Laid on her bed gazing at the vanilla-colored ceiling, anyone would notice that Daisy was spacing out instead of admiring the detailed flowered patterns beautifying the area. Her mind was still stuck on what happened that evening during dinner.

"I'm sorry," she tried apologizing to Marcello.

For sure, she had opened a wound in him. She hadn't experienced the pain of losing someone, forever, but had seen through people that it was not an easy stage to go through.

"It's okay," he said. "It's been over ten years since then so there's no need to be so formal."

Despite him telling her that there was no need to feel sorry, she still didn't feel at ease after he told her about his mother. Even the beautiful view of Rome painted in lights under the night sky they saw in Giardino degli Aranci, couldn't lift the rock that was heavy in her heart.

A knock made her jump a little. She was so caught up in her thoughts that the sound on her door scared her for a bit.

A gray head peeked from the door after she allowed the person to enter the room.

"Good evening, Miss Daisy," said Livio, closing the door.

Daisy spotted a phone in his wrinkled hands. Daisy took a deep breath as she already knew the reason he was there.

"Good evening to you, too, Mr. Livio," she said, having a seat.

Without another word and with both hands, he kindly handed her the phone.

"As promised," he said, his voice quiet, "your mother wants to talk to you."

"Thank you." She nodded.

Not long after she said that the majordomo excused himself and left the room. Closing the door so gently that she didn't hear the sound of it.

Daisy stood up and opened the glass door beside her bed and walked to the small balcony. For sure, she would need some fresh air to calm herself. It was then that she realized that the balcony was so small it was as if it was built for one person to fit in. She inhaled and exhaled.

"Hello?"

"Daisy," said a calm voice, "I'm so disappointed with you."

Daisy raised a brow, surprised that her mother sounded calm. It could be that she cooled off during the day or maybe this was a strategy to make her feel guilty.

"I'm fine too, Mom, and you?" She tried to trick her to change the subject.

"Do you know how worried we were?" asked her mother. "What if something happened to you? How would we know?"

"By watching the news," teased Daisy.

She covered her mouth, immediately regretting saying that.

"That's not funny, Daisy," protested her mother.

Daisy tried not to imagine how furious her mother looked behind the phone.

"Sorry," she said quickly. "But you should understand, I didn't have a way to contact you. The sim card from home won't work here."

"Hello? You live in a technological era," said her mother with a sigh. "There's always wi-fi, I'm sure Pietro can afford one."

Daisy could imagine her mother making an obvious face upon saying those words.

"I didn't think about that wi-fi option," said Daisy, hitting her head a little as she realized that she could have sent a message via messaging apps. "I've been out of this world for five years, so I'm not up to date."

Even though she could visit her family for a month or two, she wasn't able to fall into the technology craze most people her age were addicted to. She heard a sigh mixed with a child laughing in the background. She wondered if Luis, her little brother, brought a friend home.

"By the way, Mom," she said, "why didn't you tell me that Mr. Pietro is rich and has seven children?"

A chilly breeze forced her to rub her left arm in an attempt to protect herself from the cold. They were still entering autumn, yet the air in this clear night sky was so chilly.

"We were having such a good time the day before your trip," said her mother. "I didn't want to worry you."

"Right," said Daisy, her voice emotionless.

Sooner or later she would have found out the truth, so it didn't matter if the truth would've ruined her day with them.

"So what are your thoughts so far?" asked her mother, her voice curious. "Do you think you'll succeed?"

"Uff." Daisy turned her back to the balcony. "I think I already failed."

"Those boys caught your heart already?" teased her mother, twisting her tongue.

Daisy could hear her father protesting in the background.

"Of course, they didn't," said Daisy with confidence. "I'm not weak."

She had to admit that they were good at making her heart race. But that was because she thought they caught her off-guard.

"I don't think that they need a fairy," she continued, exhaling. "Their money can bring them happiness anyway."

