Rubbing her temples and taking a steeling breath, Elianna held her eyes closed as she tried to calm her nerves. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and seeds of uncertainty continued to grow in her mind. Never before had she felt more nervous, most likely because she felt that her entire future depended on right now.

  Taking her hand away from her face, Elianna opened her eyes, and her gaze fell on the packet lying on the table before her. She stared at the packet, seeing the dozens of questions written on the page, designed to test her knowledge. Looking up, her eyes fell on Justine, who was sitting across from her quietly, holding another packet in her hands.

  Elianna stared at the packet Justine held as she slowly read each question, comparing it against the answer guide. Each question Justine read but didn't mark brought Elianna some sense of joy since it meant she got it right.

  Watching Justine intently, she observed how the red pencil in her hand hovered above the paper, moving down slowly as she read. Then, she noticed how the red pencil suddenly stilled, and Elianna's heart stopped. She froze, waiting for Justine to mark the answer wrong, but after a few heartbeats of the pencil not moving, Elianna looked up with a curious gaze. Elianna flinched slightly with surprise as her gaze met Justine's, who was looking at her with a comical smile.

  "Elianna, dear," Justine began softly and pointed to the packet in front of Elianna on the table. "Focus on the packet before you, not me."

  Elianna sighed and nodded, looking back at her packet. "Yes, Teacher." Sheepishly looking up, eyeing Justine through the bangs of her hair, Elianna asked, "Could you maybe tell me how I did on the first and second packets?"

  Justine chuckled, "I'm not even done grading your second packet yet."

  Elianna simply shrugged, "I know. But maybe you can tell me how I did so far?"

  Justine smiled and shook her head, "No. I don't need your scores getting inside your head and messing with you." She looked at the clock. "You still have plenty of time, and you're on your final packet." Looking back at Elianna, Justine said softly, "Now, take your time and read each question carefully."

  Elianna sighed and nodded. "Okay."

  Looking back at her packet, Elianna took another calming breath. She knew Justine was right, and she needed to concentrate. This was her final exam, after all. After today, she would officially be done with her studies, which she was elated about. But first, she needed to pass.

  Elianna spared Justine one more glance before she decided to focus on the packet. After reading over her next question regarding economics, Elianna read over the four answers before confidently picking the right one. It was times like these that she greatly appreciated multiple-choice tests since they were undoubtedly her favorite. One, because she didn't need to write out her answer, and two, because it practically gave the answer to you.

  Without breaking her focus, Elianna continued reading through the packet until she reached the last page. Her eyes lingered on the final question, which she read over for the fifth time. Looking at the answers provided, Elianna felt confident she knew which one was correct and marked it.

  With the final question answered, Elianna's hand stilled as she stared at the two-hundred-question packet. She swallowed nervously, wondering if she had answered all the questions correctly. But then, her mind began to go down a rabbit hole, wondering if she got all the questions wrong. Scenarios began playing in her mind, thinking what would happen if she utterly failed her exams.

  "Are you done?"

  Elianna started slightly and looked up, seeing Justine eyeing her with a kind smile. Elianna's eyes flicked to her packet, eyeing it for a few moments. She knew she was finished with the test, but for some reason, she was apprehensive about handing it over. Thoughts of her possibly having failed the exams flooded her mind, making her more uneasy by the second.

  "Elianna dear?"

  Looking back up, Elianna met Justine's warm gaze yet again. Part of Elianna wanted to just chuck the test away and be done with it. However, she knew that would be foolish and not solve anything. So, she took a breath, smiled, and nodded, "Yes, I'm finished."

  "Splendid," Justine said and reached out to her. "Let's see how you did, shall we?"

  Elianna's nervous-filled eyes flicked to her test. Steeling herself with confidence, she closed the packet and handed it over to Justine.

  "Now go ahead and relax," Justine began, and she opened the packet and answer key. "I'll have this graded as quickly as possible."

