Naomi's bold words only caused more laughter to pour from her mother's lips. She nudged her husband's arm and turned to him.
"What have I told you about reading her all those fairytale books before bed?" She playfully scolded him as the man did nothing but chuckle.
"My princess loves fairytales, and whatever she wants, she gets. Besides, shouldn't we greet the parents of Naomi's new friend? It'll be great to get to know one another; that way, our daughters can hang out more."
The man, who Rhia guessed was Naomi's father, though they looked nothing alike, smoothly turned the conversation towards her parents.
Her mother blushed and began to stutter when one of her favorite actresses politely asked for her name. Her father was more at ease, quickly conversing with Naomi's dad.
While the adults were busy getting to know each other, Adrian slid next to his sister.
"I'm about to slide outside for some fresh air. It's way too boring in here!"
Adrian whispered into her ear before taking his leave.
"Rhia, they have some delicious cakes I think you would like!"
Naomi tugged Rhia to the buffet table, where an incredible spread of food and dessert awaited.
Rhia spotted some meat dishes and decided to give one of them a try and moaned at how delicious it tasted, just like a nice seasoned and juicy steak.
Lucia was drooling right beside her when Naomi presented a small porcelain plate. On it sat a small portion of cake.
Rhia spotted white icing sandwiched between two round pieces of vanilla cake. There were also bits of strawberries. White icing decorated the top of the cake with a half strawberry and edible flowers.
"Look at this beautiful piece of art! I can't bring myself to eat it!"
Rhia dramatically shed tears, caught in a war between her stomach and heart, only for the scene to be ruined by Lucia, who opened her mouth and gobbled the cake whole in one bite.
"Hey!"
Rhia turned her fierce amethyst orbs onto the happily munching spirit.
"That was mine!"
"Which you so graciously offered to me. I give you my thanks."
Lucia licked her lips shamelessly, taking no heed of the angry imaginary flames erupting from Rhia.
"Here you go, Rhia! I got you a chocolate one this time; I know it's your favorite!"
Naomi put out the fire with her kind actions and friendly smile. She presented Rhia with a similar cake, only chocolate with no strawberries.
"Thank you, Naomi, but how do you know I love chocolate?"
Rhia didn't recall ever telling the other girl about her likes. Naomi just smiled and hooked her arm with Rhia's.
"Since I chose you as my destined soulmate, I pay close attention to you! You like the color purple and goth-style clothing. You have an adorable sweet tooth but like to eat something savory once you have your fill. You're also not a big vegetable eater and hate math!"
Rhia knew they had been spending their lunch breaks together but never knew how much attention Naomi spent on her to pick out these details.
Rhia felt touched and a little creeped out but, at the same time, wondered why Naomi was spending so much time on her.
"Naomi."
Rhia was nervous about approaching the subject, but she couldn't get rid of these voices demanding answers.
"Why do you call me your destined one? I m-mean, why do you hang out with us? We barely had a single conversation before you decided to join us."
Rhia was happy she got the words out but was nervous about how Naomi would react.
"A gut feeling," Naomi answered her straightforwardly.
"A gut feeling?" questioned Rhia.
"Yep~! I never really had friends. People were always gossiping behind me because my mom was becoming a popular actress, and it became obvious that they didn't like me. So what? I didn't like them either."
Naomi crossed her arms, head turned the opposite way at the thought of those insignificant people.
"Everyone I met so far besides my parents always made assumptions about me. But you were different. You stood up for me even though you didn't have to, and my heart started to beat. That's when I knew you were special and meant to be mine. Besides, my Papa always said to follow my heart and get what I want, which is you, Rhia!"
Naomi nuzzled her cheek against the stunned girl. Rhia was positive that the last sentence did not go that way, but she wasn't about to speak up about it. Rhia honestly had no problem with Naomi.
Could she be a little diva at times? Sure, but it wasn't like she was abusing her power. Plus, she enjoyed Naomi's company and had a feeling deep down inside that Alex felt the same. Probably.
"Rhia! You made it!"
Speaking of Alex, a noticeable pout could be seen on Naomi's face as Rhia's eyes lit up at the sight of the redhead. But today, he was different, dressed in a princely white suit with gold embellishments and a red cape.
He was like a dashing young prince, as his crimson bangs weren't blocking his face for once. An air of confidence exuded from him as he walked to Rhia, ignoring the eyes that followed him with Tan trailing beside him.
"Of course I'd be here! You invited the both of us!"
Rhia smiled with her eyes closed, but Lucia and Tan could see the daggers of hate thrown between Naomi and Alex. The latter, especially, disliked the way the young werecat had her body pressed up against Rhia.
The sound of trumpets drew everyone's attention to the top of the staircase where two figures stood. The man bore a striking resemblance to Alex, yet his confidence and the power of authority he emitted were on a different level.
He was a handsome man with a head of short crimson hair and looked to be in his prime, though demons aged much slower than humans.
His striking blue eyes scanned the crowd with a polite smile.
"Please let me thank everyone for attending my lovely wife's birthday celebration. She has brought me so much joy, and I thank the Goddess Lilith who crafted such a woman for me."
Rhia could tell by the man's eyes that he was deeply in love with his wife. Speaking of Alex's mother. The woman was a beauty with her flawless brown skin and sharp ruby eyes, which her son inherited.
Her mane of reddish-orange hair blazed like fire, pulled back into an intricate hairstyle that resembled a bouquet of roses. The gown she wore for her birthday celebration was on another level.
A sleeveless black gown hugged her hourglass figure. Numerous bright red roses were etched onto the dress as if it was blooming to life.
One look and Rhia could see why Alex's father was so smitten with his wife and bet a year's worth of sweets that he probably had to fight off numerous suitors for her hand.
The couple descended the long staircase, reaching the bottom. They smiled and greeted some of their guests when Alex's mother's sharp ruby orbs landed on her like a hawk who had just caught sight of its prey.
Rhia saw the woman's lips lift into a smirk, catching her husband's attention as the two spotted their son standing with two girls his age. Shooting looks at each other as if they could read each other's mind, Rhia watched in horror as the powerful couple began to make their way toward them.
"I always heard the mayor's wife was beautiful, but seeing is believing."
The awe in Naomi's voice was missed by Rhia, who quickly became confused.
"Huh? What do you mean by the mayor?"
Naomi stared at Rhia in shock.
"Wait! Rhia, don't tell me you don't know who exactly this jerk is?!"
Naomi exclaimed, pointing her finger at an innocent Alex. Rhia blinked her eyes, and Naomi's jaw dropped.
"He's the heir of House Pendragon! His father holds the title of a marquess and is the mayor of this city! They literally own it!"
Naomi put an emphasis on 'literally' to express the meaning behind it. Rhia's mind went blank. She was having difficulty processing the bombshell news Naomi had revealed to her.
'To think I've been casually hanging out with a freaking high roller! I'm a commoner compared to him! Wait! Did my parents and brother know Alex's background, which was why they went all out for today's occasion?! Was I the only one left out?!'
Rhia felt like tearing out her hair in frustration.
"Idiot! Idiot~!"
Lucia's singing was not making her feel any better!