Rachel mentally cursed herself. Her attempts to move to happier topics or lighten the mood always seemed to lead toward darker places, ruining her positive intentions.
Mental curses aside, Rachel mainly felt bad for Khan. Stories about him littered the network, and most were sad. Rachel had also read all of them, learning more than most people, but hearing them directly from his lips somehow hit harder.
Khan's life had truly been an endless series of struggles that often ended in tragedy. For all his achievements, he always seemed able to lose what he genuinely cared about, and countless deaths surrounded those sad events.
Rachel's life had by no means been easy. As a Princess and a popular one at that, her family had educated her for years, preparing her for all the dangers her status could attract. She had learned to see dark shades everywhere until it became the norm for her.
