Pain of Loss

Duchess Seraphina swiftly turned around.

Varian raised a brow at the drastic changes in her appearance in a short span of six months.

The old lady's sparse gray had fallen further, almost showing her scalp. The sagging blue skin had grown even more loose and lifeless, like the bark of a dying tree and her eyes were no longer as sharp as they once were.

Something inside her died.

"Y-You…are you really…" Seraphina's eyes watered and she sniffed back her tears. "Is this an illusion before my death?"

Varian opened his mouth in surprise and rubbed his forehead, as he shook his head. In an amused tone, he said. "If you're that happy to see me, you shouldn't have tried to kill me. Your granddaughter wouldn't have died."

"Xeola! Ahhh, my Xeola! The little girl! Xeola!!!" Like she had gone mad, Seraphina called out her dead granddaughter's name and sobbed.