Chapter 53: The open and covert struggles among daughters

“You’re awake~”

Upon opening her eyes, seeing a beautiful big sister feeding porridge to a near-starved you—would you think you’d ascended to heaven?

The answer: yes, you would.

Liang Lai noticed the little girl before her trembling, tears welling up.

“Am-Am I… dead?” she asked, voice quaking.

“Pfft~”

Liang Lai chuckled, setting the empty cup aside and picking up the cooled porridge beside.

“If you were dead, how could you sip such tasty porridge? Relax~ You’re alive—I picked you up~ And… if you lack parents, I can adopt you~”

At those words, the girl froze solid—like glitching out—staring blank at Liang Lai.

Her docile long hair hung tousled; unwashed too long, it knotted thick.

“After you finish eating, take a bath, okay~” Liang Lai instructed.

The child hadn’t snapped from shock yet, just mechanically swallowing the spoonfuls Liang Lai fed her.

“What’s your name?” Liang Lai asked.

The girl still reeled, but answered rote: “M-My name’s Therilens…”

Therilens?

Liang Lai’s brows knit faint once more.

Another rotten name—roughly “hypocrite.”

Why did parents saddle kids with these? Ignorance? Or straight-up spite?

She couldn’t wrap her head around it.

“Therilens—what a pretty name.”

But her mouth praised it anyway.

“How old are you? You look so tiny…”

Liang Lai guessed around fourteen.

Wrong again.

“I’m sixteen—turning seventeen soon.” Therilens replied.

Hah?

Truly near Duoluosa’s age.

Liang Lai had toyed the thought at first: girl seemed Duoluosa’s peer, just stunted by malnutrition.

Now? First hunch held.

“Hoo hoo~”

Liang Lai blew on two spoonfuls of porridge, cooling it before offering.

The child nibbled dainty, all sweet and pliant.

Therilens was cute too—propped in bed, her slight frame near-swamped by the loose nun’s robe.

Chronic underfed left her frame frail as twigs, wrists so fine they’d snap at a flick.

That pale gold mane cascaded to her waist, sun-gleaming soft.

When she lifted her face, golden pupils contracted faint—like pricked by light—eyes squinting.

Those eyes’ hue was rare: pale-gilt, turning metallic cool in shadow.

Her wan cheeks held baby-fat traces, but leanness sharpened the lines.

When she pursed her lips, a ghost-dimple dimpled her right cheek—clashing child-soft with her grave look.

At last, after Liang Lai fed the final spoonful, Therilens snapped to.

“What… do you want from me?” she asked blunt—so small, yet eyes dead-serious on Liang Lai, striking her as comical, chuckle-worthy.

“I don’t want anything from you~”

Liang Lai tugged Therilens up from bed, nudging her toward the bath.

“Sort yourself first—I’ll fill you in later. These clothes don’t fit; I’ll fetch proper ones. Knock when done, and I’ll pass ’em through.”

With that, Liang Lai slipped out.

Therilens stared dazed and muddled at Liang Lai’s back—then at the bath—yielding at last to soak in.

No choice: she was filthy—half a month unbathed, last rinse a roadside river.

“Hoo~”

Warm bath bliss—’specially post-full-belly; ages since such ease.

Therilens felt her soul ascend.

Liang Lai’d just grabbed fresh clothes when she bumped the crew: door-looming, puffed-cheek Duoluosa; gawk-faced Asteris and Delucia; tense-cornered Iluci.

“Hey, what’s all this?”

Liang Lai sidled awkward to the kids.

“You know the drill—pope’s quota… Gotta hit eight minimum… But most of all, this kid looked so pitiful…”

Same old spiel.

Duoluosa’d habituated; just the standard sour-grape twinge—spot shrinking again, chest tight.

But Iluci? Gut churning hardest.

‘The saintess snagged another girl—will she like the new one more, ditch me? See me as deadweight? Less cute than fresh? Least lovable of the pack? Toss me aside? Forget me cold? Withhold love and care forever?’

She huddled shadow-deep, gnawing her nails fierce.

Rushed to deliver Therilens’s garb, Liang Lai missed the off-kilter Iluci in the corner.

But Asteris and Delucia clocked her glitch keen; hand-in-hand, they drifted over—Delucia’s palm landing on Iluci’s shoulder.

Thought shattered, Iluci whipped back terror-struck—locking eyes with the twins’ starry stares.

“Sis, what’re you mulling?” Delucia beamed.

“I-I…”

Iluci panicked, eyes darting aside—anywhere but the twins.

“J-Just… how to chat with the new sis later, introduce myself… That’s all.”

Asteris and Delucia nodded synced, thoughtful.

“So~”

Asteris softened her tone, looming over Iluci.

“No more ‘slips’ and hurts soon, yeah~ Or Mom frets over you… And when Mom frets you… she skips us~”

Iluci’s heart skipped; sweat beaded her brow, pupils crawling to Asteris and Delucia—meeting the twins’ loaded gaze.

That look? Hunter on the hare.“Mm~”

Liang Lai let out another soft hum from her lips, the sound like a feather tickling across Duoluosa’s heart.

God, she wanted to dive deeper…

“Duoluosa, what’re your hands up to?”

Asteris’s voice cut in sharp from the side, snapping Duoluosa from her wandering grasp.

Duoluosa jolted awake, yanking her hand back fierce.

“Cough!”

She hacked loud to cloak her cringe.

“Nothing—hand just… slipped. Wasn’t on purpose.”

She twisted her face away, all stiff and awkward.

Asteris brushed it off.

“My turn now…”

If Liang Lai were awake, she’d peg the kids as leeches—clamped to her lips, guzzling her essence dry.

Delucia wound her black, tentacle-like tendril ’round Liang Lai’s waist too, soaking in her warmth.

Clothes splayed full-open, just a last scrap left untouched.

Duoluosa itched to press on—but the thought of sharing the feast soured her gut.

Might as well quit—today’s lip-feast sated; next round could wait~

“That’s enough, Asteris—push more… and we’re crossing lines.”

Asteris dabbed her mouth slow, gaze lingering meaningful on Duoluosa—nailing it cold:

“You just want her solo, huh~”

Duoluosa froze a beat, then flushed fury; she shot to her feet.

“Quit guessing at me! You always paint folks so vile—don’t you see you’re the worst?”

Asteris and Delucia reeled at Duoluosa’s blast.

Delucia’d slithered from the shadow; her temper shorter than sis’s, she bristled instant—gearing to lunge and call out Duoluosa’s fake—but Asteris snagged her wrist firm.

“Enough—calling it tonight. Wasn’t planning more anyway.”

With that, Asteris tugged Delucia down to the bed—flanking Liang