"But our team won't lose!" Mia Quinn lifted her chin. "Right, Lucia?"
Lucia replied, "That's right! Our team will take first place!"
"Hmph! Exactly!"
Everyone couldn't help but laugh at her antics.
Dismissal came early that day.
Mia Quinn went back and fell asleep early.
She was sleeping soundly when Lucia woke her up.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she asked, "Lucia, what's up?"
"I need to talk to you about something," Lucia said. "Can you come to my room for a bit?"
Mia nodded and followed her.
As soon as she entered Lucia's room, she found it packed with people.
Ryan Lu, Luna Lian, Adrian Drake, Sean Shaw, and her brother Harvey Quinn from Cangwu, along with other Southern Realm friends, were all there.
On the table sat five giant birthday peaches and all sorts of delicious treats.
"Huh? You guys..." She stared in disbelief.
"Happy five-hundredth birthday, Mia!" Lucia ruffled her hair.
Suddenly, Mia's eyes filled with tears. She threw her arms around Lucia. "You guys are so mean! How could you spring a surprise like this while I'm sleeping!"
"Hahaha! Are you crying from happiness?" Lucia teased.
Mia sniffled, "My birthday always falls right next to Divine Lord Tanya Quinn's, so everyone is busy preparing for hers. Who cares about a kid like me!"
Mia looked so pitiful. "So, for you all to remember my birthday—I really appreciate it. Thank you, everyone!"
"Aww! Come on, sit here!" Everyone ushered her to the seat of honor and began seriously celebrating her birthday.
After a few rounds of drinks, everyone suddenly noticed a delicate fragrance wafting through the air.
The scent was a bit like marigold, but richer.
It was also a little like gardenia, only fresher.
"What's that smell? It's so nice!" Everyone started searching for the source.
Then they discovered it was a Flower Egg on the windowsill that had bloomed.
"Eh?" Mia picked up the Flower Egg. "Lucia, this marigold smells amazing! It's different from the one you had before."
Lucia was stunned and didn't answer.
"That's not a marigold!" Luna Lian said. "That's a Loveblossom!"
"Loveblossom? What's that? I've never heard of it!"
Luna Lian laughed, "Of course you haven't! Back in the Spirit Alliance, my sister once planted marigold and gardenia together. When the scents mixed, something magical happened.
She made it up, saying the scent was just like the way books describe the smell of love—intense but not cloying, sweet yet clean, and... what else was it?
Ryan Lu chimed in, "Unique, but lasting!"
"Exactly!" Luna Lian said. "So we joked that if a flower with that scent ever existed, we'd call it a Loveblossom—the flower that stands for love! Who would've thought it would actually appear one day!"
Divine Lady Lucia, who do you plan to give such a Flower Egg to?" Harvey Quinn asked, glancing at Sean.
Sean gazed at the egg with a smile, his eyes shining with anticipation.
She'd put away her old Flower Egg and swapped it for this one...
But just then, Mia Quinn blurted out, "This wasn't made by Lucia at all—it was a gift from Qilin Divine Lord Soren Lann!"
Since she lives with Lucia and is super curious, Mia had asked about the extra egg when she saw it in Lucia's room before.
Her words dropped like a bomb—the room went dead silent.
The smile faded from Sean's lips as he stared at Lucia.
Everyone turned to look at Lucia.
Lucia: "..."
Who am I?
Where am I?
Why is everyone looking at me?