone, too, but where is this person, he's been keeping me waiting! I really should fire Nani. I mean, she could live just fine since her husband is the General Commander, right? But then I remembered I can never do all these piles of work alone.

"Put me down, please" Nani said, her arms crossed over her chest. She knows she can never win against Julius' strength so she's trying to use her charms instead of doing something physical, like punching him on the face or something. But Julius tried his best not be affected by his wife, although it is clear in his eyes how much affection he has for her. Julius turned to me and the Prince. He bowed his head as he carries Nani.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Thank you for your help, Your Highness. Lady Cortese, please do excuse us for the inappropriate scene we showed you" then he exited the room with Nani in his arms.

"Strengthen your security Nina! I'm telling you!" Nani's voice echoed through the halls as her husband took her away. Then I remembered that no noble can just enter another nobles' office unless the noble would ask an appointment three hours before the appointed time, well of course, the royal family is an exception. The General Commander cannot easily enter my office since he is not one of my people, and there are always knights from my family that is guarding the door. Julius probably came with the Crown Prince and the knights probably thought that he was Prince Laurel's guard.

"Okay. What was that?" I asked the Prince

"Well... It's a long story. Julius came to my office saying he needed my help, which was rare so I thought he needed help with politics or something. Then he told me his wife was avoiding him and asked me to enter your office."

"You were working beside the King looking like that?" I stared at his outfit. Then looked back at my paperwork.

"Father doesn't mind, unless there's a Royal guest. Right, speaking of Royal Guests, Ambassadors from Avida will be coming next month, so I need you to help me in the preparations." I stared back at him.

"Why would you need my help?"

"First of all, it's because you are still half Avidan, and there's no meaning behind that, I like that you're half Avidan, that means you might know what they like or dislike. Second, you have a very creative and organized mind and I know you'll do well. And lastly, it was Moni who suggested it in the first place so I just agreed"

Moni. I stood up and offered my hand for a handshake, a sign of agreement. The prince laughed then he also stood up and shook my hand.

"I'll start today. Please lead the way, Your Highness" He chuckled again then he stood up. We exited my office and started walking towards the Rose Palace.

When I was new to Grazie, Moni would always find time to visit me, even though Avida to Grazie takes three days to travel. In those times, the Crown Prince would always visit our mansion too, because believe it or not, I was once a candidate to be Crown Princess. Moni and Laurel became close and soon enough, the Crown Prince asked her hand in marriage. It was a good thing for me too, because I don't really want to be Crown Princess and besides, Laurel and I have a 7 year age gap, which really is too much of a gap for me, and he's not really my type. The bad thing was that it became difficult for me to see Moni ever since she became the Crown Princess. When a person becomes part of the Grazie Royal Family, specially when they became a Crown Princess, they are not allowed to go outside the palace. They needed the permission of the King and Queen, the nobles and the General Commanders in order to be able to go. Sneaking out is not even possible. The only time the Crown Princess can go is when the Crown Prince would also go. It has been more than two years since the last time I saw Moni, when there was an assassination attempt inside the Grazie Royal Palace, and I kind of hated Laurel because of that. It wasn't even an assassination attempt for his life, but for one of the nobles that were working inside the palace. The reason I would go to the palace just to work even though I get late is to get the chance to see Moni.

"Aren't your feet cold, Your Highness?" I asked as I looked at his feet.

"Not at all. I feel free." he replied while walking.

He's probably been influenced by Moni's habit of not wearing shoes. But back in Avida, it was difficult for her to not wear shoes, because everytime she was caught, she would then be scolded by her etiquette teacher, she would be forbidden to go outside the house and the worst thing was that she would be hit by a stick, and it was normal in Avida for etiquette teachers to 'discipline' noble ladies. As we passed by the gardens, many people were showing respect by curtsying and bowing down. When we finally arrived at the Rose Palace, the Crown Prince's and Crown Princess' residential palace, I immediately saw a little kid picking flowers. When he noticed us, he stopped at what he was doing and ran towards us. Prince Laurel knelt as the kid came running, but instead of going towards the Prince's arms, he passed by him and hugged my knees.

