V2: Chapter 39: The Insanely Jealous Younger Sister and the Possessive Older Sister

Liang Lin saw the expectation in the other's eyes. She swallowed hard and forced out, "Well, well, I guess you're pretty awesome."

Well, as expected of the wicked young lady, even her compliments are so unique.

But Liang Di smiled.

Being praised by Sister Liang Lin, hehe, happy, delighted!

After Laura called Octaville and Hilary over, Liang Di recounted everything she had experienced in the illusion.

Octaville was quite happy, and Hilary was smiling too, but her worries grew stronger.

Is it really a good thing for Liang Di to have such terrifying power? Will it really benefit us, or the entire empire, or even all of humanity?

Is Liang Di's personality and mind truly suited to possess such great power?

Such powerful power, if not used properly, will surely pose a great threat to the entire world.

Although Liang Di is a kind-hearted child, what if she were to harm Liang Lin?

At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight streamed into the room through the gaps in the curtains, Natalie began her new day. With the help of her maid, she was gently awakened and began the tedious process of grooming. Combing her long, glossy black hair and applying exquisite cosmetics, she dressed herself impeccably, ready to greet the new day.

Breakfast was eaten by Natalie and her father's friends in a lavish dining room, where they enjoyed a refined meal. The tableware gleamed, the food was beautifully presented, and the aroma and flavor emanated a warm, inviting atmosphere.

Today, I will be visiting Liang Lin. 

Natalie felt a surge of anticipation as she boarded the carriage bound for the Langwendi mansion.

Back in her own country, she would be spending this time learning those tedious and boring arts and crafts. Natalie had studied etiquette, literature, music, and painting; her parents said that only these could cultivate her refinement and inner beauty.

Now, far from her parents, she could finally lazily sleep until noon.

The carriage would pass through the working-class district. Natalie looked out; the streets were chaotic. But she felt nothing, finding it normal, because it was the same in her own country.

The commoners, at the bottom of society, suffered from poverty, oppression, and disease, struggling to survive.

Liang Lin understood this well, because she had witnessed it firsthand, and because she was a human being with sound values, not a selfish noblewoman. Natalie's values, on the other hand, had been heavily influenced by aristocratic culture.

Liang Lin was more sensitive than Natalie.

Liang Lin saw that the commoners' dwellings were simple and dilapidated, lacking basic amenities. They were often crammed into small spaces, living a crowded and arduous life. Food was scarce; they could only survive on simple crops or leftovers, and malnutrition was commonplace.

To survive, commoners were forced to endure heavy labor burdens. Whether cultivating the land, constructing buildings, or mining ore, they had to exert tremendous effort. Long hours of labor left them physically exhausted, yet they received only meager wages, barely escaping poverty.

Meanwhile, commoners were often oppressed and exploited by nobles and rulers. They were forced to pay exorbitant taxes, footing the bill for the luxurious lifestyles of the aristocracy.

Their medical conditions were extremely poor. Unlike the nobles, who had their own physicians, commoners often lacked access to timely and effective treatment. Disease ravaged the common people, claiming countless lives. When faced with illness, they could only rely on simple herbs and traditional remedies, but these were often ineffective. Tormented by disease, they felt helpless and desperate, their lives as fragile as weeds.

Besides material poverty and disease, commoners also faced psychological oppression and anguish. Living at the bottom of society, they lacked freedom and dignity. Their voices were often ignored, and their rights were not protected. Under prolonged oppression and exploitation, their hearts gradually became numb and filled with despair.

For these commoners, the future was shrouded in hopelessness. Living at the bottom of society, they lacked any opportunity to change their fate. Their children often inherited only their poverty and hardship, unable to escape this destiny.

In this environment, the hearts of the commoners became numb and despairing; they lost faith and expectation in the future.

These heartbreaking scenes were cruel and heavy. The commoners struggled to survive, yet could hardly escape the predicament of poverty and oppression. These scenes made Liang Lin constantly reflect on the injustice and inequality of the Sotland Empire.

Perhaps her sister was right.

While Liang Lin was pondering this question in her room, Natalie had already arrived at the Langwendi mansion and knocked on the door.

After explaining her purpose, a servant knocked on Liang Lin's door.

"Ah?"

Liang Lin hadn't expected this person to actually come; they had only exchanged a few polite words. If Natalie didn't come today, Liang Lin would probably forget who this woman was again in a couple of days.

"Then let her in."

She's come to our doorstep, how can we not let her in? That would be too impolite.

"Okay, Miss Liang Lin."

"Wait," Liang Lin called after her, asking, "Did you tell Liang Di?"

"No, no, because that lady said she was looking for you."

Liang Lin nodded. "Then go tell Liang Di too, and then bring Miss Natalie to the living room. I'll tidy up and go find her now."

"Yes, Miss."

The maid withdrew.

Liang Lin picked up Carol. She had deliberately brought Carol along; as a doting mother, she always wanted to show off her precious daughter to others and hear their praise.

After Liang Lin finished tidying up, she carried Carol downstairs. Carol was wearing the light blue dress she had bought from Natalie. Carol's hair was styled in short, pear-shaped curls, and her round face made her look like an adorable little dumpling, incredibly endearing.

Liang Lin couldn't resist giving her precious daughter a quick kiss on the cheek.

No wonder she is my daughter; she could make everyone in the entire Soteland Empire explode with cuteness!

She saw Natalie, but before she could greet her, she heard hurried footsteps coming down the stairs behind her. The person making the noise seemed to have tripped.

Who is it? So clumsy, could it be Gladys

(Gladys: You never think of me when things are good, but when something stupid happens, I'm the first person you think of)?

But when she turned around, she found Liang Di with a strange expression. The woman's usual elegance and composure were gone. She had run so fast that she didn't even have time to straighten her tattered sleeves or put down her quill pen.

