Yu Ji’s voice carried an unexpected volume. Not only was Di Ya stunned, but even Doug Xing stared at their Palace Mistress with a profoundly odd expression.
“Xiao Ya, who did you just say she was called?” Paige ignored everyone’s reaction, still asking excitedly.
No one could grasp the fervor and anticipation she felt at that moment; this sudden surge of joy nearly drowned her reason.
“Ro, Robin,” Di Ya answered weakly, the joy draining from her face, replaced only by confusion and bewilderment.
“How old is she, how tall is she, and how is she now?” Paige grabbed Di Ya’s hand again, asking with renewed excitement.
Di Ya was so taken aback by her mother’s barrage of questions that she didn't know where to begin, simply staring blankly.
Paige seemed to realize her lapse in composure. She quickly steadied herself and then tried to question Doug La and the others as calmly as possible.
As Doug La and the others continued their descriptions, Paige’s newly calmed heart surged once more, her eyes even seeming a little red.
Could it be that Robin truly had some connection to her?
Doug La and the others had never seen Paige lose her composure like this, and besides answering, they didn't know what else to say.
“Where does this Robin live now?” Paige finally asked again, after a long pause, trying to maintain composure.
“That…” Only the little princess knows,” Doug La replied somewhat awkwardly.
Paige didn't press for why only Di Ya knew. Her attention was entirely elsewhere now. She quickly turned to Di Ya, who was still somewhat dazed, and asked, “Xiao Ya, do you know where she lives?”
“Yes!” Di Ya nodded. She was a clever child; though she had only visited once, she had committed it to memory.
That very evening, Paige prepared to leave the palace herself for a trip.
The last sliver of the evening glow finally faded, and the moon began to display its splendor in the sky.
At that moment, Keni, Xia Luo, and Angelia were chatting in the room while Robin watched Niu Niu play with her toys nearby.
Just then, a cheerful and crisp childish voice rang out from outside: “Sister Keni, Sister Xia Luo, I’ve come to see you!”
A smile curved Keni’s lips, and she said softly, “She’s here already, earlier than I thought!”
As she spoke, she went out to greet them.
Xia Luo and Angelia both rose but did not follow outside, as they distinctly heard an unfamiliar voice.
“Ya, is this the place?” Paige inquired, glancing around nervously every so often. She felt tense; the greater the hope, the greater the potential disappointment!
“This is it!” Di Ya said with certainty. She reached out to knock on Zhong Shenxiu’s door, but Keni had already emerged from Xia Luo’s adjacent room.
Seeing Keni suddenly, Di Ya let out a small cheer and rushed forward, showing more intimacy than she had even shown her own mother.
“Sister Keni!” Di Ya called out sweetly.
“Xiao Ya, introduce this beautiful lady behind you to your sister,” Keni said with a smile, kindly glancing toward Paige.
Paige was sizing up Keni as well. Relying on a woman’s intuition, she could sense that this beautiful woman before her was far from ordinary; every gesture and smile seemed capable of tugging at the heartstrings.
“Sister Keni, let me introduce you. This is my mother!” Di Ya was delighted to play the role of introducer, which made her feel like a little adult. She then turned to her mother, “Mother, this is the Sister Keni I told you about.”
“Hello!” Keni greeted them first.
Though still slightly unused to the situation, Paige returned the greeting in kind.
“You’ve come because of Robin, haven't you?” Keni smiled lightly, getting straight to the point.
Paige was momentarily taken aback but made no attempt to hide the reason; she nodded and asked quietly, “Is she here?”
That simple question seemed infused with an ocean of emotion.
“She’s inside,” Keni replied.
“May I go in and see her?” For a Palace Mistress of her standing to ask in such a tone of supplication revealed the depth of her desire to see Robin!
Keni nodded and stepped aside to clear the way.
Paige didn't enter immediately. Instead, she turned to the guards who had followed her: “You all wait here.”
“But—” Doug La tried to protest, but Paige waved him silent.
“Yes!” Doug La had no choice but to agree. Paige took several deep breaths, yet still lacked the courage to push the door open. Having suffered loss once, she genuinely feared a second such heartbreak!
Di Ya watched her mother, blinking in confusion. She couldn't understand why her mother was hesitating now when she had been so eager on the way here.
