It was in the middle of the night in Zephyris City, the capital city of Azerea Kingdom.

It was a city built next to the kingdom’s largest mountain range. It was founded on a small corner of the low plateau and eventually expanded over the centuries into the large City that it was today.

Now, Zephyris City was divided into two main districts. There was the Lower City—which was located at the foot of the mountain and housed the majority of the city’s population—and the Upper City.

The Upper City housed the Royal family, the elites, and the most important industries and artisans. Thousands of commoners—the descendants of the city’s first citizens—also lived here, comprising the majority of the workforce needed in the district.

This zone was protected by a tall, 3-meter wall built at the edge of the plateau, creating a separation twice as high if viewed from below, emphasizing the differences between the two areas.

Finally, at the highest point of Upper City was the Palace Complex. It was built on the side of the mountains, appearing anchored there and overlooking the vast lands it occupied.

The structures were designed to appear omniscient and omnipresent. Their location ensured they were visible from every corner of the city, making the citizens think they were always being watched.

The complex consisted of multiple palaces, both grand and modest, their size and location indicative of the owner’s position in high society.

One of these palaces was Rosekeep Palace, a mid-tier palace given to the King’s sole concubine and her children. Like any other palace at this time of night, it was silent and dimly lit. Except for the guards, everyone would be resting at this time—especially the Masters of the Palace.

It was just that a certain baby Princess, not even three years old, wasn't sleeping as soundly as she should.

Her small body squirmed as she lay on the large bed. Her tiny eyebrows furrowed as her mind drifted, drawn into a pool of images both familiar and unfamiliar to her.

It was all so strange…yet she could only let herself sink deeper into it.

She opened her eyes, and suddenly she was in a large, echoing chamber that felt like it would suck her in.

That feeling abruptly stopped when a beam of light cut through the dimmed room and landed on her, followed by a loud voice resonating in the hall.

“For the creation of the Self-sustaining Fusion Reactor—Congratulations, Miss Evelina Noa, for winning yet another prestigious ‘Inventor of the Year’ award!!”

Suddenly, the intimidating light made her feel as if she were the most important person in the room.

She stood in front of hundreds of people. They were all applauding, and the entire sight felt surreal to her.

Her body moved on its own, walking towards the center of the stage, her heart beating so loudly that she could hear every beat.

Then, as she opened her mouth to speak, the scene changed.

She felt even more unbalanced this time, overwhelmed by the number of people staring at her in addition to the strange bursts of light that seemed to smack her in the face.

Further, unlike before, when the people had sat at a comfortable distance, the audience she had now felt suffocatingly close.

“What’s going on in your mind, Miss Evelina?”

“What does it feel like to win again?”

“What can you say about winning your third award at the young age of 25?”

Each question asked—and each question she answered—the flashes of light would intensify. Some questions even got increasingly personal.

“Beautiful, rich, and smart. You don’t honestly think we’d believe you are single?”

“No boyfriend since birth? Miss Evelina, please don’t lie to us—”

“I heard you have quite a few suitors, but all of the known ones are from good families—”

“Are there really no marriage talks?”

And, finally—

“Do you have plans for what’s next?”

Her mouth opened, and unfamiliar words of an unknown language came out of her mouth. She felt detached from everything, but in her heart, she knew she was sincere.

“I simply want to create a good home for me and for my loved ones,” she said, turning to a smiling group of people at the side, applauding just like everyone else.

This was her family—her parents and her siblings. Throughout her long journey—filled with endless shifts, overnight studies, and risky experiments—they were her support. They had pushed her to become the best version of herself she could be.

This was what she got from being so obedient to them.

Later, they climbed up onto the stage with her, smiling brightly at the audience, especially at the flashes of light.

They were obviously more comfortable than she was and even began answering questions from the people with flashing lights.

The first things they answered were questions directed at her.

“I taught my daughter to be humble, kind, and hard-working. All these experiments—all of which have benefited the general population—are something we brainstorm as a family. We can assure everyone that we will not stop producing these things—as long as we keep having your support, of course.”

“As for the lover questions:While we’re not stopping her from having a relationship, she did promise to dedicate her life to the good of mankind. What kind of parents are we to stop such noble thoughts?”

Soon, the questions started to target her parents.

“Mrs. Noa! What is your secret? It couldn’t have been easy to raise such a girl!”

