"Wh…. what is…. what the…."
Clara tried hard to speak but no words came from her mouth. She simply had no words to describe what she was feeling at the moment.
Even Adrian was in no better condition than his wife. He never thought he would get such a pleasant surprise after such a tiring day at work.
The sight of their beloved children, standing like that in front of the table filled with food, covered in the smell of oil and spices with a big smile on their faces really melted their hearts.
"What is this, little ones?" Stepping forward, Adrian knelt down on the floor in front of his kids and lovingly asked.
"Daddy, sister cooked dinner today. For all of us." Mila happily replied before jumping into her father's arm like always; followed by Leo who did the same.
"Sweetheart, what is it? Why did you suddenly decide to cook today? You used to hate going into the kitchen?" As soon as Clara heard Mila's words, she rushed to Sarina and worriedly asked.
"Don't fret over it mom. I just felt like cooking dinner for all of you. Now come on, hurry and freshen up quickly otherwise the food will get cold."
Well aware of her mother's overthinking habit, Sarina didn't let her worry over it and gently pushed Clara towards her room before raising a brow at Adrian.
Getting the hint, Adrian also left the twins down and quietly followed behind his wife.
Soon they were sitting on their respective chairs as Sarina excitedly filled their plates with food; looking at them expectantly.
"Hmmm! This is definitely the best food I have ever eaten. My princess is literally the best cook in the entire world." Taking the first bite, Adrian sincerely praised.
To him, even if Sarina had burnt the food completely, he would still have said the same thing. Thankfully for him and everyone else at the table, that wasn't the case at all.
"Exactly Sarina. Everything is absolutely delicious." Clara genuinely said as she looked at Sarina in adoration.
In fact, both Clara and Adrian hadn't expected the food to taste so good. To them, it definitely was a very pleasant and heartwarming surprise.
"Thank you, mom and dad." Sarina happily said before final digging into her own plate as well.
Looking at her parents who were happily enjoying their food after a very tiring day at work, Sarina finally decided to share her idea of skipping grades.
"Mom dad, I want to tell you something." Sarina suddenly spoke, attracting Clara and Adrian's attention to her.
"What is it sweetheart?" Clara endearingly asked while Adrian also looked at curiously.
"I plan on skipping a few grades after the school begins. I have already started to prepare for the exams and assessment the school might take to promote me."
Sarina seriously exclaimed; her expression firm and unyielding, clearly demonstrating her solid stand on the matter.
Clara and Adrian's hand paused; their face shocked as they blankly looked at Sarina in surprise. Not even in their worst nightmare did they think they would hear such words from their daughter's mouth.
Taking a deep breath, Adrian calmly put down the spoon in his hand and cupped his hands together on the table; gazing at Sarina with a very profound look in his eyes.
To him, if his daughter had decided on something so astonishing then she must have enough strength and belief in herself.
After all, he knew his daughter very well.
"Why did you suddenly thought of skipping grades Sarina? Did something happen in school? Did your classmates or any other teacher say something? You can share everything with us?"
Clearing his throat, he patiently asked; feeling worried and curious about his daughter's sudden decision.
How could Sarina not understand her parents' worries?
She knew her parents would react like this beforehand and was already prepared to answer all their questions and properly diminish all their worries.
"Nothing happened in the school dad. My teachers and classmates are also great; just too childish for me. Besides, I just don't find my current grade challenging."
Looking at her parent's anxious eyes, Sarina genuinely shared her feelings.
"I want to challenge myself, to find out where my limits lie. And I can't do that without your support. I promise I won't push myself too hard or try something out of my capabilities. Trust me on this one, please."
Sarina continued; her eyes glowing with passion and blazing with fire.
A fire ready to burn everything that came in its way.
Deeply affected by their daughter's determination, Clara and Adrian glanced at each other and sighed in acceptance. They both obviously realized that there was no way they could change Sarina's mind.
