Chapter 99: The Overbearing Lillian

“Iana, sister.”  

Lillian’s words carried a peculiar electric tone, yet it blended so naturally with her original voice that it didn’t feel strange at all.

On the contrary, it gave the illusion that Lillian’s voice had always been like this.  

She gently caressed Iana’s soft and sweet face.

The dreamy look in her eyes made it seem as if, had Iana not fiercely resisted her advances, Lillian might have already bitten her.  

“You’re always like this. Whenever something happens, you use Ethelrina as a shield.”  

Iana swallowed hard, feeling her heartbeat quicken unnaturally.  

Bathed in Lillian’s intense gaze, she felt as though she was about to be devoured by the flames burning in those eyes.

At this moment, Iana truly felt like prey.  

“Since you always say I like Ethelrina, do you even know how I came to like her?”  

One of Lillian’s small hands pressed firmly down on Iana, while the other circled teasingly over her stomach, tickling her and stirring a strange sensation.  

Iana’s cheeks flushed red.

She stammered for a long while but couldn’t manage to say a single word.

Reluctantly, she shook her head in surrender.  

It wasn’t Iana’s fault for not understanding the history between Lillian and Ethelrina.

After all, how could she know about their relationship?  

Even in the original story, there was no mention of how Lillian fell in love with Ethelrina.

Asking Iana to guess was undeniably unfair.  

“Iana, sister, you don’t know, do you? Since you don’t, then stop using it to lecture me.”  

Lillian’s beautiful blue eyes narrowed with an unmistakable air of smug delight.  

“I-I do know. I was just thinking about how to say it.”  

Iana refused to admit she was stumped by Lillian.

She had always been the one to lead Lillian by the nose before, and this time couldn’t be any different.  

“Oh? Then why don’t you tell me how I fell for Ethelrina? Be careful, if you get it wrong, there will be consequences.”  

“Is it because of Ethelrina’s incredible strength? After all, she ranked first in the Saint Roland Magic Academy entrance exam and still holds the record. It makes sense that you’d like her.”  

After saying that, Iana nodded confidently, satisfied with her guess.  

“That’s not right, Iana, sister. Do you really think I’m such a frivolous girl?”  

Lillian’s hand lightly stroked Iana’s smooth, flat stomach, causing Iana to emit a few embarrassed cries.  

“Oh my, Iana, you’re really sensitive. You’re making it hard for me to hold back.”  

Lillian held back a mischievous smile as she looked down at Iana, whose face was flushed and eyes dazed beneath her.  

“Maybe it’s because Ethelrina stays calm no matter what happens, making people feel safe.”  

“Or… maybe it’s because she’s so beautiful. Who wouldn’t like such a cool, aloof goddess?”  

Iana’s head spun as she threw out these wild guesses, fully aware even she found these reasons weak.  

Lillian’s gaze deepened, but her movements suddenly ceased.

Her eyes became profound and sorrowful, as if carrying a heavy burden of untold stories, as though she had endured a great deal.  

“That was a long, long time ago, in an orphanage. I can’t even remember exactly where.”  

Her voice grew low, and the sadness within it threatened to spill over.  

“Because of a prince’s rebellion in the kingdom, to protect Veronica and me, our mother sent us to that orphanage. Until one day, the Demons found us, and we were forced to flee. At that time, Veronica and I got separated, and I had to hide alone, terrified.”  

“But in the end, I was discovered by a Demon creature. Just as I was about to be killed and had lost all hope, someone saved me—a powerful and mysterious Silver Dragon. I couldn’t see her true form clearly, nor did I know where she came from. Then, just as suddenly, she disappeared from my sight. Though I never saw her clearly, I decided right then that I belonged to her for life.”  

Iana listened intently to Lillian’s story, as if Lillian’s words carried a magical power, conjuring an image in her mind of a destitute girl in the orphanage being rescued by a dragon—the classic hero-saving-beauty tale.  

Iana tried to keep her voice steady, “So, the person who saved you was Ethelrina?”  

Lillian’s fingers traced circles over Iana’s collarbone, a faint smile curling at her lips as she nodded.  

“After a year of investigation, I’m almost certain the one who saved me back then was Ethelrina.”  

Upon hearing this, Iana’s sympathy for Lillian grew, but she quickly seized the opportunity.  

“Since Ethelrina saved your life, you should repay her properly. What are you doing like this? Don’t you want to be with Ethelrina? Do you know that Ethelrina hates indecisive girls the most? If she finds out you’re doing this to me, she’ll be very disappointed, and you two will never be together.”  

“Now, get off me.”  

This was Iana’s true intention, though she only voiced part of it.  

If Ethelrina learned that she had sullied Lillian, it wouldn’t be good for her.

Their relationship was already strained; this would only make it worse.  

Then, Ethelrina would certainly target her, and her wonderful life would be over.  

To avoid this, she had to keep her distance from Lillian as much as possible.  

But even with Iana’s words so clear, Lillian didn’t back down.

Instead, she leaned in closer, her loose strands of hair falling over Iana’s face.  

“But Iana, you also saved me during the Holy Trial. Even though you were badly injured, you risked everything to push me away. You’re just as important to me.”  

“It’s like we owe each other, but you only want me to repay one debt. That’s so sly.”  

“I don’t want to choose between you two. I want both.”  

“??? ”  

Had Lillian gone mad?

How could she dare want both, especially when one of them was Ethelrina, known as the Queen of All Women?  

No matter how you looked at it, Lillian could never pull off something like that.