A car approached the Vale mansion. The gates opened automatically before the vehicle could even reach them. When the car finally moved through the long driveway and stopped beneath the covered entrance, the door opened and Relanie stepped out.

She was dressed in a soft long gown with a scarf wrapped around her neck.

She looked around the sprawling gardens and buildings, an unreadable look flashing through her eyes. Then she took a deep breath and walked toward the entrance of the main building.

Her footsteps slowly came to a stop when she reached the doorway. She didn’t open the door immediately. She simply stood there quietly as faint voices drifted into her hearing through the door.

"I repeat. Your son has finally lost his mind."

It was Mr Vale’s voice. And judging from the tone, it sounded like he was having one of his usual arguments with his wife again.

Mrs Vale didn’t answer immediately, so Relanie guessed, no, she knew, that she was probably drinking tea or brushing her hair while ignoring him.

A small smile tugged at her lips.

When she was younger, Mr and Mrs Vale used to argue every now and then. At first, Mrs Vale would completely ignore him and continue doing whatever she was doing. But when she finally couldn’t take it anymore, she would snap back.

It seemed she still did that even now.

"That girl thinks because she has become famous, she can speak however she wants. She terminated the sponsorship and still had the nerve to lecture me."

Relanie froze at that.

That girl... Terminated the sponsorship...

At once, she knew who they were talking about. Who else could it be? No one had ever terminated a sponsorship agreement with the Vales before. Elara was the first person to break that record.

A mocking scoff escaped Relanie’s lips.

Had they finally come to their senses? Had they finally realized that that bitch wasn’t worth everything they had done for her?

She raised her hand toward the door, intending to enter, but the next words made her stop.

"Elara is not rude. She is telling the truth. That’s what I like about her. She always speaks her mind and doesn’t talk behind people’s backs. And considering what you said, if I had been there, I would have said worse."

It was Mrs Vale’s voice this time. And she had said those words in a calm tone.

So this was how it was. One person was criticizing Elara, the other was defending her. It seems Mrs Vale was still fond of her precious "daughter in law" anyway

Relanie’s fingers dug into her palm. Then she raised her hand and pressed the doorbell. The voices inside stopped almost instantly. A few moments later, the door opened and Mrs Vale’s face appeared.

Mrs Vale froze instantly, then her eyes widened in surprise. "Relanie!" She exclaimed and stepped forward immediately to pull her into a hug. "Relanie, I thought you forgot about me."

Relanie pursed her lips. Her gaze moved over her shoulder and landed on Mr Vale who was standing still by the couch.

The older man instantly gave her a warm smile. It was a smile Relanie had always associated with him.

"Come in. Have you eaten? We just finished dinner and there’s still food left. I was actually thinking of sending it to Adrian, but you can come eat it instead." Mrs Vale muttered, pulling away from the hug and guiding her inside before closing the door.

Relanie’s fingers tightened a bit at those words.

"It’s really been a long time, Relanie," Mr. Vale said warmly. "I was beginning to think you had chosen your career over us."

Relanie forced a smile. "Dad, how could I forget the people who raised me?" she said softly.

Mrs Vale’s smile stiffened for a small moment, then it brightened again. "Let me get you something to eat. You must be hungry. I know it isn’t easy for..."

"It’s alright, Mom," Relanie interrupted gently. "I’m not hungry. I already ate before coming here. I just want to pick up a few things from my room."

Mrs Vale’s lips pursed slightly. "Oh. Right. That’s good." She mummured quietly, then she smiled again. "Or should I have the maids pack the food for you before you leave?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"It’s not necessary," Relanie replied, forcing another small smile. "Just send it to him."

Mrs Vale’s expression changed slightly. She obviously understood perfectly who Relanie meant.

The food had originally been meant for Adrian.

"Oh right." Mrs Vale nodded. "Then you should go to your room. It’s still exactly as it always was. I still ask the maids to clean all your rooms regularly."

Relanie knew exactly what Mrs Vale meant by your rooms.

Her room, Adrian’s room, and Aurelia’s room.

Relanie nodded slowly. Instead of heading toward the main staircase, she walked toward a side door while Mr and Mrs Vale watched her quietly as she disappeared through it.

Soon, Relanie entered a smaller hall which had a spiral staircase stretching upward through the center.

She still remembered walking through this place years ago. But when she thought about it now, it didn’t feel like it had only been a few years. It felt too far away, almost like a memory from another lifetime. Sometimes, it even felt like those memories weren’t real at all, as if she had only imagined them.

She remembered running through these halls while Aurelia chased after her.

She remembered Mrs Vale dragging both of them into her room to brush their hair.

She remembered Mr Vale returning home every evening carrying gifts for everyone. Everyone except Adrian.

Adrian would usually remain alone in his room or sit quietly and paint in the garden until someone called him to eat. Even when Mr Vale bought things for him, he would usually shake his head and walk away without taking them.

One of Relanie’s favorite memories was hearing the maids call her Young Miss. Back then, there had been many more maids in the Vale household than there were now. And almost all of them believed the same thing.

One day, Adrian and Relanie would get married.

But after Aurelia’s death, those maids suddenly disappeared and Relanie only learned much later what had happened.

The Vale family had given them generous compensation, helped them settle elsewhere, and ensured they could live comfortably. In return, they were expected to leave the past behind and never speak about what had happened within the Vale household.

But thanks to Relanie, she had made sure all that effort wasn’t wasted. After all, what was the point of a secret if nobody ever found out about it?