SDIWD - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

When Bai Zhen saw Hua Mu already half-submerged in the seawater, still struggling and splashing towards the deep water, her heart leaped into her throat.

"Miss!"

An ice-colored wolf phantom suddenly appeared behind Bai Zhen, and in an instant, it fused with her body.

The Sentinel crouched and sprinted, as fast as an arrow loosed from a bowstring. She covered the hundred-meter distance in just a few short seconds. Her form was as agile as a giant wolf, yet when she leaped into the sea, she was as light as a bird, practically skimming across the water's surface to reach Hua Mu's side.

"Miss, are you all right?"

Her plunge into the sea kicked up a considerable wave, nearly knocking Hua Mu over.

"No, don't go! Save us, we're here!" Hua Mu gulped down several mouthfuls of seawater, but she completely ignored her own wretched state, still staring intently at the distant sea surface, waving her arms unsteadily to attract the "ship's" attention.

"Miss, Young Lady!" Bai Zhen, afraid she would hurt herself, had no choice but to hold her tightly. "That's not a rescue ship. It's a whale, an orca."

But Hua Mu, as if she couldn't hear her, struggled desperately. "Let me go! Bai Zhen, help me shout, quickly! They're leaving! If we don't get their attention now, they'll be gone!"

The once glamorous noble girl was now utterly wretched. The dress she wore, once priceless, was no longer white. Her soft, smooth, platinum-blonde hair was beginning to show a frizzy texture, and even her skin, once as fair and smooth as milk, had grown considerably dull.

More importantly, the ten days of life on the deserted island had worn away what little was left of her noble girl's reserve and self-respect.

"Miss, it really is a whale." Bai Zhen felt immense heartache and self-blame, yet she had no choice but to tell her this cruel truth.

"You're lying to me, you're lying to me!"

Hua Mu had had enough of this place. She'd had enough of the food that tasted the same no matter how it was prepared; enough of the hay that could never be made any softer no matter how she lay on it; enough of not being able to wash her body properly, enough of being attacked by seabirds, enough of worrying about water all day, and even more, enough of the humiliating way she had to relieve herself.

She wanted to go back—back to civilized society, a comfortable life, and the dignity of a noble lady.

Bai Zhen said no more. She simply scooped her up by the waist and walked step by step towards the shore. No matter how Hua Mu punched and kicked, she didn't make a sound.

She carried her all the way back to their temporary shelter, silently enduring the hysteria that erupted from Hua Mu, who was on the verge of collapse.

Hua Mu had cursed, cried, hit, and bitten. In the end, she had no strength left and could only curl up in Bai Zhen's arms, sobbing softly.

"Miss, please don't worry. Rescuers will definitely come." This was the first time Bai Zhen had so boldly embraced Hua Mu, not thinking about the boundary between master and servant, not thinking about Hua Mu's aversion to Sentinels, and not thinking about what would happen after they returned. She carefully yet powerfully encircled Hua Mu in her arms and swore, "I will definitely get you back safely."

Hua Mu was utterly exhausted and in pain, so much so that she couldn't even bother with the fact that she was too close to a Sentinel. She leaned weakly in Bai Zhen's arms, crying silently.

Bai Zhen knew how much Hua Mu had suffered during this time, and she knew just how heartbroken she was at this moment.

"Miss, have some water."

Hua Mu had been in the sun for who knows how long and had shed so many tears that a white film had formed on her lips. Bai Zhen carefully brought water to her mouth in a coconut shell, but Hua Mu turned her head away, refusing to drink.

Nothing was more important than staying alive, but what was the point of living like this for a lifetime?

Life on the deserted island had ground down Hua Mu's will to live.

Seeing her listless expression, Bai Zhen grew even more worried. After a moment's hesitation, she finally revealed the matter the Grand Duke had instructed her to swear to secrecy.

"Miss, in a little over ten days at most, when the Grand Duke doesn't receive my scheduled contact, he will definitely come looking for us."

Hua Mu didn't seem to understand Bai Zhen's words at first. She didn't move at all. After a long moment, a light gradually returned to her dull eyes.

She looked at Bai Zhen and asked incredulously, "What... do you mean?"

With each passing day, Hua Mu's heart filled with more despair. Her father had once ignored her running away from home for three months. She was afraid that after missing this diplomatic banquet, her father would, as before, leave her to her own devices, and it might take several months for anyone to even realize they were missing.

Seeing she had a reaction, Bai Zhen breathed a small sigh of relief.

"The Grand Duke knows your movements, which is why he was at ease letting you stay out for so long. I also contact him every month to report on your situation."

"You, are you telling the truth? Then why has it been so long, so long, and no one has come to rescue us?"

Hua Mu felt that what Bai Zhen said made a lot of sense, and she desperately wanted to believe her. But on the other hand, she was afraid the other woman was just trying to comfort her.

