After several earth-shaking coughs, the woman's face flushed bright red.
The woman wanted to leave this place even more.
The heat in her face had originally been caused by her coughing.
But then, it seemed that another reason had made that heat even more intense.
The woman took a deep breath.
She worked hard to calm her heart, which was racing from the violent coughing.
She also let the temperature in her face drop somewhat.
She looked at the child in the young man's arms.
Her brows drew tightly together.
All her features scrunched up.
"...I'm sorry."
The woman uttered those three words somewhat indistinctly.
She pressed her lips together.
She had also heard how unclear her own words sounded.
She thought of what she had said to the siblings just moments ago, when she had complained that the girl's apology had been too quiet.
She opened her mouth.
After a long pause—
"...I spoke harshly."
"I'm sorry."
This apology was much clearer than the first.
"Those were just angry words."
"They weren't meant to be taken seriously."
As the person being apologized to, the girl was somewhat... frightened.
Because...
The auntie who had always been so fierce toward her had apologized to her...
She could not help looking up at Xiao Xiao.
Her eyes held confusion and helplessness.
Noticing the girl's movement, the woman also shifted her gaze to the girl's older brother.
She knew.
Although she had apologized to the girl,
her real purpose was to satisfy the girl's older brother.
This young man was the key to whether she could leave.
Xiao Xiao lowered his head and looked at the girl.
"The auntie is apologizing to you."
"Are you willing to forgive her?"
The girl tilted her head.
The