RIN

A delicate watery fragrance was drifting in the air, usually evoking a calming atmosphere through the night. However, at that moment, the entire Bai Manor was in a panic frenzy.

At this time, Bai Han's roar resounded around the entire manor.

"Rin!"

Once he barged right into the room, he saw his granddaughter's wretched appearance, as she lay asleep on the pillow, perspiring and flushed. Her pillow was wet with numerous red stains from where she had coughed.

She looked unconscious, but her frail white hands gripped the white sheets so tightly her knuckles whitened.

Her eyes were closed, breathing from her mouth in great difficulty and knotting her eyebrows in pain. Bai Han's heart ached at the sight. He came right over to the bed and pulled Rin's hand away from clutching tightly at the blankets.

"Rin, it's okay. I'm here. Open your eyes for me." His tone was stern but soothing. He couldn't hide the shakiness in his voice.

Detecting the sound of her grandfather's voice, Rin opened her eyes weakly, her breathing heavy.

"Grandfather..." Before she could stop herself, she coughed and splattered blood onto the white bedsheets and Bai Han's clothing. She closed her eyes; she felt so tired.

"Rin!" He caught the girl's collapsing body with trembling hands and wiped it away with the back of his sleeve without a care.

Rin's vision blurred as she weakly held her grandfather's arm. She pulled herself up and leaned against the cold wall. She had felt so weary previously, but now it felt as if a massive boulder was pushing against her chest. She caught her breath and turned to the wall to cough. Blood spots marked the wall.

Rin heaved and heaved until there was nothing but a hollow pit in her gut. She leaned into Bai Han, who massaged her back and offered her a cup of water which she gladly took, but even that forced its way up.

All of Bai Han's emotions were laid bare on his face as he reached out to stroke Rin's sweat-covered face. "It's okay…you're okay." These words were mostly for himself.

This wasn't good. At this rate, if she were to lose any more blood, she would…

Standing in the middle of the doorway, General Guo's expression had grown dark.

"Where's the physician?!" He roared at the maidservants behind him.

The maidservants flinched, and instantly their bodies trembled.

"Um—uh," The maidservant uttered, startled and anxious. General Guo glared at her, eyes narrowed and cool, chilling even. Feeling his cold and intense gaze on her, she choked.

An older maidservant watched from the side and spoke up. "This servant was informed that he's on his way."

"Tell him to hurry! Now!" Bai Han was on the verge of madness. He turned back to the girl on the bed and wiped the sweat from her brows.

"Rin?" A young and weak voice sounded from the corner.

An Sun shifted his dark gaze over to see a sleepy-eyed Aiguo walking down the hall toward the room. The light in An Sun's eyes dimmed as he quickly walked over toward the boy and shielded his view.

"Go back to sleep." He ordered coldly.

Hearing the man's strict tone, Aiguo blinked his eyes and his sleepiness faded a little. He looked up at An Sun to see his expression was etched with a deep frown. Looking at everyone else, who was surrounding Rin's room, an ominous premonition arose in his heart.

"Rin?" Aiguo tried to sidestep An Sun, however, he blocked him.

"Kid, go back to bed." An Sun says again, his tone more menacing.

"No! What happened to Rin?"

Aiguo continuously tried to step around An Sun, but he was once again blocked.

"Let me see her!" The boy's childish voice raised.

"Listen—" Before An Sun could speak, the sound of a loud and sharp cough in the room behind him was heard.

Unconsciously, he looked behind him. In that moment of distraction, Aiguo pushed passed him to look into the room.

When Aiguo entered the room, a heavy scent of blood wafted through his nostrils. His eyes went to the frail figure on the bed, and all the color drained from his face as he stared, wide-eyed and frightened, his breath tight in his throat.

"Rin?" His voice trembled.

Bai Han turned around at the sound of the boy's voice and frowned.

"Someone get the boy out of here." His eyes shifted to An Sun, who nodded in understanding.

Not only was the boy's fear not appropriate in the situation, but it also wasn't something someone so young should witness.

