Once again, Seul-ah found herself blinking in a daze.
What? What was this? Her lips parted as she found something more inside the urn; a bundle of mysterious paper she was yet dared to open.
Was this...belong to her mother? Had her mother been purchasing these and hiding them in her daughter's urn in case someone from her ex's family watching her?
Seul-ah bit her lips as her trembling finger fished out something like a note--a small letter, really--tucked inside the purse with her mother's handwriting.
To my dear Jade; if you find this, it means I've failed to deliver the purse to you on my own. Forgive me, my child, for being nothing but your shackle. I hope that at least, in the future, this meager stuff can help you in any way.
My sweetest child, please be happy.
Seul-ah gripped the note and crushed it between her fingers, holding back the tears that were eager to flow again.
Oh, how much she wanted to swallow the note so her mother's words would be etched inside her organ forever. If only...if only she did what her mother wanted in the past, she would have found this quicker.
But then again...she was so out of it in the past that even if she found all of these, she might not be able to keep it. She could see it clearly at that point, that her oldest brother kept her with nothing so she had no means to run away and was constantly in need of him.
She wouldn't be surprised if she found out that the person behind her bank account getting frozen and her card blocked was him.
Then again, she wouldn't be surprised if anyone from her 'family' did that.
"It's yet to happen now," she whispered to herself. If she recalled correctly, it would happen a few days after she put her mother in the columbarium. Someone would come to tell her that she had been cut from her 'privilege' and put under house arrest.
Not from the police or anything, but because her family deemed her unstable.
Or so they said. Seul-ah could tell that she was just too unsightly for them because she became so gloomy, so thin, and not grooming herself properly. An 'embarrassment' so to speak.
And just like that, she was put in a condition that made it so easy for someone to swoop in, act like a shining knight, and manipulate her fully.
But not this time.
She had to find a way to get out of that predicament. Of course, she knew that she wouldn't get swayed and manipulated anymore, but she also wouldn't be able to do anything without resources. With this...small treasure that her mother left her, even if her account got suspended and she couldn't access her money, she would still have something to hold on to.
Of course, it would be best if she could use both.
But she had to think about that later because she heard a knock on the door.
"Young Miss?"
Immediately, Seul-ah shoved the purse inside her sling bag and the papers into her suit's inside pocket, grabbing her sister's urn just in time for the door to open. She wiped her eyes again, just to hide her steady and blazing eyes. The few seconds were enough to bring out her sorrowful mood as she carefully opened the small pouch and poured what little ashes there inside her mother's urn
Ah...she could still put a little act from those years of training.
She could feel the gaze of her assistant--well, former assistant--but she pretended to not realize what happened around her. She had no idea how many eyes her family put on her; and while she trusted her own people, she didn't want them to get dragged into the pit of her 'downfall', so she had to be careful.
Quietly, she placed her mother's urn back inside the shelf and let out a smile. It was weak, but it was the most genuine one she could manage in her state at that moment. "I hope you won't be lonely this way," she whispered. "Please have a lot of fun with Sister."
She closed the shelf and took a deep, shaky breath. No matter how strong she told herself to be, saying another goodbye to her one and only family would never be easy. She stepped back and bowed deeply for a long time, giving her more time to manage her heart.
For the last time, she showed a burning gaze full of anger and determination. After another deep breath, however, she exhaled slowly and painfully, locking everything inside like always. Only leaving sorrow on the surface, she straightened her back again and left the room.
"Young Miss..."
Her former assistant, who had been taking care of her needs ever since she entered high school, looked at her with concern. Seul-ah just smiled dryly in return, as if her facial muscles had lost their ability to make too much movement.
"Why are you still here, Yu Ethan?"
The assistant twitched as his young miss called her by a full name, which sounded cold and distant. But then again, she hadn't been herself for a long time. "How could I leave you alone, Miss?"
"You're not working for me anymore," she replied with the same dry tone, walking out of the bleak building.
After her accident, she knew how compromised her position within the family became. The sheer fact that a police officer came to question her about what happened that night told her that her family couldn't care less about her. Even the police officer seemed to be bewildered that a conglomerate family would let a police question the child of the Chairman. It might be a ploy to keep a good image since she did nothing wrong anyway--no drinking or reckless driving--but it was weird enough.
After realizing this, she started to let go of her assistants. Asking for help from one of the company directors who had been kind to her since she was a child, Seul-ah sent them off to other companies. Only Ethan said he wanted to stay at HS Group so he wouldn't have to get too far from his young miss.
Seul-ah was grateful for that, but she also knew it would be detrimental for him to be around her too much. Watching the raindrops falling from the bleak sky, she let out a sigh. "You'll have enough hard time since you used to work for me, so don't make it harder for yourself."
Ethan smiled bitterly. "Can't I at least provide an umbrella for my Young Miss for the last time?"
Seul-ah raised her brow as the man opened an umbrella he had been keeping as they stood under the awning of the front door. She looked up to the pouring sky, which was soon covered by the black umbrella. She wanted to sneer--what an apt weather for mourning.
"Let me escort you to the car, Young Miss."
"Thank you," she took the umbrella from Ethan's hand. "But I'd like to take a walk for a bit, so please tell the driver to go back without me."
"What do you mean, Young Miss?" Ethan frowned. "You just recovered. Your leg is--"
"Please," Seul-ah spoke sternly, prompting Ethan to press his lips in silence. "I just want to be alone. Please."
Seeing the void in those usually brilliant black eyes made Ethan lost for words. He just sighed and bowed politely. "Very well. But please don't push yourself too much, Young Miss."
Seul-ah didn't answer, because she didn't want to lie. Not to the last people who might be on her side. Whatever she would do after this, everything would need her to push herself way too much--perhaps even beyond what she could handle.
But she was ready to face that. The throbbing pain stabbing her bone as she walked away was a reminder for her that the path she decided to walk would be one filled with thorns and glass shards; and in order to face that harsh storm awaiting her in the future, she needed to plan her steps carefully.
For now, she needed to get away for a while. She knew that once she was home, she would be under the watchful eyes of the house staff, and her privilege would be seized one by one. She only reached legal age this year, and with everything that had been happening, all of her assets--including what her grandfather gave her--were still tied to the family.
At that moment, she had a bit of breathing space. With how hard she was crying and how gloomy she looked, whether it was the Columbarium's staff, the driver, or even Ethan, they would state that she was in full mourning and not in her right mind.
No matter how much they want to keep an eye on her, following someone walking in the rain was too much of a pain in the ass--especially with a car. It wouldn't really be worth it. Knowing the members of that household, they would probably be joyful if she somehow got kidnapped or killed by a random thug at the side of the road.
Thus, despite her screaming leg, Seul-ah continued to walk, looking as listless as possible. Disguised in sorrow and woe, she started to make her steps under the crying heaven.