"Because your 'Whisperer' has such high security and can sail alone at sea for several months, and my scheduled contact time hasn't arrived yet, the Grand Duke probably doesn't know we're in trouble. But as long as I miss my scheduled contact, he will definitely find out!"

"Right, right, right! I'm my father's only daughter, the Queen is my aunt, and I'm the heir to the throne. A person of my stature can't just suddenly disappear; they wouldn't even be able to explain it to the media. They'll definitely send people to find me. Maybe they'll send Uncle Mettler to rescue me. Didn't he get promoted to Rear Admiral in the navy?"

"That's right, Miss."

Even though there were still all sorts of inconsistencies in Bai Zhen's words if she thought about them carefully, Hua Mu refused to ponder them any further. Her mind was filled with the thought that she would be rescued in just over ten days, and her previous listlessness vanished.

"That's wonderful, we can go home!" One moment she was happy, the next worried. "No, I look too undignified like this. A lot of people will definitely come then. I can't let them see me in this state. It would damage the dignity of the royal family."

Bai Zhen liked this Hua Mu—lofty, carefree, untroubled by the hardships of life, like a fairy.

As a member of the royal family, especially with a father even more high-profile than the Queen, Hua Mu was destined to be anything but obscure.

She had been in the spotlight since birth. Because the Queen was an advocate of non-marriage, Hua Mu, aside from not having the title of princess, received treatment and expectations that were no different.

Bai Zhen still remembered how stunning she was the first time she saw her on television. A little girl as exquisite and beautiful as a doll, already elegant and poised at only five or six years old, following the Queen towards the throne with natural grace.

Unlike an orphan like herself, that was a dream princess who lived in the clouds, admired by all and giving people hope.

Such a person should not have to experience the hardships of the world, much less suffer such an ordeal.

"Miss, you are as beautiful as ever."

Bai Zhen had never dared to speak to Hua Mu like this, never dared to express her true feelings to her. Slightly different from her public image as an elegant lady, the Young Lady also had a willful side in private.

Especially towards Sentinels, towards her own personal guard, she had never been pleasant.

But to Bai Zhen, this was nothing. Her dream had not been shattered because of it. Because besides all this, the closer proximity had also allowed her to understand Hua Mu better. To understand that the future heir of the empire, despite being sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, was a truly kind and reasonable person.

Bai Zhen had never said it, so naturally, Hua Mu had never heard her praise. She looked at Bai Zhen in disbelief, and then her face suddenly flushed red.

As beautiful as ever.

Compared to the flowery words Hua Mu was used to hearing, such a compliment was naturally nothing special. But coming from Bai Zhen's mouth, it held a different meaning.

After all! After all... what?

Hua Mu only felt flustered, and realizing that her current posture with Bai Zhen was rather indecent, she became so flustered she spoke without thinking.

"D-do I need you to tell me that?"

Seeing that she had shed her despondent state of mind and returned to her old self, Bai Zhen was finally, completely relieved.

"Miss, would you like some water?"

Of course she did. She had been crying for a long time and was tired and thirsty.

"Mm..."

Bai Zhen brought the water to her lips again, and this time Hua Mu drank it obediently. Once a person has something to look forward to, their thoughts become more positive. She knew to start planning, and she also knew to settle old scores.

"Tell me, when did you start reporting to my father?"

This was by no means an easy question to answer. Even though Hua Jian and Hua Mu were father and daughter, and there was currently no possibility of them becoming enemies, for a member of the royal family, the question of who their personal attendant was loyal to remained an extremely sensitive topic.

Bai Zhen was naturally loyal to Hua Mu, willing to protect her with her life and devote her entire being to her. But Grand Duke Hua Jian and the Queen were people she could not disobey, especially when it came to Hua Mu's whereabouts; she could not conceal too much.

The reason she could report at such a low frequency of once a month was partly because Hua Jian was too busy, and partly because she didn't want to betray Hua Mu and deliberately made excuses.

"You're just my father's spy!" Seeing her wooden face and lack of any explanation, Hua Mu was so angry her liver began to ache.

As she struggled out of Bai Zhen's arms, she said furiously, "And to think I trusted you so much! I only brought you with me when I ran away from home, and you betray me like this!"

Bai Zhen was very ashamed, but she felt there were a few points that needed to be corrected.

"I was the one who discovered you were running away, and only then did you take me with you..."

"Shut up! You dare talk back to me now? I knew it. All that talk about being loyal to me—you're loyal to my father and the Queen!"

Bai Zhen couldn't refute it. After Hua Mu broke free from her embrace, she could only kneel, hoping to receive her forgiveness.

"The Queen and the Grand Duke were only doing it for your own good..."

How could Hua Mu not know? In this world, the people who treated her best, aside from her deceased mother, were her father and her aunt.

But "for her own good" was not a reason for her to compromise. She couldn't stand having her life completely controlled by others, couldn't stand her relatives interfering with her relationships in the name of her own good, and even more, she couldn't stand being betrayed by someone so close to her!

Especially her personal guard!

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