Determination

Mr. Rochester widened his eyes. "You!"

"I said I disapprove." At this moment, Eyrie thought that she would be very nervous opposing her father, but contrary to her beliefs, she was calm.

"But, Eyrie! Our family could be in danger because of this! It is not a laughing matter!" The veins on her father's forehead throbbed.

"You can talk all you want, but I won't change my mind."

Because Fei won't go berserk in this lifetime! She would make sure of it!

"If this is all you called me over to say, then I'll be leaving, Father." Standing up, Eyrie turned towards the door.

Before she left, though, she made sure to look her father in the eye and quietly said, "One more thing. Take care of your health, Father, no, General Rochester. Even if you don't do this for our family, at least do it for the country."

Then, she was gone.

Stunned, General Rochester wasn't able to stop her.

His gaze was nostalgic as he leaned back in his chair and continued to look at the door that his daughter left through.

Finally, he turned around in his chair and looked up at the painting of the beautiful woman that hung on the wall behind him.

"She takes after you so much, Eyre," the man murmured under his breath.

"Eyre."

…

As Eyrie sped through the halls, she unknowingly had returned to her old bedroom.

It was only when she opened the door and saw the unfamiliar décor that she realized her mistake.

After she, the eldest miss of the Rochester family, married into her husband's family and moved out, her room had been rearranged to look like a regular guestroom.

Stepping into the room, Eyrie slowly traced her fingers on the furniture that was still new and unused. The large windows, the small porch, and the shelf of books were the only items that she recognized.

It seemed that although this room was not in use, it was still very well maintained. Though this was expected of the Rochester mansion.

She pushed forward the glass doors to the porch.

As she stepped onto the ground covered in pure white snow, untainted by any steps before her arrival, Eyrie breathed a lungful of cold, fresh air.

The entirety of the courtyard viewed from her position was also blanketed by the white snow, and it looked so fluffy and soft that she wanted to roll around in it.

Unfortunately, she could not do so from so far away.

She crouched and reached out with her fingers bare to touch the snow beneath her. This is the most I could do, Eyrie thought to herself.

It was cold. The sensation sent a tingling shiver down her spine. She closed her eyes.

Standing up again, Eyrie exhaled and opened her eyes.

Taking one last look at the mesmerizing view before her, she turned around and walked back into her old room.

The young woman was glad she came here today. It helped clear her mind and distracted her from thinking about the meeting with her father earlier in the day.

In truth, she was bothered by the information that Mr. Rochester told her, even though she had shown herself to be very resolute and calm.

The only reason she had not given in to her father's persuasion was her confidence in Fei. She trusted her. Eyrie believed that as a mutant, Fei could make decisions herself.

Besides, the eldest miss of the Rochester family had grown attached to the mutant. More so than she thought she would.

Perhaps it was because of the subtle yet not so subtle hints of emotion that would occasionally appear on the mutant's face, or was it how faithful she was to her 'master'? There was probably a myriad of reasons.

Slowly, it seemed like the promise of being friends came true in the end, despite her doubts.

Striding out of the room, Eyrie had long decided where her next destination would be: the third-floor lounge.

She was sure that Carol, Carlos, and Fei were hanging around there. It was where they always hung out.

Having said that, there was something she needed to do first.

Eyrie pressed on her left earring.

After waiting for a few seconds, she began speaking. "Command Adalina: Cancel schedule. Command Ravenna: Stop all automated tasks given."

After her commands, Eyrie pressed the earring again and used her right hand to smooth back her hair.

Done!

Adalina and Ravenna were the two main robots that were under her jurisdiction in the home that her husband and her lived in. Since Eyrie was going to stay out over time, she had to command her 'servants' properly beforehand.

Passing by the elevator, the eldest miss absentmindedly took a look at the newly painted portrait that hung on the wall right beside her own.

It was a painting of her younger sister, Carol, who had recently turned 21.

Almost randomly, she suddenly thought to herself, time really passed too quickly. In 8 more years, Carlos would have his portrait drawn as well.

…

"Fei!"

Fei was busy doing her jobs as the bodyguard and as Carlos' friend by playing video games with the boy and guarding against any intruders at the same time when she heard her name being called by a familiar voice.

She turned around. "Eyrie!"

But before she could say anything else, another voice interrupted her. "Fei, come on! Come on! Focus! We're almost winning!"

"Yes, Master! I apologize for being distracted!" Fei turned back and fervently began to fiddle with her game console.

Intrigued, Eyrie came nearer. "What are you guys playing?"

"Final Fight: game developed in XXXX, by XXXX, company headquartered at XXXX." The mutant replied without a thought.

A silence ensued; the only sounds were the music coming out from the game screen and furious tapping.

"Yayyy! We won, Fei! We won!" Carlos exclaimed, interrupting the silence.

Fei nodded. "Yes, Master. It is all due to your blessing."

Eyrie squinted her eyes. Wait. "Hey, but Carlito, didn't your character die?"

"… Well, I-I… uh, I spent all my power blessing Fei."

"…" His older sister stared at him for a while before shaking her head with a soft sigh.