"Ohh, you still remember me" I swooned over the little boy then picked him up in my arms. "Hello there, Young Pablo" I rubbed my cheeks against his, and he started laughing.

"For you" his cute voice was so wonderful to listen to, he tucked one of the flowers over my ear

"Thank you, Your Grace" I smiled at the cute little child that looked nearly like Sorella Moni, except for his red hair.

"Pablo~" Prince Laurel suddenly said as he opened his arms "Look, it's Papa" the little prince looked at his father, but immediately turned his head on the other way and wrapped his little arm around my neck, hugging me. I started smiling at the Crown Prince, well, it was more like a sneer. I wanted him to feel what I felt when he also took Moni away, even for a little. He also stared at me with dislike.

"Stop with the staring, you two" when I heard Moni, I immediately walked faster towards where she was standing while carrying little Pablo.

"Sorella!" I exclaimed. She hugged me while I was still carrying Pablo. It looked like we were having a group hug with Pablo in the center.

"Nina" she gently said. After a long hug, she finally let go. As soon as I put Pablo down, he immediately started running towards the garden, yelling towards his father to catch him, which the Crown Prince immediately agreed and started running to where his child is also running. Moni held my hands and hugged me again.

"I missed you so much, Nina"

"I missed you, too, Sorella"

~*~

We ate lunch and drank tea inside the Rose Palace's dining area. It was a very enjoyable moment that I nearly forgot I was the Duke's heir and that Laurel was the Crown Prince. I would sometimes hit the Prince's arms because of how funny the conversation is. We were always bickering about what are Moni's favorite things and what her personality is. She became so embarrassed we talk about her all the time, that she kind of scolded us to shut up about what we were talking about. Our chat went on and on for a long time, until the setting of the sun was already visible.

"Now would you please tell me, why now?" I asked, unable to show any kind of emotion

"What do you mean?" Moni replied

"It took nearly two years for me to meet you, what is the reason?"

"It was announced, wasn't it? An assassination attempt was made two years ago--"

"To a certain noble, and not you, Prince Laurel." I glared at the next heir to the throne. "Now please be honest with me, Sorella. I need to know"

The Prince and Moni looked at each other, then Moni moved closer to me.

"Nina, you must keep everything we say, a secret" Moni said. I eagerly nodded.

"Two years ago, when the third son of Count Gordon was nearly assassinated," Moni started "I was near the area so I clearly saw what happened. The culprit was having a hard time stabbing the Count, not only because the Count was stopping him, but also because his head seemed to hurt by the way he kept shaking his head. Mr. Gordon eventually punched the man's face, which was covered with a full face mask. Mr. Gordon was able to punch him about three times, and in the third time, his mask flew. Upon seeing me, the man whose face was masked seconds ago, immediately ran away from the scene, the Count's son was gasping for air when the assassin finally left."

"Do you mean to say that, you saw who the culprit was?" I asked as I held her hand, she only nod.

"We were afraid that it would let Moni be in harm's way that is why we forbid anyone to visit Rose Palace, nor was she allowed to go outside." the prince explained

"Have you found who did it?" I asked

"No. But it was really strange. The day the attempted assassination happened, guards immediately followed the culprit. I was also one of the people who followed" Moni said "I thought I caught up to him, but I could only see sparkling dust from where I saw him run. It was some kind of green dust, a really strange one at that"

"After two years of investigating, there was no record of assassination anymore so it was safe to say that the culprit was really gone. Now that we have newly knighted soldiers, the palace is even more secure now. That's why we allowed you to enter" the prince replied.

"Is this also one of the reasons why you let me help you in the preparation for the Avidan delegations?"

"Oh, no no no no. That was purely because of your skills." Laurel said as he moved away his cup of tea from his mouth

I stood up from my seat.

"I better get going. I still have some unfinished business in my office and I would like to go home early to rest" I stated as I embraced Moni. I glanced at the crown prince and bowed my head slightly "Thank you, for giving me this opportunity, Your Highness" Prince Laurel smiled with content

"We'll start tomorrow, alright?" Moni said. I head towards the entrance door as servants opened it "And don't be late!" Moni shouted as the door closed.

