SDIWD - Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Bai Zhen worked efficiently, quickly cleaning Hua Mu's wounds. However, the two fish on the beach had vanished, and their dinner was ruined.
The sun sank below the horizon faster than expected, and in just a short while, the tide had risen considerably. Hua Mu forbade her from going back into the sea, so Bai Zhen had to gather some shellfish near the reefs before the sun set completely. Afterward, she carried Hua Mu to a sheltered spot at the base of a cliff.
A cold wind began to blow, and the island was much colder at night than during the day. Fortunately, Bai Zhen had collected plenty of wood on the beach and started a fire before it grew completely dark.
The bright flames gave Hua Mu a sense of security in the darkness. Shellfish were roasting on the rocks surrounding the fire, and Bai Zhen was focused on turning them.
The shellfish looked strange to Hua Mu, and on any other day, she would never have eaten them. But now, watching them sizzle and bubble, her empty stomach rumbled traitorously.
This was truly detrimental to the image of a well-bred lady, and she could only hope the Sentinel hadn't heard.
But how could a Sentinel, with her keen five senses, possibly not hear?
Bai Zhen glanced at her subconsciously, then flusteredly picked out two oysters that were almost done cooking and offered them to her.
"Miss, you... you should eat something first?"
Hua Mu knew she must have heard, and her face instantly turned bright red.
"How am I supposed to eat it when it's so hot..."
She was never polite to Bai Zhen, but for some reason, this sentence sounded more like a bluff than genuine anger. How could Bai Zhen know she was just shy? She quickly started shucking the oyster for her.
She wielded her dagger with masterful skill. From cracking open a coconut to shucking an oyster, her strength was precise, with no wasted effort.
"Miss, try it. It shouldn't be hot now."
The wild oysters looked a bit small, but the meat was fresh and tender. Even without any seasoning, it was enough to make one's mouth water.
Bai Zhen didn't dare touch the Young Lady's food with her hands, so she offered it to Hua Mu on the flat of her blade. Hua Mu was starving and had no time for pretenses. She took it and slowly, deliberately, brought it to her mouth.
To be honest, it was disgusting.
Although the meat was indeed fresh and tender, shellfish prepared without any seasoning was less "fresh" and more "fishy." Not only was it fishy, but it was also sandy. Having grown up on delicacies, Hua Mu's palate was incredibly discerning. She found it almost impossible to swallow.
The moment it entered her mouth, she instinctively wanted to spit it out. But Bai Zhen was watching her, a hint of expectation in her eyes, so she had to force herself to chew the sand and swallow.
She had already thrown a tantrum when the fish got away. And although Bai Zhen was expressionless, Hua Mu could sense her dejection. Things were different now. She had to rely on this Sentinel to survive, and she wouldn't gain anything by pushing her too far and angering her.
"Mm..."
Seeing her eat it without issue, Bai Zhen's eyes instantly brightened, and she began preparing the shellfish much faster. Hua Mu watched her pick up the scorching hot shells with her bare hands and was suddenly overcome with curiosity.
Logically, a Sentinel's five senses were more acute than a normal person's, so they should be more sensitive to heat and pain.
"Doesn't that burn?"
The two of them rarely spoke on a normal day, but after arriving on the deserted island, they seemed to be making up for lost time. Bai Zhen had always been a quiet person, while Hua Mu was an eloquent young lady. She had attended countless tea parties, reading salons, and lecture tours; it was truly boring not to have anyone to talk to.
Although Bai Zhen wasn't an ideal conversationalist, there was no one else. For the first time, the Young Lady showed concern for her Sentinel.
Bai Zhen didn't know why Hua Mu had suddenly asked this and stammered, "We have... have endurance training."
So it wasn't that it didn't hurt, she was just enduring it?
Hua Mu didn't understand. To this day, she still didn't understand these Sentinels.
"Let me see your hand."
"Ah?"
"I said, let me see your hand. Do you not understand the imperial language?"
What kind of person was Hua Mu? Second in line to the imperial throne, the cream of the crop among noble families, a lady among ladies. Even the Queen doted on her. There wasn't an inch of her that wasn't precious.
And Bai Zhen?
As one of the rare female Sentinels, she was an anomaly even in the Tower. And before being a woman, she was first and foremost a Sentinel. Sentinels had no gender distinction; they all received the same training.
In front of a noble young lady like Hua Mu, she always felt inadequate.
"But..."
"No buts. Hand."
Bai Zhen didn't dare disobey the order and obediently held out her hand to Hua Mu.
A Sentinel's hand was larger than an average woman's, but not as coarse as a man's. Her fingers were long and her knuckles distinct. There were many hard calluses on her palm and fingertips. Although they felt a bit rough, her hands were actually quite nice to look at.
As if possessed, Hua Mu touched her hand and found many fresh, obvious scratches on it.
"How did you get these on your hand?"
Hua Mu was puzzled. She was certain Bai Zhen didn't have these wounds when she was dressing her injuries.
"Uh, I..."
