“Mom hasn’t come to sleep with me for several days now. Mom’s attention has been taken away by others too much. It can’t be taken away so much… Illucy isn’t a greedy child, as long as, just as long as you pay a little more attention to me, that’s enough, just a little bit…”
Her speech slowed down more and more, and her pupils began to glaze over.
“So, if Illucy gets all battered and bruised, like when Mom first saw me, then will she pay attention to me once again?”
Saying that, she slowly stood up, staring fixedly at the staircase in front of her.
“If I fall down from here, it would definitely hurt a lot, right? It would definitely cause a lot of injuries, right?”
After saying this, the corner of her lips twisted into a strange smile.
Illucy stretched her left foot out, stopping it mid-air. She looked at the long staircase, something flickering in her eyes.
“I’m just, I’m just accidentally going to fall… Yes, that’s right, I’m only going to fall accidentally…”
After saying this, Illucy’s smile grew wider.
She slowly closed her eyes, and instead of placing her left foot on a step, she stretched out her right foot while her left foot still hovered in mid-air.
Inside the room, Liang Lai was giving feedback.
“Good control, but the energy fluctuation isn’t stable enough yet.”
Before her words finished, the Crystal Pillar of Dolosa suddenly cracked, a fine fissure spreading as some crystal fragments fell.
Asterys immediately glanced sideways and flicked her fingers; the falling shards froze mid-air, transforming into tiny Crystal Butterflies that flapped their wings and flew back, perfectly sealing the crack.
Liang Lai raised an eyebrow, a growing smile on her face, ready to praise the two and reward them with some head pats when suddenly—
“Thud!!”
“Ahhh!!!”
“Clatter!”
The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground came from outside the door, accompanied by a girl’s scream. Everyone inside tensed up instantly.
“What’s going on?!”
Liang Lai was the first to rush out.
Several children behind her didn’t hesitate and followed quickly.
Outside, Liang Lai didn’t see anything unusual, but the source of the noise wasn’t nearby; it seemed to come from farther away.
So, Liang Lai hurriedly lifted her skirts and ran toward the staircase.
“Illucy!!!”
Liang Lai shouted in alarm.
Illucy was curled up at the corner of the staircase, her left leg twisted at an unnatural angle.
Blood trickled down the Crystallized Staircase, refracting an eerie rose-red glow in the sunlight.
Her forehead was grazed and bleeding, blood flowing along her brow bone, forming tiny blood crystals on her eyelashes that trembled gently with her faint breaths.
Her skirt was torn in several places along the edge of the steps, revealing a scraped lower leg.
Beneath the skin, Crystalline Capillaries faintly showed—an uncontrolled Ability Overflow triggered by intense emotional fluctuation.
Most alarming was the sweet smile still lingering at the corner of her mouth, blood-stained sharp teeth pressing against her lower lip, as if she had just pulled off a prank.
Yet, the moment she saw Liang Lai, Illucy’s expression instantly shifted to one of unbearable pain, moaning and crying.
“Illucy!”
Liang Lai’s face drained of color. She knelt down, trembling hands cupping the child’s bloodied face.
In Illucy’s glazed pupils reflected Liang Lai’s panicked face.
Her blood-stained fingers twitched as if trying to grasp something, finally just lightly clutching Liang Lai’s skirt.
“Ma, M-mom…” She choked up a mouthful of blood, looking pitifully at the Saintess, “I, I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. Just now, I just accidentally fell… I caused trouble, really really really sorry…”
Her humble and pitiful demeanor broke Liang Lai’s heart.
She immediately swept the girl into a princess carry, preparing to take her to the Medical Room.
“Mom, Mom, you won’t blame me, right?”
Even lying in the arms of her beloved Saintess, Illucy’s heart was still uneasy.
She wasn’t sure whether her actions would earn Liang Lai’s concern or, worse, annoyance.
Liang Lai looked down at the child and the pain in her eyes almost spilled over.
“Why would I blame you? You fell accidentally… It just means you’re careless. I’m too heartbroken already, why would I blame you?”
Illucy’s tension instantly eased.
She breathed a sigh of relief, tugging at Liang Lai’s sleeve.
She was about to say something pitiful when Liang Lai shook her head.
“Xiao Xi, don’t say anything more. You’re already badly hurt, no need to apologize again. This isn’t your fault; it’s all my fault for not watching over you…”
After saying this, Liang Lai even showed a guilty expression.
Seeing this look, Illucy felt a strange surge of pleasure rise in her heart—an indistinct excitement and a fulfillment from finally receiving love and care.
These emotions wrapped tightly around her, making her feel as if she had fallen into a honey pot.
She savored this indulgence and wanted more and more…
Illucy buried her face into Liang Lai’s soft chest, wearing a triumphant smile.
Behind them, Dolosa frowned as she observed everything happening before her.
She felt something was off but couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Although Illucy’s fall looked severe and real, Dolosa suspected the girl had been acting.
“Did you see something?” Asterys suddenly asked.
The question snapped Dolosa out of her thoughts.
Dolosa wasn’t keen on interacting much with these two hypocritical twins, but thinking about the strange feeling Illucy had given her just now, she suppressed her displeasure and answered:
“Don’t you think the new girl was acting just now? It’s my sixth sense…”
She wasn’t entirely sure, knowing deep down she disliked any other children Liang Lai adopted.
So maybe it was just simple aversion causing the strange feeling.
However, after hearing this, Asterys exchanged glances with Delucia.
“So you have the same feeling, huh~” Delucia said, resting her hands on the railing, stretching her neck to watch Liang Lai carry Illucy into the Medical Room.
“You think… that girl was really pretending?”
But would it be worth it to break your leg, bleed from your head, and almost disfigure yourself just to put on an act?
Dolosa still couldn’t believe it, probably because she couldn’t bring herself to hurt herself that badly. She only knew how to take from others, not self-harm.
“Maybe,” Dolosa gave a long look toward the Medical Room’s direction before turning away. “We’ll see. But that girl is definitely not as weak and pitiful as she seems.”