"You're awake? How are you feeling? Any better?"
As time passed, Hana Ye finally stirred groggily from her long slumber. Before she even opened her eyes, she heard that familiar voice beside her.
It felt as though she had had a nightmare, or lived through something as long as an entire lifetime.
When she opened her eyes and saw Lin En's face so close to hers, her eyes slowly misted over. She bit her lip, then threw herself into his arms, wrapping both arms tightly around his neck and burying her whole face in his chest.
She said nothing.
It was as though she was desperately holding something back.
Lin En patted her back, feeling her small body tremble violently. He knew perfectly well just how deeply the truths he had told her would affect her.
"I'm sorry."
In the end, Lin En spoke softly to her.
"What do you have to apologize for?!"
Hana Ye clung tightly to his neck, her other hand clutching the front of his shirt. It seemed to take all her strength to get the words out.
"I'm not going to cry again!"
She shouted forcefully, as though she was shouting at herself.
Biting her lip, she said shakily:
"Actually... actually, I should have guessed back then. Daddy... Daddy left me in that Church. When those awful people, those terrifying people, killed people right in front of me, when they carved out that bloody Magic Formation, even an idiot should have known that Daddy wanted to throw me away all along!"
She had simply never known why. She had kept deceiving herself, believing it was nothing more than a dream she had had as a child.
And if it was a dream, all she had to do was wake up.
Her eyes were red, but