The last time she stood here in front of this mirror was more than a month ago, on the day she was reborn.
And back then, she had decided to take care of herself for good. Now, even though the change was not that obvious. But when she looked closer, the girl in the mirror wasn’t just prettier. She looked... freer.
Her finger lightly touched the reflection. "Huh. So it wasn’t just in my head."
A ghost of a smile tugged at her lips before fading again.
Ella stepped closer to the mirror.
She indeed seemed to have shed a few pounds.
She was thinking about finding some time to join the gym in order to lose weight but she had not been able to do it.
All she could do was be on a diet(while occasionally cheating) and running in the morning daily, with occasional squats and home workouts every once in a while.
She had only intended to strengthen her body first but it seemed to have worked.
Ella’s eyes twinkled and her mood improved even further.
After a long and relaxing bath, Ella felt completely rejuvenated.
Her body was still aching but the warm water relaxed her stiff nerves. The small injuries on her body had been taken care of in time and they did not hurt as much although they looked rather ghastly on her pale skin.
After the bath, Ella donned Adrian’s bathrobe and went to the floor above.
The bathrobe almost swept the floor like a rug, reminding Ella of how tall the man actually was.
In the cloakroom, the clothings, shoes and everything were updated and shuffled according to the recent trends yet again. The staff members immediately greeted her and started making preparations.
Back in university, she kept everything minimal to not attract much attention.
So, Ella relished in this rare princess treatment. But while she enjoyed it, she was famished by the time it was done.
She dragged herself to the floor below, not expecting an unexpected surprise waiting downstairs for her.
On the head chair of the dining table, Adrian sat quietly with a file in his hand.
Kade was seated on the chair on Adrian’s left side.
The man’s face was wallow, one could see visible dark circles under his eyes. His usually lustrous blonde hair resembled an abandoned bird’s nest.
And the way he looked at Adrian was filled with begging intent.
Even the servants had to look away from his handsome face in pity because of how pathetic he looked.
But Kade has hit rock-bottom in his life.
At this point, the last thing he cared about was his image.
’’Brother...’’ Kade started, his voice trembling, ’’I can’t go to university anymore. It’s difficult!"
Adrian did not raise his head from the file as he calmly flipped a page.
’’Our grandparents are keen on having me go to university. With my cards blocked, I can’t even run away and they are pushing me around by my nose everyday. I can no longer do it. These university systems are rotten to the core... always keeping us there 24X7, teaching us this and that...’’
Adrian paused, looked up from the file and then said, ’’They do it for your own good.’’
Kade was stunned. Hmm? Why did this not sound like my brother at all?
He would not even make an effort to praise King Empires, let alone appreciate university systems.
Nevertheless, Kade cleared his throat and continued, ’’But brother, I am just unused to it. I barely bat an eyelid and they shove a new question paper on my face. How can a single piece of paper decide my life?"
Adrian did not respond.
Kade was far from giving up.
Today he would use their brotherly bond to the max to trigger Adrian’s soft corner and have him retract his punishment. In the future, he would never take his girls along whenever he went to meet his brother.
Kade gulped. "Brother, I really can’t survive university anymore. They’re relentless. I blink, and another paper’s on my desk in the name of exams, who lives like that?"
Adrian didn’t even look up.
"I’m telling you, I’m being targeted! They sat me next to a witch. The skirt-chaser kind!"
Adrian turned a page.
"She’s playing mind games, always doing push-and-pull to get my attention. It’s low-key scary if you ask me. And there are even conspiracy theories floating around..."
Adrian looked at him.
Kade shut up instantly.
He reached out to grab a glass of juice, only to realize that it was empty.
When he looked around, he was startled.
"Why is the dining table empty? We have been sitting here for some time now. When do you all plan to serve the food?" As if on cue, Kade’s stomach growled and he felt even more frustrated.
The servants looked at each other and one of them took a small step forward, ’’Third Master, the food will be served once Miss Yu arrives.’’
’’Why would you wait till she arrives....’’ Kade trailed off when all the servants looked in Adrian’s direction with their heads lowered.
He paused and then gulped before forcing a smile on his face, ’’I will wait then... I will wait...’’
Silence settled on the dining table again and the frustration in his heart grew.
He glanced at Adrian, ’’Brother, where was I just now? Ah, yes! So the people in our class suspect that this girl has actually schemed to sit beside me. Initially, I dismissed such ideas but then I realized that her behaviour was really weird. She seemed to be playing push and pull with me!"
Wasn’t that devil also called Ella?
Just thinking of it made his blood boil and he did not hold back anymore, "When I don’t pay her any attention, she gets clingy with me and when I try to talk to her, she acts cold. It’s like she is trying to get my attention. I feel so unsafe, bro... You must get me out of there and unfreeze my cards...’’
A voice rang out from behind him, sweet, slow, and coated in poison.
"Push your agenda if you must... but why drag my name into it, Classmate Kade?"