Chapter 15: Who will win the mother?
“Asteris and Delucia…”
Duoluosa took a deep breath, words tumbling out like wildfire.
“I saw them steal your Saint Quartz with my own eyes! This afternoon, they hid it in the shadows and took it away! And last night, they sneaked out, and I followed them. They were meeting with the false Pope’s people!”
Her fingers clutched Liang Lai’s sleeves, knuckles white.
It was her first time lying so blatantly.
Her heart pounded, nearly bursting through her ribs.
Liang Lai’s expression shifted from surprise to confusion.
She gently set down the holy robes and cupped Duoluosa’s flushed cheeks.
“Little Duo, calm down…”
Delucia appeared at the top of the stairs.
Her white hair gleamed silver in the moonlight, her hexagram pupils brimming with tears.
“Mom, why does Sister Duoluosa say this about us?”
Her voice quavered, like a wounded animal.
“We’ve been cleaning your room all day…”
Duoluosa whipped around, glaring at the schemer.
Delucia’s shadow twisted behind her, deftly avoiding Liang Lai’s sight.
Asteris emerged quietly behind Delucia.
Her white hair shimmered, her green pupils glistening with tears.
She bit her lip stubbornly, saying nothing.
Duoluosa realized this quiet sister was as cunning as Delucia, using silence to garner sympathy.
She felt like a foolish clown, staging a clumsy farce before Liang Lai.
Her lies were too easy to unravel.
The Saint Quartz sat plainly on Liang Lai’s bedside table.
The twins hadn’t left the room last night.
She was just… too anxious. Too scared.
Liang Lai’s gaze darted between the three girls, settling on Duoluosa.
Her purple eyes held no anger, only confusion and concern.
“Little Duo, are you too tired lately?”
She stroked Duoluosa’s cheek, her fingertips warm and soft.
“The Saint Quartz has been with me all day. And… Asteris and Delucia were with me all night. They couldn’t have left.”
Duoluosa’s throat tightened.
She opened her mouth, but no words came.
How could she explain?
Admit she lied out of jealous rage?
Delucia’s hexagram pupils flickered.
She tugged Liang Lai’s sleeve, voice trembling with grievance.
“Mom, does Sister Duoluosa… hate us?”
The words stabbed Duoluosa’s heart.
She looked up, blue eyes blazing, but before she could speak, Asteris shook her head softly.
“It’s okay, sister… we’re used to it.”
Used to it?
Used to being disliked?
Or used to playing pitiful?
Duoluosa’s nails dug into her palms.
She wanted to rip off their hypocritical masks, but Liang Lai’s gaze froze her in place.
“Okay, enough.”
Liang Lai sighed, ruffling Delucia’s hair and patting Asteris’s cheek.
“You’re all my children. No fighting, okay?”
Her tone was gentle but firm.
Duoluosa knew she’d lost.
Liang Lai calmed everyone down.
She sent the twins to their room to rest, then took Duoluosa’s hand, leading her back to her bedroom.
“Little Duo, are you worried about something?”
Liang Lai sat on the bed’s edge, purple eyes full of concern.
Duoluosa lowered her head, clutching her teddy bear tightly.
It was the birthday gift Liang Lai gave her, held every night to fall asleep.
“…No.”
Her voice was sullen.
Liang Lai watched her quietly, then sighed softly.
She leaned over, pressing a gentle kiss to Duoluosa’s forehead.
Duoluosa froze, a strange thrill sparking in her heart.
It was Liang Lai’s first kiss to her.
She felt an urge to kiss her back, on the lips.
“Rest. Everything will be fine tomorrow.”
As the door closed, Duoluosa’s tears fell.
She’d lost.
The kiss didn’t ease her pain.
Liang Lai hadn’t blamed or doubted her.
But that unconditional trust made her misery worse.
If Liang Lai had scolded her, she might’ve felt better.
Now, an invisible hand gripped her heart, the pain suffocating.
She curled up, hugging the teddy bear, replaying Delucia’s triumphant stance in her mind.
“You think you’ve won?”
Duoluosa murmured, a cold glint in her blue eyes.
She wouldn’t give up.
Liang Lai was hers.
Hers alone.
In Asteris and Delucia’s room, Liang Lai’s footsteps faded.
The corridor fell silent.
Delucia stood by the door, hexagram pupils flickering in the dark.
She listened until Duoluosa’s door clicked shut, then turned slowly.
Her shadow stretched, slithering along the wall like a coiling snake, merging with the darkness at Asteris’s feet.
“Sister,” Delucia called softly, her earlier grievance replaced by cold calm.
Asteris sat on the bed’s edge, her green pupils glinting in the moonlight.
She stared at her fingertips, where a tiny shadow writhed like a living thing.
“She lied,” Asteris said, voice soft but clear.
Delucia tilted her head, a faint smile curling her lips.
“Of course. She thought we’d steal Mom’s Saint Quartz?”
She scoffed, her shadow surging beneath her feet.
“Stupid.”
Asteris didn’t respond, gazing out the window.
Moonlight through the stained glass cast mottled shadows on her pale face.
“Sister, what’re you thinking?”
Delucia leaned closer, her hexagram pupils narrowing.
Asteris met her sister’s gaze.
“She’s scared,” she whispered.
“She’s scared we’ll take Mom from her.”
Delucia’s smile widened.
“She’s right, isn’t she?”
She tilted her head, white hair falling over half her face.