  "Relax," Elianna grumbled and slumped back into her chair. "Easy for you to say."

  Justine chuckled and smiled comically as she began to read over the questions. Elianna's eyes were locked on Justine while periodically flicking to the clock. As Justine flipped over one of the pages, Elianna felt some relief, seeing she didn't mark a single question wrong. At least, not on the first two pages.

  But once Justine reached the last page, that's when Elianna began to feel really anxious. Tapping the eraser end of her pencil on the table repeatedly, Elianna watched intensely as Justine read over the final page.

  "Elianna," Justine began.

  "Y-Yes?!" Elianna stuttered, sitting straight.

  Justine's eyes flicked up, and she smiled, "Could you please stop tapping the table with your pencil?"

  Elianna's eyes slowly moved to her pencil. With pursed lips, she gently placed the pencil back on the table and whispered, "Sorry."

  "It's fine," Justine chuckled. Looking back at the packet, she said, "Don't worry. I'm almost finished."

  Elianna took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."

  The next few minutes passed agonizingly slowly for Elianna, with her eyes darting between Justine and the clock. But the moment Justine closed the packet and set it atop the other two, Elianna sat straight, looking at Justine eagerly.

  "W-Well?" Elianna hesitantly asked. "How did I do?"

  Justine's hand lingered on the three packets, looking at them with an unreadable expression. After a few tense moments, Justine sighed and looked at Elianna.

  Elianna felt her stomach drop. "W-What?"

  In a quiet voice, Justine said, "You did not, not pass."

  Elianna froze, her mind trying to comprehend the double negative. Her brows furrowed, and she looked at Justine questioningly, "Sooo... I passed?"

  The corners of Justine's lips curved, and she nodded, "Yes, My Dear, you have passed."

  Elianna stood frozen for a moment, looking at Justine with disbelief, processing what she had just said. Suddenly, Elianna shot up, knocking the chair to the floor with a loud bang. Raising her arms into the air, Elianna jovially yelled, "YEAH!!!"

  Justine chuckled, "Congrats, Dear."

  Elianna's eyes widened before she quickly brought her arms down to her side and composed herself. She promptly fixed her chair, took her seat, and smiled, "Thank you, Teacher."

  Justine smiled and shook her head, "You don't need to call me teacher anymore."

  Elianna smiled. "But would it still be okay if I still called you that?"

  Justine laughed a little and nodded, "Of course." She collected the three packets and placed them in her bag. "Now, shall we go tell your parents?"

  Elianna smiled with excitement and nodded.

  "Splendid," Justine said as she and Elianna began to stand up. "Then let's go."

  Elianna followed Justine as she made her way to the double doors of the library and walked out. As soon as they walked out, she noticed a maid who was standing by, immediately walk away as soon as she noticed them. Elianna's brows furrowed, but she shrugged it off, thinking nothing of it. As they made their way through the mansion, Elianna's expression turned curious, noticing Justine seemed to be heading toward the dining room.

  "Where are we going?" Elianna asked. "My dad is usually in his study at this time. My mom may be with him."

  Justine looked at Elianna over her shoulder and smiled, "They told me they would be near the dining room."

  Elianna's expression relaxed, and she nodded, "Oh, okay."

  Following Justine into the dining room, they walked around the table and approached the sliding glass doors. Elianna's curiosity increased as she noticed the blinds to the glass doors were drawn, which rarely were, and the dining room was empty.

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  "Where are they?" Elianna asked.

  Justine didn't answer as she approached the glass doors. Turning to face Elianna, Justine grabbed the door handle and smiled, "Out here."

  Elianna's brows furrowed, and she approached Justine with her eyes locked on the door. Once at the door, Justine slid the door open, and the comforting, warm spring air flowed into the room, caressing Elianna's ivory skin.

  Elianna pushed the blinds aside and stepped outside, and her eyes widened.

