“Cough, cough…”
It wasn’t until Liang Lai finally started coughing from lack of air, her throat sore from being gripped too tightly, that Dolosa snapped back to herself, realizing what she’d just done, and hastily let go.
“S-sorry.”
She apologized to the still-sleeping Liang Lai, bowing her head deeply, and finally accepted a fact—her feelings for the Saintess were not pure.
“Alright, I get it now.” Dolosa muttered to herself, lying down beside Liang Lai and hugging her arm tightly.
“Asterys and Delucia were right, I really do… like you, Liang Lai.”
Just being near the Saintess made her feel utterly at ease, and she couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else touching the Saintess—or Liang Lai loving someone else.
But Liang Lai was so kind, so full of love, she would always care for others, always love those poor children…
The thought made Dolosa burn with jealousy, a fire raging in her chest. But who could she vent her anger on?
If she were truly ruthless, she could sabotage Asterys and Delucia in secret, even fatally, but she wasn’t that kind of person; there was still kindness in her heart.
If she were the type to hurt herself, she could mistreat her own body just to get Liang Lai’s attention, but she wasn’t that either.
Her childhood had been too bitter, and now that she finally had a happy life, she didn’t want to get hurt again.
Thinking this, Dolosa curled up tightly, nestling beside Liang Lai and breathing in her sweet scent as deeply as she could.
“Then… I just have to make Liang Lai hate them. That’s the only way…”
She whispered, suddenly feeling like crying—maybe there really was no way out. After all, she was just a sixteen-year-old child.
“So annoying.”
She muttered, closing her eyes.
“If only Liang Lai wasn’t so soft-hearted and didn’t bring home all those strange kids. Hmph, I’ll work hard too. Maybe if she thinks only I can fulfill her—no, our—dreams, she’ll stop bringing those kids home.”
Saying this, Dolosa slowly drifted off to sleep.
What she didn’t know was that Liang Lai would keep bringing children home, and each one would be stranger than the last.
From that day on, life seemed to enter a period of peace. Dolosa no longer caused so much trouble for Asterys and Delucia.
Now, she only occasionally tattled to Liang Lai when she caught those two with some minor fault.
Asterys and Delucia were happy to have Dolosa bother them less; sometimes, even when Dolosa did complain, the two would just play the victim and get away with it, leaving Dolosa grinding her teeth in frustration.
Liang Lai could only sigh helplessly at all this.
She could feel that Dolosa didn’t like those Twin Sisters, but what could she do? She couldn’t force them to get along, could she? If their personalities just didn’t match, there was nothing she could do about it.
Liang Lai could see Dolosa’s progress with her own eyes.
She was growing rapidly—enough that even Liang Lai was impressed.
She had been in this world for almost two months now, and was finally starting to fit in.
Now, even though Liang Lai still slacked off at work, she didn’t make the same kind of trouble as on her first day.
The masculine air about her had faded a lot.
That was a good thing, but it also made her anxious, because it meant she was finally accepting herself as a woman.
As for Dolosa, Asterys, and Delucia, they had been in the Court of Purity for almost two months as well.
Next month would be their assessment day. Of course, Delucia didn’t have to participate—she would have to stay home, since there would be too many Church members present, and showing up would be suicide for her.
Dolosa was a little nervous—not just because she was afraid her abilities wouldn’t be recognized, but also because… she was afraid of Pope Alphonse VII.
What if he really recognized her?
Dolosa looked at her reflection in the mirror, sighing as she touched her cheek.
“Sigh, I’m looking more and more like her… What should I do?” she murmured, eyes clouded with worry.
Of course, she didn’t dare look in the mirror for too long. That sly Claudious always liked to appear in mirrors. Normally, Dolosa avoided mirrors, and even if she did sneak a peek at herself, she would quickly cover the glass with a cloth. But today, the image in the mirror began to distort again.
Dolosa sucked in a cold breath and hurried to grab the cloth to cover the mirror. Yet, just as she was about to cover it, Claudious’s voice sounded:
“Dolosa, are you afraid that Pope Alphonse VII will discover you~?”
The voice of a thirteen-year-old boy, dripping with temptation. Dolosa swallowed hard, gritted her teeth, and turned away, refusing to respond to Claudious.
That was just how Claudious was—he would appear in the mirror whenever someone’s heart was lost or weak.
Despite his age, he still appeared as a thirteen-year-old boy, always speaking words meant to sway hearts, trying to break a person’s will so the Darkspawn could take their place.
Claudious seemed to sense that Dolosa didn’t want to talk to him, but this time he wasn’t annoyed—he just laughed softly.
“Pope Alphonse VII didn’t recognize you before, but this time will be different. Tell me, if he finds out who you are, will he throw you back into the Underground Sanctuary? My dear child… Of course, I miss you very much, I look forward to your return, to having you back with us. But, I hate traitors the most, child…”
His voice echoed through the room, freezing Dolosa in her tracks.
“You should know, your Third Saintess doesn’t have the power to stop the Pope. If Pope Alphonse VII so much as lifts a finger, you’ll be thrown right back into the Underground Sanctuary. Tell me… What trouble awaits you there? Who will you meet? My poor child…”
It was a naked threat.
Dolosa clenched her fists and slowly turned her head, glaring at the cloth-covered mirror.
“So what? What are you trying to say?” she asked, her voice hoarse and trembling with suppressed anger.
Claudious laughed again, this time openly, joyfully.
“My lovely child! You know exactly what I mean!”
“But you tried to kill me back then, didn’t you?!” Dolosa snarled.
“You wanted to kill me and let the Darkspawn take over my body, to stay by the Saintess’s side! And now you pretend to be some kind of friend?!”
Her shout caught the attention of Liang Lai, who was just outside the door with a bundle of dirty clothes, ready to go wash them.
Liang Lai paused, hesitated for a moment, then pushed the door open a crack.