I'll probably be late, as usual. I started walking. The sky was getting darker. Two years ago. What was I doing two years ago? I already graduate and was getting used to father's work as his heir. I did hear about the attempted assassination, but the strange thing is, why target the third son? If a person wanted the Count title, shouldn't that person target the eldest? William Gordon was a scholar, he could not inherit the title Count because of his eldest brother who is now the Count. The second son is not home because he travels around the world. Why William? He specializes in ancient history and was a teacher for the royal family's descendants. He probably knows something that would not be good for whoever wants to kill him. Wait, why do I care, anyways? I never met the guy, but he was famous in the university for being a prodigy, so I heard a lot about him. I stood outside the office where two knights are still guarding.

"You can now go" I commanded the two guards

"But Miss--" I glared at the knight who spoke.

"I told you to go home."

The two of them looked at each other with hesitation, then saluted.

I entered the dark room and found the many papers lying on my desk. I looked at the mess as the moonlight shine above it. Should I do it now? I tapped my foot then rubbed my chin. I stepped closer to the papers on my desk to check if there is something important that I forgot to do today. Nevermind, I'll do it tomorrow. I gaped my eyes around my office and looked if there was an item that I needed to bring home today. Remembering that I only brought myself into the office, I proceeded to exit the office and locked the doors. I walked to the directions where they park the carriages, but then I remembered, if I stayed longer than 5 o'clock, I instructed Mr. O'Malley to go. Then walking it is. I walked the other way where the main gate was located. I already reached the entrance gardens when I hear voices of a man and a woman near the main doors of the palace.

"Alright, see you then" when the person faced me, he kind of looked startled because of how he suddenly stopped

"Oh, hello, Sir Estero. Fancy meeting you here" I said as my eyes followed the woman leaving the area.

"Good evening, Miss Cortese. I didn't know you work late"

"Late? Is 6:30 late to you?" I chuckled

"Uh no, it's just... you know what I mean"

"Good night, then" I said as I started walking away. I looked at the sky and noticed that the stars started to show themselves, then I smiled to myself. I love this peace. Maybe I should leave work every 6:30 to avoid meeting people.

"--tese. Miss Cortese, wait!" I looked back at the one calling me. I stopped walking and waited for him to come closer.

"May I accompany you?" he asked

"Where is your house located?" I said

"Near the Shior River" I reacted at how far his place is. His forehead suddenly showed an eleven, I don't even know if he's angry about something or just confused

"What was that supposed to mean?" he asked

"That's what I was supposed to ask you" I replied

"Well, you suddenly made a face"

"What face are you talking about? You suddenly made a face" I chuckled

"As soon as I said 'Shior River', you made a face that looked as if you just smelled a foul smell"

"Whaat? How-- alright, show me. What face was I making" without hesitation, he showed me a funny face, and I couldn't help but laugh

"Now that just looked like you ate a sour lemon" I said

"What? No, I don't think so"

Before I know it, we started walking outside the palace gate.

"You should know, I live at Lapiz Town, and Shior River is right along the other way of the road" I pointed at the path to take to get to Shior River.

"No it's fine. I could accompany you to your house first, then I could just go by myself. I wouldn't want someone like you, a damsel in--"

He couldn't continue what he was talking about because he saw me glaring at him. But we still continued walking.

"I was knighted when I was only 16 years old, went to University for four years and at the same time, was getting lessons on how to manage a duchy. Although my knight rank did not elevate due to my circumstances as an heir to the Duke, my skills are not rusty, you know. So I would appreciate it if you wouldn't call me a damsel in distress"

"I apologize, Ma'am" his voice was sincere and also, was a little softer than his actual voice "But I wasn't about to call you a damsel in distress, rather, a damsel in... in... Alright fine, I really was about to call you a damsel in distress and I am truthfully sorry"

"Apology accepted" we continued walking in silence as we passed people who are also going to their homes. "In all seriousness, how would you be going home?" I asked

"I could jog, or rent a horse" he casually replied

"You know, I have this suspicion that you're only following me because you have some business somewhere in Lapiz or somewhere in the direction I am going" I looked at him and he was trying to avoid my look

"You got me" he awkwardly replied. I just nodded to myself and smiled at the thought of getting my guess right. We continued walking as silence embraced the area

"Aren't you going to ask me? About the business?" he suddenly said

"It is your business. Why would I need to pry?" I replied

"I thought you would be curious?"

