That slap left Liang Lai stunned. Although Dexilensi had clearly struck her own face, Liang Lai anxiously grabbed her hand.
“Alright, alright, Dexilensi, don’t do this to yourself. Without solid evidence, I won’t send you away.”
The moment these words left her mouth, Dexilensi’s eyes instantly brightened. She blinked her big, watery eyes, feeling hopeful again.
But Liang Lai quickly added, “However, your unexplained appearance in Dolosa’s room is difficult to justify. Though I believe you’re… a good kid, the excuse about sleepwalking still makes it hard to trust you. We need proof we can see with our own eyes.”
The light in Dexilensi’s eyes dimmed gradually.
But she understood—Liang Lai was giving her a chance to prove herself.
If she could prove she was sleepwalking, that she was truly sleeping with her eyes open, then she might be allowed to stay.
“Mm, I understand. Suddenly appearing in Sister’s room is indeed suspicious. It’s no wonder Mother and the sisters are scared of me…”
Dexilensi sniffled. “So, so, from now on, when I sleep, just tie me up, or have Mother and the sisters watch me sleep for a few days… If they see me sleepwalking, just wake me up.”
Of course, this wouldn’t fully erase Liang Lai and the others’ doubts, so Dexilensi thought of an even harsher plan for herself.
“If, if even that’s not enough to earn your trust, then when I sleepwalk, wake me completely. Take turns waking me so I’m exhausted from lack of sleep, over several days… Then I’ll definitely be extremely tired and will truly fall asleep at some point. If I don’t sleepwalk at that time, it proves I’m lying.”
Her eyes were sincere, looking at everyone with a pitiful, helpless expression.
“What do you all think? Is that okay?”
This method was indeed feasible.
But Dolosa grew anxious. She grabbed Liang Lai’s arm.
“Liang Lai! She was even talking to me back then, clearly not asleep! She’s lying!”
At those words, Liang Lai’s expression softened slightly.
But Dexilensi remained calm in the face of crisis and looked at Dolosa, tears overflowing her eyes once again, dripping onto the floor with soft “plop plop” sounds.
“Sister,” her voice was hoarse, “you can’t make up things just because you dislike me. Even though I appeared in your room and I don’t know why I had a knife, I really didn’t talk to you…! And I really didn’t mean to hurt you! Really, I didn’t!”
Dolosa was so furious she nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Really, she had never seen anyone so shameless.
At the same time, Liang Lai remembered how Dolosa often liked to tattle on her—sometimes even on things that never happened.
Whether it was Asterys, Delucia, or Illucy, Dolosa had tattled on them all…
This child did seem to have a bit of possessiveness over her.
Probably because children who rely heavily on Mother tend to act that way, so Liang Lai had just let it go before.
But now, the situation was serious.
If she made a mistake and misunderstood either child, it would cause psychological trauma for both of them in the future. Liang Lai was at a loss.
One was a well-behaved girl they had just taken in and didn’t know well yet, and the other was the eldest daughter who had been home for four months, already known to like tattling.
Liang Lai felt torn and didn’t want to wrong either child, while still fearing it might be a sleepwalking misunderstanding.
“All right, all right, Xiao Duo.”
Liang Lai hugged the trembling Dolosa close, soothing her softly, “Xiao Duo, maybe it really is a misunderstanding? We have to test and see…”
These words left Dolosa, who was initially angry, speechless.
She looked at Liang Lai sadly, wanting to ask why she didn’t believe her, but then she suddenly recalled how she’d often lied and been exposed by Liang Lai…
When the boy who cried wolf cries ‘wolf’ three times, no one believes him anymore. Liang Lai was like that now.
Dolosa was filled with deep regret.
Why had she always lied and tattled out of jealousy before? Why had she sometimes been caught in clumsy lies? If she hadn’t always lied and tattled, Liang Lai would surely trust her more now, instead of giving Dexilensi a chance.
She had nothing to say and fell into deep remorse.
Seeing Dolosa fall silent, Liang Lai took it as tacit consent and turned to Dexilensi.
Her voice softened considerably, warmer than before.
“Dexilensi, your face is swollen. Go get some ice to apply, then… the sisters and I will watch you sleep, just as you said.”
Liang Lai bit her lip, her eyes full of hope for this golden-haired girl they had taken in.
“I really hope this is just a misunderstanding. Dexilensi, since we took you in these past two days, I’ve believed you’re a good girl.”
Something flickered in Dexilensi’s eyes, and then she obediently lowered her head and gently nodded. “Yes, Mother, I know. I won’t disappoint you… What I didn’t do, I didn’t do. What I don’t know, I don’t know.”
She said this with such certainty that if the other children weren’t familiar with Dexilensi’s nature, they might have been fooled by her superb acting.
Liang Lai comforted the eldest daughter quietly before leading the children into a slightly larger room.
“Xiao Te, help Dexilensi bring some ice wrapped in a towel. Her face is too swollen; if it doesn’t go down, it’ll hurt badly.” Liang Lai said to Asterys.
She still cared deeply for this poor child.
Asterys nodded and quickly flew downstairs to fetch the ice.
Liang Lai pressed the towel-wrapped ice against Dexilensi’s face. “Okay, once the swelling goes down a bit, you can sleep. We’ll all watch over you, following your plan… Although keeping you awake might be a little cruel, it’s the best way for you to prove yourself.”
“Mm-hmm~”
Dexilensi nodded obediently, taking the cold towel from Liang Lai and pressing it to her face.
The icy chill somehow made her feel warm—it was the warmth of Liang Lai’s care.
Dexilensi suddenly felt overwhelming regret.
She wasn’t regretful for hurting innocent Dolosa, but for being too impatient—wanting to confront someone without first understanding their strength.