"This is mother's favorite coffee shop."

"Hm."

​​

Van only let out a breath as he once again looked at the other people in the establishment. Was that the reason why the people weren't bothering them, and even making way and avoiding them by themselves?

At least the people here have a sense of privacy, unlike the media people that Van had been seeing a lot lately ever since he arrived in the country.

"How… did your mother die?"

"She's not dead!"

Adia instantly slammed her palm on the table as soon as Van's words reached her ears. But although it thundered throughout the entire coffee shop, it wasn't enough to break the table. Adia remained staring at Van for a few seconds before she started to calm down.

"She and father are stuck somewhere in the Deadzone," she then said before taking a sip of her coffee, "My father, you see, was an Explorer from Xin."

"...Xin?" Van asked as he too sipped on the straw. Van immediately twirled his tongue inside his mouth as the sweetness of the beverage that Adia got him felt like it melted in his mouth.

"China," Adia followed, "He wasn't that famous, he even had a lower rank than you when he and mother got married."

"...Oh," Van let out a short hum as he stared at Adia's face. He always wondered why she and her brother seemed to have lighter skin than everyone else in the country; even Adia's face was smaller than every woman he has seen so far-- She was mixed.

"I know that look," Adia let out a short but loud sigh, "Their relationship wasn't favored by grandpa, of course. Mother was his only child, and for her to marry a foreigner was looked down upon by everyone else. But still, grandpa gave in at the end."

...That wasn't really the reason he was staring at her, Van thought.

"And you think the both of them are still somewhere in the Deadzone… alive?"

"Hm."

"I thought people weren't allowed to go there, even if they held a high status like Miss Charlotte?"

"That's right," Adia nodded, the sorrow from her breaths whispering into Van's ears, "But mother and father wanted to reclaim the Deadzone."

"...Reclaim it?"

"Africa… used to be a whole continent, you see," Adia tapped her cup a couple of times, "But now it's just one big wasteland. Whatever was left after the Portal Calamity became the country you see now."

Adia took a big sip before continuing her story, "They said the Deadzone will continue to be a waste if we were too afraid to see what's out there. They wanted to prove to people that it was safe… that they could make it safe for the people; that there thousands of untapped resources there that could make the country evolve even more than it was before the Calamity...

...But they didn't return."

Most of the people here, System Holder and normal people alike, were already living better than even those in the major cities in America… and yet they still crave for more. Perhaps no one can blame them. It was an innate trait for people to have what they do not and can not.

It was a story that Van had heard a million times from the people in the Relic Graveyard back home, a story of hope and wanting more; in a way, it was his story as well.

"...How long ago was that?" Van said, asking when Adia's parents disappeared.

"18 years ago."

"..." Van was not even born yet that year. He could only let out a sigh as he looked Adia straight in the eyes and say, "They're most probably dead, Ms. Adia."

"They--!" Adia stood up from her seat. She was about to scream to let out her frustration upon hearing Van's blunt words, but in the end, she chose not to do so and calmed herself down.

"I know they are still alive," Adia said as she returned Van's gaze, the tone of her voice-- adamant, "They both promised me that they were going to come back…

...they have to."

"...Why are you telling me this?" Van finally asked.

"If you and the White Imvubu are granted permission to go through the gates and explore the Deadzone…

...I want to go with you."

"You'll just hold us back."

Adia almost let out a gasp as Van instantly shut her down without even a slight hesitation on his face. She was not really expecting Van to reject her after hearing her whole story,

"...But I can help," Adia's words were firm, "You saw how I did in the race, I almost won against you!"

"No," Van quickly shook his head, "I could have won that race with you not even taking 10 steps. I held back because you're the Princess of this country."

"That--"

"I could even say that I would probably be holding back Miss Charlotte, what more you?"

"..."

"..."

The whole coffee shop became silent as Van's sharp words echoed through the air. Although the people did not mean to eavesdrop, it was hard to resist when you could hear almost every word that Van and Adia were saying due to the enclosed space… it wasn't helping as well that everyone was quiet as they didn't want to disrupt their conversation.

"Still…" Adia then let out a long and deep breath as she broke the silence, "I want to know. I want to know if mother and father are alive out there if they need my help. I want to prove they were right, that we can reclaim the Deadzone. Not just for me or for my brother, but for the people."

"..."

"As a future leader of this country, I want my first contribution to be where my mother left off."

'Your people seem to be living just fine,' was Van wanted to say. But seeing as he too, was guilty of always wanting more, he couldn't really say anything. And seeing the fires of resolution lighting up in Adia's eyes, perhaps anything he would say would just burn into ashes.

Van could only let out a sigh, slightly shaking his head as he took another sip of whatever it was he was actually drinking, "In the end… it is up to your grandfather whether or not we're allowed to go in the Deadzone."

Seeing a small smile slightly lifting on Van's face, Adia let out a small hum of excitement. Afterward, she grabbed something from her purse and slid it across the table towards Van.

"I also wanted to give you this today," Adia said.

"This is…"

"A gift."

"..." Van looked at the small black box that was handed to him. Was it some kind of technology, like a small television, perhaps? "How do I turn this on?" Van asked.

"Turn… it on?" Adia blinked a couple of times as she tried to understand what Van meant, "...It's just a box. You open it."

"...Oh," Van muttered, the disappointment in his voice was clear for anyone to hear, "Should… I open it now?"

"Please."

"Hm," Van nodded before opening the small box. And in it, was some sort of jewel in the shape of a feather. "...Is this the prize money from the race?"

"Prize-- No!"

Through their walk, Adia had completely forgotten that she had an arrangement with Van-- that if she loses the race, she would give him money. To think that Van would think of that even after they had a heart-to-heart talk.

"It's an earring," Adia said, "It's an earring that will prove that you're a part of the royal family."

An earring… Come to think of it, King Badru, as well as Adia's brother, Siwazuri, had an earring adorning their earlobes. To think that it was some sort of sign of nobility, Van was once again awed by the different cultures of the world. But alas…

"...Then I can't accept this," Van lowered his voice as he calmly returned the jewel box to Adia. It was a shame, he would have probably been able to sell it at a very high price.

"About the proposal…" Van then whispered, but before he could continue his words, Adia pushed the jewel box back to him and shook her head.

"I know your proposal was an accident," Adia let out a slight chuckle. She then stood up, making her way towards Van and sitting beside him.

"But since we're already here, we might just as well finish our play and let the people have something to talk about," she whispered into Van's ears, "And with you acting as my fiance publicly, you'd be given more authority. Add that to you being the White Imvubu's protege, your status would probably be higher than that of even grandfather's… even to the other consuls' eyes. This is a completely political move."

"...I see," hearing Adia's words, Van finally accepted the earring, taking it out of the box and examining it fully. Out of all the patterns in the world, why did it have to be a feather? Could it be possible that Evangeline had planned all of this as well? Was she some kind of seer that knew everything that was happening in the world?

"Here, let me fit it on your ear."

With him once again lost in his own thoughts, Adia grabbed the earring from his hands. Adia then slightly pushed Van's hair to the side, exposing the huge scar adorning his left face.

Van flinched and was about to cover his face once again, but before he could do so, Adia stopped him. "It's okay, Va-an," she said, "A scar is a sign of maturity here. A proof that one had survived even the worst calamities that the world has to offer…

...you don't need to hide."