As the three approached her, Emily desperately wanted to run away, but her legs seemed to be frozen in place. She was both afraid enough to flee, yet also trying to drag up the courage to stay. Maybe she had thought that she would need to face them at some point in the future, but it hadn't been anywhere on her priority list. She was focused on avenging her master and proving herself; she had completely forgotten about these people who helped raise her.
"Emily, it's us, do you recognize us?" the older woman asked with a hopeful expression.
She knew them, but she still didn't want to admit it. This was likely a coincidence, but she couldn't blame fate enough for an incident like this. Now that she said something, it would harder for her to simply ignore them, but the urge to run hadn't left her yet. Unfortunately, when they got closer, she could no longer keep up the emotional shield she tried to protect herself with. She hadn't resolved to cut them out of her life, and she didn't think her reason for distancing herself was sufficient, so she couldn't find a proper reason to maintain her stance.
"It's been a while, mother."
Once she acknowledged it, the three got even closer with bright expressions. Despite having lived with them for about six years, she was sure she had never seen such a happy, and uncomfortable smile on their faces. She hoped that it would end with simple greetings, but she knew that was being too optimistic.
"Indeed it has. This is your father and your aunt, do you remember them as well?" her mother asked.
Reluctantly, Emily nodded her head. The three took this extremely well and looked at each other as if confirming that they should move on to the next step.
This time, it was the aunt, who was the younger of the two women, who spoke.
"Wow, you don't know how happy we are to see you again! This is such a blessed reunion, so why don't we move to a more suitable place and have a bite to eat while we catch up?"
Naturally, the father and mother agreed and although she sensed something off about the look in their eyes, Emily did the same. They didn't have to walk far to reach their destination. It wasn't a place for fine dining but considering its location, the design of the building and the cultivation of the staff, this was definitely a restaurant for the elite of Paraj. Normally, it wouldn't be strange for her family to dine in places like this, but now that she took a moment to look at them properly, Emily noticed another odd thing about them.
From what she remembered, her parents were always particular about what they wore, and her aunt even more so. And yet, not only did she miss the sight of a single piece of jewelry on them, the clothes they had on seemed fitting, but they had obviously been reused several times. Additionally, her mother's and aunt's hair and skin had definitely seen better days.
'Could it be?'
As she was forming a certain hypothesis, they were led to a private room and given time to think about their order after being served complimentary tea. Her aunt was seated to her left, while her parents were across from her. The tea wasn't bad, but as she saw the anticipating gaze the three looked at their cups with, Emily grew certain of her idea. However, this wasn't something she could easily bring up, and she didn't want to make this conversation longer than it had to be, so she kept silent.
Emily thought that one of them would have said something while they drank tea, but it was as if she wasn't even present. They called the waitress to place their orders, but only that employee remembered to ask her what she wanted. Considering the prices of the dishes her family was buying, Emily wondered if she was wrong about her hypothesis, but it didn't improve her impression of them.
There was no major grudge between them, but just like when she was a little girl, Emily felt like an outsider. There may have been times when they stayed with her, but the times when they were busy and chose to placate her with gifts were more vivid in her memory. However, back then, she hadn't just accepted it; she worked hard to change it.
On the day before her sixth birthday, she revealed that she could enter the Still Heart state in an attempt to capture her parents' attention, but it didn't go as planned. Her parents were cultivators, but they mainly handled the family business so they weren't very knowledgeable on how valuable her talent. They didn't think much of it, so after a few words of praise, she was neglected once more. However, whether fortunately or unfortunately, the news reached the main branch and someone came to pick her up. Of course she didn't want to go, but when she saw the three of them smiling happily as they handed her over, her will to resist swiftly died down. As did her hope that her dream of a family would be real.
They had more free time while the dishes were being prepared, but they only talked among themselves while leaving her out of it. Emily thought that she could remain unfazed in this position, but the truth was, her childish self still remembered that dream. There was still a part of her that wanted to experience the warmth of her family.
However, when the feast was brought out and they enjoyed it, without sparing her another glance, Emily decided that that was enough.
"Well, if there's nothing else."
She stood up and tried to leave but then, her aunt grabbed her hand. She didn't inspire any better memories compared to the other two, but as she turned to look at her, a faint desire was birthed inside her once more.
"Wait, what about the bill?" her aunt shamelessly asked.
"Beth!" her mother exclaimed, although it was unlikely out of any real concern she felt for Emily.
"What? You saw how well she did in the amphitheater. She's a famous array master, surely she can pay the bill for her family."
The audacity was too much, but Emily couldn't feel anger yet. Now that she was sure why they wanted to speak with her, she felt flooded by emotion. It was as if she had been stabbed in the chest, so she tightly clenched her fist to relieve the pain.
'This, this is why you wanted to talk me?'
For a moment, her vision went hazy as she staggered in place. Her heart sank in depression, her eyes became wet and her brain didn't want to accept it. The effects were getting worse as time went by so she was afraid. She was afraid that if she tried to process these emotions, she would collapse right there.
'No, no!'
All she wanted to do was run out of there. She didn't want to spend another minute with these people so she ripped her hand from her aunt's grip, took out some spirit gems and slammed them on the table before escaping.
Her aunt shouted, "This isn't enough for a tip?", but even her sister was too exasperated to say something about that.