Of course, it wasn’t that Liang Lai didn’t want to save her; it was because Dolosa had grabbed her at that moment, and she was too far away to offer any help.
So, the instant Dexilensi fell, Liang Lai let out a sharp, piercing scream as her entire body twisted.
Thankfully, Asterys and Delucia reacted quickly and managed to pull Dexilensi back up.
The moment Dexilensi returned to the ground, she trembled uncontrollably and collapsed with a “plop.”
“What… what was I just doing?!” she suddenly broke down, crying loudly as her body shook incessantly, as if genuinely terrified.
“Shh, shh…!”
Liang Lai immediately rushed over and pulled her into an embrace.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid… It’s because I didn’t react fast enough, I didn’t grab you in time.”
Liang Lai’s hands patted Dexilensi’s back repeatedly, soothing her emotions.
Inside, Dexilensi was laughing wildly, but on the surface, she still pretended to be scared, clutching Liang Lai’s waist tightly.
Where there is joy, there is sorrow.
Dexilensi was relieved, but Dolosa’s expression darkened ominously.
She probably hadn’t expected Dexilensi to be so ruthless as to actually jump off the building.
Apart from Illucy, there was surprisingly another character willing to self-harm and torment themselves in such a way.
“All right, little Dex, stop crying. Mommy believes you’re innocent… You can stay here now, don’t cry anymore, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid… From now on, before you fall asleep, Mommy will check if your ropes are tied tight. There’s no way you can fall!”
“Mm…” Dexilensi’s voice trembled, barely audible. “Thank you, Mommy. As long as you’re willing to keep me here, that’s all I wish for…”
“Of course, Mommy wants to keep you… Now, stop crying. If you keep crying, you’ll get sick…” Liang Lai tenderly wiped the tears from her face.
Nearby, Dolosa silently clenched her fists.
“I heard from Liang Lai that you once sleepwalked and nearly fell off the building,” Dolosa suddenly stepped forward, staring at Dexilensi with a piercing, icy gaze. “But before you moved into the Court of Purity, why didn’t you fall? If you had fallen, there would definitely be scars, or even… disabilities. None of your injuries are from falling.”
Her words plunged the atmosphere into silence once again.
Dexilensi didn’t panic in the slightest at the question. She sniffled and looked up at Dolosa.
“I… I never lived in such a nice place before, nor did I have a second or third floor. I always lived on the first floor… sometimes, when no one would take me in, I’d even sleep on the Streets with trash bags… Even if I wanted to jump, I never had the chance.”
As she spoke, she seemed even more aggrieved, her grief resonating like old wounds, crying even louder.
Liang Lai didn’t turn her head to scold Dolosa.
She understood that Dolosa must have been terrified when she saw a person holding a knife standing beside her bed, so it was understandable for her to be suspicious of Dexilensi now.
However, after this incident, Liang Lai planned to have a serious talk with Dolosa—not only to clear up any misunderstandings between the sisters but also because she feared Dolosa might be left with psychological scars.
“All right, let’s leave it at that. Dexilensi really is innocent… We’ll just tie her up before she sleeps, then lock the door from the outside.”
It seemed the matter was settled.
Dolosa frowned, glaring at Dexilensi with great dissatisfaction, but just as she was about to speak, Asterys pressed a hand on her shoulder.
“Hey, you’re not just going to get carried away in the heat of the moment, are you?”
That single sentence completely extinguished the raging fire in Dolosa’s heart.
Right, what good would getting worked up now do? Liang Lai had already been completely deceived by that cunning girl. No matter what Dolosa said, without solid proof, Liang Lai wouldn’t believe her, and might even think she was being aggressive, damaging her image.
A gentleman’s revenge can wait ten years; it’s better to drop it today.
Dolosa shot a hateful glare at Dexilensi, then flicked her sleeve and left.
Asterys and Delucia followed closely behind, exiting the room with Dolosa.
Liang Lai watched their retreating figures and opened her mouth but said nothing. She planned to first calm the child in her arms before talking to Dolosa.
“Come on, little Dex, you haven’t had a good sleep for days. Now’s the time to rest properly, or you’ll get sick from overexertion.”
The only phrase Liang Lai could bring herself to use to scare the child was “get sick.” Anything more intense or exaggerated she just couldn’t say.
“All right…”
Dexilensi nodded obediently, letting Liang Lai lead her back to her own room.
Everyone else had left, leaving only Illucy standing awkwardly in place. She didn’t know whether to follow Liang Lai or Dolosa.
In the end, Illucy decided to listen to what Dolosa, Asterys, and Delucia were saying.
When Illucy reached Dolosa’s room, she overheard Asterys trying to persuade her:
“Why are you still so irrational? You know perfectly well that Dexilensi is cunning and a liar, right? The situation was already so obvious, and Mommy has already trusted her. You shouldn’t have kept doubting but just cried and run away to make Mommy feel sorry for you.”
Asterys was actually teaching Dolosa how to act pitiful.
Illucy’s eyes lit up. She immediately crouched down and pressed her ear to the door. She definitely needed to learn this—besides hurting herself to look pitiful, she didn’t know any other methods. This was worth studying!
“I know.”
Dolosa irritably tugged at her hair and sighed heavily.
“It’s true I was too anxious, but tell me, if I’d said, ‘She did it on purpose, just to make you feel sorry,’ how would Liang Lai have reacted? And how would Dexilensi have explained it?”
Asterys and Delucia both paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“Ha ha ha~”
Delucia laughed until tears streamed down her face. “Dolosa, how can you still let us call you ‘sister’? You actually asked such a silly question!”
Dolosa, who had been a bit touched by the twins moments ago, instantly darkened. Blushing, she slammed her hand on the table in frustration.
“If you don’t want to discuss this with me, then don’t! What are you laughing at!”
Like a cat with its tail stepped on.