“Well,” her mother began. “She is a good kid and follows our advice to a tee. She is the most well-behaved and obedient child.”

“Can you tell us more about how you developed and molded Miss Evelina into the woman she is today?”

Her mother smiled, appearing pleased with the question. “I’m not saying that all her success is credited to us, but we are blessed to be honored with a daughter with such amazing talent, and one who is not so arrogant to think she accomplished everything by herself.”

Her father nodded, a similar smile gracing his face. “We will continue to support our child from the side—always,” he said. “As long as she wants us, of course.”

At the time, Evie felt warm. Of course, she wanted to be with them.

Evie continued to watch as her family answered several questions with wide smiles. It didn’t matter if the questions were directed to them or to her. Since they had entered the stage, they preferred to answer in her stead.

It was almost as if they enjoyed it. However, Evelina didn’t mind and was even thankful, believing they were doing it for her.

Did they stand with her because they could tell she was uncomfortable?

Then, while her family chattered endlessly on the stage, the scene changed again.

This time, it was in their mansion, set right after returning home from the event. They called it an ‘after party,’ something apparently held to celebrate her win.

There, she was forced to socialize and to network for hours when all she wanted was to rest. However, her parents asked her to behave and to do her part—it was for her future, they told her—so she could only bite her lips and carry on.

For hours, she faked smiles, endured long and boring conversations, and was even introduced to some young men she wasn’t interested in.

Fortunately, the day ended, and they headed back home, and it was only then that they finally let her rest. She was so tired that she fell on the bed as soon as she saw it, forgetting to clean up. She did not even get to a comfortable sleeping position.

She woke up in the middle of the night with a stiff body, feeling the urge to get some water downstairs. She did not expect her parents to be at the bar counter, drinking some of the most expensive alcohol they had.

Their faces were red and they looked woozy, but the wide smiles on their faces told her they were enjoying themselves.

“Did you see the rewards? We received millions from investments! Millions! Just from the after-party!” Her mother squealed, obviously very happy—and inebriated. “Adopting her was the best decision I ever made~”

Before Evie could feel happy and flattered, her father spoke. “Heh, why are you taking all the credit!? This is all on me!”

Her mother sneered. “You? I was the one who raised her! All you did was spend away the inheritance on useless things!”

Her father slammed his palm on the table, shutting her mother up. His angry expression turned smug.

“Why do you think she became an orphan in the first place?”

For a moment, silence rang in her ears.

What?

Evie shook her head, closing her eyes as she processed what she’d heard. She wanted to believe she had misheard it, but her brain didn’t work that way.

Still, she listened on, but she did not know what she was expecting.

She opened her eyes again and lifted her head, looking at how her red-faced mother stared oddly at her father. “Eh…I thought you were joking when you said you orchestrated their deaths.”

At this, her father downed another glass, laughing. “Psh—my bastard, know-it-all, oh-so-perfect, brother refused to lend us our good niece. He thought he was so smart, but I was sure he was being stupid!

“They couldn’t even see her potential. They kept blabbering on about useless things like wanting to give her a “normal childhood!” What for? Our Evie could be so much more!

The man leaned over a little, staring arrogantly at his wife. “Such potential would’ve been wasted with them. Of course, I had to…get rid of them.”

Evie’s heart beat loudly, her eyes wide in disbelief. She didn’t know how she ended up back in her room, but her knees buckled as soon as she closed the door.

Distant memories of a happy childhood ran in her mind: How her birth parents had dropped her off at the academy, and how they’d promised that they’d go to eat at her favorite restaurant after school.

They had never returned.

Growing up, her uncle and aunt had implied more than once that her parents had left her behind.

Sometimes, they claimed it was because she was annoying—that she was not obedient enough. So, in time, she had learned to be just that.

In other times, they told her it was because she was not ‘smart’ enough. So, she studied hard, to the point that people 10 years her senior were surprised by what she knew.

Like an idiot, she eventually resented her real parents, and it was why she worked so hard to make her aunt and uncle happy, instead.

She didn’t want to be left alone again.

Thinking of all these things, Evie could not stand up anymore. Her heart was in debilitating pain, and her body felt so heavy that it was almost like she could be eaten by the ground.

She was angry at herself, at the world, and at those people. But more than that, she felt so sorry for betraying her parents the way she had.

Evie covered her face, not knowing how to process all these emotions at all.

What could she do now?