"I am. But I rather just think about what your business could possibly be rather than ask you about it, because you'll probably think that I'm a nosy person"

"Yeah?" he smirked "Then is it alright for me to ask what are some of your guesses in what my business could be?"

"Well... why would I tell you, it's for me to think about"

"Aw come on, now. I would like to hear it."

"I don't think we're close enough" I teased

"Isn't that your fault? You did not respond to the invitation I sent you for a Hunting Event at our place" I looked at him with a confused look

"You sent me an invitation?"

"Yes, Miss, I did" he sounded disappointed.

"But I didn't-- Oh, so sorry about that. Whenever invitations to participate in any social activities come to our home, I ordered the butler to throw it in the pending box"

"How rude"

"No, it's just-- I don't like participating in social activities. It gets me tired. I rather work than show them a fake smile"

"Then why did you join that specific ball anyway?" he asked

"I went because I thought I could see my Sorella"

"Sorella? That sounds familiar... I think I heard it before"

"It's an ancient Avidan word that means--"

"Older sister" I smiled at the thought of someone knowing even a small bit of Avidan history

"That's correct. How did you know Avidan culture?" I asked

"I went to an international knight's meeting once, and there was an Avidan knight who went with his older sister. We got close since we were on the same side of the guest room and there were times when his sister would serve us tea" he explained

"You went there too? Then do you know someone from the Saludana Earldom?"

"Saludana? I thiiink-- oh yeah. I remembered. There was an Earl Saludana who went with two of his knights."

"Ooh, I should have met you earlier so that I could at least send my regards to Russel through you."

"You call each other on a first name basis?" he curiously asked

"That's because he's my--"

"Childhood friend?"

"Do you always cut off people when they are speaking?" I said, teasing him

"I just-- I thought I was doing a good job knowing what that means" he looked worried that he offended me again

I laughed at the sight of his expression. I did not know that a knight, who passed the knight's exam at first try and was appointed directly by the king, would be able to make a weary expression. He looked at me, and realizing that I teased him, he squinted his eyes and forcefully frowned his mouth.

"That was not funny Miss Cortese" his eyes still squinted

"Please, just call me Nina" I said as my laugh slowly faded. His expression also changed when I finally stopped laughing.

"Then, you can call me Tim. Short for Timothy. But if you'd like, you can also call me Timothy, I do think it's a bit longer and would be a hassle for you to--"

"Alright, Tim." I emphasized calling his name "I guess we've arrived at my destination" I faced his direction and pointed my palm towards the gate of our house, as if presenting a magnificent object. He stared at our house and rub his chin.

"I did not expect you to have such... a humble home" he commented

"It's smaller than you expected for a Duke, right?" I said, approving his comment. "Our main house is located in the countryside. Father is what you call, a minimalist person. He did tried to renovate the house to make it bigger when I arrived, but I liked how it is. It's a reminder to me that I should not take things for granted, and that I should be thankful for having a roof over my head" I stated as I looked at the wonderful design of our house. The ordinarily beautiful pastel blue painted walls of the house, the wonderful etchings of borders of the window.

"You're... different" I heard Tim say. I immediately looked at him.

"Do you mean that in a good way? Or in a bad way?" I asked

"In all my life, living in Grazie, not a single noble ever stated how thankful they were with what they have. Sure, they were content, but never thankful." his face was in my direction but I couldn't clearly see because the street lamp was behind him. I could not determine what kind of expression he was making.

"Thank you for walking with me, Sir Estero" I curtsied in a playful manner.

"You're always welcome, Lady Cortese" he waved his hand longer than the norm, then bowed his head, bouncing it up and down. I chuckled and wave him good bye.

As I entered the mansion, Adrina welcomed me and helped me take off my shoes.

"Where's Father?" I asked

"In the dining hall, Miss. Would you like to join him?" she asked. I just nod. When I arrived at the dining room, Father was already seated, and food was already prepared.

"Good evening, Pa" I greeted him and kissed him on the cheek. But when I looked at his reaction, his face was dim. "Is there something wrong?" I asked

"Sit down, Nina. There's something we need to discuss"