Absolutely Not Mushy and Doting

It's not that Lady is complaining about getting a second chance in life.

She just can't help but acknowledge the disappointment that this 'expectation-versus-reality' situation brings. Then again, greeting all these strangers and keeping up a 'good girl' act for an hour straight is definitely no fun.

Really, she'd rather do some stargazing or some sightseeing in the city. It's quite ironic since she's supposed to see herself as the main character in reality – a lonely little girl who yearns to be loved by everyone around her. This was her dream, and yet, here she was thinking of escaping somewhere else later on.

It seems that the saying, 'be careful of what you wish for since you might just get it,' is true all along.

"Sit up straight, Lady. Your posture is unsightly."

Then came Maximilian, all set to give Lady another round of lectures.

She pouted yet obeyed nonetheless. He settles down on the seat beside her. It was only then that he noticed something wrong with her chair.

"Why are you sitting on that thing? You should have called for someone to get you a chair for children. Can't you even do something as simple as that?" Maximilian said before turning around to look for a waiter to fetch Lady a chair.

She just settled with rolling her eyes instead of grumbling out loud.

He commented on her posture first before he noticed her chair. Some father he is, indeed. But, again, she had to remind herself that she was also to blame here.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Empe-"

She immediately cut herself off, taken aback by how she almost called him by the nickname she came up with. With a shaky smile, she quickly corrected herself, "I-I mean, yes, Father. I'm sorry."

He raised a brow at her. To her relief, he seemed to have not caught on.

Soon, a waiter came with a chair meant for children.

But then, before Lady can sit on it, her attention is called once more. Maximilian suddenly stood up from his seat, having spotted something at the entrance of the event hall.

Confused, her gaze follows where his is before eventually landing on a certain old couple – their features familiar. Too familiar for her not to recognize.

"Your grandparents are here. Prepare yourself to greet them. Do as you have been taught, and do not embarrass me," he said, laying out his order before he started to walk ahead of her.

"What I've been taught? Heck, no. I don't recall a single thing," she muttered to herself, stalling for a moment until she saw him turn slightly to look at her over his shoulder and beckon her to follow after him.

Snapping out of it, Lady went on to drag her feet and trail after Maximilian.

She is getting tenser and tenser with each step she takes, clueless as to how exactly she should greet her grandparents. It doesn't help that everyone in that place has their focus on the entrance right now, either. All of their attention will soon be on her.

At this rate, she would just have to imitate what her cousins would do.

"Listen, don't mess this up…" Maximilian started again.

"Your grandparents have always been hard to please. But you need to try. They're one of the main reasons why I have to adopt you in the first place. If you fail to earn their favor, you fail to fulfill your purpose as my daughter."

"Yes, Father…" Lady sighed, expression straight and flat.

"I understand."

It was not like she was unaware of that. In fact, she knows better than he does. Considering that she is their creator, she is already expecting that pleasing these two significant characters, in particular, will not be easy.

'I mean, come on, they're the ever honorable founders of one of the biggest conglomerates in the country. Don't expect them to turn out to be all mushy and doting.'

And when Lady finally got a close view of these grandparents of hers, that was exactly the thought that crossed her mind – absolutely not mushy and doting.