When Hana Ye turned and stared blankly at him, Lin En placed his hand against her cheek and gently cupped it.
"Because they need to choose the right moment. They intend to make you the vessel for that Great Demon's descent. That's why your father has always kept you here. Only here could you grow up little by little under their watchful eyes, bloom and bear fruit, and complete that final ritual for them."
At that moment, the wind blew silently through the window, lifting the curtains high.
She sat there for a long time, the wind stirring the hair at her temples. She looked at Lin En's face, her eyes vacant, unable to utter a word. Yet his eyes were so grave, his gaze piercing her heart like a needle.
Lin En had not wanted to tell her.
Because it was cruel, not just to her, but to anyone.
But he knew.
No one could stay a child forever.
And he could not hide it from her for the rest of her life.
The truth was cruel by its very nature. Perhaps revealing it now was better than leaving her to suffer that prolonged ache.
"He doesn't love you."
Lin En gazed into her eyes.
"He has never treated you as his daughter. Though I don't know why he's working with that Great Demon, these are the facts I've uncovered. Hana Ye, in his eyes, you're nothing more than a tool to achieve his goal. The only reason he hasn't thrown you away is that the time hasn't come yet."
"He has never invested any feeling in you."
Those words were like a bone-chilling wind. A long, shrill ringing seemed to fill her ears. She sat there hollowly, as though countless piercing noises were pouring into them.
Suddenly, it