Elsewhere, Orson stood outside Lianca’s door. After taking a deep breath, he knocked.
When no response ca from inside, Orson pushed the door open and entered.
He stopped in his tracks, stunned.
Lianca was wearing a thin nightgown, with one strap sliding down her arm, revealing a fair amount of skin. Though her chest was flat, the sight was enough to make him freeze.
The hem of her nightgown was short, exposing her long, slender legs.
She seed to have just woken up. Looking at Orson standing in the doorway, she didn’t react imdiately.
“Mm, Sister, do you need sothing?” she asked, rubbing her eyes before looking toward the door.
“Oh, I see. I must still be dreaming,” Lianca said with a smile. She walked up to Orson, completely unbothered by her appearance, and pulled him into the room, shutting the door behind him.
The petite Lianca pinned Orson against the door.
“So annoying. Even in my dreams, I see you. Maybe I should beat you up here,” Lianca said, pouting as she looked up at him.
“Ugh, but with that handso face of yours, how can I bring myself to do it?”
“Besides, I probably wouldn’t win, would I?” She released him and sat on the bed.
Patting the spot beside her, she gestured for Orson to sit down.
Without saying a word, Orson followed her lead and sat beside her.
The awkward situation left Orson at a loss for words. However, since Lianca thought she was dreaming, it made things a bit easier.
If he could just get her to fall asleep again and sneak out, he could pretend none of this had happened.
If she realized it wasn’t a dream, not only would he fail to comfort her, but he might also beco her nightmare, soone she’d avoid entirely in the future.
“Orson,” Lianca began. “Do you think I’m not good enough for you?”
“Of course not,” Orson finally spoke, shaking his head.
“Then why did you agree to annul the engagent?”
“I...” Orson thought for a mont before replying, “I think you’re a strong-willed girl, Lianca. You shouldn’t be bound by an engagent.”
“Is that really the reason?” Lianca’s voice carried a hint of insecurity.
“Yes, and I also felt like you didn’t like .”
“Of course not!” Lianca nodded. “We’d never even t. If I liked you just because of an engagent, would I really like you, or just the idea of the engagent?”
“But I feel like it’s not just indifference. There’s also a hint of dislike.”
“Dislike? Of course, I dislike you!” Lianca exclaid. “Ever since I was young, people have compared to you because of this engagent. Even if they didn’t say it to my face, they’d whisper behind my back that I wasn’t good enough for you.”
“That I didn’t deserve you.”
“In that environnt, do you think I could ever like you?”
“...” Orson fell silent.
He understood that feeling. In his previous life, he had also disliked the “golden child” his parents always compared him to.
This ti, however, he had beco that “golden child” everyone else hated.
“I’m sorry,” Orson said.
“I know it’s not your fault,” Lianca replied, shaking her head softly. “But I just can’t swallow the bitterness!”
“People say our birth determines everything, but I don’t believe that. I wanted to prove that I could work hard to catch up to you.”
“But no matter how hard I try, I can never reach you...” Lianca buried her head in Orson’s shoulder.
Orson felt her body trembling. Then he noticed a wet sensation on his shoulder.
She was crying.
“Ugh, what can I do about it!” she sobbed.
“But now you’re no longer my fiancée, so you don’t have to bear that burden anymore,” Orson said. “Just be yourself, Lianca.”
“...That’s exactly what my sister said,” Lianca replied, raising her head to look at him. “Do you really think I’ll be fine just being myself?”
“Of course.” Orson nodded. “Besides, you’re amazing in your own right. Olivia told that you used to study for more than ten hours a day. That kind of dedication is sothing I could never match.”
“...” Lianca remained silent but then buried herself in Orson’s arms, crying for a long ti.
A few minutes later, she raised her head and looked at Orson, sniffling slightly.
Then, she smiled.
“Pfft, this dream feels so real.”
With that, she placed her hands on Orson’s shoulders.
“Hey, since it’s a dream, Orson, let’s do it?”
