Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 932 - 49: Whispers of Sisters

Chapter 932: Chapter 49: Whispers of Sisters

"I know," Betty said without surprise, still smiling. "It wasn’t long before I figured it out; that book wouldn’t just appear in my room for no reason. It’s likely that you were the only one who could have done it."

"Yes, that’s right," Lina said, her head lowered, a wry smile on her face. "Maybe you were jealous that I received more affection from archbishop grandfather and dean aunt, but I was jealous of your deeper understanding of doctrine, your firmer belief in the goddess, and that you were more likely to take over the Archbishop’s Scepter. So I often thought, how nice it would be if my sister wasn’t around, then everything would be mine. I knew such thoughts were terrible, but day and night, they kept surging through my brain. Even when I tried to force myself not to think about it, that very resistance meant I was already doing so. Then, one day, I saw that book in the library and suddenly had the idea. Since you were also jealous of me, why not let you find the book quietly and stir up your feelings? At that time, I thought you would certainly fall for it, and once you took the bait, I could expose you and you would lose your eligibility for the archbishop. Everything would be mine."

"But why didn’t you expose me in the end?" Betty asked softly, stroking Lina’s long silver hair. "If you really had exposed me, it would have made me feel a bit better in my heart."

"Because I regretted it," Lina said, holding on to her sister, sadly. "At the moment I saw blood gushing from your body, I felt a knife-like pain in my heart. That’s when I realized how much my actions would hurt you, maybe even cause you to be gone from my side forever. I always thought how nice it would be if my sister wasn’t around, but it was only then that I truly considered what your disappearance from my life would mean to me. It was after understanding all this that I realized the horrifying things I had done out of jealousy. Unfortunately, it was too late; the events had already unfolded, and no amount of regret could change that."

"So you locked yourself away in the library?" Betty shook her head. "You’re not wrong. You merely placed a tempting bait in front of me, and I was the one who actually took the actions."

"No, sister, you are mistaken," Lina said, covering Betty’s lips to stop her self-reproach. "No matter what, it was wrong to lure one’s own sister down the wrong path, especially for such despicable reasons. That is even more unforgivable. I was afraid of the me capable of such terrible acts. I knew if I continued, jealousy would make me hurt more people. That’s why I isolated myself from the world, both as a punishment for myself and to imprison the demon named ’jealousy’ within my heart so it couldn’t emerge and hurt others again. However, four years ago when the library caught fire, I had to leave it, but I was very clear then that the demon in my heart had not been completely purified and could resurge at any moment. That is what I could not tolerate. I also felt that I didn’t deserve to stay by my sister’s side, so I left the Holy Sanctuary, wandered aimlessly across the Continent, and closed my heart in darkness just to prevent myself from being driven by jealousy and committing unforgivable mistakes again."

"Did you succeed?" Betty asked, looking into her sister’s close-set eyes. "Did you finally free yourself from the entanglement of jealousy?"

"Maybe, I’m not certain," Lina shook her head. "I feel that I’ve escaped from it, no, I should say I’ve escaped from its control. Now, even though I still feel jealous occasionally, I no longer have the desire to harm others because of such feelings. I think that should be considered a success, at least it seems to be for now. What about you, sister? Over these years, has your spirit found peace again?"

"Yes, life in the Ascetic Order makes me reflect on myself every day," Betty said softly, nodding with a faint smile. "Each time I reflect, I recognize my mistakes more clearly, and with each reflection, I look forward to embracing you again like now, sticking close to you, and saying sorry to you."

"This is my hope too," Lina said as she tightened her embrace around her sister, cheek pressed against Betty’s: "Long before I tempted you, I was already driven mad by jealousy. Countless times I prayed to the Goddess for the redemption of my soul, but the Goddess did not respond to my prayers."

"I sought salvation from the Goddess too, but I never received her reply," Betty sighed, "I even thought my jealousy and madness had completely disappointed the Goddess and she had given up on me. It was this belief that led me to join the Ascetic Order, hoping that through penance, I might draw closer to the will of the Goddess. However, after that incident, the Goddess began responding to my prayers again. Her will has been the support that kept me going, without it, I would have probably collapsed from regret and ended my life."

"Don’t," Lina hugged her tighter and shook her head vigorously: "Then I would have really lost you, sister."

"But I made it through," Betty said softly, stroking Lina’s smooth hair in comfort: "Just like you made it out of the dark library. Compared to your years, I have been fortunate, at least I had the chance to communicate with others, to see the sun and the plants, and even had the chance to meet the Archbishop and the Head of the Order. It was only later that I learned about what you went through, and just hearing about it pains my heart."

"It’s all in the past, sister, everything is in the past," Lina’s tears suddenly began to flow from her eyes as she looked at her sister: "Let’s make amends and start over, okay?"

"Yes, everything is in the past," Betty sighed deeply: "So, have you forgiven me?"

"No, because I’ve never blamed you. The only person I hated and feared was always myself," Lina shook her head: "Also, this is the question I’ve been wanting to ask, sister, can you forgive a sister who once tempted you into wrongdoing?"

"Of course not, my reason is the same as your answer," Betty said with a smile: "Since neither of us has blamed the other and we have both received enough punishment for our mistakes, let’s reconcile."

"Yes, let’s reconcile." The two girls came together again, cheek to cheek, heart to heart, just like they did every day years ago. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)