***
A few hours prior.
Ziva sat comfortably, despite her voluminous dress, as if it didn't affect her and calmly gazed outside.
She was no stranger to Kenton; she used to frequent the city with her mom for as long as she could remember.
"How do you feel?" A soft voice entered her ears, drawing her attention to the form of her mother opposite her.
Looking at her mom's youthful face, a smile graced her lips inadvertently as she replied, "Different. Everything feels different yet the same..."
For the first time in her life, Ziva felt tongue-tied, unable to find the right words to express her feelings.
It just felt... magical.
Not realizing her mom's joy at her childish excitement, Ziva turned to admire the modern yet natural architecture outside.
'What an amazing sight,' Ziva couldn't help but be awed by it, irrespective of how many times she had seen the same architecture.
However, today everything felt different as she could sense and feel the flow of mana in the environment, even if only slightly.
Meanwhile, a nostalgic smile crossed her mother's face as she watched Ziva's cute expression. 'Fufu~ Mana sure is amazing,' she mused mysteriously, surrounded by dancing mana particles, as if sharing her happiness.
The duo inside the carriage didn't know how fast time passed before they heard a voice from Evelia's personal guard.
...
"Lady Evelia, Young Miss Ziva, we have arrived!" announced the guard, breaking the silence.
The voice wasn't loud enough to garner attention but the elegant carriage driven by strong horses spoke volumes about the person inside.
Especially in an era where one could efficiently use cars or even hover cars without any care of its effects in this world.
Ignoring the reverence and fearful looks of the onlookers, the one who announced their arrival descended her horse before opening the door.
She sported long caramel-brown hair yet her sharp eyes belied her strength and awareness.
...
Inside, Ziva and Evelia didn't exchange words as they stepped off the carriage, feeling a breeze adjust their dresses.
Ziva, intrigued by the spell, or rather the direct manipulation of the air element as she gazed at her mom's personal guard with interest flashing her eyes.
'This isn't the time to be distracted! I have to surprise him and... have my revenge! Definitely!' Ziva vowed her revenge on Jash as she followed behind her mom to reach their destination.
...
Arriving at the Ramille Estate, the mother-daughter duo remained unfazed by the grand mansion. Well, they had seen it one too many times.
On the way to the mansion, they passed through the lands of the Ramille family and saw multiple gardens and other attractions, creating a feeling of calm and serene environment.
'As usual, despite the estate being large and spacious, the security is tight and doesn't allow any kind of trespassing.' Evelia observed, sensing the mana signatures.
Naturally, such an action would be considered extremely rude but who was she?
Except for someone at her level, no one could even sense her probing and it was her best friend's family.
Even if there were few guards even stronger than her, they were busy guarding the main manor and patrolling the town.
'It's not like that oddball doesn't literally tour around my home every time she drops by,' mused Evelia as she continued her walk with a slight smile.
…
Bored and eager to meet the birthday twins, Ziva couldn't help but want to curse herself for accepting her mother's arrangements, just to get permission to come here.
'Damn! That wasn't easy at all!' Ziva shuddered at the thought of disobeying her mother right now.
She was the most loving person Ziva knew, but it didn't change the fact that she might as well become the devil during training or whenever Ziva disobeyed.
'That's enough of a nightmare to recall!' She wished herself the best and tried to boost her mood by looking around the mansion gardens.
A small smile played on her lips as she recalled her first time here when she was super shy and appeared to hate the idea of coming here.
'I can clearly remember the sheer embarrassment I felt for getting teased over it by Jash!' Her smile widened at the memory as she recalled another.
'That prick! He lied to me that everyone thought of me as an unruly girl...' her thoughts were racing, not even realizing that she was almost by the main entrance.
"Evelia! It's been so long!" The cheerful and loud greeting of a red-haired woman echoed, trying to hug Ziva's mom.
It brought Ziva back to the present, only to see the form of a red-haired and red-eyed beauty trying to hug her mother.
Haaa!