Sarina was going to do what she had decided upon and as the supporting parents they were, they definitely wouldn't stop her.
"If our Sarina believes she can do it then she can definitely do it. You just work hard and leave the rest to mom and dad. We will go to meet the principal as soon as the school opens."
Clutching onto Adrian's hand, Clara seriously said. Her words successfully bringing a huge smile on Sarina's face.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much mom and dad. I promise, I will definitely work hard and never let you down."
Jumping around happily, Sarina happily ran to hug her parents. Nestling cozily in their arms, she earnestly promised.
"You could never let us down." Clara wholeheartedly murmured as she lovingly pecked her daughter's forehead.
"We also want hugs and kisses. You can't love sister alone." Feeling left out, the twins shouted before rushing to their parent's arm, making everyone burst into laughter.
Stepping back to let the twins embrace their parents, Sarina looked at the warm scene in front of her with a small smile.
'Mom, dad, Leo, Mila, this time, I will definitely protect this family; OUR FAMILY.'
Sarina vowed with resolution before cheerfully running back to her parents and sibling.
....
And just like that, with her family and system's support, Sarina fervently started her hellish journey of becoming a true heiress under Angel's strict dictation.
Sarina would wake up early in the morning, going out for a one-hour run before returning home and helping her mother in making breakfast before locking herself in the room with a mountain of books.
She would study diligently in the pocket dimension till evening before leaving her room and cook dinner for everyone.
Even after dinner, she would enter the pocket dimension via her soul and continue to study. To save herself more time, Sarina even began to sleep in the room sister Angel had prepared for her, much to Angel's joy.
Since she had to not only complete the hidden mission but also finish her weekly and monthly tasks, Sarina had even less time to waste.
[Academic category: Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8....
Skill category: Etiquettes, flower arrangement, tea making, fashion, makeup, cooking, horse riding, wine mastery, Languages, hacking, martial arts, chess....
The host can choose any 2 from each category together.]
Looking at the long list of skills, Sarina could literally feel her head bursting in pain. She really didn't know what to do anymore.
The academic course task was very easy to complete since she was already planning on skipping grade but what really caused Sarina a headache was the skill course.
Not only did she had to start learning one from the very beginning but even had to learn it to advanced level.
Finally, after mulling-over it for several minutes, she finally decided to just go with the martial arts course; just to learn how to protect herself. Though Sarina soon regretted her hasty decision.
[Ding!
Please select the type of martial arts and weapon the host wishes to learn.
Martial arts: Karate, Taekwondo, Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Boxing, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Capoeira, Aikido, and Wrestling, ...
Weapon: Knives, swords, nunchucks, guns, daggers, spears, bow and arrow, whips, ....
The host needs to master one item from both categories to make it to the advance level.]
Sarina really wasn't expecting such a long list; especially the sudden addition of weapons in it. But since she knew that she couldn't change her choice, she decided to go along with it.
After a long discussion with Angel about what she could choose, Sarina decided to learn Aikido which focused on control and redirection, perfect for her who didn't rely on brute force.
As for weapon, Sarina choose daggers; something she could carry with herself all the time.
With more things added to the list, Sarina got busier than ever, spending most of her time in the pocket dimension.
Highly inspired by her sister, even the twins began to take their studies and health seriously. Daily they would wake up early and exercise with their sister. Instead of playing out, they would happily spend their evening studying for their upcoming grade.
Sarina even went as far as to teach the twins all the martial arts skills she had been learning from the system, deeply wanting her siblings to learn how to protect themselves and their loved ones.
Clara and Adrian were no doubt the happiest with the changes in all their children; especially the twins. They were also motivated to work harder so that they can continue to support their children's dreams.
Days passed by as Sarina persistently continued to follow the same routine, successfully completing all her tasks just two days before the school started again.
Carefully rechecking the last answer of the exam, the teachers in the pocket dimension had set for her, Sarina calmly set the pen aside and confidently exclaimed;
"I am done."