V1: Chapter 76: Kill Me, Don't Humiliate Me

"..."

"Sigh..."

Facing the tearful girl before her, Octaville wanted to slap her, but her heart softened. She couldn't bear to see Hilary cry; when she cried, she couldn't muster any anger.

"Never mind."

"Liang Di will handle it; that child is very smart."

Far away at the Langwendi mansion, Liang Di sneezed. "Hmm, Liang Lin must be missing me."

"Next time, you must discuss this with me." Octaville sighed, releasing Hilary from beneath her. "I'll let it go this time, but next time you do this, I'll... I'll, I'll etto...?"

Octaville hesitated for a long time, unable to decide what to threaten her with.

Hilary was very good at it.

She wrapped her arms around Octaville's waist from behind, her soft skin pressing against the other's back, her voice gentle, "Fu, let me please you with my mouth..."

Octaville blushed.

"Ahem."

"If you put it that way... then, I'll reluctantly forgive you this time."

Octaville was an easy puppy to coax; as long as Hilary stroked her head and stroked her fur, she would immediately become docile and easily satisfied.

She buried herself in Hilary's chest; if she had a tail, it would probably be wagging like a propeller by now.

Inside the Langwendi Mansion.

Liang Di was dealing with the recent shop matters.

She had opened another doll shop.

Within the Soteland Empire, there were very few shops selling dolls, and not many people knew how to make them. Therefore, the doll makers were all recruited by Liang Di from the neighboring empire.

The dolls were exquisitely crafted, some even adorned with diamond necklaces, perfectly suited to the aesthetics of noble ladies.

After the shop opened, although its profits weren't as high as the other shops, they seemed decent enough.

Besides the commoner's tailor shop and the dessert shop, the most profitable business was probably the chess hall.

Although it had only been open for less than a week, it had already attracted many nobles.

Previously, the nobles' relaxation activities were limited to attending dull concerts, shopping with their wives, or drinking tea and wine with other noblemen. Of course, these were their ostensible forms of entertainment; privately, they would also visit brothels, slave markets, or watch illegal underground killing sprees where two slaves were placed in a cage and one had to die.

Now, Liang Di, under the guise of providing relaxation for noble gentlemen, had opened a chess and card game hall—"not gambling, but something respectable"—and advertised it as an activity for nobles, with daily matches between chess masters, naturally arousing curiosity. After several gentlemen went, some became addicted.

Whether playing chess themselves or watching masters strategize and then betting with tokens, it added a touch of color to their otherwise monotonous lives.

Excellent!

Disrupting the current corrupt aristocracy is a crucial step in this game.

However, time is still short, and nothing particularly significant has changed yet.

Liang Di was in high spirits and closed the ledger.

Thinking of Liang Lin's fondness for mushroom soup, Liang Di suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She seemed to… never have personally cooked anything delicious for Liang Lin before.

Cooking should be as simple as running a shop, right?

Thinking this, Liang Di said to Bellica, "Bellica, teach me how to make mushroom soup."

"Yes, Miss."

This was Bellica's most regrettable decision.

Because…

"...What is this? Are you trying to poison me?"

Liang Lin looked at the bowl of purple, steaming soup Liang Di was holding, with strange bubbles rising to the surface and some pieces mushrooms floating on the surface.

Liang Lin fell into a deep reverie, her thoughts turning to turmoil. She unconsciously shrank back, retreating to a corner.

Really, Liang Di could have given her a quick death; there was no need to torture her like this. She could have simply killed her, yet she chose to torment her with a bowl of soup.

Liang Di, however, placed the indescribable soup from in front of her, her eyes full of expectation.

"Sister Liang Lin, this is my first time cooking. I made your favorite mushroom soup."

As she spoke, she used a small porcelain spoon to scoop up a spoonful of the soup, blew on it, and then held it to Liang Lin's lips.

"Sister Liang Lin, try it! Is it good? If it's good, if you like it, I'll make it for you again in the future."

"No!"

Liang Lin retreated frantically.

"No, you, look at that color yourself! Look at that color yourself, do you think it tastes good?! And why don't you test for poison yourself?!"

Liang Lin's face turned pale with fright, and she covered her mouth with her hand, pinching her nose tightly.

Hearing this, Liang Di seemed to have an epiphany, and she withdrew the spoonful of soup.

Just as Liang Lin was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she saw Liang Di put the spoonful of soup to her own lips and swallow it in one gulp.

"..."

Ah!!

Liang Lin looked utterly shocked, her jaw almost dropping to the bed. She even began to worry about the woman in front of her.

This purple mushroom soup looked poisonous; could this woman really die in front of me?

Never mind.

It would be better if she died.

"Glug~"

Liang Di remained expressionless, thought for a moment, and said, "It does seem a little salty, but it's nothing serious. Sister Liang Lin, try a sip and see if it suits your taste. I'll just put less salt next time."

Huh?

Liang Lin, like a little turtle peeking out of its shell, cautiously peered at the bowl of purple mushroom soup. She had a feeling the steam rising from it was emanating poison.

