Chapter 236: What in the world is this?

In the secluded chamber,

Maelona stared blankly at her daughter, who stood before her with her head bowed in guilt and shame. The silence between them was heavy...

"You know, I thought you had matured a lot, know better and yet..." Maelona's voice was tinged with a profound sense of defeat. Her heart ached with the unbearable dilemma she faced: either sentence her beloved daughter to death, a choice no mother could bear, or... confine her once more to the cold, unforgiving cage.

Maelona sighed deeply, her breaths heavy with the burden of her thoughts. She considered the myriad possibilities, her mind swirling with conflicting emotions, yet...

"Why did you do that?" Maelona finally asked her voice a mixture of exasperation and sorrow.

"... I... I... I wanted to show my affection," Aria stammered.