When she was young, Adelina, her mother, and her sister, Violetta, became infected with the blood fever. Adelina's eye became so swollen the doctor had to remove it with a knife and hot tongs. As her mother was an adult, she died from the disease, but both Adelina and Violetta survived. While Violetta retained her beauty, Adelina's hair and turned white/silver and she was no longer desired by suitors due to the fact she was a malfetto(damaged by the blood fever) , even though she was still attractive.
On the thirteenth of Juno, 1361, Adelina overheard her father striking a business deal with a fellow businessman. In return for paying all of Martino's debts, the businessman would get Adelina as his mistress. Horrified, Adelina ran back to her room and took out a bag of silverware and valuables from underneath her bed. She had placed it there months ago, waiting for the day she'd have the courage to escape from her father. As she was leaving through her window, Violetta entered the room and asked where she's going. Adelina asked her not to tell her father, and she hugged her before departing.