Alpha's Rejected Mate Returns as Queen
Chapter 725: Blood Kin

Chapter 725: Blood Kin

Carolyn's POV:

Even though I pretended to be familiar with Adele, I had never seen my half-sister before.

When I woke up, I was already at the edge of a volcano. After I was rescued, Adele had already been imprisoned, so upon closer inspection, I didn't even know what she looked like.

After the former king finished speaking, he discreetly glanced at me, seemingly worried it might upset me. But I had no reason to be angry. It was quite funny; I didn't even resent Adele.

Perhaps, during the kidnapping, I feared and hated her, but after all these years, as I walked alone through life, tasted numerous joys and sorrows, and witnessed countless farewells, I gradually began to understand the motivation behind her actions.

Her life was like a senseless third-rate opera-a birth abandoned by her mother, growing under the influence of enemies, an inner world filled with hatred, and a life manipulated by emptiness.

She seemed formidable on the surface, but she was isolated and unsupported. No one cared for her, and no one needed her. The world rejected her and became a mistake from beginning to end.

So, her hatred toward me seemed so natural. I was like a mirror reflection to her, living a life completely opposite to hers.

If I were in her position, I would probably do the same as she did. No one in her situation could escape her fate. Madness was the only choice fate left her.

So, I wasn't surprised when she eventually exiled herself, becoming a forgotten lunatic. To her, it might have been a form of liberation. The flames of fate would never die out, but at least she could choose to ignore the pain and suffering.

My father also looked at me with a complex expression-caution, guilt, pain, and a plea all mixed in his eyes.

I knew he couldn't remain unaffected. After all, she was also his daughter, carrying his blood. So, I acted as if I didn't notice anything and said, "I'll accompany you, Father. We still have some time before the party starts."

My father lowered his gaze, seemingly afraid to look at me, trying to say something but not finding the right words. At this moment, the former queen stepped forward to ease the situation, saying, "You two go. I'll stay here. If you don't return before the party starts, at least two hosts will entertain the guests. It would be too impolite to have only Aldrich."

So, dressed in magnificent yet somewhat constrained formal attire, we were driven in the royal car toward the secret mansion where Adele was being held.

All the way, my father remained silent, his lips pressed together, his hands tightly clenched. I knew he was trying to hold himself together. The closer we got to our destination, the more tense he became until we arrived at the mansion's entrance, where he hesitated and stopped.

The former king gave him a questioning look, but my father carefully surveyed the surroundings, sighing.

"For so many years, I only saw her through video calls. Now that I can finally come to where she lives, I'm afraid," he bitterly smiled, condemning his own cowardice. "Oh well, what's the point of pretending now? It's true; I owe her all these years. I can't face her..."

The former king just accepted his old friend's outpouring without commenting on the old friend's wild youth and evasiveness in mid-life. So, I had no way of knowing what he truly thought.

As a daughter, I respected and loved my father. I believed he was the greatest person in the world.

But—as a woman, when I stood in a third-person perspective, I was surprised to find myself indifferent to his current remorse. When he chose to avoid Adele, did he ever think that he would be tormented like this today?

I heard myself say calmly, "Don't worry, Father. Adele is already gone. Whatever you say, she won't feel anything. So, don't be afraid; she won't care about your attitude toward her. She doesn't care about anything anymore."

My voice wasn't loud, but it hit the gentlemen present like thunderbolts, leaving them all stunned. My father looked at me, seemingly trembling, as if the invisible lashes were already unbearable.

I didn't know why I suddenly became so indifferent, maybe because this place was too desolate, it unconsciously brought me into the perspective of the only resident living here. What kind of life was it to be alone for over a decade? Time flowed both quickly and slowly. Even if she went mad, could she really feel nothing about the merciless passing of the years? But I knew this kind of immersion was absurd fantasy, so I immediately snapped out of it, supporting my father, who was about to collapse, and said, "Let's go, it's getting windy outside."

The snow had stained my luxurious gown. The mansion was evidently long neglected, and the only passable path seemed freshly cleared.

There were several small houses surrounding the mansion, where the guards stayed. Naturally, they couldn't secretly approach the queen's prisoner, let alone clean the mansion.

Finally, we arrived at the front of the house, and some guards had been waiting there, respectfully guiding us to meet the mansion's sole prisoner.

For the first time, I saw the appearance of my half-sister.