Perhaps she simply couldn't wait any longer. Di Ya pushed the door open for her mother and slipped inside first.
“Mother, why aren't you coming in?” Di Ya asked, perplexed.
Paige stood frozen there. The instant the door was opened, Robin’s figure had fallen into her sight. An inexpressible sorrow washed over her, causing her to tremble uncontrollably.
Robin, inside the room, glanced toward the entrance with little interest, then turned her face away, focusing intently on Niu Niu playing.
“Sister Xia Luo, Sister Angelia!” Di Ya was charming, greeting them first after entering.
“Let’s go in too,” Keni said to Paige, then took her hand like a close sister and led her into the room.
Paige offered no resistance, as if her soul had left her body, staring fixedly at Robin.
“This is Xiao Ya’s mother,” Keni quickly explained to the puzzled Xia Luo and Angelia upon entering.
Xia Luo and Angelia nodded, observing Paige with some curiosity.
“Ro… Robin…” The two simple words seemed squeezed out of Paige’s mouth. In her vision, there was nothing else but Robin!
Robin looked up and glanced at Paige again. Her expression remained utterly placid, though a flicker of light crossed her eyes.
“Mother, wasn’t I right? Don’t Robin and I look alike?” Di Ya smiled at her mother and walked over to stand near Robin, positioning herself so her mother could compare them properly.
Paige was in no mood to play games with Di Ya. The excitement and anticipation within her had reached an unbearable peak. Her beautiful eyes reddened again, and tears could be seen gathering there.
“Mother?” Di Ya called, but received no sound in response.
Keni could now confirm what she suspected, and Xia Luo and Angelia also sensed something unusual, though this was not the time to ask. The room fell quiet. Finally, Paige mustered the courage to approach Robin.
But Robin remained unmoved, standing still. Though she said nothing, she began to appraise the woman approaching her.
It was evident to anyone that Robin and Paige bore a striking resemblance, especially their eyes and delicate mouths—the similarity was astonishing.
Paige walked to Robin’s side and stopped, extending her pale, slightly trembling hand.
Robin did not flinch, allowing the woman to touch her hair.
Despite Robin’s outward calm, with her intelligence, she should have already guessed the identity of the woman before her; otherwise, she would not have permitted Paige to touch her.
Paige seemed meticulously focused on searching for something. Her slender hands gently moved through Robin’s hair, her eyes fixed on the strands.
Finally, near Robin’s Baihui acupoint, she spotted a small, inconspicuous red mole. Instantly, she stilled her hand.
In that moment, tears began to stream down her cheeks like falling pearls. She then threw her arms around Robin, clutching her tightly, as if afraid that releasing her grip would prove it all a dream.
Tears soaked Robin’s shoulder, yet Robin remained motionless.
The only sound audible in the room was Paige’s sobbing.
Who would have thought that the Mistress of the ‘Dong Yue Palace’ possessed such a fragile side? Now that the matter was clear, no further explanation was needed!
“Robin, my child, it’s wonderful! You’re alive, it’s wonderful!” Paige wept harder, tears flowing uncontrollably. These were tears of joy; these were tears of happiness!
Di Ya watched, utterly bewildered, unable to comprehend why her mother was weeping out of the blue.
Though intelligent, many things in the world are too complex for a child to grasp.
“Mother, why are you crying?” Di Ya’s voice grew thick, clearly influenced by Paige’s distress.
Paige gently wiped the tears from her eyes, a smile breaking through, and said, “Di Ya, come here, come to your mother.”
Di Ya didn't know why, but she walked over.
Paige freed one arm to pull Di Ya into an embrace, murmuring, “Our family is finally reunited!”
“Mother, you still haven’t told me why you were crying?” This was the first time Di Ya could remember seeing her mother cry, and she was intensely curious.
“Xiao Ya,” Paige calmed down considerably, “haven’t you always wanted a sister? I never told you, but you have a twin sister—this Robin here.”
Di Ya’s small mouth opened wide, her shocked expression being utterly adorable!
“I never expected Heaven to be so kind as to allow our mother and daughters to reunite,” Paige’s voice caught again, sounding choked up as if recalling a painful memory.
Just as the scene reached its peak of sentimentality, the door opened. The person who entered was none other than Zhong Shenxiu, wearing a smiling expression!