  The backyard was vast, with an incredibly large, beautiful pool with crystal-clear water. Beside the pool was a spa with rocks built onto it, creating a small waterfall flowing into the pool. Several sun loungers, tables, and chairs were placed around the pool on the polished tan pool decking. To the right of the pool was a large built-in grill with a mini ice box beside it, enchanted to keep cool items.

  However, none of these are what Elianna's eyes widen, as she has seen the backyard of her family's mansion countless times. What made her feel a sense of jubilation and surprise was her mom and dad, standing together with the Argyles and Nicholas, all in one group.

  As soon as their eyes fell on Elianna, they all smiled and said, "Surprise!"

  Stunned with surprise, Elianna said, "W-What's this?"

  "It's a congratulation pool party, Munchkin," Lucian chuckled. "We set this up to congratulate you on passing after all your hard work."

  Elianna smiled and laughed a little. "You don't even know if I passed."

  "Maybe not," Katarina began and chuckled. "But we don't doubt that you did."

  Looking behind her, Elianna smiled as Justine stepped outside. "So you knew, huh?"

  Justine smiled and nodded, "I did indeed." She jerked her chin toward the group. "So, shall you tell them? Or do you want me to?"

  With a bright smile, Elianna looked forward, seeing the eager gazes of her loved ones. With an excited yell, Elianna raised her arms into the air, "I passed!"

  Everyone happily cheered as they approached Elianna. Katarina and Lucian brought their daughter into a warm hug, congratulating her. Next were Freya and Mathew, who gave her warm smiles and congratulated her on her hard work.

  As Elianna's eyes flicked to Celine, she smiled happily, "Hey! I'm glad you could make it!"

  "Pfft, like I would miss this," Celine chuckled and gave Elianna a hug. "They planned this on a weekend so I could attend. Congrats, Elle."

  "Thanks, Celine," Elianna said as they broke the hug.

  Once they broke the hug, Elianna's eyes flicked over Celine's shoulder, and a warm smile graced her lips, seeing Nicholas standing there.

  "Jeez, took you long enough to pass," Nicholas jested, shooting Elianna a grin.

  Elianna chuckled and shrugged, "Maybe I just wanted to keep you waiting in suspense."

  Nicholas laughed softly before giving Elianna a genuine smile, "Congrats, Lia."

  Warmth flooded through Elianna, and she stepped forward, taking him into a hug. "Thanks."

  Nicholas returned her hug, unaware of the knowing gazes everyone was shooting at the two of them.

  Lucian cleared his throat and announced, "Well, let's get this barbeque started!"

  "Second that!" Mathew cheered as he and Lucian walked over to the grill.

  Nicholas and Elianna broke the hug and watched as Lucian opened the grill, which was still warming up, with Mathew standing beside him. Meanwhile, Freya and Katarina walked over to one of the tables and sat down while conversing with each other.

  "Why don't you go change into your bathing suit?" Celine suggested.

  Elianna looked at Celine and saw that she was wearing a long shirt over her bathing suit. Her gaze then flicked to the others, seeing that they were also wearing their bathing suits.

  "Alright," Elianna said before she looked at Celine and Nicholas with a smile. "Just don't have too much fun without me."

  "Oh, don't worry," Nicholas began with a grin. "We will."

  Elianna's smile immediately faded, and her cheeks burned intensely as she watched Nicholas grab the bottom of his shirt before taking it off. Her eyes acted like they had minds of their own, tracing over his well-sculpted torso, seeing his well-defined arm muscles, pectorals, and eight-pack. Gulping hard, she tried her hardest not to stare at him, which she was utterly failing at.

  Celine smirked, noticing Elianna's gaze and reaction. She covered her mouth, trying hard not to laugh.

  Nicholas tossed his shirt onto one of the sun loungers before he jumped into the pool.

  With the distraction gone, Elianna looked at Celine and calmly said, "I'm, uh, gonna go get changed."

  Celine simply smiled and nodded, "Alright."

  Elianna turned and began to make her way to the door when she heard Justine suddenly say, "Elianna, dear."

