Two Reborn, One Throne novel Chapter 8

Stepping back into their cramped, rundown one-bedroom apartment, Amber felt a brief wave of disorientation.

It’s human nature—once you've experienced the finer things in life, the humble surroundings you once relied on suddenly feel jarring and uncomfortable.

But Amber was fiercely adaptable.

During her college years, while helping Lucian launch his startup, she had literally slept in freezing basements.

This apartment might be small, but she had an incredible father. To ensure she had a quiet place to study, Arthur gave her the only actual bedroom.

Ever since she started middle school, he had been sleeping on a folding chair out on the balcony.

She had begged him to share the room with her, but he always refused. "Amber, you're growing into a young woman now. I might not be able to buy a house or give you a beautiful, fancy room, but I can give you your own space. Sometimes I get off work late, and coming in and out would ruin your sleep. I won't let my little girl turn into a zombie and let her grades slip. Once you get into a good college and make a name for yourself, it'll all be worth it."

The truth was, even after she got into college, he never stopped sleeping on that balcony.

When she came home for summer or winter breaks and asked why he didn't just sleep in the bed, he would brush it off.

"I'm always covered in sweat and grime from work. How could I sleep in my daughter's clean bed? Besides, the balcony is fine. I'm used to it. No one is touching my girl's room."

Back then, she was overwhelmingly grateful for him, but right now, looking at the cramped space, all she felt was crushing guilt.

For Lucian's sake—or more accurately, for Grace's pride—Amber had deliberately suppressed her own academic potential. She had never told her father that her grades were actually much better than Lucian's.

Grace's single greatest source of pride in life was having the top student in the grade. Because Arthur loved Grace, and because Amber genuinely believed they were all going to be one big family anyway, she figured being ranked tenth instead of first didn't really matter.

She didn't think that way anymore. She was going to take back everything that rightfully belonged to her and make sure both she and her father held their heads high.

"Amber, what got into you today? How could you speak to Grace like that? And did you and Lucian get into a fight? Amber..."

"Dad, do you want your daughter to get that elite overseas early admissions spot?"

"Dad, it's not his spot. It belongs to whoever is capable enough to take it. Besides..." Amber's lips curled into a knowing smile. "Lucian doesn't even want to apply for that school anymore."

Arthur was stunned. "Amber..."

"Don't worry about it, Dad. You'll see what school he's really aiming for soon enough. Oh, and by the way, do not breathe a word of this to Grace. If she finds out, she'll just mock you endlessly. Plus..." Amber added a touch of mystery, "I haven't even officially secured it yet."

She wasn't worried about her father spilling the secret. He was actually quite observant. Even if it slipped out, Grace would never believe it anyway. In Grace's eyes, Amber was entirely beneath her, basically just a glorified maid for her precious son.

She just wanted to give her dad a heads-up. First, because he would likely still run into Grace around the neighborhood, and she would definitely try calling him. Second, so that when the acceptance letter arrived in forty-five days, he wouldn't be caught completely off guard, panic, or let Grace guilt-trip him into interrogating his own daughter.

No matter how much he liked Grace, he would always fiercely protect his daughter.

Now, all Amber had to do was sit back and watch the show unfold.