I nod, intrigued. I did more than mention it, considering the argument I had with Damian that night, but I didn’t think Nathaniel would be the one to bring that matter on the table again. He gives me a reassuring smile.
“Well, I’ve discussed this with Damian, and I wanted to know if you would be interested in working at one of my restaurants,La Rose de L’Aube.You could have a trial period there and see if you like it.”
“Are you serious...?”
I’m so shocked, I can barely breathe. I can’t believe Nathaniel is offering me a job! He laughs at my surprised expression.
“Yes, I am, Nora. I happen to be short on staff now, and as we both know, my brother wants you somewhere we can watch you. My restaurant is secure enough for that, and I know you have a knack for French cuisine, so, isn’t this perfect?”
“But you’ve never seen me at work before! And to get such an offer...”
Even I have heard of that restaurant! Of course, I didn’t know who it belonged to, butLa Rose de L’Aubeis famous for being one of the top restaurants of Silver City. I only haveexperience as a waitress in a pub and cooking for a pack! Nathaniel laughs at my confused expression.
“Don’t worry, Nora. As I said, just give it a try! No pressure, princess, it’s all up to you. You can take your time, and when you’ve made your decision, you’ll give me your answer next week, okay?”
I nod, but I’m still going to need some time to process this. It’s like having my dream job served on a plate! It feels too good to be true, and in a certain way, it is. But I know of Damian and his brothers’ influence. It is not an exaggeration to say they own half of the city. Liam did mention his brother had several hotels and restaurants to manage. Finding a spot in one of them probably was a piece of cake. But still, it is hard to believe how lucky I am!
“Nora? There is something else we need to discuss.”
He looks a bit more serious this time. He puts his hands before him, taking a thinking pose for a second, searching for his words. Then, he looks at me in the eye, not smiling for once.
“We are facing a... rather odd issue. Damian and I looked into the city records, trying to get to know more about you.”
When they were searching for my Clan, I suppose. It is probably no surprise, either, that they can freely run through the city’s classified documents to get information on someone. It must be as simple as walking in a library for them. But what would be the problem with my legal information? The city records should hold every citizen's data, such as our birth date, the city of origin, and parents. The night creatures like werewolves also can access some information concerning the Moon Clans we are related to this way. But I don’t see where there might be an issue on any of these.
Nathaniel frowns, and takes out several documents that I have never seen before.
“When you told us your name was Nora Bluemoon, we started looking for you. My brother knew your birth date, and I originally thought we would be able to discover your background information quite easily. But we didn’t.”
What? I don’t get it. How could they not find a single piece of information about me? I look at the documents scattered. Register of births from 1995 to 2003, list of family names established in Silver City since the eighteenth century, several Clans registers, and a few family trees with names similar to mine.
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused.
“That means there is absolutely no trace of your existence, nowhere, Nora. Legally, you have no records in any of these documents. You should be in at least half of them, but you are not. No girl named Nora was born in 2000 or any of the years around it. There is no family name like Bluemoon registered in Silver City, and you are not even mentioned as part of the Jade Moon Clan!”
I look at him, dumbfounded. How is that even possible? I have never lived anywhere else as far as I can remember, so how can this city records be utterly unaware of my existence? I check the documents he’s brought, trying to find some clue, anything to prove he’s wrong, but after a few minutes, I have to admit Nathaniel’s right.
I don’t appear anywhere.
“...How is that even possible?” I ask.
Nathaniel frowns.
“I’m not sure, princess. It seems like your existence has been concealed from the very first moment you were born.”
“But why would someone hide her birth?” Asks Tonia, perplexed.
I have no idea... The Jade Moon Clan was simply ignoring my existence so they could use me as a slave and could not have been bothered about it. But I should still have some legal presence somewhere, shouldn’t I? If so, then what is this?
“...What about Alec?” I suddenly ask.
Nathaniel frowns.
“You mean your older brother?”
“Yes. Alec was born in 1997, did you find any trace of him?”
“Not in the Jade Moon Clan’s registers, but we can find him somewhere else...”
