Chapter 9

By the time she returned home, it was already plunged into chaos.

After squeezing through the crowd of onlookers, the first person she saw was a pale Doen whose clothes were drenched in red blood.

"My Lady, Nisha has…"

When she heard Doen's words, Adelina entered inside. Scarr was slumped over as if he'd lost his soul. In front of him lay Nisha, who looked like she was in critical condition and would die at any moment.

When she saw that Nisha's stomach was drenched in blood, Adelina caught her breath. Judging from Nisha's strained breathing, it looked like she was at death's door.

"What did the doctor say?"

Now wasn't the time to wonder what had happened. Right now, saving Nisha's life was the most important objective. Doen followed Adelina inside, and her eyes grew dark when she heard her question.

"They said there isn't a doctor in this neighborhood. At this rate…"

Collapsing to the ground, Doen burst into tears. Adelina staggered at the sudden change in fortune. 

'There wasn't a choice from the very beginning.'

Her head went blank, and the words began to click together.

The Crown Prince who refused his royal marriage.

The Deputy Secretary General's family who needed this royal marriage.

And the assassin who had threatened her family.

"Doen, stay here."

"My Lady."

"Nisha is going to be alright."

Although Nisha was the one who was dangling on the precipice between life and death, for some reason, it felt as if Adelina was the one who would disappear. Doen found herself grabbing onto Adelina's hand.

"Don't worry."

If one decision would make everything better, then there was only one thing she could do. Although she hated to do it, now that she'd made up her mind, she felt a sense of relief.

"I'll be back soon."

"My Lady, what are you trying to do?"

Adelina slipped her hand out of Doen's grasp, but Doen quickly grabbed it again. She felt that if she let go now, Adelina would disappear. In a situation where Nisha was in critical condition, she couldn't afford to lose Adelina.

"I don't know what you're thinking of doing, but… don't do it."

"I apologize that your leg was ruined because of my mother. If I had only interfered a little earlier, your leg would have been fine, Doen."

The words that had always gathered on the tip of her tongue had finally escaped.

Although this was a terrifying situation, she was as calm, cool, and collected as always.

Just like when she had carried the world on her shoulders on the day her family had collapsed, Adelina decided to do her best with what she had.

"Nothing will happen to Nisha."

It would be foolish to continue to brood over what to do. Everything had already been decided from the moment the Deputy Secretary General had come to visit their home.

After taking Doen's hand off of hers, Adelina stepped outside. She glanced at a group of people surrounded by soldiers. A man in the group saw Adelina as she approached them and lowered his head.

"A doctor must be called first."

The man nodded at Adelina's request and gestured to someone behind him with his chin. A doctor suddenly appeared and slipped through the soldiers and went inside.

A few moments later, Adelina could hear Doen's voice giving thanks.

"Our master is waiting."

"May I ask you one thing? Is the Deputy Secretary General the one who sent the assassins?"

"The Deputy Secretary General was the one who stopped it. We've captured a few of them alive, so we will find out who sent them very soon."

Adelina's eyes closed at the man's answer.

She'd hear the details from the Deputy Secretary General when she met him. Now that Nisha was saved, it was time to rescue the family.

Adelina gazed at her house for a long time before she turned around and began to follow the man.

From that day on, Adelina's life changed in an instant.

Her shabby home that seemed like it would collapse at any moment was suddenly changed to a handsome residence that came with servants.

"My Lady, we've finished."

At the servant's call, Adelina gazed at the mirror. The tired, rough face she had become so used to seeing was gradually showing more life.

The days when she used to worry about tomorrow had disappeared as if it had all been an illusion. Her situation had completely changed.

'The emperor's intention.'

The one who approached her was the Deputy Secretary General, but the one who had painted the whole picture was the emperor.

The moment she saw the document with the Imperial decree, Adelina could no longer go against the flow of events. She heard that Consort Min had been delighted to hear the news, but Adelina felt that this was not the case.

'Consort Min and the emperor's intentions are different.'

If they were the same, then Consort Min would have been the one to personally approach her.

Adelina had never met the Consort, but from what she'd heard from her deceased mother, Consort Min was not warmhearted nor trustworthy, just like Adelina's mother.

"The tea is cooling. Let me get you some more."

"No, it's alright."