Book 4: Chapter 155: A Loliâs Age is a Secret
The sound of fighting outside the room rumbled like thunder, forming a stark contrast with the tranquility inside the room.
âDonât be shy, make yourself at home.â
Without the two clingy little girls fighting for her attention, the woman finally had the time to entertain the other guests at the table. âYouâre all my guests, I sincerely apologize for leaving you unattended,â she said apologetically to Lesiah and the rest.
âOh no, please. We are flattered to be invited to the dinner. The fault is ours, maâam, we are the ones who came unannounced.â Lesiah waved her hands. Although the recent turn of events had been a head scratcher, this ordinary and middle-aged couple in their presence were obviously really kind people. Therefore, they must be respectful. Besides, there were still many things that bothered Lesiah.
âOh dear, you are all Corneliaâs friends. Please donât act like strangers. Just call me Auntie like Little Lilith does.â
âWell then, Auntie, can I ask you something?â Lesiah exchanged glances with the others, then nodded and went straight to the point. âWe donât mean to pry into anyoneâs private affairs, but as Corneliaâs⦠friends, we would like to understand her more. Itâs okay if Auntie chooses not to answer our questions.â
âOf course Iâll answer. Ask away please, young lady. Auntie will answer everything to the best of my ability.â The woman smiled. âAs Corneliaâs parents, we wish nothing but for our child to form as many lasting friendships as she could. I usually couldnât do much, but helping you to understand her is the least I can do.â
Lesiah hesitated briefly when she saw the sincerity on the womanâs face and the middle-aged man who was nodding with approval. For a moment, she wanted to swallow the words that reached her lips but ultimately failed. âAuntie, are you afraid that⦠we are bad people? After allâ¦â
She shot a glance at Lucas who was still pigging out. Although he was not naked, he looked nothing like a good person for running to someoneâs house in a pair of bright red underwear and stuffing his face with food.
He looked more like some perverted thug who barged into someone elseâs house to get a free meal. Not only that, potentially one that would do something nasty to the hostess after filling his belly.
The others were not any better either. A blond noble boy who was a natural with swords, a silver-haired peerless beauty with prideful eyes, a man who was sitting like a majestic lion, a weak-looking but deadly young girl, and a pervert. No matter how anyone looked at them, they looked nothing like people who would have anything to do with those two adorable lolis.
They would appear to get along better with violent lolis who would laugh maniacally while bashing their enemiesâ skulls.
âWhat are you saying? How could Cornelia and Little Lilithâs friends be bad people?â The woman was still wearing that gentle smile on her face. It was a beautiful smile that could make even hell seem like a better face when the world was getting destroyed.
Of course, her eyes were mostly filled with doting love when she was in the presence of Cornelia.
âThat was your only reason?â Lesiah asked in disbelief. âJust because we are Cornelia and Lilithâs friends?â
âUh-huh, is this not a valid reason?â
The woman stroked Lesiahâs silver hair tenderly, like she used to do it often. Since Lesiah never received such treatment since she grew up, she could not help but be taken aback by the womanâs action.
The woman gazed into the distance and spoke under her breath, âI have always believed that there are still many good people in this world, so I donât like to think of others in a negative way. Itâs not a good thing to do. If we perceive the world with positivity, this world will be beautiful, no matter how filthy it may beâ¦â
âAh, sorry for going off topic.â The woman caught herself and stopped. Her eyes were still unfocused, almost like she was looking into a different dimension than here.
Lesiah was a little dazed. Right now, this middle-aged woman in front of her looked like nothing like a mother who was always worried about her home affairs, household chores and the happiness of her children. She looked more like a peerlessly elegant fairy.
It would seem like this ordinary-looking woman was probably not as ordinary as Lesiah thought.
After what seemed like a brief moment, or maybe even a long time, the woman finally turned her gaze back to Lesiah. She covered her mouth and giggled. âI may not look like it, but Iâm quite good at judging someoneâs character.â
âIs that so?â
âHehe, I can attest to that. After all, Corneliaâs mother had a lot of men trying to court her back then and she ended up choosing a fine man like myself. I must say that she has very discerning eyes, hahaha.â The middle-aged man laughed arrogantly, with his hands on hips.
âSay goodbye to your one-month worth of allowance.â The woman rolled her eyes at the middle-aged man. The man immediately paled and wilted at the threat that left her ruby red lips.
âYou donât have to be that harsh, my dear! That was only a joke! Do you have to deduct a monthâs worth of allowance?!â
âThen I am also joking about deducting one monthâs worth of allowance.â
âFor real? Oh, you are too sweet, my dear! Iâ¦â
âIâm actually serious about deducting two monthâs worth.â
ââ¦Damn, you better be joking!â The middle-aged man pounded his fist on his chest.
âPfft.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lesiah could not help but indulge in the warm atmosphere. âBoth of you really get along very well with each other,â she said with honesty and envy.
âOf course. After all, weâve been married for so long, right, my loveâ¦?â The middle-aged man addressed his wife affectionately, while rubbing his hands, trying to recover the loss.
Unfortunately, the woman ignored him and had her attention on Lesiah. âAlright, itâs getting late. If you have any questions, just ask, young lady.â
Lesiah was secretly surprised. The woman seemed to be giving her some hints. Yet without any emotions on her face, her question sounded merely like a casual question.
âHow old is⦠Cornelia?â
âOh my. As Corneliaâs friends, all of you didnât have any clue on your friendâs age? How careless of you guys.â
âWellâ¦â
Lesiah did not expect to expose herself in the process of testing the waters. Beads of cold sweat immediately formed on her forehead. âI donât really care about age when Iâm making friendsâ¦â
The woman pressed her elegant finger on her ruby red lips and smirked, but did not burst Lesiahâs poorly made up lie. âItâs fine, I can understand. After all, Cornelia minds about her age a lot.â
The woman picked up a piece of red fruit and ate it. While chewing, she asked, âHow old do you think Cornelia is, young lady?â
âWellâ¦â Not understanding why the woman threw the question back to her, Lesiah turned her head around to seek help. To her dismay, she realized that the others were all busy burying their heads in food, like they were oblivious to everything that was happening around them. Rosdell was the only one who was still keeping his eyes on her.
A bunch of good-for-nothings! Why do I even bring you guys here?!
Lesiah felt like she wanted to cry, but had no tears to shed. She could only try guessing. âThirteen or fourteen?â
The woman nodded, but with some regret in her voice. âYouâre very close, but thatâs not the correct answer.â
âThen⦠just tell us, we havenât the slightest clue.â
âYoung people are really impatient.â The woman puffed up her cheeks, like a little girl who was sulking. âFine, Iâll tell you. Boring!â
The woman lifted both hands, then withdrew a finger. âI clearly remember Corneliaâs birthday every year. This year, sheâll be nine⦠million and⦠fourteen years old.â