My father was in charge of the farms and plantations, while my brother, Laxus, and his fiancée, Mira, took care of our vegetable plantation intended for sale.

As for my niece, Yumi, she was still too young for our work routine. At a mere six years old, she barely had the strength to carry a sack of manure, let alone control a stallion.

My mother, on the other hand, was Mrs. Lockser's housekeeper. Her responsibility was to supervise the household activities and command all the servants in the mansion. She occupied a leadership position, commanding all the staff in the mansion with the same rigidity that we showed at home.

And I had the job of looking after Mr. Lockser's famous and valuable horses, which were known for their remarkable speed, to the point of being compared to the wind.

Seeing all these problems and responsibilities I had, that silly selection letter seemed like it could lift me out of the pit. I began to view the selection differently, not as an obligation or duty, but as a real opportunity to change my life. It was like the selection was a rope I could grab onto and maybe pull my family along to give them a more dignified and stable life.

While my mother continued in the kitchen making dinner, her face was still angry and full of resentment towards me; I observed her from a distance.

My father once told me a story that at my age, my mother had a stunning beauty that captivated everyone around her. She was like a beauty reincarnated on earth, with long golden hair that reached her waist, and eyes as blue as the sky, making her even more enchanting. And that was my mother, Layla Heartfilia.

But, like time, all that beauty was destroyed over time, much due to the excessive fatigue of taking care of our family and being the housekeeper for the Lockser household. So, her beauty changed over time; her long hair, besides losing its shine, was also cut to shoulder length. A thin layer of aging surrounded her beautiful eyes. She was still beautiful but with a tired and simple beauty.

"EVERYONE, LUNCH."

My mother shouted from the kitchen.

After my mother literally yelled from the kitchen, my father, who was still in the living room reading his newspaper, got up from his armchair and walked slowly to a wooden table in the kitchen, but not before leaving his newspaper on a small table in the living room.

Mira, who was in the kitchen with my mother and my niece, who was licking her tiny fingers already sticky with jelly, left the kitchen, leaving my mother alone, and walked to a chair, sitting next to her husband, Laxus, who took advantage of that moment to give her a long and passionate kiss. Soon after, my mother also left the kitchen carrying the rest of the things and sat next to my father.

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While my brother and his fiancée were in their lovey-dovey moment, I, for a moment, got lost in thoughts while staring at Mirajane.

Mira, unlike the rest of us who didn't have a title, was originally a 'three' before she met us. I don't know what she did before she met my brother, but based on her level, she could probably have been a lawyer or maybe a writer, just like her parents. However, she decided to take it down a notch and give up everything she had for love, in order to build a life with my brother.

The more I thought about the sacrifice Mira had to make and everything she had to give up just to be with my brother, it made me realize that sometimes what I wanted could indeed be a foolish thing compared to what she had done.

But still, those were the things I wanted, my dreams that I would have to sacrifice and give up in the end, but I wasn't willing to sacrifice my dreams even though I cared a lot about my family. Besides, I had already done enough for them. I was an exemplary daughter, and no one could deny that. In addition to taking care of Mr. Lockser’s award-winning horses, I still found time to focus on my studies when I had free time.

But with the arrival of that cursed letter, all the efforts I had been making for years were basically losing their meaning. I don't know what was going on in my mother's mind, but, for some reason, to her, I was already a queen.

But in the midst of all that confusion she had created earlier, I ended up forgetting to hide the letter before she could show it to Mira and my brother. Unfortunately, my mother was faster than me and had already hidden the letter in her apron, choosing that moment during our meal to torture me because she knew very well that I would have neither a choice nor the ability to escape the conversation.

"It is with great pleasure that I announce that your daughter has been accepted for the selection."

My mother said as she sang everything, she read in the letter to make me even more ashamed.

While she tried to read the letter, I, who didn't want her to tell anything to anyone, tried to take the paper from her hand. But since she was faster than me when it was convenient for her, I ended up not being able to grab the paper.

I knew that sooner or later everyone would find out, especially coming from my mother who couldn't hide anything. But there was only one catch in this; if she could tell them the news, she would manipulate the situation in her favor and end up putting everyone against me.

"Mom, I'm begging you, please don't do this."

Lucy said, pleading while still trying to get the letter out of her mother's hands.

"Pala Luci, I want to hear what Auntie is going to tell you."

Said my niece, shouting in a cute way, which didn't surprise me too much, as I already knew how she was when she had new news at home.

RECOGNITION TO MEMBERS:

Matthew Jimenez🤝 - THANK YOU FOR ACTIVATING THE DOMAIN EXPANSION "MAHAYANA PRISON".

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