The evening was filled with joy and laughter. We ate together, danced under the grand chandeliers, and watched fireworks light up the night sky. Since it was also New Year's Eve, we even set off some of our own fireworks, adding our own spark to the celebrations. As the night went on, we took the time to truly connect with one another.
"You've grown a lot, Sansula," Eleanor said with a warm smile.
"And you've turned into a lovely lady," Sansula replied, his smile just as warm.
"You haven't forgotten your promise, right?" Eleanor asked, her tone teasing yet sincere.
"I haven't," he assured her.
"What promise?" Benesha interjected, her curiosity piqued.
"It's a secret," Eleanor said with a playful wink.
Maria—or rather Lilith—chose this moment to strike up a conversation. "I think this is the first time we've met, Adanna," she said smoothly, addressing Eleanor by her first name.
Eleanor blinked, her brows knitting together in confusion. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"
"Maria Badila," she said with a saccharine smile. "Your niece."
"You're a Badilitess?" Eleanor asked, her tone skeptical. "I overheard Benesha say her parents adopted you. Who was your father? Did he pass away too soon?"
"She's a distant relative," Benesha cut in with a sigh, clearly attempting damage control. "We share the same ancestors along the line."
"Then how come I've never met her before?" Eleanor pressed.
"She was born with health complications," Benesha explained hastily. "So she was stuck in the hospital for the first, like, eight years of her life."
"But then... they didn't adopt her," Eleanor pointed out, narrowing her eyes. "She's their niece."
"My father, a doctor at the hospital, had custody of Maria," Zipporah chimed in smoothly. "Benesha's parents didn't think she'd recover..."
Eleanor tilted her head, visibly skeptical. "Okay, I guess?" she murmured, unconvinced.
So this is the lie Benesha's parents crafted to conceal Maria's true origins...
"But who is her father?" Eleanor persisted, her voice tinged with determination. "Can't I get a name? She appears to be of mixed heritage like me. So I'm interested to know why the Badila family accepts her, but not me."
"Well..." Benesha hesitated, clearly at a loss.
Maria, ever the opportunist, redirected the conversation. "And you, you're the daughter of my uncle Luzadi, aren't you?" she asked, her tone pointed. "And also the daughter of Maeve's aunt, Esmee..."
"That explains her darker skin tone and curly hair," Eliza remarked thoughtfully. "I've always wondered why she looked so different from you, Maeve. Now I know—she's basically a combination of you and Benesha. That's so cool."
Eleanor's gaze lingered on Maria, the flicker of doubt in her eyes refusing to wane. The carefully constructed web of lies held for now, but I couldn't help wondering how long it would last under her relentless curiosity.
"How is Benesha as a girlfriend?" Eleanor asked Tshikuta with a joyful curiosity. "Isn't she intimidating?"
Tshikuta chuckled. "Oh, definitely! I'm always afraid of upsetting her. You're all invited to my funeral if that ever happens."
We all burst into laughter at his witty remark.
"I'm not that intimidating!" Benesha protested, blushing furiously.
"We know, we know. You're adorable," Tshikuta teased, causing her cheeks to redden even more.
"And Sansula, are you engaged too?" Eleanor asked, turning her attention to him.
"Yes," Lilith interjected with a sly smile. "He is to marry me!"
The atmosphere shifted instantly, and an uneasy silence fell over us.
"What's wrong this time?" Lilith sighed, feigning innocence.
"Is this why the Badila family accepts you?" Eleanor asked, her tone sharp.
"Mhm!" Lilith confirmed, her smile unshaken.
Before anyone could respond, Zipporah abruptly grabbed Lilith by the wrist and led her away. Benesha, Eliza, and I exchanged glances before following them. Fortunately, Yeshaya stepped in to keep the others from tagging along.
"For the record," Sansula muttered with a sigh, "I'm not going to marry her."
"Then why are you two engaged?" Zephyrine asked, frowning.
"Because my parents want us to get married," Sansula replied, his tone resigned.
"Arranged, non-consensual marriages don't fit into Dutch society," Maurits pointed out.
"I don't think they fit into any society," Yeshaya added with a disapproving shake of his head.
"Anyway, Sansula, it's nice to see you at this party," Zephyrine said, shifting the mood.
"It's good to see you too!" Sansula replied warmly.
"How do you know him?" Maurits asked his sister, raising an eyebrow.
"We used to be classmates—and we're fellow soldiers," Zephyrine answered, her voice brimming with pride.
"I wonder what the girls are discussing..." Maurits mused, his gaze drifting toward the hallway where the others had gone.
Benesha, Eliza, and I stood quietly, watching as Zipporah confronted Lilith.
"What have you been scheming?" Zipporah demanded, her tone sharp.
Lilith tilted her head with feigned innocence. "What do you mean? Why are you making such a scary face?" I hated it when she played the oblivious card—it was infuriating.
"You're the adopted daughter of Lord Badila himself? And now you're engaged to the Badila heir?" Zipporah pressed.
"So what?" Lilith shrugged nonchalantly.
"Clearly, she manipulated my parents," Benesha interjected, her voice laced with frustration. "But there's nothing we can do about it."
"You're engaged to your brother, Lilith," Zipporah snapped. "You carry the genes of Kanda and Balela Badila. You're related to Sansula, yet you plan to marry him? Are you out of your mind?"
Lilith's smile disappeared, replaced by a steely glare. Zipporah had struck a nerve. "Listen, Zipporah," she began, her tone icy, "I only share about 14% of my genetic material with Sansula. That's closer to being first cousins than siblings. Besides, genetic deformities in offspring aren't a concern for homunculi. We are biologically perfect, the first of our kind—the Eves of homunculi."
"That's beside the point," Zipporah shot back. "You were adopted by his parents. That makes you his sister in every way that matters."
Lilith's expression darkened further. "I'm getting fed up with you, Zipporah. You're not my mother. Stop interfering in my life."
"I don't know what you're plotting behind the scenes," Zipporah retorted, her voice firm, "but I urge you to stop whatever it is before it goes too far."
"You'll regret disrespecting me, Zipporah," Lilith hissed, her tone dripping with menace.
Despite Lilith's attempts to sour the mood, I refused to let her ruin my 18th birthday party. To my relief, she seemed more agitated than anyone else by the end of the evening, her composure shaken after Zipporah's confrontation.
Months passed, and life moved on. I was preparing to graduate from middle school and had already applied to the Utrecht Metropolitan Self-Development School. It wasn't an all-girls or private school, and my parents were understandably concerned about my safety.
"Should you really be attending such a school?" my mother asked, her voice tinged with worry.
"Absolutely," I replied confidently. "It's the newest school with an innovative education system."
"But it's not a private school..." she trailed off, clearly uneasy.
"So what?" I countered.
"You need protection," my father said firmly. "As a princess, your safety is paramount. That's why I've decided to assign one of our most skilled Dutch soldiers as your secret bodyguard."
"Who?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.
At that moment, a young man with a dark complexion and impeccable posture walked into the hall, clad in his military uniform. To my surprise, it was Sansula—Benesha's brother.
He would be my personal secret bodyguard at the Utrecht Metropolitan Self-Development School.