Inside the room, Liang Lai tenderly stroked Illucy’s head.
“Really, you have to be more careful when you walk from now on. Look at how you fell—so much blood… You’re already so thin, and now losing this much blood, how many delicious things will you need to eat to recover?”
Her eyes were full of concern as she spoke.
Illucy only curled the corners of her lips slightly, took Liang Lai’s hand, and placed it gently against her cheek.
Liang Lai always felt there was something indescribably unsettling in this child’s gaze, but she convinced herself it was just her imagination.
How could such a pitiful child, so insecure, sensitive, and timid, ever reveal such a perverted look?
So, Liang Lai stayed by Illucy’s side without leaving for a full two hours.
During that time, Illucy kept tears streaming down her face, saying things like, “My body hurts so much,” “Mom, it’s so painful I can’t breathe,” “What should I do? Am I going to die?” Liang Lai had no choice but to stay and watch over her constantly.
Seeing Liang Lai’s anxious expression for her, Illucy’s sense of satisfaction grew stronger and stronger.
She always wanted to let out a soft laugh, but each time she forcefully held it back.
To be honest, her body really did hurt, but the pleasure in her soul completely overwhelmed the physical pain… Probably because she had been abused so often before, she felt her pain tolerance was much higher than others.
“This has actually become a good thing,” Illucy thought to herself.
Before this, she never imagined that one day she would attract others’ attention by abusing herself.
But now she was doing exactly that, and she didn’t regret it at all.
When her sense of fulfillment finally reached its peak, she reluctantly let Liang Lai leave.
“Mom, I don’t feel so painful anymore… You should go practice with the sisters; don’t they still have an assessment?”
Illucy didn’t know what “green tea” meant, but that was the kind of sly, indirect speech she spoke.
Liang Lai poured a glass of warm water and brought it to Illucy’s lips.
“I already checked their progress today; they’re totally ready for the assessment. You don’t have to worry about them now. What you should focus on is yourself. After your wounds heal, make sure you don’t be so careless again, okay?”
“Mm!”
Illucy smiled with happiness and contentment.
But by nightfall, Liang Lai still left because Dolosa and Asterys were clinging to her, asking for guidance.
“It’s okay, Mom, you should go. I really can be fine on my own.”
This time Illucy was telling the truth. She was already very satisfied today, so she decided to let go for the time being.
Before leaving, Liang Lai slipped two Transforming Candies into Illucy’s hand and reminded her not to forget to take her medicine later.
“If the medicine is too bitter, just have the candy~”
Liang Lai ruffled Illucy’s hair one last time, then stepped out of the room.
Watching Liang Lai leave, Illucy reluctantly withdrew her gaze, staring blankly at the candies in her hand.
Her lips curled upward little by little, while her eyebrows drooped softly.
“Mom gave me these candies…” she dragged out the words.
“I said I wouldn’t be greedy… I only need to take up two hours of the Saintess’s time every day~ As for the others… it doesn’t matter, as long as the Saintess spends some time with me.”
Illucy slowly clenched the candies in her fist, pressing her hand to her chest, her eyes filled with happiness as she gazed at the pristine ceiling.
“In my world, there’s only the Saintess…” she murmured, tears shimmering at the corners of her eyes.
“Saintess, please don’t ever abandon me… Without you, I will die.”
Unlike Dolosa, who wanted to monopolize Liang Lai completely, or Asterys and Delucia, who admired her and longed to merge with her entirely, Illucy simply considered herself one of Liang Lai’s possessions.
She only wished for Liang Lai’s gaze to fall on her for a moment every day.
Such a pitiful child, easily satisfied…!
On the other side, after finishing her lessons with Dolosa and Asterys, Liang Lai led them back to their rooms, kissed each of them goodnight, and finally had time to return to her study and attend to her own matters.
“Phew~”
She stared at the Diary left behind by the Original Saintess, feeling a slight headache.
“What exactly have I been overlooking…? Why do I keep feeling like I can’t grasp the true meaning? That shouldn’t be the case. I think I have rich emotions… So what have I missed… or misunderstood?”
Liang Lai’s fingertips absentmindedly traced the edge of the Diary, then suddenly noticed a translucent petal hidden within the endpaper.
The moment she touched it, the petal dissolved into tiny particles of light, which assembled in the air to form flickering words:
“The emotion most easily overlooked is self-compassion.”
Her breath caught, memories flooding back like a tide.
Every time she used her ability, she always thought about protecting the children, fighting enemies, but never spared a moment of tenderness for herself.
Those crystalline shards bursting from her fingertips, the forcibly suppressed backlash—it turned out her ability was protesting her self-inflicted cruelty.
“So this is the key to resonance?”
She placed her palm over her chest, sincerely feeling the rhythm of her heartbeat for the first time.
The exhaustion, fear, and loneliness she had ignored all turned into a warm stream flowing out from her heart.
Her second pair of golden eyes opened fully in the dark.
Liang Lai saw countless silver threads extending from her body—reaching the children’s bedrooms, the distant Sanctuary, and even… toward some existence in the Void.
When she crystallized again, the dark red fear transformed into a gentle rose quartz.
Inside, there was no longer twisted black mist but a slowly rotating nebula.
Her heart no longer throbbed painfully as the crystal formed; instead, a soothing comfort washed over her.
“So this is… complete resonance?”
Tentatively, Liang Lai used her ability on her desk.
The wood grain crystallized yet retained its original warmth.
A withered rose on the desk’s corner touched the crystal dust and instantly blossomed with an emerald glow.
She realized that even the parts crystallized on her pinky finger had restored their flesh’s softness.
Suddenly, moonlight poured through the window, and tiny specks of light shimmered in Liang Lai’s shadow.
She opened her hands, letting two different colors of crystals merge in her palms—gold, representing protective desire, and silver, symbolizing self-acceptance.
The moment they collided, the entire study was showered with Rainbow Crystal Rain, each crystal reflecting different smiles of Liang Lai from various times.
“The true form of Emotional Crystal…”
She caught one crystal that fell onto her eyelash and, through it, saw Dolosa curled up in a dream and the black mist in Asterys’s little bear doll’s eyes dissipating.