Chapter 6

"Adelina, I've been thinking."

Her father looked worse for wear, but his eyes held a cold gleam. At first, those eyes terrified her so much that she had been afraid to approach him.

However, when she realized that Scarr's eyes were those of a man who had everything taken away from him by force and was only holding on by one strand of hope, her fear transformed into pity.

"What did you think about?"

Because she had basically walked around the whole city today, her muscles were sore and heavy, but she didn't betray any discomfort and sat down opposite her father.

"Doesn't Her Highness the Consort visit the hot spring at the Yi River once a year? Let's try going there. If Her Highness knows about our situation, she will definitely show mercy on us."

Adelina lowered her eyes when she heard Scarr's idea. She didn't know much about politics, but she knew just what kind of woman the Consort was. The Consort that her mother and father had trusted so much…

As the Consort's friend, her mother had begun to act arrogant. Ultimately, unable to withstand their new situation, her mother took her own life.

Amidst all the confusion and chaos, Scarr's health had deteriorated.

They were barely able to maintain their lives. When he was faced with his ruined clan, Scarr's sense of loss had transformed into an obsession with the Consort. He was certain that if he met with the Consort, they would be able to return to the way things were. He continued to nag Adelina about her.

"Do you know how far the Yi River is from here? And even if we get there, it is not guaranteed that we'll be able to meet with her."

"We only need to meet with her! You just think of how we can get there. I'll do the talking."

Her mother, who had trusted in the Consort, had been branded as a terrible wife, and Scarr had become a man who would do anything to protect his power.

Although their peers wagged their fingers at them, they wanted to be parents who would do everything for their child, Adelina.

Although she was a girl, they claimed that she could do everything the boys could do and let her learn many things.

"Cough, cough."

Wracked by violent coughs, Scarr could no longer continue talking. Adelina went to his side. She wiped the blood trickling down his lips with the hem of her sleeve and carefully laid him down on his bedding.

"Let me get your medicine. Please rest."

"We must quickly make our way to the Yi River…"

"Please rest."

When Scarr began to flay his arms, Adelina grabbed them and waited. A few moments later, Scarr murmured that they must leave and gradually fell asleep. After watching over the sleeping Scarr for a little while longer, Adelina went back to her seat and sat down.

She had planned to go to the mountain before the sun had completely set, but she couldn't get herself to stand.

'How can lingering attachments bring back the past?!'

She would only have the strength to hate someone when her family's situation was more secure.

The people she needed to give all her attention to at this moment was Scarr, who was currently losing his mind, Doen, the concubine whose leg had been hurt by Adelina's own mother, and her little sister Nisha. She didn't have time to care about the Crown Prince or the Consort.

"My Lady, a guest has arrived."

The word 'guest' sounded so strange to her. After the fall of their family, the only ones who'd come to see them were people who had been wronged by her mother or people who wondered if they had any money stored away.

After exiting the room, Adelina's brows furrowed when she saw who was standing there. She was suddenly filled with an ominous feeling.

She did her best to swallow the bitter taste in her mouth and lowered her head.

"It has been a while, Deputy Secretary General."

As Adelina bowed to him in greeting, Deputy Secretary General Kong Tiena stroked his beard.