Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 931 - 48: Sisters

Chapter 931: Chapter 48: Sisters

Although at first glance, the two girls appeared to have significant differences in appearance, a closer observation would reveal that they were almost identical in height, physique, and even facial features. If Betty were to regain her original fair skin and let her hair grow out, people would probably find it difficult to distinguish between the two. If one had to pinpoint a distinction, it could be said that Betty’s facial features were more delicately defined than Lina’s. In simple terms, the former Betty was slightly more beautiful than Lina.

The two young girls stood face to face in silence, their gazes locked on each other, maintaining a deathly quiet. Birds flying across the sky and the summer insects in the roadside bushes seemed to sense the peculiar atmosphere between them and cooperatively ceased their chirping, making the surroundings even more silent. After a long, long stare, Lina finally trembled as she raised her hand and gently touched her sister’s bare head. At the same time, Betty also extended her index finger and tenderly touched the crescent-shaped scar on Lina’s forehead.

"Where is your hair, sister?" Lina’s voice was full of pity, "You used to treasure your hair so much; how could you bear to cut it off? Let it grow out again, sister. I still prefer you with long hair."

"Yes, I used to treasure my hair, but that was because I was always jealous of how your hair was softer and shinier than mine, so I took great care of my own hair, all to be just like you. That’s why I cut it off afterward, to constantly remind myself that I am a devil who caused a tragedy due to jealousy of my own sister." Betty’s voice was almost exactly the same as Lina’s too, with only a minute difference discernible even if one closed their eyes to listen. Betty’s voice was also filled with heartache, as though seeking to smooth away the furrow in a young girl’s brow and to soothe the scar on Lina’s forehead: "Aren’t you the same, sister? Back then, you valued your face so much. When you fell on the stairs, you would rather tumble down and break your arm than let your face hit the ground for fear of a scar. Yet, who could have thought that years later, you would actually have the heart to brand your face with a mark?"

"Our reasons are the same, sister." Lina sighed softly, "I was so envious, envious that your appearance was more perfect than mine, envious that you were more beautiful than I was. That’s why I branded the Sinner’s Mark on my forehead so that every time I looked in the mirror, I would remember that I am a sinner—someone who hated their own sister out of jealousy and wished for her early death."

The two young girls fell into silence once again, the very similar yet vastly different pair locked in each other’s gaze. After a few minutes, they simultaneously took a step forward, closing the distance between them, and embraced each other tightly. With their same height, the girls’ foreheads and noses touched, allowing them to feel each other’s gentle breaths. Experiencing the familiar warmth of the other, a warmth they had not felt in over a decade, their eyes reddened, yet they both smiled faintly, whispering the words they most wanted to say in unison.

"I’m sorry, sister. I’ve come back." "I’m sorry, sister. Welcome back."

"Ahem." Pannis suddenly coughed dryly, disrupting the sisters’ exchange of glances: "Though I hate to say it, I must interrupt for a moment. Wouldn’t it be better for you two to find another place to continue? Although I’m quite enjoying the view, I reckon you wouldn’t particularly appreciate being secretly watched by quite a few familiar faces. Anyway, if it were me, I’m sure I wouldn’t like it."

"Eh?" Lina finally realized where she was, holding her sister’s hand and giving a silly chuckle. Betty smiled faintly too, gripping Lina’s hand as they walked into the building together, "Let’s go in together, I have so much to tell you. I’ve never had the courage before, no, I should say I didn’t have the courage until I saw you. After sensing you were coming to find me, I wanted to run away so many times, but in the end, I mustered the courage to stay here. It was only upon seeing you that I realized saying ’sorry’ isn’t as hard as I thought. If only I had had the courage to say those words to you fourteen years ago, maybe everything would have been different."

"It took me fourteen years, and even then, only with their help, to muster the courage to face my guilt and to come to say sorry to you." Lina and her sister walked shoulder to shoulder into the room, Lina spoke with an upward curve at the corner of her mouth, "I thought this meeting would be very painful for me, and I was terrified of it, but only now do I understand I was wrong. Some things seem so difficult and complex, but once you understand them, they’re actually quite simple."

"So, you don’t blame me anymore?" The three of them entered the room, and Betty voiced no objection to Pannis following in. She asked, engrossed in her own thoughts, "Will you accept my apology?"

"You are the one who was hurt, sister," said Lina, stroking her sister’s chest, "Right here, isn’t it? Stabbed by a knife, bleeding nonstop, soaking through your clothes."

"Are you still pretending not to know, refusing to accept my apology?" Although Betty spoke in this way, her expression was very calm, as if she had already anticipated Lina’s answer and, at last, she revealed the incident from the past, "Our hearts are connected; I don’t believe you are still unaware that the knife wound was self-inflicted. Back then, I was so envious of you receiving more affection from Aunt Headmistress and Grandfather Archbishop, almost to the point of madness. During one opportunity, I just happened to come across a novel and found a similar method inside. Of course, I knew you envied me too, so I used a bit of Illusion Magic and drugs to cloud your mind that day, and then I stabbed myself, trying to blame it on you and damage your position in their hearts. It wasn’t until after that I came to my senses and realized I had been driven mad by jealousy and had done such a thing. To cleanse the filth in my heart and punish myself, I decided to join the Ascetic Order. You must have realized all of this, right? Why then do you pretend to be unaware?"

"For that, you exiled yourself to the Ascetic Order?" Lina sighed and said, "Sister, if you regretted it, why didn’t you explain things at the time?"

"I once talked to Grandfather Archbishop and hoped he could tell you, so you would no longer feel guilty and could leave the library quickly," Betty shook her head, "But Grandfather Archbishop refused. He said the shadow in your heart wasn’t about this, and telling you would be useless."

"Grandfather Archbishop is right, sister, that’s why I’m apologizing to you," Lina embraced her sister and whispered, "Did you really think your finding that book was just a coincidence?" (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)