"Just a taste, just a taste~"

She... she seemed to be pleading???

Liang Lin was stunned again.

"No, don't do this, don't do this, it's giving me goosebumps. I'll drink it, I'll drink it, okay?"

There was a kind of forced, helpless beauty to it.

She noticed the tiny cuts on Liang Di's hands. She thought; maybe she wasn't very good at cooking and cut herself? Ah... if that's the case, a taste might not be so bad.

Liang Lin steeled herself, with a death-defying resolve, and resolutely closed her eyes. Then, like Wu Dalang about to drink medicine, she opened her mouth wide and swallowed the spoon in one gulp.

"Glug~"

"Ugh...aghh...!"

This isn't just a little salty, it's like she put a whole box of salt in! Is salt free these days?! 

Liang Lin put on a mask of pain, her hands trembling as she pointed at the water glass on the table, like a dying person in the desert, parched with thirst.

"Water (trembling voice)...Give me water (trembling voice +2)."

Seeing Liang Lin's pained expression, Liang Di frantically grabbed a water glass.

The moment the water touched her throat, Liang Lin felt her world finally regain its light. In an instant, she felt completely healed, more comfortable than ever before.

"Ahh~"

She looked at the anxious Liang Di beside her, her expression complex.

"I think you don't seem to have the talent for this. Let's just forget about it."

This was already considered polite by Liang Lin; not cursing was a sign of her recent improvement in manners.

Liang Di slumped her head.

"Hmm...okay."

Why does it look like I'm bullying you?!

You almost poisoned me to death just now! 

Liang Lin's lips twitched.

However...

"Liang Di, I think you've had enough of me these past few days. Can you let me go?"

If force doesn't work, then I'll try to negotiate.

"No."

Liang Di refused decisively.

"....."

An expected answer.

Liang Lin was helpless. She didn't know who to pin her hopes on. She still had some hope in Octaville. She thought that if Octaville came and found her missing, she would definitely question Liang Di, and then the woman would be exposed, right?

She was Hilary's sister, and Octaville was Hilary's lover. Octaville would definitely not let her be imprisoned by Liang Di.

"I've been gone for so long, it must be hard for you to explain to others, Liang Di."

Liang Di shrugged.

"Don't worry about that. No one will notice you disappeared. Even if you stayed here forever... basically no one would notice."

"This is our little love nest~"

Liang Di pointed to several dolls. "Look, our future children will be as cute as these dolls."

"..."

She was actually daydreaming.

"Don't daydream in broad daylight."

Liang Lin poured cold water on Liang Di's enthusiasm. "It's all uncertain whether...."

She paused, not continuing. This time, her mind cleared.

What if she said, "It's all uncertain, how can it be a one-shot kill?" and then Liang Di thought about it, agreed, and pressed her down, shooting inside several times in a row? That wouldn't do; she absolutely couldn't let something bad slip out.

"Hmm?" Liang Di asked, a small question mark appearing on her face.

"It's nothing."

Liang Lin quickly changed her tune.

"Hey, I want to sleep with Liang Lin tonight."

"No way." Liang Lin refused decisively.

Liang Di put her finger to her lips, her big eyes watery, looking so innocent and adorable.

"But, I said that as a statement, not a question."

Liang Lin: "?"

"Liang Lin~ I'll come back to sleep with you after I finish dealing with the shop~"

"...Get lost."

–The Seventh Day of Liang Lin's Imprisonment–

Finally, Liang Lin couldn't take it anymore.

Every day, facing this huge room, the only person she saw was the mentally unstable, perverted Liang Di, who had imprisoned her here.

For so long, no one had paid any attention to her. Her disappearance was like a drop of dew, vanishing in the morning without a trace. Liang Di still came to her side every day with a beaming smile, and several times, she even forcibly tied her up and held her in her arms to sleep.

Liang Lin truly couldn't bear the humiliation anymore.

If this continued, her mind would break down again.

If her mental state was still okay a few days ago, it was because she thought that with one young lady missing, the house would definitely be in chaos, and she would be found within a week. But today was the seventh night, and there wasn't a single word. It was as if a young lady named "Liang Lin" had never existed in this world.

Octaville didn't seem to have come either; no one had noticed her.

Was she really going to stay here until she died?

Liang Lin's appetite was getting worse and worse. She had no interest in the food that Liang Di or Bellica brought her. Just looking at it made her want to vomit. She had started to lose her appetite, and sometimes she would even vomit up what she ate.

She didn't understand what she had done wrong to deserve this treatment.

Liang Lin became taciturn. She had lost the stubbornness and defiance she had when she was first imprisoned. When Liang Di came, she would occasionally curse a few words, and sometimes she would chat normally. But now, she would just sit on the bed, hugging her knees, her eyes vacant, staring at the doll placed in the farthest corner, or staring at the dark door.

Liang Di came again, holding a beautiful comb, to comb her hair and braid it.

“Sister Liang Lin, I've always wanted to braid your hair when we were little, but your hair was too short back then, and you said boys shouldn't wear braids,” Liang Di said to herself.

