“Isn’t it normal to show concern for the current Duchess of Venus Territory?” Liana turned her head to look at Erinna.

Dressed in a black velvet gown with lace trim decorating the neckline and the Venus Family crest embroidered in dark gold thread on the hem, her high black ponytail gave her a very capable look. Erinna’s face was now filled with confidence, looking much better than before.

There were still some snowflakes remaining on Erinna’s shoulders, suggesting she had just returned.

After seeing that Erinna wasn’t injured, the dark circles on her eyes had faded, and her mental state had improved considerably, Liana felt somewhat relieved.

“With such sweet talk, are you trying to get me to help you with something?” Erinna asked.

“Of course not. Don’t forget, you still owe me a favor,” Liana smiled. As long as she didn’t use up this favor, Erinna couldn’t do anything about it. After all, she owed Liana a favor, so she needed to think about how to repay it.

“That’s true.” Erinna nodded, but she wasn’t in a hurry. Liana saying such things meant that she likely would need her help in the future.

So, she just needed to use some small method to repay this favor before then. At that time, Liana would want to ask for her help but, hindered by her pride, would have to do something to please her.

At that time, what kind of expression would Sister Liana have?

Shy? Humiliated? It would probably be a very delicious expression.

“How have things been at Venus Manor lately, Duchess Erinna? Have others expressed any dissatisfaction or opinions about you?” Liana asked.

“You’re concerned about me to this extent? Liana, do you really have something important you need my help with?” Erinna asked.

“Who needs your help? What Mephilia can help me with, you can help me with. What you can’t help me with, Mephilia can still help me with,” Liana said.

“...” This indeed hit Erinna’s sore spot. This was something she truly couldn’t do. The help she could offer Liana was far less than what Mephilia could.

“Besides, it’s just Mephilia worrying about you, concerned that you might be targeted or schemed against in Venus Manor. So she asked me to come check on you,” Liana said.

This actually improved Erinna’s mood somewhat. She knew very well that Princess Mephilia had already arranged people to protect her, so how could she not know her current situation?

There was only one possibility: Sister Liana just wanted to show concern for her, and Princess Mephilia was just an excuse for her sister.

This made Erinna’s mood improve considerably. She walked in front of Liana.

“...” Liana only now realized that the little girl who used to follow behind her was now a head taller than her.

And... too close! A pair of large ‘thunders’ appeared in front of Liana. Should she look or not look? Lift her head to look at Erinna’s face?

But it was too close!

Liana stepped back. “What is it?”

“Nothing, just grateful for Princess Mephilia’s concern,” Erinna said, not intending to tell Liana what she had experienced during this time.

She would get anxious herself, and ask questions, because Sister Liana was such a gentle and kind person.

“So? Have any strange things happened during this time?” Liana asked.

“If something really happened, my guards would notify Princess Mephilia. What’s wrong? Liana, you seem to care a lot about me?” Erinna smiled.

However, Liana’s next words made her unable to smile anymore.

“That’s good, but it seems others don’t take you seriously. They don’t consider you a dangerous person, or rather, a threatening person?” Liana said.

“Hm? Liana, why do you say that?” Erinna sensed something was wrong. Asking if she had encountered threats? Combined with these words...

“Could it be that someone has targeted you, Liana?” Erinna quickly guessed the general situation.

But Liana shook her head. It was better not to tell her these things to avoid unnecessary worry.

“How could that be? Besides, even if someone did target me, what could they do? With Minoga protecting me, who could touch me? Surely no one would be stupid enough to attempt to harm someone protected by a Judge? That would be too ridiculous,” Liana waved her hand dismissively.

“It seems Mephilia cares a lot about you. I originally thought those people would take advantage of you not having solidified the hearts of the Venus people to do something excessive to you, even threatening your life. But now it seems with Mephilia’s protection, these problems shouldn’t arise.”

Liana turned around, preparing to walk to her room.

But the moment she turned, a hand grabbed her wrist.

“Hm?” Liana looked back at Erinna. Erinna’s hand gripping her wrist was somewhat forceful, making Liana feel a bit of pain. “What are you doing?”

“Liana, you’ve been attacked, haven’t you?”

“No, or do you think someone would be more skilled than a Judge? That someone could threaten me right under a Judge’s nose? Rather than my safety, you should pay more attention to yourself.”

This was what Liana initially wanted to tell Erinna.

Just because she had protection didn’t mean she could relax. Today, Erinna had gone out without taking Naibert along, which was a very dangerous thing to do.

But it seemed she knew about the attack on herself, after all, Erinna had always been clever since childhood.

But it was good enough that she knew about this matter. Liana cleared her throat. “Aren’t you going to let go? You’re hurting me.”

“Sorry...” Erinna released her hand.

“As an heir, what you face isn’t just those who openly want to compete with you for power. Those hidden in the shadows are more terrifying. They will stop at nothing for power. Even doing especially excessive things wouldn’t be surprising,” since it was already exposed, Liana didn’t pretend anymore.

“After all, if an heir can’t speak out, then she poses no threat. No matter how unwilling others might be, they can only choose someone else.” Liana thought for a moment and finally added, “This is what Mephilia is experiencing now. She wants you to understand this principle.”

Mephilia, the world’s most useful scapegoat tool!

“...” Erinna nodded. She knew this matter better than anyone and was aware of how many people had been dissatisfied with her over the years.

