When Primrose walks into her childhood home, she expects to receive warm greetings and embraces from her family. However, as she steps into the house, she immediately notices the stale air and uninviting vibe, particularly coming from her younger brother, Nathaniel.

Walking to him and ruffling his hair, she smiles at his antic of slightly avoiding her. He has always acted like whenever she showers him with love, but today, something doesn't feel right. Nathaniel's face looks like someone just borrowed his money and ran away with it, annoying and somewhat upset.

But why…?

"Hi Ember, how are you feeling?"

"I'm getting better. The pain is no more and I'm able to do my regular activities."

"That's good. Your doctor is Caleb Vatore, right?" Primrose's face beams up when she mentions his name "My guess is that he has done a very good job."

But Nathaniel's expression says otherwise. He scoffs at her comment and leaves the living room, mumbling about how he needs some fresh air. The older Emberlynn raises a brow at her brother's odd antic and looks at Ember for an explanation, but the young girl just smiles and tries to distract her with a different story instead.

The two girls decide to come to the kitchen, where momma Rosalina is cooking and ask to help her. The woman's smile fills with warmth as she tells them what they need to do. Today, she is making her husband's favorite, a stew of sorts with dining rolls.

"Primrose! How was your party?"

"Party? Oh, you mean at my company?" she realizes what her mom is talking about "It was great, we had fun."

"My, you seem to be more…hm…" Rosalina rests one hand underneath her chin and ponders her thoughts "Radiating?"

"Radiating? Mom, I'm sure that I have not been to anywhere that is radioactive."

"I think she means glowing." Ember turns to Primrose, nodding her head "But I notice that too, your energy seems to be different. Did something happen?"

Primrose shakes her head, not understanding their words. She can guess that they are asking if she is seeing someone, which has always been the topic of dinner conversations. While she wishes to disclose the fact that she is getting to know someone, it's not the right time to tell everyone yet.

Her relationship with Caleb has taken a drastic step and they are now growing accustomed to each other's accompany. Although it's not a dating phase yet, the vampire lord tells her that it's okay to take things slow as the most important thing is to just savor the moment of the present. And Primrose agrees.

What they are doing is rebuilding what was left in the past, it's a delicate process that needs time and attention. They both don't want to rush things or to be hasty and jump to a conclusion immediately. To make up for the lost time, it is what they are doing now.

"I'm home!"

"Dad!"

The middle-aged blond man smiles as he receives a hug from his lovely daughter. Edward pats her head and takes off his shoes, setting down his belongings on the sofas before making his way into the kitchen and planting a kiss on his wife's cheek.

"So romantic!" Ember squeals in excitement.

"Welcome home, honey. I make your favorite today!" Rosalina smiles fondly at her husband "It's almost done, maybe you should eat before taking a bath?"

"I will, thank you, honey."

Primrose leans against the hallway, smiling at how lovey-dovey her parents are. Even to this day, she is quite surprised to know that these two who hail from two distinct families can come together and form a family like this.

Her dad, Edward Emberlynn, is a member of the Emberlynn family, the one with a long history of magic. It is on her father's side of the family that has the tradition of sending young ones to Glimmerbrook School of Magic when they turn 18 to learn magic for two years. This is the tradition that Primrose had failed a couple of years ago but she was able to make it up by learning magic under the guidance of Marlin and .

Her mother, Rosalina Emberlynn, comes from the Minamoto family which is known for their high affinity with potion crafting. While Primrose and Nathaniel aren't blessed with such skills, their mother is an expert in the art and has been such a good teacher in preparation for Primrose's advanced potion crafting test.

"Where is Nathaniel?"

"He's in the backyard, being grumpy for no reason." the raven head pouts.

"I see, let me see what's going on. Must be some men-only business." Edward winks playfully, leaving the kitchen to find his son.

Rosalina scoffs at his words, she can not hold back the blush and Ember sweatdrops at the sight. It is obvious that her parents are not against public displays of affection, especially when it comes to their kids. Maybe it's because of this that Primrose is interested in writing romance stories, she is influenced by her parents after all.

"But seriously, what happened to Nat?" the raven head wonders to herself, not knowing the odd looks she receives from Rosalina and Ember.

Primrose doesn't know that today's dinner is about her problem, or at least, what Nathaniel deems to be her problem.

After knowing the secret of her budding connection with Caleb, her young brother wasted no time contacting their parents and asking for their guidance on what he should do. The young Emberlynn insisted that this relationship was doomed to fail, that history would repeat itself, and that she was digging her own grave by engaging in this mess.

Their parents did not have anything to say, but they knew Nathaniel and his protectiveness over Primrose. If they stay silent then the blond might do something that he would regret later. So Rosalina decided to host a dinner, not only for a lovely family gathering but also to give Primrose advice on what she thinks is the best for her daughter.

