At a time when K423 should have been the one crying, she was completely stunned by the enraged True Kiana.
Her little face was full of questions: "Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?"
She really wanted to howl at the top of her lungs, but the other girl was howling even louder than she was.
What should she do? Should she keep howling?
K423's gaze quickly fell on her.
After all, there were only three people in this space. Unable to provoke the furious True Kiana, K423 naturally sought a sense of superiority from her instead.
A child's sense of superiority was simple.
It was nothing more than whose voice was louder and who was taller.
It did not matter if she could not out-howl True Kiana. She could still out-howl the other white-haired little girl.
Although all three of them looked identical, K423 could still tell the other two apart.
True Kiana was usually the one whose howls sounded sinister and less forceful than hers. Though she did not know why True Kiana was howling so loudly today, the other one simply did not know how to howl at all.
She looked especially stupid. She did not even know how to howl.
K423's sense of superiority immediately surged forth.
"???"
After being stared at by K423 for a while, an inexplicable burst of anger rose within her.
Was this brat asking to be taught a lesson?
Although K423 had neither knowledge nor memories and was as blank as a sheet of paper, thus displaying infantile reactions, her brain had indeed developed to the level of a seven- or eight-year-old and she already possessed a certain ability to think.
"Wah..."
Perhaps sensing the hostile aura coming from her, K423 chickened out.
K423 knew what was what.
She knew that although the person glaring at her could not howl, she could hit people, and it hurt a lot.
She instinctively covered her butt, then put on an obedient, well-behaved expression.
"That's more like it. No matter what, I'm your big bro... big sister."
After dealing with K423 using only her eyes, she continued cowering as well.
After all, she could provoke K423, but she could not provoke True Kiana.
Most importantly, she did not want to be bitten by True Kiana again.
Although True Kiana looked like a rabbit, she had to be born in the Year of the Dog. Otherwise, how could she be so good at biting people?
"That bastard! Black Abyss White Flower is mine!! Mine!!"
If there had been anything in this space, True Kiana would probably have started smashing things by now.
She did not regret telling True Kiana what had happened today.
After all, that was the agreement between her and True Kiana.
Especially after learning about True Kiana's situation, she had done her best to move around and gather amusing stories from the Little Maid and the candidates.
And True Kiana was also curious about what kind of life this impostor using her name was living.
Of course, after listening for several days, True Kiana could not help feeling jealous and resentful.
She, the genuine article, had been locked away, while the impostor had beautiful, adorable older sisters accompanying her every day, whether she was eating or sleeping.
And now, she had even inherited the Black Abyss White Flower that should have belonged to her.
"Wait, don't glare at me. I'm innocent!"
When she saw True Kiana's gaze sweep fiercely toward her, she hurriedly retreated several steps, afraid that if True Kiana pounced to bite her, she would not even have enough distance to turn and run.
"Guh, Black Abyss White Flower is..."
"That's right, it's yours. But Bishop Otto would never let you inherit it. You know that. She would never let you out."
Unlike K423, True Kiana was very smart.
Even though she was only eight years old and there were many things she did not know.
But most of what she did not know was limited by her knowledge. Bishop Otto could not possibly let her read every book, and the books given to True Kiana mainly promoted the righteousness of Schicksal.
In this regard, True Kiana was the same as her. Because of their preconceived impressions, neither of them believed what the textbooks said.
After all, one was the person being imprisoned, while the other was a cloned experiment subject. How could they possibly believe in Schicksal's righteousness?
She merely mentioned it casually, and True Kiana calmed down.
That made her breathe a slight sigh of relief.
She was afraid True Kiana would be unable to calm down and would rush off to fight Bishop Otto the moment she woke up.
Not to mention that if True Kiana went to fight Bishop Otto, it would expose their special connection.
Even if she really did fight Bishop Otto, she felt that True Kiana's chances of winning were practically nonexistent. Her fate might become even more miserable then.
"Waaah... Mom... Dad..."
Although she had calmed down, the more True Kiana thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. In the end, she sat on the floor, hugged her knees, buried her head between them, and began to cry.
Once True Kiana started crying, K423 cried along with her.
"Ah, what a sin."
She walked over and sat beside True Kiana, then hugged the little girl who had suffered so much without a father or mother, sighing at what Bishop Otto had done.
She had originally wanted to share her discovery from today with True Kiana.
But how could she possibly be in the mood now?
