Chapter 2
She listed off all these things about me, some of which I barely even remembered myself.
[I'm seriously overwhelmed, guys. Elara's a die-hard fan. Her digging is even more thorough than mine!]
[Ugh, this two-way crush is hitting me right in the feels. I'm literally sobbing!]
[Harold and Margaret are so confused, their CPUs are overheating!]
My parents were completely dumbfounded.
They probably never cared enough to figure out who I was offstage.
To them, I was just a pretty prop to make the Duskwood family look good.
Now that the doll they'd used to decorate their family turned out to be a knockoff, they couldn't wait to throw me away.
Any lingering warmth I felt for them iced over for good.
I gently pulled Elara to my side, stepping up next to her.
Then, right in front of my so-called parents, I pulled a pen out of my bag.
I looked at Elara and asked her gently, "Where do you want me to sign?"
Elara's eyes went wide, sparkling brighter than the chandelier overhead.
She was so flustered she couldn't even speak straight, frantically rummaging through her canvas bag.
She pulled out a photo book, a mini standee, a fan banner, and even a phone case printed with my face.
She carefully presented the pile to me, her voice barely a whisper.
"S-Seraphina, c-can you...can you sign all of these?" Elara stammered, her hands trembling.
[LMAO! She just got exposed in front of everyone!]
[My girl literally dumped out her whole stash of fangirl merch!]
[Margaret's face is pitch black right now. She must be thinking, 'How did my long-lost daughter end up as a rabid fangirl?']
I couldn't help but smile, the corners of my lips twitching.
"Absolutely," I said.
I took the pen and signed my name on every single piece of her fangirl merch.
After signing the last one, I put the pen away and looked up at my completely stunned parents.
"I'm not handing over my room," I said.
"From now on, I'm moving out too.
"Suit yourselves. Whoever wants to stick around, be my guest." I retorted.
With that, I grabbed Elara's wrist. She was still floating on cloud nine, totally blissed out.
"Come on, let's go treat ourselves to something tasty," I said.
Elara followed me like my little shadow, sticking close to my every step.
Harold and Margaret were left standing there, looking utterly lost and defeated.
I took Elara to a private kitchen restaurant, the Gilded Lantern, in the city center, which I often went to.
She was in a total daze the whole way there, like she was floating on air.
[Help! My idol just held my hand! I'm never washing this hand again!]
[Elara, rein in that fangirl smile. You're practically drooling!]
[Seraphina is so alpha! Boyfriend vibes off the charts. He just eloped with her wife!]
Seeing all those comments, my mood instantly lifted.
When we finally settled into the private room at the Gilded Lantern, Elara found her voice again.
"S-Seraphina, did we really just walk out like that? What about your parents..." she stammered, still a bit flustered.
"Just ignore them," I replied.
I poured her a cup of coffee and pushed it toward her.
"Let's eat first," I said.
She nodded obediently, taking tiny sips of her coffee, but her eyes stayed locked on me without looking away for a second.
The way she kept staring at me made me feel a bit self-conscious.
"So...why are you my fan, anyway?" I asked.
Elara's face just turned bright red.
"Because of the very first role you played!" Elara blurted out, her voice bursting with excitement.
She was practically bouncing in her seat, her eyes shining with admiration.
"That little junior nobody believed in. Everyone gave up on her, but she never gave up on herself.
"In the end, she turned it all around and became the top swordsman in the world!" she said.
"Back then, I was drowning in college entrance exam prep, totally stressed out.
"Everyone thought I'd fail, but your character gave me the strength to keep going!" she added.
I was genuinely caught off guard.
That was a low-budget web drama I did when I first started out, super rough, and it barely made a splash when it aired.
I never would've guessed it could actually become the light in someone's life.
[I'm literally crying. This is what being an idol is all about.]
[Elara is just so pure and adorable. How does Margaret even deserve a daughter like her?]
[Seraphina, hurry up and take her home and marry her already!]
I couldn't help but laugh at the comments.
We talked about all sorts of things over dinner.
I realized Elara was genuinely pure and kind.
She just had this gentle warmth toward the whole world.
She'd light up if I took a couple extra bites of a dish, and if I served her some food, she'd be over the moon for the rest of the meal.
Being with her was just so easy.
After dinner, I brought her to a downtown apartment.
"You can stay here for now. It's way more comfortable than the attic," I said.
Elara looked around the beautifully furnished apartment, nervously waving her hands.
"No, no, this is way too fancy! I really can't..." she stammered.
"This is a gift for my number one fan," I cut her off, playfully echoing the tone of the comments.
"Or are you really going to refuse your idol's generosity?" I teased.
Elara instantly froze, blushing like a cooked shrimp.
[Seraphina's finally learned how to flirt!]
[Living together? Is this the start of cohabitation? I'm all in on this ship!]
[Elara's so flustered she can't even speak, haha.]
After settling Elara in, I went back to the Duskwood house.
I was just there to grab my stuff.
But the moment I walked in, I saw Margaret crying on the couch.
By her side was Harold, chain-smoking and looking seriously pissed.