Tabby Teller went to the mine disaster site, while Claudia Ross stayed inside the presidential residence to take care of Ursula Solomon and little Ann.
Ursula Solomon still barely spoke, but she enjoyed watching little Ann play. When little Ann bounced a leather ball around, Ursula would giggle happily.
The presidential residence was teeming with guards and servants, but Claudia Ross told them all to mind their own tasks and not to bother with them.
She didn't want to be a pampered parasite. Cooking and doing laundry for the people she loved was, in fact, a source of happiness for her.
As a child, it was her mother who used to fry sweet potato balls for her. Now, it was Claudia's turn to fry sweet potato balls for her mother.
She hoped that the sweet potato balls could awaken her mother's memories, even if it was just a faint glimmer.