"Alright, don't cry. Be good. You're the genuine one, the big sister of us 'younger sisters.' Don't cry anymore, okay?"
As she comforted True Kiana in an indulgent tone, she stroked True Kiana's little head, imitating the way Bishop Otto petted little girls.
Although Bishop Otto's technique did not do much for her, it was unexpectedly effective on True Kiana and K423.
True Kiana's crying gradually weakened.
A few more minutes passed, and it turned into intermittent sobbing.
"I want Black Abyss White Flower..."
"I can't give it to you. Even if I want Black Abyss White Flower myself, I'll have to fight others for it."
She had awakened the Bloodline Power of the Schariac family, which gave her the chance to inherit Black Abyss White Flower, but it was only a chance.
The next Saintess of the Schariac family was more qualified than she was to inherit Black Abyss White Flower.
But Bishop Otto clearly did not want to hand Black Abyss White Flower over to the Schariac family. Through encouragement and implication, she hoped that she would compete with the Schariac family for Black Abyss White Flower.
She also kept using Cecilia as an example.
For Experiment Subjects who were still young, had no memories, and were receiving brainwashing education, Cecilia's deeds inspired all the candidates like a role model. Naturally, they inspired her as well.
Bishop Otto had clearly intended to make her like Cecilia.
If she competed with the Schariac family for Black Abyss White Flower, she would undoubtedly make an enemy of the next Saintess of the Schariac family.
Perhaps in other people's eyes, she was merely fighting over her mother's relic.
But to the next Saintess of the Schariac family, she might be destroying her future.
If she really was stronger than the next Saintess of the Schariac family, then, with Schariac blood flowing through her veins as well, was she not even more suited to the position of Saintess?
That would naturally create a deep grudge.
It might even be comparable to the hatred of murdering one's father.
But she could not avoid fighting for it.
From the moment she learned that Cecilia had been the previous owner of Black Abyss White Flower, she knew she would become its next master.
"I promise you, I'll definitely seize Black Abyss White Flower."
"Mm."
"One day, I'll definitely find a chance to smash Otto's dog head."
"Mm."
"Once I rescue you, I'll give Black Abyss White Flower to you."
"Mm."
True Kiana's sobs gradually weakened, but she still hugged her knees and leaned against her chest.
Naturally, she would not reject True Kiana's clinginess.
"Then we'll bury Otto together, plant a whole field of grave grass over him, and when it grows a meter tall, we'll dig up his grave and scatter all his ashes!!"
"Mm, mm??"
True Kiana suddenly could not understand.
"Then we'll buy a bigger estate, marry a dozen or so pretty older sisters, and spend every shameless day together."
"Mm????"
True Kiana had no idea what she had just heard.
Had she not been studying seriously enough?
But Bishop Otto's textbooks did not seem to teach any of this.
True Kiana, who had always been somewhat confident in her memory, felt that life was far too difficult.
"Black Abyss White Flower belongs to Mom. You have to seize it."
True Kiana decided to ignore everything that came before.
"Of course. I promise you."
"Mm, I believe you. But I will never forgive Bishop Otto... If it weren't for you, I never would have known about this. Just thinking about how Mom's weapon was almost arranged to be given to someone else makes my heart feel like it's being torn apart."
True Kiana raised her head from between her knees, revealing a face filled with ferocity.
"I will never forgive Bishop Otto!!"
She sighed softly. A child was still a child. At a time like this, all she could say was that she would not forgive him.
"Then why are you still calling him Bishop Otto? Come on, say it after me. Dog Otto, I... I'll smash your dog head someday!!"
"???"
True Kiana wore an expression that said she did not understand at all.
But somehow, the words felt much more satisfying.
"D-Dog Otto, I... I'll smash your dog head someday!!"
As she spoke, she waved her little fist.
"Dog head!!"
K423 waved her little fist along with her.
At some point, K423 had stopped crying. She was now crouched beside them, blinking her large watery blue eyes curiously as she watched the two older sisters hugging each other.
Although she did not understand a single word, she still remembered the phrase "dog head."
"That's right, smash his dog head!!"
"Waaah, dog head!!"
Having recovered her spirits, True Kiana naturally left her embrace. Then she and K423 kept repeating the words "dog head" while dancing about excitedly.
"..."
Watching the reactions of the two white-haired little girls, she seriously wondered whether she had led them astray.
"I'll definitely smash your dog head!"
"Wah, dog head! Waaah, dog head!"
Of course, True Kiana and K423 were quite happy.
Before you continue