Grandfather never said it aloud, but he looked forward to this day more than anyone.
They wanted to tell the world that the true Lancaster heiress had finally returned.
Serena knew this, of course.
Ever since the day she returned to the Lancaster family, her grandfather, parents, and brothers had wanted to throw her a grand debutante gala.
They wanted to compensate her for every ounce of dignity she had been denied over the years.
But back then, she had refused.
It wasn't that she didn't want to embrace her family; it was the heavy baggage she carried.
She didn't want to drag them into her mess.
She was the Demon of the Ghost Alliance in the Gray Zone, and the elusive Ghost Doctor.
The enemies she had made and the threats lurking in the shadows were all unpredictable dangers.
She feared that the moment she stepped into the light, the Lancaster family would become her vulnerable underbelly, a target for her foes.
She could gamble with her own life, but she refused to put her family at risk.
As long as she remained in the dark, her family could stand safely in the light.
As long as the outside world remained ignorant of her connection to the Lancasters, her family wouldn't be targeted by the scum hiding in the gutters.
But things were different now.
The Obsidian Sun had already clashed with her out in the open.
She had torn through the tech center in Severia, rescued the international experts, and exposed their underground base.
Her name was already at the center of the storm. Hiding was no longer an option.
It wouldn't be hard for the Obsidian Sun to investigate her now.
Since that was the case, there was no point in sneaking around anymore.
It was time to accept the honor the Lancaster family had always wanted to give her.
It was time for everyone to know that Serena Lancaster was not some rootless orphan.
She had the Lancaster family behind her.
And the Lancaster family had her.
She had never been alone.
The icy detachment in Serena's eyes softened slightly. "Then let's do it."
Jasper's eyes instantly lit up. "Really?"
The news of the Elyndorian team's return hadn't been deliberately publicized.
But the competition in Severia had caused too massive of an uproar.
Even though international authorities had placed a gag order on the specifics of the Obsidian Sun's underground base, leaving the general public in the dark about what truly went down,
the Elyndorian team's stellar performance in the Global Elite Challenge had already made headlines back home.
Especially the first half of the competition.
The Elyndorian team had crushed the opposition with record-breaking scores.
The number of their advancing competitors had set a historical precedent.
Their captain, Serena Lancaster, had virtually swept the entire event with terrifyingly flawless results.
The average person might not have understood the dense academic theories, nor did they comprehend the dark implications of the Obsidian Sun and the underground base.
But they knew one thing: the Elyndorian team had won beautifully, bringing unprecedented glory to their nation.
They also knew the competition had been suspended because the Severian organizers had committed a massive blunder.
As for the deeper conspiracies, the joint international investigation was still ongoing, keeping the full truth tightly under wraps.
So, on the day the Elyndorian team flew back, the public spontaneously gathered at the airport to welcome them home.

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