“Huh?!” Orson was utterly flabbergasted by her sudden statent.
He had co in to comfort Lianca, not to... do sothing else entirely!
“Since it’s just a dream, nothing will be left behind, right?”
“Just think of as your fiancée, as if the engagent hasn’t been annulled yet,” Lianca said, leaning closer to Orson.
“Wait, Lianca, why are you doing this...”
Orson couldn’t understand. This girl clearly disliked him—why the sudden turn of events?
“Well, conquering you feels more satisfying than just beating you up,” Lianca replied as she pushed Orson onto the bed.
“And sotis, I want to rebel against my sister and be a bad girl.”
“It’s just a dream, so it’s fine, right, Orson?”
“Then just beat up,” Orson said flatly, though his flushed cheeks showed his embarrassnt.
At this point, his heart was practically trying to escape his chest.
But to maintain Lianca’s illusion that this was a dream, Orson had to suppress himself and stay calm. If he reacted, she might realize it wasn’t a dream.
“Huh? Why?” Lianca tilted her head, confused. “Am I not attractive? Or do you just hate ?”
However, she quickly noticed Orson’s slightly flushed cheeks and smiled—a smile almost identical to Olivia’s.
“Well, whatever. Since this is my dream, I get to do whatever I want,” Lianca said, reaching for the other strap of her nightgown.
At that mont, the door opened.
“Lianca, Orson, lunch is ready,” Olivia announced as she stood in the doorway.
Her cheerful expression instantly darkened when she saw the two of them on the bed.
Lianca froze mid-movent. Glancing at Olivia at the door and then at Orson beneath her, she finally realized what was happening.
She reached up and pinched her own cheek.
Looking at Orson, who was still pinned beneath her, Lianca’s face turned as red as a tomato. Orson could even swear he saw steam rising from her head.
—
Ten minutes later, at the dining table downstairs, Litte sat with a puzzled expression, glancing at the other three.
Lianca blushed furiously, staring at her knees without saying a word.
Orson quietly ate his al, occasionally glancing away as if to avoid making eye contact with anyone.
anwhile, Olivia exuded a dangerous aura, leaving everyone too scared to speak to her.
Why is the atmosphere at this table so weird?
Each person at the table had their own thoughts.
Lianca, whose ntal state had already been fragile, was utterly mortified. She had thought everything that happened was a dream, so she had freely vented her frustrations to the “dream version” of Orson.
However, when Olivia walked in, the realization hit her like a ton of bricks—none of it had been a dream; it had all been real.
The thought of being dressed so inappropriately while saying such odd things to Orson—and her actions—made her want to dig a hole and bury herself.
She didn’t even like Orson! It was just a fluke of her emotional instability in what she thought was a dream.
I hope my sister doesn’t misunderstand...
Stealing a glance at Orson across the table, Lianca quickly lowered her gaze, her face burning.
Even Litte could sense that sothing was off.
Olivia had ntioned earlier that Orson was upstairs comforting Lianca.
Was this “comfort” even proper?
Suspicious, Litte glanced between Orson and Lianca.
anwhile, Orson was equally unsettled.
In the original story, Lianca was supposed to be part of Litte’s harem. How had she ended up clinging to him instead?
And just a few minutes ago, she had been saying she didn’t like , yet now her attitude has changed so drastically.
This is bad, this is really bad. Could it be that what I just did was a betrayal to Litte?
As Orson thought about this, he glanced at Litte, his eyes filled with guilt.
It was this glance that made Litte even more convinced.
Sothing definitely happened just now!
anwhile, Olivia felt even more irritated.
She could imagine various outcos, but she never expected that her usually obedient little sister would end up pinning Orson down on the bed.
So it turns out Lianca has such a “wild” side behind my back?
What’s more, just as I had suspected, letting Orson and Lianca interact inevitably led to this kind of problem.
Fortunately, I arrived in ti. Otherwise, if sothing really happened between the two of them, wouldn’t I have lost completely?