"Alright, dinner is ready!"

At the call of Rosalina, the family gathers at the dining table, each serving themselves a plate full of food before making themselves comfortable on the seat.

The conversation starts nice and slow, with Edward paying a compliment to Rosalina and her delicious beef stew. They then talk about her work as a stylist and how the new client is quite difficult to talk to, Edward's duties as a history professor at Britechester University. They also talk about Nathaniel and Ember's upcoming graduation at Foxbury University as they are in their senior year of computer science and biology majors.

As they talk more about their life, they all glance at each other and then at Primrose. No one wants to address the elephant in the room and Nathaniel's patient only shows to grow thinner with each minute past by. Ember notices this and speaks to him quietly, hoping it will ease the tension around him a bit. She knows that her boyfriend is worried about his older sister but this is a delicate topic that they should address with care, not with hasty conversations.

But Nathaniel seems like he is reaching his breaking point. If no one is going to address the issue, he will do it. He doesn't have any obligation to work on eggshells regarding Primrose's problem.

"Prims, we need to talk!"

Primrose blinks a few times at her brother's words and sets down her spoon, giving him her full attention.

There is tension in the air, with Rosalina knitting her brows, not approving of her son's tactless antic. Edward stays silent, watching how things will unfold in front of him. Ember sits next to her boyfriend and offers some words of advice on how he should phrase his words carefully.

"You're seeing someone right?" Nathaniel looks at his sister, coming in with full force "And that person is an old flame of yours?"

Primrose's surprised expression is everything he needs to confirm that he is correct.

"H-how did you…?"

"I overheard your conversation with Lilian." the blond leans back on his chair, still holding a strong and dominant voice "It's Caleb Vatore, isn't it?"

"Y-you eavesdropped on us?"

"Just answer the question."

"I don't have any obligation to answer your question if eavesdropping is how you do to get information from me!"

Primrose crosses her arms, huffing angrily. She can't believe that her brother dares to ask about her personal life after using such a tactless way to know her story like that.

"It doesn't matter, Primrose. My primary concern is you." Nathaniel shakes his head, running a hand through his hair frustratedly "But with your defensiveness, I guess that it's true. Mom, Dad! You both have to say something, she is crazy going back to someone who has hurt her."

"Don't bring our parents into this!"

Primrose, growing even more defensive, grips the tablecloth tightly as she glares at her younger brother. Nathaniel isn't fazed by her anger, arguing that her choice to engage with Caleb is as reckless as her previous involvement with Don Lothario. While there are plenty of suitors who wish to know her, why does it have to be Caleb Vatore?

"Caleb Vatore, Caleb Vatore…wait…" Edward, now grasping the name of this mysterious man's identity, turns to his daughter "Primrose, you're not telling me that this man is the same Caleb Vatore of house Vatore in Forgotten Hollow?"

Feeling like she is being cornered by her family, Primrose refuses to speak up on the matter anymore. But it's too late for her to back down. When her father mentions the possibility of a vampire being her love interest, Nathaniel loses it.

"And he's a vampire? A vampire? Primrose, you're way smarter than this, why him? Why does it have to be him?"

"He has changed Nat. He is not the same person years ago. He knows his mistakes and he is making amends to them. That is enough for me to choose him!"

"Alright now, you two! Break it off!" Edward steps in, looking at his children "We're here for family dinner, not an argument between who is right and who is wrong!"

"But dad…!"

"Nathaniel, enough! We understand your concerns, but your sister knows what she is doing. She is not a mere child who can not see what is right and what is wrong." Rosalina huffs angrily.

But Nathaniel is far from finished. He must put some sense into his sister's brain as she is now bewitched by how much Caleb has changed to the point that she doesn't care about his vampire heritage or the fact that he was the source of her pain in the past. Someone needs to stop her from being delusional and thinking that this relationship between her and that man can work out.

"You're digging your own grave, Prims. Sooner or later, he will leave you. Just like how he did her last time."

That is the last straw. Primrose is visibly shaking at her brother's words, her eyes well up with tears as she throws her spoon at him, yelling out how her love life is no one else's business but hers and that Nathaniel should respect boundaries. Gathering her belongings hastily, she is unable to enjoy the meal any longer and leaves early.

Nathaniel is not doing any better, fuming as he kicks the dining chair and storms to the living room angrily. Ember follows to calm her boyfriend down, in times like this, offering her silent support is what she can do. He is frustrated at his sister's antic, unable to grasp the reason why she is willing to go to lengths to protect Caleb Vatore. The more he thinks about it, veins pop on his face and his brows furrow in irritation.

Then, there are Edward and Rosalina. The revelation of Caleb Vatore and his vampire heritage intrigues Edward, he never thought that his daughter had such a close connection with the head of the strongest family in the vampire society. However, the fact that he was also the source of Primrose's heartbreak unnerves him. While he doesn't have much to say about who his daughter chooses to be with, he still wants to meet this man once to see if Caleb is a suitable match for Primrose.

