Author's note: this is from Aldus's point of view

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The book Serina brought from her old home revealed new information and also many questions.

Why was there a need to hide Serina among humans? Who was after her?

Who is this Argona person and what did she do?

Who is the Queen that is mentioned by Amelia?

What was Serina?

There were no clues about Serina's origins, but it was clear that she was important enough to be hidden and it was done by someone influential enough to have servants, conceal the true nature of a child, and create a new identity (complete with family) for two decades without being discovered.

Queen… Queen… my mind raced, and I remembered that Glatellia called Serina 'royalty' and she said that Serina has the potential to grow into a guardian.

Of course, the chances of one becoming a guardian are close to impossible, but what if Amelia (or her master) knew about it?

There are many stories that talk about prophecies, what if there was one associated with Serina?

Maybe they didn't know about the guardian part, but they were aware she will be powerful.

Did they hide Serina among humans in order to protect her with good intentions, or were they just biding their time until Serina matures so that they can take advantage of her?

Keeping Serina ignorant until her powers emerge would be a good method to manipulate her and we had no way of confirming if people who hid her were the protectors or the abductors, but it told us that someone was looking for her.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Serina's situation was complicated.

"I assume that you don't know who this Argona might be…"

Serina's small voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"I never heard of him.", I admitted. "Try not to stress too much about this."

"Easier said than done.", Serina said. "They hid me for some reason. What if that reason is still out there?"

"That's why we shouldn't rush things, Serina. This is good information."

Serina was not pleased. "Good? It only confirmed what we suspected while opening up bazillions of questions."

"True. But now our questions have targets.", I said, earning me a confused look from Serina.

Was it wrong for me to enjoy the process of unraveling the unknown in search of the truth? I find that life without questions is boring, and mysteries give us something to look forward to.

"I suggest that we think these things through before acting. We have one name, Argona. You can check the books we have and see if there is any mentioning of that name. If my guess is correct, Argona is not human and could be centuries old. I will also reach out to my contacts, but it will take time because we need to tread carefully."

Serina nodded in understanding. She is smart and she already knows that depending on the identity of Argona, by asking recklessly, we might disturb the hornet's nest.

Serina was not happy with our conclusions. She hoped that the book she found will open the door that leads to answers, but we found ourselves in another hallway full of doors that are tightly closed and we are back to searching for keys.

"Don't be disheartened, Serina. This book is just one piece of the puzzle. I will do analysis on the book to see if there is any hidden text."

"Alright.", Serina responded with a tight smile.

"Serina…", I called to get her attention. "I hope you acknowledge that these notes prove you are someone important. You are special from birth and your real parents cared about you."

"You don't know if they cared about me."

"We are looking at two possibilities. One is that they cared enough to keep you hidden from dangers. The other possibility was that you were kidnapped, and if your parents didn't care enough to search for you, the kidnappers wouldn't go through so much trouble to conceal your whereabouts."

Her expression changed as she processed my words.

I am aware that she has conflicting thoughts about her self-esteem, believing that she is not deserving. But these notes are telling us that she was someone important enough to be hidden.

"No matter what the case is, you are my father.", she said after some time.

"Of course. You are a Mezzanotte now."

She smiled brightly at my words, and I thought of something. "Serina, about the event next week. I want you to come with me."

Serina's eyes widened. "The event organized by the Council?"

I confirmed, and she asked, "Isn't Cali coming with you?"

Yes, my sister will join me for this event as we will represent the Mezzanotte family and the vampires based in Lemuria, but I wanted Serina to make an appearance also.

"I want you to come as well.", I said sternly, hoping that she will not try to back away from this.

I could see her wheels turning while coming up with a reason to avoid it.

Serina made a long way, and I watched her grow into a splendid young lady. However, sometimes her insecurities bubble up.

I am aware of her mental scars as it's difficult to shake off two decades of neglect, but this is important.

"Serina, we don't know why you were placed with a surrogate family, but we can assume that your safety is in danger because they went through a lot of trouble to hide your existence. No matter the reason to keep you hidden, I want everyone to know that you are Seraphina Mezzanotte, my daughter, and as such you are under the protection of the Mezzanotte coven. This event is a gathering of powerful and influential creatures and it's perfect for reminding everyone about your identity. No one will dare to act rashly with my family as your backer. Do you understand?"

Serina's chin trembled and then she hugged me.

Ah, she is a hugger.

"Thank you, father…", she said in a shaky voice, and I patted her back gently while hoping that she won't start crying.

It's been a while since Serina was emotional and to be honest, I never got used to it.

Serina left, and it was my turn to get some answers.

I didn't think that the book will be of much use. I already checked with UV lights and confirmed that there are no hidden layers or writings.

I was also positive that we will not find Argona in any of the books I collected over centuries. I don't have a photographic memory, but I am confident that I never heard of a creature named Argona.

The scarce notes were cryptic and if we didn't know Serina's background and situation, we would probably miss that it was about her.

It looked more like random notes of an author who is writing a mystery novel.

If I'm to take an educated guess, my conclusion is that these were notes Amelia left for her master to find. The fact they were still intact means that no one came searching for Amelia or Serina. Well, at least no one who was close to Amelia. This brings me to two possibilities; either the time for Serina to stay hidden didn't expire or the person who is behind hiding Serina met a disaster.

I had my own ideas on how to find out more information, and I knew that it's a long shot, but I had to try.

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