"First, take Miss Third to her original room to rest for a bit," Xuan Yu commanded with a wave of her hand.

Jiayi glanced at Xuan Yu, "Mrs. Chu, I wish to see my mother as soon as possible."

She had not come to the Chu Family for the mansion, nor to rest.

Seeing Jiayi rebut her, Xuan Yu leisurely looked her over.

That look made Jiayi somewhat nervous, feeling as if she had become a different person, no longer the Xuan Yu she had known in China.

After a long pause, Xuan Yu spoke. Although her tone remained gentle, it had lost the motherly warmth from before:

"You haven’t slept a wink since last night, your little face is deathly pale. There’s no rush, first go to your room to rest, sleep well, and anyway, it’s not even dawn yet."

Although she wanted to see her mother urgently, since she was now at the Chu Family, she had to comply with Xuan Yu temporarily.

Guided by a servant, Jiayi went to her own room.

The moment Jiayi’s back entered the villa, Chu Xinyu pursed her lips, "Mommy, that wretched girl is now back in S Country with us, why are you still so nice to her!"

On the plane bringing Jiayi back to the country, Chu Xinyu had suppressed her anger throughout the journey, staying quiet and subdued when she saw Jiayi.

All because Xuan Yu had reminded her not to offend Jiayi at this crucial time, to avoid her not wanting to return.

But now that she’s back, isn’t she?!

Xuan Yu gave her daughter a sharp look, "And what if she has returned? What are you planning to do with her? Spank her? Don’t forget, in two days is the Royal Family’s banquet, and she needs to be brought there to represent our Chu Family’s daughter marrying Ya Chen, that paralytic! What if she runs off again, or gets injured somehow? Wouldn’t that cause unnecessary complications, another mess? You better behave in the next few days, don’t provoke her, understand?"

"Pfft, she could run? Our Chu Family’s security is so tight, once she’s in, she couldn’t escape even with wings," Chu Xinyu muttered.

Nie Yixiao’s eyes darkened, "Xinyu, listen to your aunt, don’t act like a child. She is your substitute now, or would you rather marry Ya Chen yourself?"

Chu Xinyu had just had a quarrel with Brother Yixiao, seeing his unhappy expression now, she didn’t want to fall out with him again over that wench, muttering, "Alright, I won’t cause her trouble."

——*——

Having stayed in her room the whole day, Jiayi received no notice from Xuan Yu.

When a young maid named Xiaxia came in to deliver a meal, she asked about some facts regarding S Country, learning that her biological father, Chu Yanhan, had been accompanying Ya Qianhuai in meeting foreign envoys, residing in the Ya Family’s castle and had not returned yet.

Ya Qianhuai was the nineteenth King of S Country, already over sixty years old.

Xiaxia said that the Royal Family of S Country was quite barren this generation.

The nineteenth king, Ya Qianhuai, had succeeded to the throne quite late, without heirs for a long time. When he was over forty, his wife finally bore a son for him, named Ya Chen. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Ya Chen, as the sole male heir of the current royal generation, was naturally the Crown Prince of S Country from birth, one might say he was the embodiment of all its glory—

Unfortunately, the Queen, being an older mother, had a premature and difficult delivery, resulting in Ya Chen being born with a disability in his lower limbs and blind.

According to the court doctors of S Country, looking at Ya Chen’s situation, it was estimated he would have to spend his life in a wheelchair.

The upper crust once whispered that perhaps the Royal Family of S Country wouldn’t survive this generation and might collapse.

Eventually, the kingdom would no longer have a royal presence and turn into a democratic country with only a Prime Minister.

As Jiayi listened to Xiaxia and looked up, the daylight outside the window had already darkened.

Through her words, she realized that Xiaxia was the same maid who had served her at the Chu Family before.

Among the group of Chu Family servants, Xiaxia seemed genuinely pleased to see her return.

Although Jiayi didn’t have a strong memory of Xiaxia, looking at her stirred some inexplicable feeling of closeness, perhaps because Xiaxia used to be someone she could trust in the Chu Family.

The meal Xiaxia brought in was a dish distinctive to S Country, featuring Island Nation-style chicken cutlet curry rice, satay beef, and squeezed coconut milk.

But Jiayi poked at it with her chopsticks a couple of times and then couldn’t manage to eat any more.

She actually found herself missing the food from G City, even the most common dishes like tomato and egg stir-fry, or green pepper pork slices...

"Is it not to your taste, Miss Jiayi? I can ask the kitchen servants to make something else," Xiaxia said with concern.

Feeling drained, Jiayi replied, "It’s not that, it’s very good. But I just can’t eat."

Xiaxia didn’t say anything more.

After forcing down a few bites, Xiaxia was about to take the tray and leave when Jiayi stopped her, "Xiaxia, I want to see the Madam. Please let her know."

Xiaxia hesitated, "Miss Jiayi, the Madam has gone out. Usually at this time, she’d be having tea and chatting with the ladies of high society."

Gone out?

Jiayi was surprised. Had Xuan Yu forgotten the important reason for coming to S Country? How could she seem so indifferent, even going out to have tea?

"When will Madam return?" she asked, her eyes dimming.

Xiaxia shook her head helplessly, "It could be early or late, there’s no certainty. We servants wouldn’t dare to ask too much."

"Xiaxia, give me the Madam’s phone number. I want to call her," Jiayi requested.

Xiaxia panicked, "No, the Madam doesn’t like to be disturbed while she is having her leisure tea. If she finds out I gave her contact to Miss Jiayi, she will penalize me."

Jiayi understood that in S Country, especially in a noble family like that in the Capital of Nanga City, servants held even lower status than those in the wealthy households of China.

In China, servants respected their employers, but if displeased, they could simply leave their job.

In the noble families of S Country, however, servants also harbored fear towards their employers and generally wouldn’t dare to offend them under normal circumstances.

She had no choice but to temporarily give up on that idea. After hesitating for a moment, she asked again, "Xiaxia, my... when will my father be back?"

"The master will probably be back tomorrow, I guess," Xiaxia answered.

Tomorrow...

All she hoped for was to see her mother again as soon as possible.

Seeing Jiayi’s expression soften slightly, Xiaxia gently suggested, "Miss Jiayi, you should rest for a while." Saying this, she picked up the tray and left.

There was nothing to do but wait until tomorrow.

Jiayi couldn’t sleep. Staring at the night scene outside the floor-to-ceiling window, her mind flickered.

What was that man doing? By now, he should have known she had come to S Country, right?

Would he be furious?

Probably not.

After all, she had informed him.

It was indeed ridiculous. Back when she was with him, during the 24 hours of the day, at least 20 were spent thinking about how to leave him, how to find her own warm family, and how to live her own comfortable little life.

Latterly, she had finally decided to try to get along with him, but her family came out of the blue, disrupting the "togetherness time" that had yet to fully unfold.