“You’re awake~”
Now, imagine—just as you open your eyes, a beautiful young woman is feeding you because you’re about to starve to death. Wouldn’t you think you’d ascended to heaven?
The answer is yes, absolutely.
Liang Lai noticed that the little girl before her was trembling, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Am I… dead?” the girl asked in a trembling voice.
“Pfft~”
Liang Lai was amused. She put down the empty water cup and picked up the porridge cooling nearby.
“If you were dead, how could you be drinking such delicious porridge? Don’t worry~ You’re not dead. I picked you up, you know? And… if you don’t have any parents, I can adopt you~”
At these words, the girl froze, like her mind had crashed.
She stared straight at Liang Lai.
Her normally obedient long hair was tangled and messy from not being washed for a long time.
“After you finish eating, go take a bath, okay?” Liang Lai reminded her.
The girl was still too shocked to respond but obediently followed her body’s movements, taking small spoonfuls of porridge that Liang Lai fed her.
“What’s your name?” Liang Lai asked.
The girl hadn’t fully recovered yet, but she answered carefully, “My… my name is Dexilensi…”
Dexilensi?
Liang Lai frowned slightly again.
Another terrible name. It probably means something like “hypocrite.” Why do parents always give their children such names? Is it because they’re uneducated or simply hate their own kids?
She couldn’t understand.
“Dexilensi, that’s a beautiful name.”
Still, she praised the name with her words.
“How old are you? You look so tiny…”
Liang Lai guessed the child was around fourteen.
She was wrong.
“I’m sixteen, almost seventeen,” Dexilensi replied.
Huh?
She really was about the same age as Dolosa.
In fact, Liang Lai had thought at first that this child might be about the same age as Dolosa but looked smaller due to malnutrition from hunger.
Now it seemed her initial guess had been right.
“Phew~”
Liang Lai blew on the porridge twice to cool it before handing it over.
The girl took small bites obediently and sweetly.
Dexilensi was quite adorable.
She lay on the bed, her slender figure nearly swallowed by the oversized nun’s robe.
Long-term malnutrition had made her bones extremely thin; her wrists were so delicate they looked like they’d snap with a single bend.
Her light golden hair fell to her waist, shimmering under the sunlight.
When she raised her face, her golden pupils narrowed slightly, as if the light stung her eyes.
The color of her eyes was unusual—a pale gilded gold that took on a metallic coolness in the shadows.
Her pale cheeks still carried the faint baby fat that hadn’t yet faded, but her emaciation made her features sharp and defined.
When she pursed her lips, a faint dimple appeared on her right cheek, which made the otherwise serious expression carry a subtle, childish awkwardness.
Finally, after Liang Lai fed her the last spoonful, Dexilensi snapped back to reality.
“Do you… need me to do anything?” she asked bluntly.
So small, yet her eyes looked at Liang Lai with extreme seriousness, which made Liang Lai feel both amused and a little ridiculous.
“I don’t need you to do anything~”
Liang Lai pulled Dexilensi up from the bed and gently pushed her toward the bathing area.
“Go clean yourself up first. I’ll tell you about everything afterward. This robe doesn’t fit you well, so I’ll find you a proper outfit. When you’re done bathing, just knock on the door, and I’ll bring it to you.”
With that, Liang Lai slipped away.
Dexilensi watched her leave with a mix of confusion and disarray.
She glanced at the bath and finally resigned herself to stepping in.
There was no other choice—she was really dirty.
She hadn’t bathed in a full half month, and the last time she’d managed was just splashing around in a river somewhere.
“Ah~”
The warm bath was blissful, especially after a full stomach. It had been so long since she’d felt this comfortable.
Dexilensi felt as if her soul had been lifted.
Just as Liang Lai finished gathering the clothes, she ran into Dolosa standing by the door, arms crossed and visibly annoyed, with Asterys and Delucia looking on with amused expressions, and Illucy nervously lingering in a corner.
“Oh, what are you all doing here?”
Liang Lai awkwardly approached the group.
“You know, this is also a task from the Pope… it has to meet standards—at least eight children… and, of course, the most important thing is that this child really looks pitiful…”
The same excuse again.
Dolosa was used to it by now.
She was habitually jealous.
There was no helping it—knowing her position had been squeezed even further was naturally upsetting.
Aside from Dolosa, Illucy’s heart was the most unsettled.
“The Saintess has brought in a new girl again. Will she like the new one more and not like me anymore? Will she think I’m a burden? Will she find me the least adorable of all the children? Will she want to abandon me? Will she just forget about me? Will she stop giving me love and care?”
Squatting in the shadowed corner, Illucy bit her nails hard.
In her rush to bring clothes for Dexilensi, Liang Lai hadn’t noticed Illucy’s odd behavior in the corner.
But Asterys and Delucia had sharp eyes and quickly sensed something was off.
They took each other’s hands and walked over, Delucia placing her hand gently on Illucy’s shoulder.
Interrupted in her thoughts, Illucy turned around in panic, meeting the twin’s sparkling eyes.
“Sis, what are you thinking about?” Delucia asked with a gentle smile.
“I, I…”
Illucy panicked and averted her gaze.
“I was just thinking about how to talk to the new little sister later, how to introduce myself… that’s all… yes, that’s just how I feel.”
Asterys and Delucia nodded knowingly.
“Well then~”
Asterys softened her tone, looking down at Illucy from above.
“Make sure you don’t get hurt again later~ Otherwise, Mama will worry about you… And when Mama worries about you… she always neglects us~”
Illucy’s heart skipped a beat. Sweat appeared on her forehead.
Her pupils slowly shifted to meet the unreadable gaze of the twin sisters. That look was like a hunter eyeing its prey.