As the night deepened, Orson and Olivia eventually parted ways and returned to their respective hos.
Back at her house, Olivia found Lianca sitting alone in the living room, looking glum.
“Lianca, what’s wrong?” Olivia asked, her good mood evident after confessing her feelings to Orson. She smiled as she approached her sister. “Didn’t you go enjoy the festival with your classmates?”
“I did,” Lianca replied, nodding. “I was with Litte.”
“Oh?” Olivia’s curiosity was piqued. “You’ve been spending a lot of ti with Litte lately. Tell , has sothing happened between the two of you?”
As she spoke, Olivia sat next to Lianca, draping an arm around her sister’s shoulder.
“No.” Lianca shook her head. “But Sister, I didn’t see you tonight. Were you with Orson?”
“Eh?” Olivia was montarily stunned upon hearing this, then nodded. “Mm, that’s right.”
She made no effort to hide it.
“After all, Orson is my fiancé, your sister’s future husband. Of course, I need to take the opportunity to learn more about him.”
“Why does it feel like…” Lianca said, finally unable to hold back, “Why does it feel like you don’t dislike Orson at all? On the contrary, it seems like you really like Orson, Sister…”
“Back when you helped reject the engagent, you clearly seed...”
“Foolish child, what are you even saying?” Olivia smiled gently at Lianca’s sulking expression and reached out to stroke her hair.
She had already prepared a set of excuses to deal with Lianca.
“Think about the circumstances back then, Lianca,” Olivia said.
“Uh...” Lianca tried to recall, but just as she was about to delve into her mories, Olivia interrupted.
“Never mind. You probably don’t rember it clearly. Let help you recall,” Olivia continued.
“At the ti, wasn’t it after you were defeated by Litte that you ca to complain to about Orson?”
“Mm, yes...” Lianca nodded.
“And then, didn’t you spend a lot of ti badmouthing Orson to , saying that your engagent to him should be annulled?”
“Eh? Did I?” Lianca hesitated.
“Of course, you did! Would I lie to you?” Olivia said firmly. “I still rember clearly how you told that you had never even t Orson before, that you had no feelings for him, and that this engagent was nothing but a shackle on your freedom.”
“And you also ntioned how people always compared you to Orson, which made you extrely annoyed.”
“That... might have been the case.” Lianca nodded, starting to recall bits and pieces.
“So, since you didn’t like Orson and didn’t want to marry him, but the engagent was the foundation of the alliance between our families, of course, I had to step in,” Olivia explained.
“But... but it feels like you already liked Orson back then. You didn’t seem to mind the engagent at all...”
“Child, haven’t you heard the saying ‘love grows over ti’?” Olivia chuckled as she playfully poked Lianca’s cheek. “Your sister and Orson are desk mates and also work together in the Student Council. Spending so much ti together naturally helped us understand each other better. That’s why I don’t dislike him the way you did.”
“And now that Orson is my fiancé, it’s only natural for our relationship to develop smoothly. Isn’t that perfectly reasonable?”
“Really?” Lianca asked, still sowhat unconvinced but starting to lower her guard.
Could it be that her sister hadn’t already liked Orson and had genuinely decided to take over the engagent purely because of her?
“Of course, it’s true!” Olivia nodded. “When has your sister ever lied to you?”
“And now that the engagent has been changed, Lianca, you should focus on finding your own happiness.”
“But, Sister!” Lianca seed to have suddenly rembered sothing and exclaid, “If what you’re saying is true, then isn’t your current happiness just a cage you’ve convinced yourself to accept?”
“Sister, you’re not truly happy, are you?”
As she spoke, Lianca’s tone suddenly turned sad and filled with guilt.
That’s right. Her sister couldn’t possibly have liked Orson from the beginning. She must have tricked her and taken over the engagent to spare her from the burden.
Her sister, who had always treated her so well, must be putting on a facade of happiness, pretending to be content with Orson, just to ease Lianca’s guilt.
It had to be like this!
Realizing this, Lianca felt even more remorseful.
It was all her fault for being weak and powerless, unable to annul the engagent outright. Her sister had gone so far as to kiss Orson tonight, all for her sake.
No! She had to act before her sister gave up her body to Orson entirely. She had to reverse the engagent while there was still ti!
Compared to her own happiness, her sister’s happiness was far more important.
With this thought in mind, Lianca spoke urgently, “Sister, there’s still ti! Before you and Orson are officially married, everything can still be undone.”
“Sister, I’ve made up my mind. You’ve already done more than enough for . But at the very least, please think about your own happiness!”
“Let’s reverse the engagent! I don’t dislike Orson as much anymore. Compared to my happiness, your happiness is much more important, Sister!”
“Eh?” Olivia was stunned by Lianca’s words.
What was happening?
Had she overdone her act, making Lianca think she had endured too much suffering?
But everything she did was just a performance!
As this thought crossed Olivia’s mind, she couldn’t help but speak up, “Lianca, it’s fine. Your sister feels truly happy now. What’s more important is for you to find your own happiness.”
“No, Sister! I can see it in your eyes. When you’re with Orson, you’re not truly happy. There’s a trace of sadness in your smile!” Lianca’s voice took on a sorrowful tone. “You’re only acting so cheerful to alleviate my guilt. I understand now, Sister.”
“Sister, I understand everything! You’ve sacrificed so much for , but before you sacrifice your body too, please let , Lianca, take back the engagent with Orson.”
“Let’s turn everything back to the way it was before the engagent was changed. There’s still ti!”
“...” Seeing the look of utter sincerity on Lianca’s face, Olivia fell silent.
Had she overestimated this child’s intelligence?
She was clearly enjoying herself, yet Lianca thought her enjoynt was all an act.
“But, Lianca...” Olivia finally spoke, resorting to her ultimate weapon.
She wiped the corner of her eye.
“Lianca, I’ve always known you’re a smart child,” she said, her voice trembling. “I didn’t expect you to see through my charade so easily.”
“Sister...” Hearing Olivia finally admit it, Lianca couldn’t hold back. She threw herself into her sister’s arms, hugging her tightly.
“But, Lianca, Orson has already accepted . He told that compared to you, he prefers ,” Olivia said as she forced out a single tear.
“It’s too late now, Lianca. Even if we were to reverse the engagent, Orson wouldn’t agree to it.”
“Ugh... Sister...” Lianca’s heart broke. Her sister had sacrificed so much for her, and now she felt utterly powerless.
She had thought there might still be a chance to undo the engagent, but Orson wasn’t even interested in her anymore.
“It’s fine, Lianca. It’s fine,” Olivia said soothingly, stroking Lianca’s hair.
“I’ve grown used to having Orson by my side. Honestly, separating from him now would be the greatest punishnt for .”
“So, Lianca, don’t think about reversing the engagent anymore. Let your sister continue down this path of ‘ruin.’”
“As long as I can see you soaring freely in the sky, I’ll be able to see the heavens.”
“Lianca, you are your sister’s window to the world.”
As Olivia finished her heartfelt declaration, Lianca could only cry even harder.
“Sister, I’m sorry! It’s my fault for being so weak. I swear, if I ever beco stronger, I’ll force Orson to annul the engagent and set you free.”
“Alright, then I’ll wait for the day you grow strong, Lianca.” Olivia hugged Lianca tightly, though the smile on her lips was impossible to hide.
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