Meanwhile, the great hall was bustling with activities.
The garden outside the great hall that can be accessed through the door connected to the great hall was rather empty and calm.
In one of the bushes in the garden, anyone would think that it was empty, but if anyone would look closely, a small figure was sitting on the ground while hugging her thighs.
The young girl has platinum blond hair with a pastel pink undertone that made her stand out in the dark.
Her eyes were swollen and wet from crying.
She sniffed as she stared blankly at the bushes.
"Oh my God!"
Lilian's soft violet eyes widen as she expectantly lifts her head but is immediately disappointed when she sees someone she doesn't expect.
She lowered her gaze again in disappointment and then continued hugging her thighs.
A woman with small wrinkles around her eyes went closer to Lilian.
"My God, my lady! Why are you sitting in here? You're going to get dirty!" Maura, the nanny, exclaimed in concern.
Hearing the concerned voice of her nanny, Lilian's eyes start to sting once again.
Lilian feels the warm hands of her nanny touching her as if inspecting her body for anything. She lifted her head and then met Maura's warm eyes directed at her.
A flash of her mother's sharp gaze lingered on her mind, and she couldn't help but compare it to the gaze directed at her at the moment.
"M-maura!" Lilian called as she went closer to her nanny and hugged her.
Maura stroked Lilian's back as the child cried silently in her arms.
A few minutes passed before Maura spoke, "Are you fine now, my lady?"
Lilian slowly moved away from her and sniffed with her face flushed.
Maura brought the handkerchief in her pocket and then gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks.
"My lady," Maura called in a gentle voice.
"Maura, Mother hates me now," she said in a strained tone.
"No, no, no. Don't say that." Maura hugged Lilian as Lilian buried her face on her chest and cried out all of her pent-up emotions.
"Mother gave me those scary eyes!"
"What did you do that made her do that?"
"I just said to her that I want Father to guide me just like what he did to that girl for my birthday! Is that even wrong?!" She said between her sniffles.
"Of course not. There's nothing wrong with that. You deserve to be treated as well as that girl," Maura said in a gentle and soothing voice while stroking Lilian's hair.
"Then why are Mother and Father nice to her but strict towards me?" she complained.
Maura sighed softly, her hand still stroking Lilian's hair, her voice calm and deliberate.
"My dear, sometimes the kindness they show others is only a reflection of what they wish they could give to you. That girl... she is receiving what you should have had all along. The attention, the guidance, the tenderness—it was meant for you, not her. Perhaps... perhaps they feel guilty and try to make it up to her instead of facing what they've denied you."
Lilian sniffled, pulling back slightly to look up at Maura with wide, teary eyes. "Really? You think they feel guilty?"
Maura gave her a small, knowing smile, tilting her head slightly. "Of course, my sweet girl. How could they not? You are their child, their own flesh and blood. They may not show it now, but deep down, they know they owe you everything they're giving to her. That should have been yours from the start."
Lilian's expression shifted, her tears momentarily forgotten as she processed Maura's words, her thoughts turning inward.
"Now, my lady," Maura held Lilian's cheeks with her hands and made her look straight into her eyes.
"Don't hesitate to demand the things that should belong to you. Don't shy away. Otherwise someone else will take them away from you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Lilian looked straight into Maura's eyes before nodding her head slowly, "I understand."
Maura slowly steps away from Lilian.
"You should take your time there. I'll come back in a few minutes. I'll expect you will calm down when I come back, okay?"
Lilian nodded her head absentmindedly as Maura left her alone in the bushes. Her soft violet eyes are wide open as her mind stares at the empty air.
The grandiose banquet—Mother never planned my birthday ball and banquets as grand as that girl's banquet. Mother even trained that girl herself while she hired someone else to teach me. Why is that?
Father's time—he's always with her, dining with her, drinking tea together, and she even got to experience being carried in Father's arms. Why hasn't he ever done that with me?
Lilian clenched her hands in her lap, her nails digging into her palms as her breathing quickened. "Those things should have been mine. They were meant for me."
Her mind raced as Maura's words echoed. "Don't shy away. Demand what belongs to you."
"Lilian?"
...
Those geezers won't leave me alone.
Calista thought that after greeting the king and queen, she would have time to take a break, but once she was free, the guests started flocking towards her and greeted her.
She knew that not everyone was as sincere as they said they were happy to meet her. I saw right through them that deep down they sneered at me, and some even subtly wiped their hands after shaking her hands.
Pretentious b*stards.
Why even try to pretend to be nice towards me?
Even the fact that she was now carrying the Vermilion made the people flock towards her even though they don't like her. They just want to get even a small piece of the pie.
When she got the chance to break free from those geezers, she grabbed the opportunity to leave and silently went away.
Once she went past through the crowd and exited the great hall, the silence and calm atmosphere of the garden greeted her.
The garden was calm, and only the lights from the lanterns illuminated the garden.
Calista heaves a sigh and leisurely walks through the garden with a smile on her face.
She looked up at the sky and saw the crescent moon hanging in the sky with small dots sparkling around it.
"So nice," she mutters to herself.
She continued walking and hummed when her eyes suddenly caught something white.
Calista halted her steps as her heartbeats quickened.
Is it a ghost?
Calista cautiously stepped closer to the bushes, and after further inspecting, she saw more clearly.
"Lilian?" she called.
The figure with platinum blond hair with pastel pink undertones lifted her eyes and met a pair of swollen, soft violet eyes.
"Are you okay?" Calista asked concernedly at Lilian's slightly disheveled appearance.
"What happened?" she asked again when Lilian didn't answer and only stared at her.
Lilian stared at her for a few seconds, and out of nowhere, Lilian shot her hand toward Calista, gripping Calista's sleeve with surprising force.
Calista had her eyes wide open as she looked at Lilian's shaking pupils.
"You—" Lilian's voice trembled, though she quickly masked it with a feigned confidence. "You always get what you want, don't you?"
Lilian's eyes flickered between Calista's shocked face and the moonlit garden around them. Without warning, she tugged Calista closer, nearly pulling her off balance.
"I want it too!" Lilian blurted out, her voice high-pitched and sudden, like a child throwing a tantrum. "I want everything they gave you!"
Her grip on Calista tightened as she looked up with her swollen violet eyes, now brimming with something akin to desperation but tinged with childish frustration. "Why do you get all the things I should have?!"
Calista's whole body is trembling and full of anxiety at the unexpected situation she got herself into.
All she wanted was to get away from those geezers inside the great hall, but now she was in this situation. She should have stayed inside!
Calista's body instinctively wanted to protect her, and without her knowing, her body moved, and she pushed Lilian away from her.
Lilian stumbled back, her eyes wide with shock as she landed hard on the grass.
"Why did you push me?" she snapped, her voice shaky but defensive. Her eyes, still swollen from crying, shot up at Calista, the tears threatening to spill over once again.
Calista was about to open her mouth when a shout suddenly echoed through the garden.
"What happened here?"