Liang Lai decided to register Asterys’ “household” the next day.
As for Delucia… she couldn’t be registered.
The Church would never allow her to adopt such an obviously Shadowborn child as one of the Pope Successors, but Asterys was different—the Light-Eater among the Twinborn of Shadow couldn’t be detected at all.
“Now then, I’ll take you two to meet your big sister~ Her name is Dolosa, and she’s just as adorable as you are~” Liang Lai said gently.
“Okay~”
Asterys and Delucia obediently nodded their heads.
When Liang Lai pushed open the door, Dolosa was sitting on the windowsill, combing her hair.
Sunlight streamed through the stained glass, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow across her, making her expression hard to read.
“Little Duo, come meet your new little sisters~ There are two of them, and they’re both very well-behaved~”
Liang Lai waved cheerfully, the crystal hair ornament in her silver hair jingling softly.
Asterys and Delucia peeked out from behind her, like two timid little animals.
Dolosa’s fingernails scraped unconsciously against the windowsill, making a harsh sound.
She looked at the two girls.
One was hiding behind Liang Lai, showing only half her face, while the other boldly clung to Liang Lai’s arm. The star-shaped pupils in both of their eyes glimmered eerily in the shadows.
“These are Asterys and Delucia.”
Liang Lai was completely oblivious to the strange atmosphere, still introducing them enthusiastically. “They’re even younger than you, so you should call them your little sisters. Asterys, Delucia, you two should call Dolosa your big sister~”
Delucia suddenly let go of Liang Lai’s hand and hopped forward two steps.
“You’re Dolosa, right, big sister? Mama was just talking about you!”
Her smile was dazzlingly bright, her voice as sweet as Light Honey Freeze mixed with honey.
Dolosa’s hackles rose. She stared at Delucia’s outstretched hand. At her fingertips, shadows seemed to swirl faintly, just like the Shadow Tentacles that had once wrapped around Liang Lai’s ankle.
“Dolosa?” Liang Lai tilted her head in confusion. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
The air in the room froze.
Asterys quietly tugged at her sister’s sleeve, but Delucia stubbornly held out her hand, her smile beginning to look forced.
Finally, Dolosa jumped down from the windowsill and brushed her fingertips lightly against Delucia’s, then immediately pulled back. Her body was tense, blue eyes flickering with wariness.
“All right, you three should get to know each other.”
Liang Lai clapped her hands.
“I’ll go check on dinner in the kitchen.”
As she turned, her silver hair traced a graceful arc, completely missing the way the atmosphere behind her instantly became taut as a drawn bow.
Her thoughts were simple: if she let the children play together for a while, they’d become friends. After all, children… should be simple, right?
The moment the door closed, Delucia’s smile fell away like a mask. She withdrew her hand, her shadow squirming restlessly across the floor.
Asterys took a cautious step forward.
“Dolosa, big sister, we…”
“Who’s your sister?” Dolosa’s voice was as cold as ice. “Don’t call me that so intimately.”
Delucia’s pupils shrank to pinpoints, but quickly returned to their sweet shape.
“Mama said you’re our big sister~”
She deliberately emphasized the word “Mama.”
“Look, we brought you a present.”
She pulled a delicate little box from her shadow, inside of which was a piece of Color-changing Candy—the same kind Liang Lai had bought at the Capital yesterday.
Asterys hurried to add, “This is really tasty. We saved it just for you.”
Dolosa looked at the two candies, suddenly remembering Liang Lai’s gentle smile as she fed her sweets yesterday. Now that gentleness was being shared… no, it was being stolen by these two liars in front of her.
“I don’t eat things with an unknown origin.”
She pushed the candy box away and stepped back irritably.
“What do you really want?”
Delucia’s smile froze on her face. Asterys rushed to smooth things over: “We just want to be friends… After all, we’re all Mama’s children!”
“Hah.” Dolosa let out a cold laugh.
“You really think just calling her ‘Mama’ makes you her children?” She stepped closer, her body trembling with anger.
“I’ve seen your kind of Shadowborn before—parasites that live in other people’s shadows!”
Delucia’s shadow suddenly surged up, rearing like a viper. Black tendrils erupted wildly from it. Asterys hurriedly grabbed her sister’s shoulder, giving Dolosa a pleading look.
“We really just want to get along… If you keep this up, Mama will be sad…”
“Don’t call her Mama!”
Dolosa’s hand shot out uncontrollably, crystalline marks appearing on her skin.
“You don’t deserve it at all!”
Delucia finally tore off her mask. Her shadow flooded the floor like a tide, her voice turning sharp and grating.
“You think you’re so special? You just got here a few days before us!”
Asterys was on the verge of tears.
“Sis! Don’t do this!”
She turned to Dolosa. “Please, we really don’t want to cause trouble…”
Asterys was just used to being timid. She was worried—if the two of them, as newcomers, started fighting with Mama’s first child right after arriving, would Mama still think well of them?
Dolosa saw Asterys’s eyes turning red, and for a moment, her heart softened. But when she noticed Delucia taking the chance to edge closer to Liang Lai’s dressing table, her anger flared up again.
“Listen,” Dolosa’s voice was low, every word squeezed out through clenched teeth, “stay away from Liang Lai. She’s too kind to see through your tricks, but I know exactly what you’re up to.”
Delucia picked up the Silver Comb from the dressing table with a provocative air—the one Liang Lai used every day to brush Dolosa’s hair.
“Mama said she likes brushing our hair.”
She deliberately ran the comb through her own white hair.
“She said our hair feels like silk…”
Suddenly, the comb flew from her hand, snatched away by Dolosa.
“That was a gift from Liang Lai!”
Dolosa clutched the comb tightly, her nails gouging deep marks into it.
“What do you want? Money? Food? Or…”
“All we want is Mama.”
Delucia cut her off, the star-shaped pupils in her eyes glittering with dangerous, feverish light.
“All of her!”
Asterys frantically covered her sister’s mouth, but it was too late.
Dolosa’s pupils contracted sharply, her fingers crystallizing once more. Now she was certain: these two Shadowborn hadn’t come seeking shelter—they had come to take.
“Don’t even think about it!”
Dolosa’s voice was so low it was almost inaudible, yet it left no room for argument.
“Now. Get out of my room. Immediately.”
Delucia still wanted to speak, but Asterys dragged her away with all her strength.
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