Chapter 13: My mother’s love is enough for me
Asteris bowed deeply.
“Sorry, we’ll leave now.”
She dragged her reluctant sister away quickly, considerately closing the door behind them.
Duoluosa stood there, listening to their footsteps fade.
She unclenched her fist.
The silver comb was twisted and deformed.
A few golden hairs tangled in its teeth—Liang Lai’s, left from combing her hair.
Outside, the Eternal Daylight Lamp dimmed, signaling night’s approach.
Duoluosa gently stroked the warped comb.
She recalled Liang Lai’s words from their first hair-combing:
“Little Duo’s hair is so beautiful, like satin in the moonlight.”
She bit her lower lip until she tasted blood.
Liang Lai must be protected.
Even if it meant becoming enemies with those dangerous Shadowborn.
Though her purpose here wasn’t to find family, she felt… less eager to pursue her mission.
At dinner, the crystal chandelier bathed the dining room in light.
Silver cutlery gleamed coldly.
Liang Lai sat at one end of the long table.
Her crystal hair ornament swayed as she picked at her food.
“Try this, Mom!”
Delucia speared a piece of stewed meat with her fork, offering it to Liang Lai’s lips.
“I picked the tenderest part!”
Her star-shaped pupils sparkled strangely under the light.
Her shadow writhed restlessly beneath her feet.
Asteris quickly offered a bowl of soup.
“This mushroom soup is delicious. Drink more, Mom.”
She held the bowl timidly, like a puppy seeking approval.
Duoluosa’s fork scraped harshly against her porcelain plate.
She chewed mechanically, her blue eyes fixed on her cooling food.
The fish Liang Lai had served her—her third helping—piled up untouched.
“Little Duo, no appetite today?”
Liang Lai finally noticed something off.
Her silver eyebrows furrowed slightly.
“You usually love this.”
Asteris cut in:
“Maybe she’s not used to us.”
She lowered her head, feigning hurt.
“It’s our fault for upsetting Sister…”
“No way!”
Liang Lai smiled, ruffling Asteris and Delucia’s white hair.
“Duoluosa’s the most generous, right, Little Duo?”
Duoluosa’s nails dug into her palms under the tablecloth.
She watched Delucia rub against Liang Lai again.
That sly smile was a clear jab at her.
The dinner dragged on in a strange atmosphere.
Asteris and Delucia flitted around Liang Lai like birds vying for attention.
They chattered, sharing made-up childhood stories, praising Liang Lai’s kindness and beauty.
They even competed to recite Holy Word passages.
“Mom, I memorized the seventh chapter of the Divine Word!”
Delucia declared proudly:
“Love is patient, love is compassionate…”
Duoluosa’s head snapped up.
That was the passage she’d taught Liang Lai the day of her punishment.
Delucia winked at her.
Thin shadow threads emerged, coiling silently around Liang Lai’s chair legs.
“That’s amazing!”
Liang Lai, oblivious, beamed at their progress.
“Asteris was great too. She helped tidy the study today, right?”
Asteris blushed, nodding, twisting her napkin nervously.
Her shadow spread quietly, weaving with Delucia’s into a web under the table.
At the eighth course, Duoluosa couldn’t take it anymore.
She shoved her chair back.
“I’m full.”
Her voice was dry as sandpaper.
“Wait,” Liang Lai stood, worried.
“You barely ate…”
The slam of a door answered her.
The dining room fell silent, save for the faint clink of silverware.
“Don’t be sad, Mom,” Delucia said, sidling closer.
“Maybe Sister just needs time to adjust…”
Liang Lai stared at the closed door, confusion flickering in her purple eyes.
Duoluosa had never been this rude, even at her most rebellious.
As night fell, Liang Lai knocked softly on Duoluosa’s door.
No response.
She pushed it open anyway.
Moonlight streamed through the gauze curtains, edging the curled-up figure on the bed in silver.
“Little Duo?”
Liang Lai sat on the bed’s edge.
The mattress dipped slightly.
Duoluosa didn’t turn, but her body trembled faintly.
Liang Lai noticed the deformed silver comb clutched in her arms.
“I turned down Asteris and Delucia.”
Liang Lai spoke softly.
“They wanted me to sleep with them, but I said I was coming to see Little Duo tonight.”
Duoluosa’s shoulders relaxed.
She shifted, leaving just enough space for Liang Lai.
Liang Lai understood and lay down, pulling Duoluosa into her arms.
The girl was stiff at first, but softened in the familiar scent of cornflowers.
“I know Little Duo might feel uneasy with two new sisters.”
Liang Lai stroked Duoluosa’s back gently.
“But love isn’t like a cake—it doesn’t shrink when shared.”
She chose her words carefully.
“With every new family member, there’s more love to go around.”
Duoluosa looked up, a stubborn fire in her blue eyes.
“They’re not sincere! Delucia and Asteris…”
“Kids always have hiccups in a new environment.”
Liang Lai cut her off, combing through Duoluosa’s tangled hair.
“Like when you didn’t want to get close to me, remember?”
Duoluosa opened her mouth, then sank back into Liang Lai’s shoulder silently.
She breathed in the Saintess’s sunny scent, fists clenching secretly.
Liang Lai was too kind—too kind to see the venomous snakes in the shadows.
She’d expose those two liars herself.
Outside the door, two pairs of star-shaped pupils gleamed in the dark.
Asteris and Delucia clung to the door like statues, overhearing every word.
“Mom hasn’t hugged us like that before…”
Asteris’s voice trembled, her fingers scratching the wallpaper.
Delucia’s hexagram pupils shrank to dangerous needles.
“She doesn’t trust us enough.”
Her shadow twisted on the floor, like boiling black oil.
“We need a plan…”
“But…”
Delucia grabbed Asteris’s wrist.
“Don’t you want Mom’s gentle touch? To hear her say, ‘I love you most’?”
Asteris’s eyes grew intoxicated.
She recalled the warmth of Liang Lai’s fingertips, hotter than any day she’d known.
“What do we do?”
Her voice was soft, laced with dangerous anticipation.
Delucia’s lips curled into a strange smile, mismatched with her age.
“First, we show Mom who the good kids are—the ones who truly deserve her love…”