Holding unto her father’s arm, they made their way to their designated seats, perks of being a high-ranking individual in the kingdom.
Seated opposite them was Lila and Mark, each on their respective tables.
Mark, because of his royal identity, his family was seated, all spotting a different look to avoid recognition and chaos altogether.
Lila, ever beautiful and graceful, beamed and waved as she made eye contact with Camilla, who returned her smile with the same energy as she sat down.
After a little while, the ceremony kicked off, and the MC invited the Chancellor unto the stage to give a welcome speech.
“Good afternoon, dear esteemed Parents and Students gracing the event today with their presence.”
Rune Howler, a powerful in-the-kingdom werewolf and a man of high caliber, stood up to address his students and parents in attendance of the ceremony.
“Welcome to the graduation ceremony of Chestnut University, where we celebrate the achievements of our students and the support of their families today.
Werewolf or human, as the Chancellor of this enviable and prestigious university, I am honored to stand before you today to welcome each and every one of you.
Today marks a significant milestone in the lives of our graduates, and we are thrilled to have you all here to share in this special moment.
Your dedication, hard work, and unwavering support have brought us to this joyous occasion.
Thank you for being part of this memorable day,” he said as he ended his speech gracefully.
The ceremony progressed with giving the students their certificates.
The graduating students lined up to collect their certificates and thereafter clicked some pictures with their parents.
And, strangely enough, when the best student of the set was called, Camilla emerged victorious, which didn’t surprise anyone because she was good in character and was dedicated to her studies.
The ceremony progressed to the end of evening, and every student felt melancholic when they walked out of the gates, this time not as students but as graduates of one of the best universities in the kingdom.
Camilla came back home with her family, drained of energy after they took some photos together for memories of the occasion, which was like a tradition for them.
Upon entering her room, she saw a gift sitting on her bed, and she curiously shut her door and went to check it out.
“From Thane,” she read the contents.
Feeling tired, she dropped the gift back on the bed and went to freshen up to feel more revitalized.
By the time she was out of the bath, it was already time to eat.
Glancing at the gift sitting proudly on her bed again, she closed the door and went downstairs to have dinner with her family.
“Here comes the new graduate of the Emberstone family,” the trio already sitting at the table fawned upon her.
She smiled, feeling contented that nothing was ruining her family time again.
Knowing that nothing could stop her from ever loving this family of hers, she grinned at them, and she came closer and sat down on the right-hand side of her father, who was sitting at the head table.
They were served food, and Mark suddenly stood up, remembering he almost forgot something, and the trio looked at him, feeling puzzled.
Mark signaled at the servant, and she went upstairs and returned with a bottle of wine in her hand.
Julia smiled at how thoughtful her husband was and stood up, followed by Liam and Camilla.
Mark opened and poured some of the wine into the wine glass that had already been arranged in front of him, and he handed them each and he raised his hand for a toast.
“To the pride of the family, who always exceeds all our expectations and excels in any category she finds herself in.
Welcome to the society, Camilla.
Always remember your roots,” he said in a loving, fatherly voice.
“Cheers,” he said and clinked his glass together with Julia’s before clinking with the children’s glass, and they all sat down to eat their dinner.
Sitting in front of the mirror again, Camilla found it amusing how she had been sitting down in front of the mirror this past week since the truth about her identity came.
Rereading the only memory of her parents again for a few more times, she sighed and removed everything in the box, ready to go through with the instructions she found in the letter, even though she was skeptical. This chapter was taken from novelping . com without permission.
Taking a calm breath, she brought her thumb a little closer to the edge of the box and pricked it again, whining at the intentional act of an opening in her skin again.
The magic worked faster than before as a golden glow covered the box again, making her withdraw her hand and ready to shield her eyes if the situation from earlier occurred again.
Thankfully, this time the glow was welcoming, and she was able to witness a small book turning larger in size by the second as if it was taking life until it was fully formed.
Inspecting the book that looked like silver roots was wrapping around it tightly as if the book had a consciousness of not letting anyone except the owner read it.
The mysterious book, bound in white leather with intricate silver roots, as she called them.
It was humming an otherworldly energy that even Camilla, who didn’t know much about other races apart from humans, vampires, and werewolves, could feel deep in her bones.
“Now this is wonderful,” Camilla said, clearly intrigued by the spectacular view in front of her as she reached out to grab the book now sitting on her table.
“Mmm, now how do I get this open?
Mom, you didn’t say anything regarding this part—”
She paused as it occurred to her how she easily called a stranger she hadn’t seen before her mom, and picturing Julia’s tear-streaked face in her mind, she felt mentally drained because she hadn’t shared anything she had seen with her ever since she was given the box.
“Well, blame it on her curiosity that didn’t allow her to think straight at the moment.”
She decided to concentrate on the present and leave the future for later.
She inspected the book thoroughly from the back first before going over to the front, where she noticed a diamond at the center of the book.
It looked like the key holding unto the book that had silver roots on them.
The thought of pricking her thumb again scared her, even though the previous injury had already sealed itself.
She just found the intentional act painful, even though she was stronger than she let on.
Even without knowing, she was already slowly accepting the fact that she wasn’t human anymore.