"Dear, you should know that happiness doesn't come from material things," said her mother. "Even the wealthiest man on Earth can feel lonely and sad. Money isn't everything."

"Hmm." Daisy tapped the cold wall of the balcony with her fingers. "I don't know, Mom. They have everything, even a fan base. Anyone would be happy knowing that there are a bunch of people who blindly love you."

As her mother chuckled, Daisy still wondered why they had a fan base.

"Even that can't make someone happy," said her mother, calming down. "Try getting closer to them and get to know them better. I'm sure you'll find a stain in their wealthy lives."

Daisy noticed that her mother seemed to know more about them. For a moment, the temptation to ask her about them dropped in her mind. But she was sure the council made a condition for her mother not to interfere with her exam.

She sighed. It was better to show them her hard work instead of cheating with her mother's information.

"But still," she complained. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to help them all with the limited time I have."

Even though she only needed Federico to make it to the throne, she thought he was too cold to approach and had a better chance with the rest of the family. But she wasn't sure if she would make it in time to help them all.

"I'm sure even if you don't do much to help them," said her mother, "the little things you'll do will be big in time. After all, some wishes take time to be answered, but they'll always be answered. Sooner or later."

Daisy froze upon hearing those words. For a moment, she stood still as she remembered what happened at Kara's booth.

"Daisy," called her mother. "Daisy, my daughter, is everything alright."

Daisy blinked as she shook her head.

"Ah, yes, sorry," she said. "I was wondering won't that mean that I failed since I won't see the results of my helping hand so soon?"

"That will depend on the council," said her mother. "Just focus on doing your best."

Daisy exhaled. Even though in her heart she told herself that was the plan, deep inside she was not sure she would make it.

"Is Pietro there?" her mother asked. "I would like to thank him again, he's such an angel."

"Well," said Daisy slowly. "He said he had a business trip right on the day I arrived."

Daisy wondered what country Pietro had traveled to as she thought of him.

"So he's not there at the moment?" asked her mother.

Before she could reply, someone snatched the phone from her mother. Her mother responded with annoyed grunts.

"What do you mean that man is not there with you?" asked a concerned voice.

"Hi, Dad, how are you?" asked Daisy with a smile upon hearing his voice.

"I'm fine, sweetie, and you?" before Daisy could reply he added, "I can't believe that man left you alone in a house full of men. Didn't he see that you're an innocent little girl?"

"Dad, I'm already seventeen," said Daisy, "and don't worry, I'm not the only woman in this house. There are a bunch of maids. Besides, I don't think these guys will hurt me."

✰✰✰

Daisy wandered around the mansion, looking for a slim man. Most of the time she walked around the area, she encountered a maid or ended up in a random room.

She had spent another thirty minutes talking to her father and Luis. They weren't planning to leave the phone until her mother told them to because Daisy needed to rest since it was late. Talking to her family lifted her mood and made her forget about her exam momentarily.

The garden was the last place she attempted to find Livio but all she saw were outdoor lights illuminating the spacious property. It looked beautiful at night.

After the failed attempt to find Livio, Daisy gave up and planned to go back to her room. Before she could access the mansion, a voice coming from the corner of the building grabbed her attention.

Like a magnet, she was attracted to the voice and followed the path where it was coming from. The voice brought her to the swimming pool area, right under her balcony.

White smooth tiles separated the green grass and the swimming pool area. She spotted a good number of loungers with umbrellas randomly filling the area.

All the lounges were empty except for the one that accommodated a dark-haired young man sitting straight and showing his back to her. His head moved around as he played his guitar and sang at the same time.

Daisy's heart raced upon hearing the deep sound of his voice. It wasn't the typical skipbeat she felt whenever someone teased her. Everything in her felt weird. It was as if something in his voice was attracting her.

It's beautiful.

A beautiful voice mixed with the agile sound of a guitar, anyone would be amazed at the mash-up.

As her heart skipped, she watched him sing with fascination.