Arriving at the Livendough household made Eli's jaw drop because of how enormous it was. Or rather, to say enormous was an understatement, this house could have been on par with one of Yuri's vacation houses.

White, rough walls that had built the entire mansion with intricately-designed Greek pillars that supported the wide front porch, Eli found herself marveling at its beauty, especially the wide land around her that was designed with green hedges and rose arches with a large fountain in the middle. There was even a white, open gazebo nearby.

It felt like she was actually in a royal family's domain in a small town. It totally gave off that fantasy feel.

"I somehow knew that the Livendoughs were wealthy enough to be able to afford countless mansions but I never knew they would put a lot of effort in one. They sure are something, don't you think?" Nozomi asked, sharing the same but calmer sentiment of awe.

"They surely spend millions just to maintain this mansion." Eli replied.

"Don't get too surprised now, Eli-chan. Remember, we have to prepare Little Belle for her father and slowly allow her to move on." Nozomi said.

Shoot. Eli almost forgot. The beauty of this mansion took her away for a moment.

Before they came here, she, Nozomi and the Vintage Coffee people discussed what to do. Looking back, Eli and Nozomi were tasked to proceed with playing pretend with Belle; seriously? Nozomi as the mom? Her, the dad?

This was making Eli's cheeks flare up while her ears turned red and it felt like her heart wanted to pop out of her chest by the way it palpitated. If things turned out the way they wanted it to be, Eli would be able to see Nozomi in a dress – that was befitted for a Queen.

"Are you okay, Eli-chan?" Nozomi blinked curiously and Eli finally snapped out of her own fantasy.

Shaking her head, Eli answered, "Y-Yeah!"

"You're imagining me wearing a dress?" Nozomi teased and the blonde flinched away in surprise.

'Can she read minds?!' Eli thought. She had to divert the attention from her real quick or she'd make herself embarrassed.

"N-No. I was just thinking of what we have to do."

"Really?" Nozomi innocently tilted her head and her smile faded away to convey obliviousness.

"L-Let's just go, please." Eli said as she marched towards the main door with the giggling Nozomi, following behind.

IIIII

The double doors squeaked open and Eli's eyes glimmered at the interiors of the mansion – it was much more grand than outside with all the paintings hanging on the walls, a large staircase that led to the second floor in the middle across the room, white pillars on each side of the doors with statue heads on them and a long, red carpet towards the staircase.

Eli wondered, though, the rest of the space of this room was left open and free of anything, perhaps this was used as a stage for dancing sessions on occasions.

"Welcome, Ms. Ayase and Ms. Tojo. Belle is at school and will be back home soon." Basan greeted with a bow.

"Belle likes going to school?" Eli asked.

"She loves it. She gets to play with other children."

"Is there anything else we need to know?" Nozomi followed.

"Belle likes to act so you will usually see her in the living room, playing a character, as for food, she likes chocolates and pancakes." Basan responded.

Chocolates?! Eli thought and hummed to not draw attention to herself. Nozomi doesn't really know about it yet. She better keep what she likes for now just to avoid any misunderstandings.

"Typical child indeed." Eli chuckled.

"Indeed, and, she likes going to the Nature's Circle, the large garden at the back." Basan added.

"Nature's Circle? I heard it was a commercial use for proms and night weddings." Nozomi said.

Basan chuckled, "Belle likes people, so her parents decided to have the circle open for everyone to use. So, usually, teenagers with film projects or art degree holders would come here."

"That's really generous of them." Eli said.

"Indeed. That's why they are loved by everyone. They're one of the families along with the Imperials who wouldn't trample on someone."

They soon reached the master's bedroom and upon walking in, Eli and Nozomi were in awe as they discovered how wide the room was. It seemed Basan had the room ready before they arrived.

"Lunch will be prepared in a few minutes, in the meantime, make yourself at home." Basan said.

"Thank you, Basan. We'll be down there." Nozomi replied and Basan bowed once again before closing the door for them and left.

Once they're alone, Nozomi faced Eli, "The house feels quiet, don't you think?"

Eli nodded, "It's that kind of silence and only Little Belle is making a sound."

"That's right. I guess the death of two people made the most impact."

"So, how should we start introducing you as the new mom?"

Nozomi hummed, "I can do that myself. Just go with how you will usually introduce someone."

"Won't Little Belle get suspicious? Chika said that she would need proof if ever since when it comes to couples, she gets entirely curious." Eli blinked.

"Then," Suddenly, Nozomi wrapped her arms around Eli's neck and pulled her a bit closer, causing the blonde to freeze with her face turning completely red, "Shall we practice?"

"N-Nozomi!" Eli could feel her heart racing; the hell…! Their faces were so close that she could get a whiff of Nozomi's natural scent. Eli then closed her eyes tightly as she waited for things to happen.

Nozomi giggled at Eli's reaction before pulling away, "Your ears are red! I got you there, didn't I?"

What?

Eli opened her eyes and was dumbfounded, "W-What?"

"Let's get downstairs and have lunch, shall we?" Nozomi then walked past her, leaving the room.

"W-Wait! Jeez! Teasing me like that…" Eli quickly followed pursuit, closing the door behind her.

IIIII

The smell of medicine filled the nostrils within the Nishikino Hospital – one of the largest hospitals in Synverta that was popularly known for various expertise between nurses, doctors and surgeons. Casual strides made their way towards an office with a "Dr. Maki Nishikino" sign by the door. Opening the door, a tall woman with red hair that reached past her shoulders was there in her white coat and a stethoscope around her neck.

"Yo. Doctor Maki." Jesidril waved with a grin and the redhead flinched back in surprise at the former journalist's sudden visit.

"J-Jesi!? What brings you here?!" Maki asked.

"Come by to ask something, are you free?" Jesidril didn't hesitate and sat on one of the black sofas nearby, raising up her feet on the table as she took out a rolled paper from her satchel.

"Put your feet down, please." Maki said.

"No."

"Ugh." Maki sighed and sat down in her black swivel chair, "What is it?"

"Can you have a look at this person in this paper? It's important." Jesidril said as she tossed the rolled paper towards the doctor, to which she quickly caught it and unrolled it to read its contents.

Maki narrowed her eyes as she stayed silent.

"I have Yuri looking into another person as well, hoping for your earliest feedback." Jesidril stood up with her hands in her pockets and headed towards the door.

"What is this for?" The redhead asked and looked up at the woman.

Jesidril stopped to reply.

"Charity." And without waiting for an answer, she left.

Maki raised an eyebrow before a sigh escaped her lips as she looked back at the paper.

Arabelle Livendough.

"Hmm…"

Maki couldn't quite put a finger on it but something about this profile was making her feel odd about it.

"She looks familiar…" Maki muttered under her breath.

A/N: Hiiiii thank you so much again for reading this fic! I brewed another chapter for y'all! Alsooo

nadaoriginal – thank you so much for commenting all this time, as a little gift, I'm gonna tell you that there's a reason why things are transitional ;) also, I'm practicing lmaao so your feedback is TRULY appreciated you have no idea 3