#21 The School Trip

The next morning, I woke up when I suddenly remembered I had a school trip. I checked my phone calendar and remembered, 'right, I'm not joining'.

I decided to sleep-in since I didn't have any plans but a familiar smell came from the kitchen that made me curious what were the chef and maids doing so early in the morning.

I went to the kitchen only to see pancakes served on a plate. I knew they were going to fulfil my request but I wasn't expecting them to make it so early.

"I thought you should make it secretly…?"

"That is exactly why we are making it so early in the morning, young miss." The chef served the pancakes on the dining table for me to eat. He said the plan was to deliver it to my room so I can eat secretly in my room when I wake up.

I took a bite and tears rolled down my cheeks, which proved how much I missed it. It has been so long I nearly forgot how pancakes taste like.

"Thank you, it's yummy."

The maids smiled and gave me a glass of milk. I drank it in one gulp after eating my pancakes when I heard footsteps walking down the stairs.

"Who is making sounds early in this morning… Amanda?"

Crap. This is bad, really bad.

The chef and I glanced at each other. Uncertain what to say, he covered up for me by making an excuse.

"The miss got hungry so I made something for her."

Mother didn't look too displeased but she wasn't pleased by the reason either. All she did was stare at the blank plate in my hands and returned to her room without a single word.

"Phew. I'm glad she didn't burn you alive." I apologized to them for causing them trouble. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay. We were hired to serve you."

I placed the dishes into the sink for the maids to wash and headed back to my room. I was satisfied even though it was just one plate.

I went back to sleep since I didn't have any plans and it was still early. I wrapped myself in my blanket to keep myself warm in the cold room.

While I was asleep, I heard someone calling my name repeatedly but it wasn't so clear. I thought it was a dream but it turned out to be real when I opened my eyes.

"Amanda! It's lunchtime!"

My sister was yelling at me beside my bed so loud that my eardrums nearly broke. I got up from my bed and looked at the clock, only to realize it was already noon.

I quickly went to the bathroom to wash my face and combed my bedhead before heading to the dining room for lunch. Mia said she would call me after lunch so I ate with my fastest speed ever. Luckily it was just pasta.

There was still some time left before the call so I went to the kitchen and got some ice cream for desserts. Mia called me just when I was done with it so I hurried back to my room and answered it.

"Amanda has answered! Everyone come here!"

My classmates gathered in front of the camera so I could see them. They were in front of the Frederick estate.

"You see that, Amanda?"

"Yes, very clearly."

They rang the intercom at the door without hesitation and it was answered in no time.

"--Who may this be?" The woman's voice was somehow familiar to me, like I've heard her somewhere before.

"We are from Calnan Academy." Mia talked to the woman.

"Oh, Calnan Academy. Come on in."

The automatic gate opened, welcoming the students of Calnan Academy. There were houses along the way to the main house and the garden was beautiful. Eric wasn't with them as he was told to be the one entertaining them.

The guards led the way to the main house and Eric was seen sitting beside a woman in the house.

'Isn't she the one I saw in school the other day?'

Phones weren't allowed in the estate but the woman let Mia have it when she said I was on the phone. Eric's eyes widened in surprise when he heard that and avoided the camera as much as possible.

It wasn't obvious but I could see him covering his red face. I could chuckle all I want since I left myself on mute.

After they were done with the greetings, they were invited to the dining room for lunch. I felt like filling in the extra seat beside Mia but all I could do was to watch them eating.

Mia placed her phone in a way I could see everyone, so I took my time to see the woman's face. 'Is she Eric's mother? She looks a bit like grandma.'

Well, I guess doppelgangers do exist.

After they were done eating, Eric took them on a tour around the estate. Everyone there was well-prepared for their visit so the welcomes were very warm. However, the fact that his mother looks like grandma was bugging me a lot that I wasn't focusing on the tour.

'But if they're related, does that make Eric and I relatives?'

I was so lost in thought until Mia jolted me back to reality. They have arrived at the rooms they were going to stay for the night. The girls share a room while the boys another.

"Amanda, he is very rich. Look at his bathroom. So spacious I could run in there."

"He's not just rich. This wealth is a whole new level!"

"The price for this trip wasn't expensive so I thought it was just a normal house."

They were exploring the room like how I did when I was at grandma's mansion. Well, I guess what my sister said was true.

The room was big enough to fit 15 comfy beds. There was an extra since only 14 girls went but I prefer my own bed.

The girls visited the boys once they were done unpacking their things. They were so noisy that we could hear them from the door.

"What's the big fuss?" The girls went in to see them throwing a tantrum on the beds while Eric was standing in a corner.

"Eric said he won't be in the same room with us tonight!"

"Well what can I do? It's an order."

"Jeez. Why do you big families need to follow orders like this? Your life is so restricted."

Just then, Alice knocked on my room door. I didn't have time to mute myself so I just answered her with my microphone on.

"Miss, the lady wants to meet you in the living room."

"Tell her to wait. I'm on a call right now."

"The lady wants to speak with you."

"But I'm on a-"

"It is an order from the lady, Miss Amanda." For the first time, Alice did not let me finish my sentence before speaking. I felt like my rank had dropped lower than her. She had the same face as when she drove me to the hospital to visit grandma.

I had no choice but to end the call and head to the living room. It was precisely because we follow orders like this that we became part of the big families.

I sat beside my sister, who was on the couch opposite our mother. Mother's eyes were red and swollen, like she had just cried not too long ago. She took a deep breath before saying something that shocked both my sister and I.

"Your father is…."

...What?!