She just sighed seeing the scene,just waiting for her aunt to take notice of her to greet her and rush inside.
If not for her mother's presence, she most likely would've sneaked past the two women, one who acted pitifully after her hug was rejected.
"I greet the Lady of the Ramille Family," courtesied Ziva before she was forced to stop as she felt her cheeks getting rubbed by the excited woman.
"Ah! Ziva! You only grow cuter by the day!"
Not being able to save herself from the embarrassment, she turned to her mother, only to see her ignore the duo and directly enter inside.
…
After who knows how long she got smothered and showered by the red-eyed woman's love, she finally got the chance to enter.
At this point, her cheeks were red. If not by the lipstick of the woman who showered her with kisses, then with her own embarrassment.
'I can't ever let him see me like this! NEVER!'
Luckily, everything worked out and she devised a plan to annoy Jash after hearing that he was still sleeping, just 4 hours before his birthday banquet.
'Even mom agreed! And there was just no way Aunty Sera would reject the idea!' She smiled evilly before asking Emma to do her part.
Everything went well and as she predicted before she heard his firm voice about not wanting to awaken.
'Not want to awaken? What nonsense!' It just didn't make sense to her and she got so angry, they had an argument.
After a round of argument with Jash, Ziva felt her emotions go into turmoil as she stormed out of his room, clearly irritated.
Her mind focused on how her playful joke led to such an outcome.
Despite not focusing on her surroundings, she reached the backside of the main manor and directly rushed inside.
Finding solace at the back of the manor, Ziva contemplated her actions. She didn't want her mom or aunt to sense her irritation.
After all, she didn't want to break the news to her aunt as she concluded, 'He should tell aunt himself…'
If someone were to compare her to Jash, then she would seem better than Jash at moving around the mansion with familiarity, as if it were her own home.
Many servants were surprised to see her moving about with such an expression. Random thoughts crossed their minds, but nobody voiced them.
They were experienced workers and knew that careless words could cost them their lives. So, they continued to do their assigned work.
…
Meanwhile, Ziva entered an empty room, which was large and stylish, with every ornament coated in gold, silver, or diamonds.
Yet no one stopped her or advised her not to.
They were already aware of her identity and the prospect of her marriage with their Second Young Master, seemed to only deter them from getting on her wrong side.
However, peace didn't last for the young girl.
As her mother entered the room after noticing the emotional fluctuations of her daughter.
As her mother entered, Ziva felt comforted. Evelia silently supported her daughter, respecting her privacy, much to the latter's surprise.
'It's a matter of heart. Not something I should meddle with,' nodded Evelia mentally. She knew better than to question her daughter when she wasn't in the best of moods.
At the moment, all she needed to do was just be there for daughter and allow her to have someone she could confide in.
What surprised her, however, was Ziva's unending silence and yet, her lips curled upwards as she sensed the presence of her approaching friend, Sera.
Evelia smiled knowingly at Sera who stopped herself from speaking just in time to see the lost and bewildered expression on Ziva.
'Just what did my son do to make this cutie feel this way? Just let him come…' Sera didn't know the specifics and just blamed her son for it, as Ziva was supposed to accompany him.
'I even arranged their matching clothes.' Sera mused sadly before leaving abrupt as she sensed Caera and Jash nearby.
Seeing her friend leave, Evelia sat beside her daughter on the comfy sofas as she patted her back slightly.
Her black dress left no room for anyone else to sit on the large sofa as she awaited the newcomers.
…
Ziva didn't even notice her mother's hand on her back for the time being as she was lost in her memories of childhood she had spent with Jash.
Suddenly, she was startled awake by the shaking of her form by another girl around her age, and then a barrage of questions assaulted her senses, making her dizzy.
"Ziva! Why did you go meet my brother before me!?"
"I missed you so much!"
"How are you?"
"Did you awaken successfully?"
Ziva even failed to notice Jash, her mom or aunt as all her attention was focused on the form of the blue-eyed red-haired girl who kept questioning her in an excited tone.
***