  Elianna stopped and smiled at Justine as she approached, "Yes, Teacher?"

  Justine smiled and gingerly placed her hand on Elianna's shoulder, "I'm going to be taking my leave now. I wanted to say congrats one last time."

  Elianna looked at Justine curiously. "You're not staying?"

  Justine shook her head, "No. I have other matters to attend to."

  Feeling a little bumbed, Elianna nodded in understanding and smiled, "Okay." She took Justine into a warm hug, "Thank you, Teacher."

  Justine chuckled warmly and returned the hug, "You're more than welcome, Dear."

  Elianna said goodbye to Justine as she broke the hug and then ran into the mansion. She quickly made her way to her room, where she changed into her bathing suit and put a long T-shirt over it. Once dressed, she made her way downstairs and back outside.

  Elianna noticed Lucian and Mathew standing by the grill, laughing with drinks in their hands while Lucian put on some meat. Freya and Katarina were sitting beside each other, laughing jovially while occasionally whispering to each other. Finally, her eyes fell on Celine and Nicholas, who were inside the pool, playfully splashing water at each other.

  Nicholas laughed and splashed his cousin again but stopped as his eyes flicked to Elianna. "Hey, whatcha just standing around for? Come on in?"

  Elianna smiled, "I will."

  Nicholas watched her as she walked over to one of the sun loungers. However, his smile faded, and his cheeks turned red as he watched her take her overshirt off, leaving her in a white bikini, which complimented her ivory skin well. He couldn't help his eyes as they traced her flawless skin, slowly making their way to her supple-

  "Whatcha looking at?"

  Nicholas flinched and looked at Celine, who was staring at him with a knowing grin.

  "Oh, uh," Nicholas began and cleared his throat, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "N-Nothing."

  Celine hummed and nodded, unconvinced. Her eyes flicked to Elianna, seeing she was curiously looking around for something. She smiled as she said, "There is sunscreen next to my shirt!"

  Elianna looked at Celine and smiled, "Oh, thanks!"

  Elianna promptly made her way over to Celine's shirt, which was lying on a sunlounger. Seeing a tube of sunscreen, she grabbed it and began to apply some to her skin.

  Nicholas' cheeks burned hotter as he watched Elianna apply sunscreen to herself, and he quickly looked away. He dunked his head into the water and rubbed his face, trying to calm himself down. When he raised his head above the water, he froze when he heard Elianna call his name.

  Looking over to her, Nicholas observed as she stood there with a curious expression while holding the sunscreen in her hands. Nicholas raised a brow. "Yeah?"

  Elianna's cheeks reddened slightly, and she raised the sunscreen. "Can you come put some on my back?"

  Celine stiffened a laugh and covered her mouth with her hand.

  Nicholas froze for a moment. "Uh, sure."

  Nicholas walked over to the edge of the pool and hopped out. Using water magic, he flung the water off his hands before approaching Elianna. Elianna smiled as she handed him the tube of sunscreen and turned around.

  With his cheeks burning hotter by the second, he put some sunscreen in his hand before tossing the tube aside. Nicholas gulped nervously before he rubbed his hands together and gently placed his hands on her back.

  Elianna tensed ever so slightly, with her lips curving and her blush deepening. She tried to keep incredibly still as she felt Nicholas' warm hands glide across her back. Her breathing was staggered, and her stomach was fluttering intensely.

  All the while, Nicholas' heart was beating rapidly inside his chest, feeling incredibly nervous. He scolded himself for feeling so anxious, constantly telling himself to relax. He kept telling himself that this was his friend and he shouldn't be this nervous since he was just helping her out.

  Once Nicholas felt confident that he covered her back, he took a step back and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "There, done."

  Quickly composing herself so Nicholas didn't see her deep blush, Elianna turned around to face Nicholas and smiled, "Thanks."

  Nicholas cleared his throat and returned his smile. "No problem."

  "Are you sure you got her entire back?"

