Chapter 141: Liora

Chapter 141: 141: Liora

Nova was taken aback by the sudden, absurd familiarity. She cast a calculating glance at the young woman, and instantly, a translucent blue interface materialized before her eyes.

?[Target Information Report]

[Name: Princess Liora]

[Age: 20]

[Threat Level: 0.00]

[Note: She is Prince’s half-sister. Their sibling bond is exceptionally strong.]

?Nova’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. She stared at Liora, momentarily rendered completely speechless.

?"Sister-in-law, it’s me, Liora! Prince’s sister," Liora chirped, gently grabbing Nova’s hand. When Nova simply stared at her in stony silence, Liora’s brow furrowed in worry. "Don’t... don’t you understand English? I don’t understand Chinese either! Let me use a translator."

?She hurriedly began digging through her designer handbag for her phone, but Nova finally spoke, her voice slicing through the air.

?"You have made a mistake. I am not familiar with anyone named Prince, so this ’sister-in-law’ title you keep using is entirely unwarranted," Nova stated. Her English was flawless, rolling off her tongue with a smooth, aristocratic British accent.

?Liora’s eyes widened, her face instantly lighting up with pure joy. "Sister-in-law, you speak English! That’s wonderful! There won’t be any language barrier between us at all!" she giggled, eagerly latching onto Nova’s hand once again completely ignoring her deny of Prince.

The manager wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, breathing a massive sigh of relief. "She actually understands English. Thank goodness I didn’t say anything offensive just now," he thought.

?"Umm... Princess Liora," the manager interrupted nervously. "Since you two are familiar with each other, how about—"

?"She is my sister-in-law, so I will pay for her estate," Liora cut in dismissively, her prior haughty arrogance vanishing in the blink of an eye. She bounced on her heels, giggling non-stop like an overexcited child.

?Nova rolled her eyes, ruthlessly yanking her hand free from Liora’s grip. "Once again, I am not your sister-in-law. And there is no need to pay for my property. I have more than enough money, and the transaction is already finalized."

?Without sparing the girl another glance, Nova stood up, turned on her heel and headed briskly for the glass exit.

?Liora immediately scrambled after her, jogging to keep pace. "Don’t be like this, sister-in-law! Did my brother offend you? I will definitely scold him for you!"

?Nova ignored her, keeping her eyes fixed on the doors.

?"Sister-in-law!"

"Sister-in-law!"

"My beautiful sister-in-law!"

"My one and only sister-in-law!"

"Sister-in-law!"

?Liora’s relentless chanting echoed through the grand lobby all the way down to the first floor. Finally reaching her breaking point, Nova stopped dead in her tracks. She spun around, glaring at Liora with deep, murderous irritation.

?"What exactly do you want from me?" she demanded.

?Liora giggled, entirely unfazed by the lethal aura radiating from the woman before her. "Sister-in-law, how about you come home with me to meet Mum and Dad? Oh, and Brother is there right now, too!"

?"Not interested," Nova replied sharply, pushing the heavy glass doors open.

?"Sister-in-law, please!" Liora pleaded, grabbing the sleeve of Nova’s coat.

?Nova was just about to throw Liora aside when Anah’s voice echoed smoothly within her mind.

"?It would actually be better if you met your in-laws right now."

?Nova frowned, pausing on the pavement. "In-laws? Are Cassian’s parents in Australia?"

?A low, amused giggle rippled through Nova’s consciousness. "Of course not. I am talking about Prince’s parents. The System already bound his life-force to yours. Officially... he is already your husband.

?Nova froze. "The fuck? When did that happen?"

?"When the System encountered a fatal error during the Medusa attack. It needed to anchor your consciousness to another host in order to force an awakening. Fun fact he didn’t resist at all, Anah explained matter-of-factly.

?"What the hell..." Nova’s brows knitted tightly in mounting frustration.

?"He isn’t bad, and he is exactly your type," Anah reasoned. "The System doesn’t just select someone randomly. You must have taken a subconscious liking to him, and the System registered that compatibility."

?"He is indeed not bad," Nova argued internally, rubbing her temples. "But the problem is, he is Cassian’s direct rival. And the bigger issue is that I promised Cassian I wouldn’t take any more husbands. Look at this—I broke the promise without even being conscious!

?"Oh," Anah commented, offering zero sympathy.

?"Cassian is definitely not going to accept this easily," Nova murmured, feeling a rare, profound sense of defeat.

?"Sister-in-law... sister-in-law?" Liora tugged gently at Nova’s arm, staring up at her with wide, pleading eyes, trying her absolute hardest to look cute and persuasive.

?Nova blinked, pulling herself from her internal crisis to stare down at the girl. She let out a long, heavy exhale. "Fine. Let us see exactly what kind of family these new ’in-laws’ of mine are."

?"Okay," Nova said softly. "Lead the way."

?"Yay! Let’s go, sister-in-law!" Liora cheered. She practically dragged Nova to her waiting luxury SUV, shoving her into the plush backseat before piling in beside her and ordering the driver to head home.

.....

?The vehicle pulled through the towering iron gates of a sprawling, regal estate. Before the chauffeur could even park completely, Liora eagerly threw her door open, hopped out, and rushed around to help Nova step down.

?"Let’s go in!" she beamed, her smile radiant. She threw the massive front doors open, practically dragging Nova into the grand foyer, and announced at the top of her lungs, "Everyone, guess what! I brought my sister-in-law home!"

?The grand living room was vast and impeccably furnished. Sitting on the long velvet sofa was a regal woman in her early forties, alongside a sharp-featured man of the same age.

?On a single armchair to their left sat Prince, looking as cold, striking, and unapproachable as ever.

?And finally, sitting on the opposite loveseat was a young woman with cascading, pure silver hair and deep black eyes. She possessed an air of delicate, innocent sweetness.

?At Liora’s sudden shout, every head in the room snapped toward the entrance. Their eyes landed squarely on Nova, who stood silently beside Liora, one hand casually tucked into her pant pocket, her expression utterly indifferent.

?The moment Prince saw her, his icy facade shattered. Genuine, profound shock washed over his features, quickly followed by a surge of overwhelming emotion. He stood up instantly, his long strides closing the distance between them until he was standing directly in front of her.

?"Nova," he breathed softly.

?He hadn’t expected to see her in Australia. The surprise was absolute, and he realized in that split second just how desperately he had missed her.

?Nova looked up into his eyes. Slowly, the coldness melted from her face, and she flashed him a breathtaking, genuinely harmless smile.

?Prince’s heart instantly slammed against his ribs. The world around him seemed to stop. "She... she smiled at me," he thought, his pulse roaring in his ears. He desperately tried to maintain his cool, untouchable composure, but the warmth blooming in his chest made it completely impossible.

?Meanwhile, Liora’s joyous mood had violently flatlined the second her eyes landed on the silver-haired guest.

?"Stella," Liora snapped, her voice dripping with sudden hostility. "What are you doing at my house?"

?The silver-haired woman gracefully stood up, a perfectly sweet, demure smile curving her lips. "Don’t be like this, Liora," Stella said gently. "I am here to discuss the wedding, of course. The wedding between me and your brother."

?