Olivia could only hope now that this was a montary impulse from Lianca and not preditated behavior.
But regardless, Lianca “stealing a taste” in front of her was still way over the line.
Because of this, Olivia had been exuding a dangerous aura ever since.
The three of them ate their al cautiously, as if walking on eggshells.
“I’ve finished eating. I’ll head out now and won’t disturb you further,” Orson said as he stood up and headed toward the door.
“Alright.” Olivia forced a “friendly” smile and said, “Orson, see you later this afternoon at the Student Council!”
“Uh, I’m leaving too. Goodbye, Olivia, Lianca,” Litte quickly said as she bowed to the two sisters and left the room after Orson.
Now, only Olivia and Lianca were left in the room.
“Well, it’s just the two of us now, Lianca.” Olivia looked at her sister with a smile.
But for so reason, Lianca felt a chill run down her spine as she listened to her sister’s voice.
“Y-yeah...” Lianca nodded awkwardly, still sitting stiffly in her chair.
“Do you feel a little better now?” Olivia asked, looking at Lianca. In the end, she didn’t have the heart to scold her sister, so she shifted the topic.
“Huh?” Lianca looked at Olivia in confusion.
“I an, after eting Orson and talking to him, how do you feel? Are you feeling a bit better?”
“Uh...” Hearing Olivia’s question, Lianca was suddenly reminded of everything.
The feelings of frustration and inferiority she had been bottling up did seem to have dissipated after venting to “dream Orson.” And realizing that even Orson could look flustered and embarrassed made her think, So he’s just a regular person, after all.
Thinking back on everything, Lianca still felt embarrassed, but she quickly realized that her anxiety about Orson had almost entirely disappeared.
With this thought, Lianca nodded.
“Yes, thank you for asking, Sister. I feel much better now,” she said with a small smile.
“That’s good to hear.” Olivia smiled, pulling Lianca into a hug and stroking her head. “My little sister has finally stepped out of soone’s shadow.”
“Mm-hmm, thank you, Sister~”
The two separated after a mont.
“So...” Olivia couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, “Lianca, can you tell what happened in the bedroom?”
“Uh...” It seed she couldn’t escape this interrogation after all.
Lianca cald herself, looked at Olivia, and said, “When I saw Orson co in, I thought it was a dream, so I might have... acted a bit uninhibited.”
“But nothing really happened between us, Sister, you have to believe !” Lianca hurriedly explained.
“Even knowing that Orson is my fiancé, you still behaved that way?” Olivia pressed.
“Because... because I thought it was a dream...” Lianca said, her face flushed as she lowered her head. In a small voice, she added, “I’m sorry, Sister. I was wrong.”
“Alright, it’s fine.” Olivia decided to forgive her sister. “I know that in reality, Lianca would never betray , right?”
“Right, right! I would never betray you, Sister!” Lianca nodded firmly. “Besides, I... I really don’t like Orson. If I had known it wasn’t a dream, I would never have acted that way...”
“Mm-hmm~” Olivia nodded, satisfied with her sister’s response. “Then I can rest assured. My little sister is still the good girl I know~” She stood up and began clearing the table.
“Alright then, starting tomorrow, no more skipping class. Go back to school and work hard to beco the pride of the family, okay?”
“Okay!” Lianca nodded energetically.
Whether it was out of a sense of responsibility or guilt toward her sister, Lianca was determined to work hard and live up to everyone’s expectations.
After Olivia left the dorm and headed to the Student Council, Lianca, who stayed behind, suddenly rembered sothing.
Back when her sister had proposed transferring the engagent to her, she had seed quite... lancholy?
So why does she now hold Orson in such high regard?
Could it be that my sister actually liked Orson all along?
As Lianca thought about this, she couldn’t help but shake her head.
No way, no way. There’s no way my sister would lie to . Her behavior earlier must have been entirely because of the engagent!
Still... if my sister really can’t handle the engagent, maybe I could take it on instead...
After all, I don’t seem to dislike Orson as much as I used to...
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