  Nicholas and Elianna looked at the pool and saw Celine standing there with a wide grin.

  "You don't want her getting sunburned," Celine chuckled.

  Nicholas narrowed his eyes and glared at Celine. "Yes, I covered her entire back."

  Celine shrugged, "If you say so. You're also the one who got his entire back sunburned once."

  Elianna's brows shot up, and she laughed, "Oh my gosh, I remember!" She looked at Nicholas jovially and chuckled, "You were as red as a lobster!"

  Nicholas rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, keep laughing."

  Elianna laughed some more and smirked, "Oh, I will, Lobster."

  Nicholas' eyes narrowed on Elianna before he gave her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Elianna's eyes widened in surprise as Nicholas quickly reached out, grabbed her by the waist, and hoisted her over his shoulder.

  "H-Hey!" Elianna squeaked in surprise. "What are you doing?!"

  "What does it look like?" Nicholas said and turned to face the pool with a grin. "I'm going for a swim!"

  Elianna's eyes widened as Nicholas began to run toward the pool. "Wait! Nick!!"

  Nicholas jumped into the air, and Elianna quickly closed her eyes and held her breath as they both fell into the water. A moment later, they both broke the surface of the water, laughing. Elianna playfully splashed water at Nicholas, which started a playful water battle between them.

  Standing at the grill, Mathew and Lucian smiled warmly at the two of them.

  Mathew chuckled and shook his head. "It's only a matter of time."

  Lucian laughed and nodded as he flipped a piece of meat. "Oh, I know."

  Looking at the empty glass in his hands, Mathew asked, "Do you have any more whiskey?"

  Lucian looked at Mathew, then at the empty bottle beside the grill. Lucian nodded. "Yeah, I have some in my study." He put down the tongs. "Be right back."

  Mathew nodded as Lucian walked around him and made his way into the mansion, then to his study. His study was large and well put together, with gray carpeting and a large mahogany U-shaped desk.

  Hearing laughter, Lucian smiled as he walked over to the window. He looked outside, and his smile grew, seeing Elianna, Nicholas, and Celine playing in the pool. He chuckled warmly at the sight as he turned and walked over to his desk. He opened one of the cupboards, taking out a new bottle of whiskey. He was about to turn toward the door when he froze.

  Lucian's brows furrowed as he noticed a large rectangular black leather box lying on his desk. Confusion washed over him, as he didn't know where the box came from since he didn't put it there.

  Lucian placed the bottle down and whispered, "What the..."

  He reached out to grab the box.

  "She's grown."

  Lucian's hand froze, and his eyes widened to the size of moons. His hands began to shake as his head slowly turned to look at the window. Shock washed over him as his eyes fell on a figure adorned in a black hooded cloak looking out the window.

  Lucian swallowed hard. "W-What are you doing here?"

  "Delivering a present for Elianna," They said simply. They looked over their shoulder, with strands of white hair peeking out through their hood. "The item in the box is for her, for finishing her studies."

  Confusion washed over Lucian. "How did you find out?"

  They chuckled, with their smooth pink lips curving, "I've been keeping tabs."

  Lucian stood straight, eyeing them with curiosity. "Then, you know about the things that happened to her when she was younger?"

  The figure's smile faded, and they nodded, "I do."

  Lucian hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Why did they happen?"

  The figure was silent for a moment before they looked back out the window. "You already know the answer."

  Lucian shook his head. "How is that possible? She's-"

  "Our blood is dominant," The figure said.

  Lucian froze, and his eyes fell, "So that means-"

  "Yes," The figure said. "She is."

  Lucian sighed. "I see." He stood still for a moment before his eyes flicked back to the leather box. Curiosity fell on him once more, and he slowly unlatched and opened the box. His eyes widened in shock. "T-This is-" He looked at the figure but froze, seeing that they were gone.

  Lucian's eyes fell, and he looked back at the item inside the box and sighed deeply. "So... She is like me after all."