"Why are you running so fast?" Liang Lin joked. "Is there a bear chasing you? You didn't actually take that brown bear to your room as a pet, did you? Don't scare me."

"No, no."

Liang Di answered Liang Lin, but her eyes were fixed on Natalie.

Looking at the woman's blank expression, Liang Lin followed her gaze and found that Liang Di was staring at Natalie, completely mesmerized, her eyes completely unmoving.

So, Liang Lin looked at Liang Di, then at Natalie, her brows gradually furrowing.

What's going on?

Could it be that Liang Di has taken a liking to Natalie?!

Liang Lin's imagination runs wild.

Before Liang Lin could even think further, Liang Di put on a kind smile and handed the quill pen to the hurriedly arriving Bellica. Then, she slowly went downstairs, passing Liang Lin and heading straight for Natalie.

"Miss Natalie, you've arrived."

Liang Di had a strange enthusiasm. She stood in front of Liang Lin, seemingly not wanting Natalie to see Liang Lin, as even a glance from her would drive Liang Di mad with jealousy.

The way this girl looked at Liang Lin, it was definitely adoration!

Liang Di was certain she wasn't mistaken; the girl was secretly in love with her older sister, Liang Lin.

Huh?

What's going on?

Because Liang Di was half a head taller than Liang Lin, and Liang Lin wasn't wearing platform shoes today, Liang Lin couldn't see anything at all when Liang Di stood in front of her.

What's going on with this guy?

Liang Lin tilted her head and stood on tiptoe, trying to see Natalie over the other person's shoulder. She saw Natalie looking at Liang Di with a sweet smile.

Unconsciously, Liang Lin's gaze towards Natalie inexplicably filled with wariness and suspicion. Even Liang Lin herself didn't know why she was showing such strange emotions. Perhaps it was a feeling that even though she and her wife no longer loved each other, her wife was still the mother of their child, and she absolutely couldn't go out and mess around with other people. Or perhaps it was because the person who had always been clinging to her was suddenly clinging to someone else—this wasn't good news for a proud person like her.

Actually, Natalie was watching her and smiling, watching her try so hard to see her clearly, finding it rather cute, so she kept her lips pursed, secretly smiling. In reality, her attention hadn't been on Liang Di at all.

“Yes, Miss Liang Di, I apologize for this unexpected visit.”

After saying this, Natalie beckoned to her maid behind her. “I’ve prepared some small gifts; I hope you two sisters will like them.”

Her maid brought forward a large box. The maid’s face was slightly flushed, and the box seemed quite heavy.

Opening the box, Liang Di and Liang Lin peered inside.

Good heavens! It was dazzling!

Inside, glittering gold, were all sorts of strange and wonderful gold and silver jewelry. Gold rings, gold necklaces, gold bracelets—these were the most commonplace items among this pile.

“Hiss~”

Even Liang Lin, who had seen plenty of gold, couldn’t help but gasp. She felt as if she had been blinded by money.

This Natalie was truly a young heiress. Of course, how could the daughter of the prince of the neighboring empire not have gold? Perhaps some things in her house were made of pure gold.

Click~

Natalie closed the box and shoved it into Liang Lin's arms. "Just a little something for a visit, nothing much to offer, just this."

So, she was saying she was so poor she only had money left?

Liang Di's eyes widened instantly. She looked at the box Natalie had touched, snatched it from Liang Lin's hands, and handed it to Bellica beside her.

"Belica, take the box upstairs first, it's too heavy. Don't let Sister Liang Lin carry it."

The box hadn't even been in her hands for half a minute before it was snatched away.

Liang Lin started muttering to herself, "This Liang Di, she's really greedy! Stealing money right in front of so many people?"

"Well then, Miss Natalie, come with us. Let's go to the back garden, our usual afternoon tea spot, and chat." Liang Di forced a friendly smile and extended an invitation to Natalie.

This suited Natalie perfectly.

 She readily agreed, then looked at Liang Lin, "Miss Liang Lin, let's go together."

"Huh?"

Liang Lin gave a "Why do I have to come?" look, but then thought about it. The guest had come to see her, and it would be impolite not to accompany her.

Besides, Liang Lin glanced at Liang Di beside her again, noticing the way she was clinging tightly to Natalie. Something felt off. She felt uneasy, a strange, slightly possessive feeling stirring within her.

Liang Di was completely unaware of Liang Lin's complex inner turmoil.

Our tentacle-wielding lady was currently preoccupied with how to quickly drive that "homewrecker" Natalie out of the Langwendi mansion, so she would never return, never look at her sister Liang Lin again.

Well, these two sisters were now looking at Natalie with eyes full of hostility.

"Sister Liang Lin, let's go."

Liang Di tugged at Lianglin, deliberately letting her walk in front while she herself walked between Liang Lin and Natalie, her aim being to prevent Natalie from getting too close to Liang Lin.

However, Liang Lin misunderstood her intentions. She thought Liang Di wanted to be closer to Natalie, hence letting her walk in front, while she herself chatted and laughed with Natalie behind her.

Hiss~

Although, she felt a sense of being cheated on,

Liang Lin felt baffled.

She suddenly realized, something was wrong with her mindset.

Liang Di didn't seem to have much to do with her, except that she was just the mother of her child.

Uh…

No, even as the child's mother, she still had a responsibility to the child. If she married someone else, she would definitely neglect the child!

How would the child make up for the lack of maternal love then?!

Liang Lin's mind was now running wild, rambling incoherently and beyond her control, conjuring up all sorts of nonsensical thoughts.

The three girls, each with their own hidden agendas, arrived at the back garden.

Natalie was somewhat annoyed by Liang Di's constant interference between her and Liang Lin.