Moreover, once Liana used Mephilia as a shield, it proved that this was actually Liana’s own original intention.

“I understand. If there’s anything you need help with in Venus Duchy, you can always tell me. Consider it a small token of gratitude to Princess Mephilia,” Erinna said.

Although Erinna wanted to see Liana struggling, if it caused Liana to get hurt or made Liana force herself not to seek her help, then it would be counterproductive.

Ultimately, as long as Liana was safe, that was good. “If someone really tries to attack you, you can always return to Venus Manor. Your room is very safe, protected by Lady Ambis’ barrier. Besides, you are, after all, the young lady of Venus Manor. The Venus Family will also protect you.”

“Thank you for your concern, but it’s not necessary,” Liana waved her hand. This time, Liana truly left.

Minoga followed beside Liana. “Princess Liana is really a good sister.”

Liana turned her head, looking outside the corridor where snowflakes were falling. “A good sister? Not really, right?”

Liana didn’t think so. Liana had never considered herself a good sister. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

“In my view, rather than saying I’m a good sister, it’s better to say Erinna is a good little sister. She doesn’t need me to worry too much about her. She’s excellent, she’s impressive. If not interfered with by others, she could definitely become a very outstanding ruler. Even with interference, it would still be the case.” When Liana said these words, the corners of her mouth inadvertently raised in a slight smile, and her tone was full of confidence.

“Princess Liana really trusts Erinna.”

“Of course, she’s the little sister I’m proud of,” Liana smiled.

However, Minoga’s large hand soon struck, directly pinching Liana’s cheek. “Then, when will big sister go praise the little sister she’s most proud of? I remember when she was young, Erinna liked to stick to Princess Liana’s side the most.”

When she was young, Erinna liked to pinch the corner of Liana’s clothes, hiding behind Liana, poking out half her head to vigilantly watch others.

The Erinna from that time compared to the Erinna now was vastly different.

When she was young, Erinna was /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ much smaller than Liana and didn’t like to talk, always being silent. Only when Liana came would she say a few words.

And now, she was already taller than Liana, and no longer the little girl who didn’t like to talk. But at what cost?

Their conversations had become fewer, and their relationship somewhat estranged? Before, they had many things to talk about, but now when they met, they would act somewhat awkwardly.

“Forget it. Who would be happy to receive praise from someone like me?” Liana shrugged. Besides...

In Liana’s imagination, the scene of a sister praising her little sister was the big sister bending down, reaching out to pat the little sister’s head. But with the current height difference, that wasn’t possible!

“Maybe, what if Erinna is looking forward to it?” Minoga continued.

“Looking forward to it?”

To be honest, Liana couldn’t imagine it. Erinna’s current appearance gave people a cold feeling, like a flower at the peak of a snow mountain, difficult to touch, with few people seeing it bloom.

“If there’s an opportunity, we’ll see.”

“Alright.” Minoga had tried her best. This was the limit of what Minoga could do for Erinna.

“What is it?” Liana looked at Sephirena beside her. She had been staring at Liana ever since the two started talking about sisterhood.

Sephirena thought she wasn’t wrong after all. A Liana who could say such things was definitely a very gentle person.

“Nothing, just remembered some things,” Sephirena said.

“Oh? What things?” Liana asked, feigning ignorance. After all, from Sephirena’s perspective, she didn’t know about those matters. Liana couldn’t actively bring up this matter, as it was the other’s sore point.

If she actively brought it up, wouldn’t that make her feel inappropriately too close? Besides, after mentioning this matter, Princess Avira would also be implicated.

Sephirena already hated the Elf Forest enough. Intensifying this emotion wouldn’t be good.

“Nothing, just some personal matters,” Sephirena didn’t want to discuss her affairs too much with Liana. She knew that once she mentioned these things, Liana definitely wouldn’t kill her. Instead, she would sympathize with her.

Because of her experience, Liana would want to save her even more. Princess Liana was actually a bleeding heart.

“Alright, if there’s anything you need help with, feel free to tell me,” Liana said.

“...Mm.” Sephirena originally wanted to ask Liana to kill her, but saying it too much would make her disliked. Besides, Princess Liana had already promised her...

Wait, why was she starting to care about Princess Liana’s opinion of her now?

No, no, she wasn’t caring about Princess Liana’s opinion of her. This was just because she didn’t want things to become complicated. What if Princess Liana became unhappy and said she hadn’t fulfilled her duties as a servant?

Yes, she was only worried about this point, and not really caring about Princess Liana’s opinion of her. After all, she was just a rotten orange.

Meanwhile, in Liana’s view, it seemed Sephirena didn’t intend to tell her about this matter, but that was okay. Just take it slow. When she was willing to talk about it, the route would be almost complete—no! What route!

It should be that the other’s mindset would have changed quite a bit by then. At that time, she shouldn’t be solely focused on seeking death anymore.

Although it hadn’t reached that stage yet, at least Liana saw hope. Sephirena’s attitude toward her had changed considerably, not facing her with a stern expression like at the beginning, always responding with just “Mm” or a nod.

Otherwise, even Liana would feel despair seeing an unchanging Sephirena. Just a little bit was enough. Just a little change could prove that her efforts during this time hadn’t been in vain.

Although it was slow, at least there was hope.

“Princess Liana, why do you seem somewhat happy?” Sephirena asked.