Lily blinked in shock, staring at the old lady. She had never expected someone living in this settlement to know Young Aether, let alone speak of him with such bitterness.
"Wait. You knew him?" she asked in a confused tone, her eyes moving between the old woman and Young Aether.
The old lady blankly stared at Young Aether for several seconds. There was no warmth in her eyes. Then she spoke coldly.
"The curse of my family. Of course, how could I ever forget this boy?"
Her words carried a quiet pain beneath their bitterness, as if merely looking at him had forced open a wound she had spent years trying to bury.
She nodded a few times while looking between him and the woman Lily had been forced to protect, her expression becoming increasingly troubled.
"I see… so that idiot grandson of mine hasn't changed at all." Her tone turned pitiful as she slowly shook her head in disappointment.
Young Aether blankly stared at her, "What do you mean… she died a long time ago?"