Rosalina, on the other hand, is worried about both of her children. It's not rare for them to fight, but for Primrose to leave this early just because Nathaniel confronts her about her choice indicates that there is a stronger connection between her and the vampire lord. Although she doesn't want to overstep her boundaries, Rosalina needs to meet and evaluate Caleb first before deciding if her daughter should or should not be with him.

"What in the world…?"

Ignoring Marlin's words, she storms right inside their home, searching for comfort from Lumera. While they're welcoming her with both arms, her state right now is worrisome. After a few minutes of crying and yelling incoherent words, she finally calms down enough to speak about the matter.

"Goodness, Nathaniel is just as tactless as ever." the blond mage shakes his head "But from what you're saying, I can assume that you and Caleb are a thing now?"

"No, we're not! Are you even listening?" she huffs angrily, not enjoying any form of teasing "We're getting to know each other and that's it! Why would my brother have to make a mountain out of a molehill like that?"

Lumera brushes away the falling tears, whispering soothing words into her ears to calm the raven head down. If they can not keep her emotions in check, there will be a big problem.

"Marlin, stop teasing her. This is not the time for that."

"If you're thinking about her power, need I remind you that three water hydrants exploded on her way here?"

Hearing this only distresss Primrose even more as she wails louder and holds onto Lumera tightly like a child to her mother. The healing mage gives her husband a look, not pleased with how he is handling the situation.

"Calm down now, I'm sure your brother means no harm." speaks softly "He's just worried about you, my dear."

"B-but…"

His words are like knives throwing at her, they cut deep and it hurts. She has only opened her heart to Caleb recently and anything that suggests otherwise makes her feel like she is fighting against the whole world, it's not fair…

"My brother is still fussing over me, Primrose. And I'm a married woman. I understand that sometimes words can be painful, but he only speaks from the goodness of his heart."

The raven head knits her eyebrows, upsetting but also understanding the prospect of Nathaniel's words. Her brother is worried, she knows that. He is being judgmental towards Caleb is mainly caused by her, by how he was there to witness her pain without knowing the truth behind it. But to say that she is digging her own grave is him overstepping his boundaries.

"Primrose, you can not expect everyone to be on board with you and your journey back to Caleb's arms. There will be people like Nathaniel and maybe, your whole family, opposing the idea. You must learn to navigate through them, not sitting there and fighting word-by-word like a child." Marlin, ever the practical one, shakes his head "While I and Lumera can see both sides of the story, your family only sees yours. How you were crying, how you were unable to finish your studies at Glimmerbrook, and so many more…"

"But…"

"Marlin is right, Primrose. And your family is just worried about you, my dear." patting her head softly, Lumera smiles "Let them have the time to understand the scope of your problems and show them that Caleb has truly changed for the better. If you just sit there and argue with them, you will not win."

Primrose pouts, reluctantly letting go of Lumera. Just as she thought that nothing could stop her and Caleb on the reunion journey, more problems popped up that needed to be resolved. But before she thinks about how she can tell and show her family the changes in Caleb, her phone rings, several messages, and missed calls. The messages are from her parents and Ember, while the missed calls are mostly from Nathaniel.

"He has brought up the white flag, are you going to shoot him down just because you're angry at him?" Marlin looks at her "Tactless as ever."

She sticks her tongue out at her blonde mentor before staring at the phone, wondering if she should call her brother back. Within the next minute, another call comes in, it's Nathaniel…

"What do you want?"

"Where are you?"

"Doesn't matter." she huffs, still angry at what he said to her earlier.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad, it just…" Nathaniel seems to have a hard time figuring out the words "I'm worried, okay? I don't want you to get hurt again."

"…" she doesn't answer this time.

"You can date him all you want, Prims. But I don't trust him. I can't trust anyone who hurt my sister. You know that…"

"I know…" she sighs, finally gives in "But your words hurt. I don't like them."

"Yes, I'm sorry about that too." Nathaniel's voice seems to be relief "Just come home soon, okay? Mom and Dad are worried, me and Ember too."

"I'm not going home, I'm going back to my apartment."

"That will do. Just text me when you get back, okay?"

"Will do."

"Love you Prims"

"…" Primrose pouts even more, Nathaniel knows that she can not say no when he is being affectionate "Love you too Nat!"

Hanging up the call, Primrose can't help but think about his words. She knows how protective Nathaniel is, especially when it comes to the man she allows into her life. She remembers how vocal he was voicing his opinion about her going out on dates with Don Lothario, except for the fact that Don totally deserved the bad things Nathaniel had said about him.

But Caleb on the other hand…

No, I must find a way to show everyone that Caleb has changed…