"No!" Aiguo shouted and struggled when An Sun suddenly hauled him over his shoulder and walked away from the scene. "Rin!"

"Calm down," An Sun's voice was calm and steady.

Arriving in front of his room, he set the boy down on the bed but once more, he tried to get up and leave.

"That's enough." An Sun placed his hands on his shoulders and firmly held him down.

"No! I saw blood! Rin, she was—"

"I know." An Sun's face was expressionless, but his voice was menacingly patient.

Aiguo turned slowly to look up at An Sun, and a tense silence settled like a thick blanket over them as the two stare at each other. After a few seconds, Aiguo blinked and unexpectedly, his eyes were brimming with tears. His throat tightened as he started to let out a choked sob.

An Sun sighed. He extended a hand and patted the boy on his back in a comforting manner.

He did not know what to say.

"She's strong, remember that." He managed after an awkward silence.

"But…But…" Aiguo's words were barely audible.

"She'll be fine." An Sun said with a sigh, his voice bleak and devoid of feeling.

His dark gray eyes looked up at the ceiling and his pupils dilated as he sank deep into his thoughts.

"She'll be fine."

…

By the time the physician arrived, Rin finally drifted off to sleep out of exhaustion. Bai Han and General Guo stood by the side of her bed while the physician checked her pulse. There was silence for a long time.

Finally, the old physician lifted his head to look at the two men anxiously waiting.

"Does the young miss have a history of this illness?"

General Guo and Bai Han looked at each other. Throughout the years of raising Rin, they were familiar with this recurring illness. It had been the first winter after they adopted her when she suddenly became ill. That night, they awoke to the sound of a vicious cough only to find out, she had coughed blood.

The little girl, at the time, reassured them it was a recurring illness from when she was young. It had been two years since she last had these symptoms. However, this didn't sit well for the two, and they quickly contacted every physician they could find.

After a few weeks of rest, the coughing stopped, but her body was still too weak to stand. It was only when winter began to fade that she recovered.

A year later, the same illness occurred again. In the third year, Bai Han decided to send her to visit his family in the Southern Empire where it was warmer. Only until winter was over, would she return home.

This method seemed to work until the day Rin was taken as An Sun's strategist.

General Guo nodded to the physician's question. "It's been like this since she was young. However, it only ever occurred during the winter."

Right now, it was spring.

"Hmm…" The physician thought deeply. "Has the young miss experienced any stress lately?"

Bai Han's brows furrowed. "What does this have to do with it?"

The physician didn't seem affected by Bai Han's sharp tone.

"It's quite common for stress to affect an individual's health, making the person susceptible to infections." He concluded.

"That…" Bai Han had been about to respond when he paused. His weary eyes went to the frail girl on the bed.

A sense of guilt warped around his stomach and climbed its way to his chest. While Bai Han was silent, the physician looked at him before letting out a deep sigh.

"I can try providing the young miss with a tonic. But she'll need to take it for a long time to lessen her symptoms. Possibly for a few months."

"Is there a cure for this?" Bai Han's brows frowned.

The physician shook his head. "The only cure would be for the young miss to continue her treatment and take in plenty of rest."

There was silence. General Guo and Bai Han swept their eyes over the girl on the bed, both sharing the same complex and distressing emotions.

Rubbing the space between his brows, Bai Han sighed.

"Very well. Prepare it."

The physician nodded and bowed his head before vacating the room. With just the three left, Bai Han closes his eyes, dread etched in his face. General Guo looked at him with furrowed brows.

"It's not your fault." He tried to reassure.

Bai Han laughed self-mockingly. "Isn't it? Was it not I who rejected to hear her words? Was it not I who caused her to show such a painful expression?"

His eyes lowered down to the floor with a harsh stare.

"…I try protecting her, yet all I do is cause her pain."

"Bai Han…" General Guo looked at the old man with a troubled expression.

There was silence once more.

Outside of the room, a figure leaned against the wall with crossed arms. He listened to the men speaking inside and tilted his head back against the wall and sighed.

"Idiot."