“Now, I’ve finally fulfilled my wish!”

Liang Lin was like a rag doll, silent, letting the other do as she pleased.

“Sister Liang Lin, you need to take a bath. I’ll get you some water.”

Liang Lin had only washed her hair twice in the past week, and hadn’t taken a bath at all.

“Get out.”

Just one simple word.

“No, Sister Liang Lin, you have a collar around your neck, locked so tightly. You can’t wash yourself without my help.”

These words successfully triggered Liang Lin’s nerves.

Yes, a humiliating collar was around her neck.

“You, damn it, take it off!” Liang Lin slowly turned her head, her eyes like cold blades, filled with threat and fear, sending chills down one’s spine.

"No."

Liang Di calmly replied, tying the hair tie around Liang Lin's hair. "If I untie it, Liang Lin, you'll run away, just like when you fled the sword tournament that day, running so resolutely, getting further and further away from me."

"....."

"....."

"Liang Di, you love me."

"Huh?"

The sudden directness caught Liang Di off guard. Her hand hovered in mid-air; she had intended to tie up the other side of Liang Lin's hair as well, but Liang Lin's words interrupted her, freezing her smile.

"You love me."

Liang Di slowly lowered her head.

"Hmm... I think I probably do."

"But I don't love you."

Liang Lin continued her self-destructive behavior; she only wanted immediate gratification.

"I don't love you, I even hate you! I wish someone would come and beat you to the ground. I want to see you suffer, I want you to be in even more pain than I am now!"

Liang Lin glared fiercely at Liang Di, as if looking at an enemy.

"How tolerant I've been of you, how sentimental I've been, that's why I haven't really turned against you after you treated me like this. Liang Di, you're truly disgusting."

"..."

Liang Di didn't speak.

She felt her heart making a "crackling" sound. Her heart was shattering.

"I hate you, I despise you, can you understand?"

Liang Lin was utterly disgusted.

"Someone like you will never be liked by anyone in this life. Someone like you deserves to die alone!"

"No one will ever love you in this life, absolutely, absolutely!"

This was probably the most vicious curse in the world.

Especially for someone like Liang Di, who had never been loved, especially since these words came from the mouth of Liang Lin, whom she loved most, it was like a sword stabbing her in the heart.

Dark circles were heavy under Liang Lin's eyes. Every time Liang Di tied her to the bed and demanded she sleep with her, she couldn't sleep well.

How could she sleep well with someone who had hurt her sleeping next to her? She was always bound hand and foot, the rough ropes chafing her delicate skin, leaving her covered in marks when she woke up in the morning.

Is this what you call love?

"Your love is terrifying."

"Liang Di, come on, kill me."

Liang Lin raised her neck, exposing it.

"Didn't you love choking me? Now, choke me, don't let go, let me die here, so I don't have to suffer this torment of being deprived of my freedom anymore."

Liang Lin was a bird yearning for freedom, an eagle meant to soar in the blue sky, not a caged, shackled ornamental pigeon.

"Why aren't you talking? Did I touch a nerve?"

Liang Lin pressed on aggressively, this time choosing to get closer to Liang Di.

Liang Lin's crimson pupils seemed to pierce through people's hearts. Her nose touched Liang Di's.

"You're not so starved for love that you don't know what love is anymore, are you? Or is it that a monster like you has never received love? Ha~ You deserve it!"

"Sister Liang Lin..."

Liang Di murmured.

“It seems it’s not enough, not enough…”

Liang Di, as Liang Lin wished, grabbed her neck, her eyes swirling again.

“Not enough… Sister Liang Lin is disobedient again. Sister Lianglin is always disobedient. Not even a little bit obedience in you.”

Liang Di pressed down on Liang Lin, her long, silvery-white hair draped over the other’s shoulders, tickling Liang Lin’s face. Liang Di’s fingers gradually tightened, and Liang Lin began to breathe rapidly. Gradually, the air she could inhale through her nose decreased.

“Is it because there isn’t enough poison? Sister, if your mind completely breaks down, will it be alright?”

“There’s a problem, there’s definitely a problem somewhere!”

“Why are the exact same words coming from Sister Liang Lin’s mouth as those people? It shouldn’t be like this, you shouldn’t say these things to me! Absolutely not, you can’t! You can’t!”

“You, you should…”

Liang Di mechanically repeated these words.

Tears fell onto Liang Lin’s cheeks.

Although her head was throbbing from being choked, Liang Lin still retained a sliver of reason. She squinted, and could vaguely see Liang Di's eyes wide open, tears streaming down her face, one after another.

So, monsters cry too…

A sudden surge of satisfaction washed over her; she felt like she'd won.

Liang Lin's lips curled into a smile; she wanted to continue her taunts, but no sound came out.

The expected sticky tentacles didn't appear again, and Liang Lin became alert.

Liang Di's fingers were still tightening, even her knuckles were turning white.

This time, it seemed she really wanted to strangle Liang Lin to death.