The lunch was uneventful, except for a few unfriendly glares from Holly. Leila found the girl amusing because of her childish temper. She also took the time to study and understand the dynamics of the Campbell family.
After all, knowing one's enemy was half the battle.
The family did not seem too complicated. Charlotte and Isaiah seemed to have a good relationship, based on how they interacted during lunch. Amelia and Holly did not seem to be enemies, but they were not friends either.
Amelia seemed too shrewd to be close to her sister who was too temperamental.
As for the young Mason…
Leila found him to be too taciturn for his age and his family background. She assumed that he would be spoiled and unreasonable as the youngest boy in a wealthy family. Instead, she just saw a lonely boy.
He did not interact with anyone during the lunch and kept his head down as he ate. No one checked on him or offered anything. It was a little heartbreaking for Leila because she grew up being fussed over by her grandparents.
If she ate one less grain of rice, they would ask about her well-being and offer to change the type of food to ensure she ate more.
Perhaps, Leila stared at the young boy for too long because he looked up. His eyes were cool and unaffected by the treatment at home. After a short glance, he lowered his head again and continued eating.
"Leila, your grandmother told me that you are in Lake City to learn from a master," Charlotte asked after everyone finished eating and tea was served in the living room.
Leila heard the detachment that Charlotte had towards her parents. It was obvious that she did not have a sense of closeness to them.
"Yes. Grandpa and Grandma think it is time I experienced the world, so they thought I could follow a master and learn some skills." Leila answered.
Leila knew that Charlotte was just probing because she did not trust her. However, her cover story was completely secure. Except, she was not going to learn from a master. Strictly speaking, she was going to be working.
"That is wonderful. What field are you interested in?" Charlotte asked.
"Design." Leila did not elaborate.
"What type of design?" Charlotte pressed on.
"A little bit of everything."
Holly snorted. "If you do not understand something, you should not pretend. Do you know the different fields that involve design? Fashion, buildings, technology, and so on. You are a country bumpkin pretending to be sophisticated."
"Holly!" Amelia jumped in. "Leila, my sister is rude, but she is right. When it comes to design, you have to choose a speciality. For example, I am going to study automotive engineering, which involves designing, developing, and fabricating vehicles."
Amelia's chin rose a little higher as she looked at Leila, hoping to see awe and worship on her face. Automotive engineering was considered a traditionally masculine field of interest, so people would always be impressed with her.
As a beautiful young woman, she was a unique person to pursue a career in the industry. Unfortunately, Leila did not show the expression that she was hoping for. She did not even display surprise.
"I think all design is the same. It is just about patterns." Leila replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
Holly laughed. "Sister, do not bother explaining anything to her. Do you think she even knows what automotive engineering is? She has probably not graduated from high school yet, let alone attended speciality classes."
Amelia felt a little better, but she was still unhappy with Leila's reaction. She had worked hard to attend a lot of extra classes after school to get the notice of a mentor in the industry. Still, she did not want to alienate Leila yet.
But that did not mean she would tolerate disrespect.
"I am sorry for not being considerate about your situation," Amelia said with a hint of fake remorse in her voice. "I have just completed high school, and I did not ask about your education. I should not have assumed we are the same."
"She lived in a retirement village. Do you think there are schools in that place?" Holly laughed.
Seeing the play before her, Leila felt like laughing. With this level of entertainment, she might need to cancel her streaming services subscriptions.
"Holly!" Amelia rebuked weakly.
"No, she is right. I never attended school." Leila replied.
Nirvana Village was a special place with some unique people. Not all of them were like her grandparents who retired to the village voluntarily. Some of them were powerful people who were too influential to be tolerated in normal society.
As a result, the village could exist in peace, but there was a significant level of monitoring to ensure no one took advantage of the old monsters. Moreover, normal people were not allowed to live in that village.
Naturally, that meant that there were no schools for Leila to attend.
"Is that true?" Charlotte said with some shock. "My parents are rather neglectful. How can you survive in the real world without an education? It will be difficult to find friends let alone get married."
The lamenting voice was filled with worry, but Leila could also sense some relief. She could only assume that Charlotte thought that she was not a worthy opponent since she did not have a formal education.
"It is fine." Leila waved her hand casually. "Grandpa and Grandma taught me the basics. And if I cannot survive in the real world, I will just return home. Grandma and Grandpa said they would always take care of me."
"They are not your grandparents!" Holly shouted angrily. "They are our grandparents. You are just a poor bastard they picked up from who knows where! You do not deserve anything from them."
Leila's lips stretched into a wide smile as she looked at the fuming Holly. It looked like she knew that their grandparents were wealthy. She could only assume this was recent knowledge because they never contacted the grandparents.
Her eyes shifted to Amelia for a second, and she noticed the anger hidden in those eyes as she glared at her sister.
"You are right," Leila leaned back on the leather couch. "But at least this poor bastard can recognise their faces. Can you?"
Silence fell in the room as all the other faces turned a little awkward.
Charlotte's eyes sharpened.
This Leila was not a simple girl.
But she should have known that her parents would never raise someone useless.