As soon as Saryhn knocked on the doors, there was soft muttering to be heard from inside, and then a grey-haired butler that Yifei knew as Browynfir opened the door to let them in. Inside, there was a desk in the middle of the office, and behind that were two of the most beautiful people Yifei had ever set her eyes on. Even by anime standards.

The woman was sitting in the chair, an excited look in her aquamarine eyes. Her ruby curls flowed down her shoulders like a waterfall and her up-tilted features created a mischievous look. The man standing next to her boasted short bangs of midnight blue, with icy pupils that gave him a daydreaming, serene expression.

These are my parents?! Yifei's brain short-circuited. Thankfully Saryhn came to the rescue.

"My Lady, my Lord," she bowed." this is your long-awaited daughter!" The man smiled.

He began speaking in a gentle flow. "Welcome to thi-" 

"this fantastic household which is absolutely bursting to finally have you, my darling, join it!" Mother busted his sentence, grinning cheekily. 

Yifei couldn't help but giggle at their antics while they started arguing playfully. Yifei Zhao herself was a rather cheerful jester in her previous life, always jakking around and spazzing out, so she was rather hoping that she receive a playful parent that understood her random moments of cheeriness.

This, however, caused both parents to smile even brighter at their daughter. They then shot a meaningful glance at each other and the woman cleared her throat.

"As has been mentioned, your naming ceremony is coming up, and we have been racing to find every unique name for our darling." Her voice was very rich, like that of a singer. "But we couldn't have possibly found a suitable name for our star if we didn't get to know her first! So," She giggled. " we will accompany you to your playroom for the next week to make up our minds and get to know our darling better!"

"Besides," father spoke up. "we weren't able to come home to you for the first years we adopted you" his face saddened " so this is our chance to make up for that." He then crouched down to take her hand in his.

"So what do you say?"

And Yifei beamed and beamed and beamed.

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Mother was a rash person, but she was very passionate, like the blue flames she liked to play with Yifei. Father was cool water, gentle and caring, imitating the pretty waterfalls that he leaves behind everywhere, getting Browynfir angry every time. 

It's quite funny, actually, watching the butler scolding father like his son while watching from behind corners with mother and Saryhn. Saryhn did not change in their presence, and for that, Yifei was glad. She would have been devastated if the servants had any reason to change themselves to fit her parents.

Far too soon, the week was over, and preparations for the naming ceremony were starting up. Not directly in the Mansion, but for the dress and materials needed for it. Yifei had asked for a modest dress, not too eye-catching but still well-made, and not too bothersome for the seamstresses and the tailors.

However, the head seamstress just waved her concerns in the face and told her that "Sweet treasures like you shouldn't bother with the likes of us old croons!" But Yifei Zhao was not someone that liked to take from others, so she protested until the seamstress promised her not to overwork on her dress.

Yifei's naming ceremony was a bit late, as her parents were away on a mission that needed their magic when they adopted her from wherever. This narrowed down Yifei's options, but she might be an unintroduced character or a future lady-in-waiting that wasn't deemed important enough to have her backstory written into the game.

Or pin it all on the fact that Yifei Zhao was a procrastinator and couldn't be bothered to find out their surnames.

But yeah, the day of the ceremony arrived with the soft announcement of dawn, beautifully painted and far too early. The maids rushed her to the dressing room, fawning over the last moments of their "Little one" who was soon to have a name.

With the gushing maids, Yifei Zhao noticed that her requests have been met in the dress. Need to remember to thank the head seamstress for this. It was a simple dress, a pale emerald, seemingly darker than it was. Very well made, with neat stitching, but no embroidery, as she'd asked. It covered her shoulders in a cloak-like fashion, high mandarin collar and tapered down into an unsupported skirt. She loved it.

Then they walked down to the carriage, and since it was Yifei's first time properly out of the Mansion, not including the rare visits to the garden, she was looking around her with wide eyes, taking it all in.

Then the charade had to end when she stepped inside the carriage with Saryhn. It was more spacious than expected inside, with two benches on either side. After the journey, they arrived at a church, or maybe a temple of stone, and walked inside the wide-open gates. There were people inside already, to watch as another member joined the nobility.

Mother and father were waiting by the altar brimming with energy, along with another elderly man robed in white. Yifei Zhao was instantly mistrusting of him, as white signified death and mourning, but she pushed that thought away and walked up to the altar as she had practised a thousand times, curtsied, then kneeled on the cushion.

The man spoke. "By the earth and by the sky, by the flames and by the sea, I announce you, daughter of Fernander and Seraphyne Nahmayhn," he paused " Czarynah Rohany Nahmayhn!" The crowd burst into applause, and Yifei Zhao, now Czarynah Nahmayhn, beamed.

 But inside, she was screaming, for Czarynah Nahmayhn was the main rival of the heroine in the otome game and the only character who had only death routes waiting for her.

Technically, if she didn't bully the heroine and stopped any other efforts to ruin the heroine's time at school, that could all be avoided. But she knew that there might be some major plot-twist or perhaps an event where the second prince finds an excuse to kill her anyway, as they were engaged since childhood and needed Czarynah out of the way in order to be able to pursue the heroine properly.

So, the first step after this, make sure that either the engagement is cancelled or form a friendship with the prince to ensure he feels close enough with her that he won't just kill her, but rather break the engagement.

And as Yifei Zhao, now Czarynah Rohany Nahmayhn stood up, she faced the crowd of nobles and commoners alike and bowed with one thing on her mind.

Food.

A/N Comments and criticism are helpful!