Chapter Six: Heartwarming

After the two finish their heartwarming discussion, they went back to where Violet was.

"The best part is here!" Violet said. The siblings said goodbye to the crown prince and Diem and headed to their parents.

"Time for the presents." All of them walked onstage. They just stood there while people brought up presents. They would introduce themselves then say what's in the present while the guards would check it then they would excuse themselves. This took about an hour or two before it ended, Lyra was already tired from saying thank you to every one of them. "Which one was your favorite, dear?" The duchess asks.

There was a tradition among the nobles, every time a child turns 5, all the nobles would bring a present for that child, whoever the child picks will be allowed a reward. But not just any reward, the reward depended on how favored the child was. For example, if a child wasn't favored in that house then the reward would be something simple like jewelry but if the child was favored then the reward would naturally be big. But sometimes, it would be very embarrassing if the child wasn't favored or if the house wasn't powerful enough, people would sometimes bring nothing or just bluntly say that they have no presents. If that happens then it would be very embarrassing to the child and the house that they're from. After all, they're all nobles, face was everything. To nobles, reputation was everything.

But Lyra's family spoils her to no ends and all of the nobles know that so they would naturally try to bring the best present possible, who wouldn't want a reward from the Duke's Household?

Lyra already knew that majority of the nobles here were vying for their family's attention. "I like the emperor's present best." Making up her mind, she decided to play safe and go with the emperor since she knew that he has everything already. But then she immediately regretted it, what if he asks for a marriage between the two families. That's exactly what he did in her past life too, but she comforted herself. The marriage was only there at first because she herself wanted to marry the crown prince when she first saw him, but things are different now. The emperor can clearly tell that she doesn't like the crown prince at all, if he didn't see that then he's clearly blind.

"Alright, dear." The Duchess said. The reward would be discussed privately, Lyra wonders what the emperor wanted. According to her past life, Lyra predicted that the emperor would just wave it off. After all, he has everything that a noble would need.

"Thank you for coming to this celebration. May you all have a safe trip back." With that said, the Duke's family went back home with 2 other carriages following them holding Lyra's presents.

In the carriage, Violet was talking to Lyra. "Ah, I forgot! I haven't given you your gift yet. I'll give it when we get back."

Lyra nodded and said it was okay.

"Ah, me too," The rest of the family said.

"We were all too focus on Lyra's beauty." The Duchess laughed. Soon they arrived at home.

"Welcome back." The butler greeted them. They all went to the living room. Everyone besides Lyra rushes back to their bedroom to get the present that they had intended for Lyra including all the servants. Lyra just sat in the living room speechless. She soon saw her family coming in along with the servants.

"I got you this whip," Oliver said. It had her initials on the handle and it was made from the finest material. Just being whipped lightly with this was very painful already.

"Here's your present. A bow." Violet said. The bow that Violet got Lyra was made from gold all the way. Though it was a bit flashy, it was very pretty.

"Here's your present, dear." Her mother said while handing her present to Lyra. It was a necklace. It had her initials along, but that wasn't just it. Lyra could feel magic from this necklace.

"Ahem, I got you this." The present that her father got her was a complete set of books that she had always wanted to read but she couldn't get her hands on them.

She hugged every single one of them and said thank you. The servants were up next and they handed her dresses, jewelry, weapons, dessert, and much more. She could feel the genuine emotions that everyone in this family has towards her which made her happy. She hugged every single one of the servants and said thank you once again. "I'll thank the knights tomorrow for these wonderful presents." She said with a big smile on her face.

All the servants and her family smiled warmly. They could all feel that Lyra was different compared to the other child her age. From a young age, she knew how to properly conduct herself, she would always have a smile on her face but her smile felt quite sad. All of them were happy that Lyra was able to smile like a child her age. A smile that was pure and joyful nothing compared to how society really was.

Lyra yawned. "I'm tired now, goodnight everyone."

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After she changed into her nightgown, she went to bed. While laying in bed, she thought about everything that happened today. How she has more than one past life, how the voice talked to her, how she saw the crown prince and couldn't hide the hatred hidden in her eyes, how happy her family is, and how warm it feels to be loved.

She couldn't help but think about how blessed she is to have such a wonderful and caring family along with people that care for her. 'I will do everything in my power to protect the smiles on everyone's faces.'