Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 488

Deep within the St. Claire estate, a bedroom had been completely transformed into an intensive care unit equipped with top-tier medical devices.

Amidst the rhythmic beeping of the machines, Yara's father, Nathan St. Claire, lay quietly on the hospital bed.

Years of chronic poisoning had long drained his vitality.

Now, he was nothing but skin and bones. His pale hair was scattered on the pillow, and his heavily wrinkled face carried the ashen pallor of a dying man.

Seeing the towering father of her memories reduced to this state, Yara's emotional defenses instantly crumbled, tears flooding her eyes.

To the outside world, she was the terrifying Yara St. Claire, but right now, she was simply the daughter of the fading old man before her.

She slowly crouched down, her trembling hands grasping his withered ones, her fingertips gently rubbing over his rough knuckles. "Dad, I'm so sorry... I let you suffer."

In the corner of the room, Phoenix and the medic stood in silence.

Watching the scene unfold, both felt a sharp ache in their hearts.

As Yara's most trusted confidantes, they knew better than anyone what Nathan meant to her.

Back then, just to keep her father breathing, Yara had willingly locked herself away, stepping into the purgatory of Blackwood Penitentiary and burying over a decade of her freedom.

But even that slaughterhouse couldn't break her pride.

Now that she had broken out of the cage, she was still the iron-blooded queen that struck fear into all of Highcrest.

Yet, inside this cramped hospital room, stripped of all her ruthless killing intent, Yara was just a daughter consumed by guilt.

She shed the softest, most heartbroken tears for her dying father.

"Is... is that Yara?"

A voice as faint as a whisper, sounding like sandpaper, broke the dead silence of the room.

Yara's head snapped up, meeting Nathan's cloudy eyes as they slowly opened.

Phoenix pressed her lips together tightly, her chest feeling as heavy as waterlogged cotton.

They had fought with everything they had, wading through mountains of corpses and seas of blood just to rescue him, but in the end... they couldn't even buy this father and daughter enough time to stay together.

"Phoenix, let it go." The medic reached out, gently patting her shoulder. "Yara isn't as fragile as you think. For her and her father to meet alive, to even exchange a few words... in our line of work, that is a rare blessing."

"I know." Phoenix took a deep breath, turning to take a long look at the closed hospital room door. "Now that Yara has taken back control of Highcrest, it's time for me to step down."

"Step down?" The medic blinked, then unceremoniously flicked her forehead. "You idiot, where exactly do you plan on going?"

Phoenix covered her reddened forehead, grumbling in annoyance. "Can you stop hitting my head? I'm not that smart to begin with, if you keep hitting it, I'll actually turn stupid."

"Heh, I think your brain is already full of water." The medic rolled his eyes, scoffing in exasperation. "You are Yara's chosen successor! The entire sky of Highcrest is going to be handed over to you."

"Huh?" Phoenix's eyes widened in shock, shaking her head vigorously. "No! Yara built everything in Highcrest herself. How could I just steal her throne?"

"You—" The medic laughed in pure frustration at her stubbornness. "I'm putting this out there right now. Even if you want to leave, Yara will never let you. This empire she built can only be ruled by you!"