Dolosa felt that the person in front of her was a bit self-important, and also somewhat foolish, but given her current situation, relying on others for shelter, she couldn’t say anything about it, so she simply shut her mouth and said nothing.
Hmm…
Liang Lai tilted her head and looked at her.
Such a shy and introverted good child… She must have suffered a lot out there, right?
Thinking this, Liang Lai looked at Dolosa with a gaze full of special tenderness and deep sympathy.
Dolosa’s body stiffened a little.
What a disgusting look. Is she pitying her? Dolosa muttered inwardly.
“Oh right, I only asked your name, but I haven’t asked how old you are this year?” Liang Lai asked.
This question, Dolosa did answer: “I’m sixteen this year.”
“Huh?”
Liang Lai raised her voice, and like flipping a pancake in a pan, she flipped Dolosa’s small body back and forth.
“You call this sixteen? If you hadn’t told me, I would’ve thought you were thirteen or fourteen!”
Liang Lai hugged her tightly with a heartbroken expression, her tone already tinged with a sob.
“Good child, you’ve suffered so much. Don’t worry, from now on I’ll make sure you’re always full, and feed you until you’re chubby and round… Your good days are coming, you’ll get to wear gold and silver, and have endless food every day. The only drawback is that you can’t find a partner… uh, that means you can’t have a companion.”
Huh?
Haah?
Dolosa was startled by the other’s enthusiasm.
Are people outside all like this?
Dolosa fell into deep suspicion of her companions and of herself.
She suspected that her companions who had ventured out were lying to her—this person in front of her was so easy to fool, and her “saintly” kindness was overflowing…
“Gururu~”
Just as Liang Lai was about to continue describing the wonderful life ahead, Dolosa’s stomach rumbled loudly.
Looks like she really is hungry.
Who knows how long this poor child has gone without food.
Sigh, from now on I’ll have to be like a parent—no, both a father and a mother.
I must be careful and not let the child go hungry.
“Come on, I’ll take you to eat first. After you’ve eaten, I’ll show you around the house, then… tomorrow you’ll come with me to report to the Pope, and then you can live here with me forever~”
However, when Dolosa heard the words “Pope,” her body clearly stiffened.
She slowly raised her head, looked at Liang Lai, and her lips moved twice.
“I don’t want to see the Pope.”
Hmm?
Liang Lai didn’t take her words too seriously, just thinking she was shy, so she said in a soothing tone: “It’s alright, dear, we’re just going to register your identity, the Pope won’t say anything to you. As long as I say you’re talented, it’ll be fine. The Pope might not even be there… If you’re scared of him, you can hide behind me the whole time.”
Dolosa fell silent again, becoming quiet and saying not a word.
Sigh, this child must have suffered a lot to become so timid.
Thinking this, Liang Lai felt a faint ache in her heart. There was nothing she could do; she was just a sentimental person, a natural do-gooder.
A Maid brought dinner, and Liang Lai fetched a small chair for Dolosa, placing it right next to her own.
“Eat more so you can grow some meat~”
She pinched Dolosa’s little face, which had hardly any flesh on it.
Dolosa was still very unaccustomed to this kind of touch, and she gently dodged Liang Lai’s hand.
This woman’s way of talking is weird too—she’s treating her completely like a child.
Dolosa felt very awkward.
But after all, a child is still a child.
When plate after plate of delicious-smelling dishes were really brought out, Dolosa forgot all her suspicions.
She… had truly never eaten food this fragrant before—in fact, she had barely ever eaten anything with flavor, let alone anything that wasn’t tough and hard.
Watching the child wolf down her food, Liang Lai’s heart melted into a puddle.
She pressed her hands together in a praying gesture.
“God, I did a good deed today, I hope…”
Before she could finish, Dolosa tugged at her sleeve.
“Are you done eating?”
Liang Lai looked at the plate, licked clean and gleaming, and gasped, then immediately dumped the untouched beef from her own plate into Dolosa’s.
“I haven’t taken a single bite, you go ahead and eat.”
Dolosa didn’t stand on ceremony, burying her face into the plate once more.
Liang Lai tilted her head, propping her cheek on her hand, watching Dolosa eat with such gusto, a smile playing at her lips.
How wonderful.
Even though she can’t get married, she can be both father and mother to a child in the future—skipping all the complicated steps and raising a child directly sounds pretty nice~
When Dolosa once again licked her plate clean, Liang Lai smiled and took her by the hand.
“Come on, I’ll take you upstairs. You’ll… stay in the room next to mine~ That way, if you need anything, you can call me. Hmm… If you’re scared to sleep alone, I can…”
Before she could finish, Dolosa interrupted.
“No need, I can be by myself.”
Even though in the Underground Sanctuary, she’d always slept squeezed together with her companions on one bed.
Liang Lai still felt a little uneasy, and after giving countless reminders, she reluctantly returned to her own room.
Only when Liang Lai’s figure disappeared did Dolosa let out a breath and flop down onto the big bed.
“So soft…” she sighed.
Yes, she had never imagined that on her very first day out, she could lie on such a big, soft bed.
She’d thought… she’d have to wait until that old Pope died.
Thinking about having to see the Pope tomorrow, Dolosa’s brows furrowed slightly, and she sat up.
“What should I do… He probably won’t recognize me, right? After all… I’ve never seen him again since then, and he never goes to the Underground Sanctuary.”
But…
Dolosa glanced at the Birthmark on her body, thought for a moment, then pulled out a delicate piece of Human Skin from the small cloth pouch tied at her waist.
She carefully pressed the Human Skin over her Birthmark, smoothing it out bit by bit, and finally pressed it down gently, only relaxing her hand after a long moment.
“This should be about right.”
However, her eye color and hair color… those couldn’t be changed.
But there were many people here with the same eyes and hair; if someone only glanced at her, they shouldn’t recognize her.
After all, as Liang Lai said, the Pope might not even be there.
Even if he was, as long as she acted timid and shy and hid behind Liang Lai the whole time, there… shouldn’t be any problems.
But as for Liang Lai…
Dolosa narrowed her eyes.
Is this woman really as simple-minded as she looks on the surface?