"Did you get them while gathering the shellfish?"
These shellfish had a strong grip, and Bai Zhen had gathered quite a few in a short time. The wounds were clearly from then.
"Mm... It's not serious."
Of course Hua Mu knew it wasn't serious. Compared to these scratches, the wound Bai Zhen got from taking a bullet for her was countless times worse!
"I-it's not that I'm worried about you getting hurt. It's just that in a place like this, we have to be careful with any injury. What if it gets infected? You have to remember, your life isn't just your own, it's mine. There are only the two of us on this deserted island. If you die, am I supposed to find food by myself?"
Bai Zhen thought the Young Lady made a very good point.
"I understand. I'll be more careful from now on."
Hua Mu stopped looking—looking at them for too long made her feel the pain herself.
"Don't just feed me, you eat some too—I told you, your life is mine. You have to listen to whatever I say."
Naturally, Bai Zhen dared not disobey.
However, she gave Hua Mu the meatier ones like oysters and mussels, while she herself ate the limpets, which had little meat and were troublesome to prepare.
The island seemed to have an abundance of seafood. While it couldn't be their staple food long-term, it solved their immediate problem.
It wasn't enough to fill them up, but at least it put something in their stomachs. After Hua Mu had eaten her fill, she became aware of another human need.
"Miss, are... are you all right?"
Normally, Bai Zhen was only responsible for the Young Lady's safety. As for things like entertainment, other people took care of that. But now there were only the two of them, and she felt she should take on other duties. Seeing Hua Mu sitting there with a frown and a cold expression, looking deep in thought, she couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
How could Hua Mu bring herself to say it?
She was a young lady! A proper lady! An ethereal fairy who didn't partake in worldly matters! How could she say what she needed to do now? Especially in front of a Sentinel?
"I'm fine..."
Hua Mu had been refusing to think about it, pretending to forget that the human body couldn't just take in without giving out. But not thinking about it didn't mean it wouldn't happen!
Among noble young ladies, there were various ways to refer to using the restroom, all of them subtle and elegant. As for Hua Mu, she had never even used a public restroom, let alone relieved herself in the wild.
It was too vexing.
One could hold it in for a while, but not forever!
Besides, besides, she had no idea how to use the toilet without a restroom!
Seeing Hua Mu's frown deepen, Bai Zhen's worry grew.
"M-Miss... are you still hungry?"
Bai Zhen still felt guilty about letting the two fish escape. Letting the Young Lady go hungry was a dereliction of her duty.
"No!"
Hua Mu wished she had eaten less!
"Then..."
"Shut up!"
"Oh..."
Both of them were covered in wounds. The night wind was cool, so Bai Zhen took off her jacket and draped it entirely over Hua Mu. Hua Mu was in no position to complain about the tasteless uniform and wrapped herself tightly in it.
The wood crackled as it burned, being consumed much faster than expected. Luckily, Bai Zhen had gathered a lot and added more to the fire at the right moments.
Hua Mu held it in for a while, constantly glancing at Bai Zhen. She found it strange. Why didn't the Sentinel seem to feel anything yet? Was it really because she had eaten more?
"Miss..."
Bai Zhen noticed her gaze and her heart pounded. She racked her brain, wondering what she had done wrong this time, and even her hand trembled as she added wood to the fire.
She saw Hua Mu as her one and only master. Not only did she obey her every word, but she also shared in her worries and her joys.
When she first learned she was assigned to protect Hua Mu, she was so happy she couldn't sleep all night.
Hua Mu gritted her teeth.
She was at the end of her rope. If she wasn't going to drown, was she supposed to die from holding it in?
She erased all the rules of ladylike conduct from her mind and said in a stiff voice, "I want to go pick flowers."
"Pick... pick flowers?"
Bai Zhen was a bit confused, not understanding why the Young Lady suddenly had the urge to pick flowers. It was pitch black. She couldn't even see the trees, let alone any flowers.
Hua Mu wanted to bite her own tongue off. It would be a miracle if this coarse Sentinel understood their euphemisms.
Hua Mu's face flushed red with anger, which looked almost like bashfulness in the firelight. In the past, Bai Zhen had never dared to look directly at her face. Now, being so close, she couldn't help but stare, mesmerized.
Hua Mu strongly resembled her aunt, and since Her Majesty the Queen was known as the empire's greatest beauty, Hua Mu was naturally a renowned beauty in her own right.
Her platinum-blonde hair and emerald eyes, symbols of the royal bloodline, along with her almost translucent white skin and delicate, small features, made Hua Mu look like an exquisite doll. It was said that in the Imperial Treasure series of dolls, the S10 model based on Hua Mu had sold out, requiring three reprints within a month.
Of course, Bai Zhen didn't think of any of that. She simply thought the Young Lady was incredibly beautiful.
Immersed in her own shame, Hua Mu didn't notice the Sentinel's dazed gaze and said through gritted teeth, "I need to use the toilet..."
Bai Zhen snapped back to reality. After the sudden realization, she was at a loss for what to do. She could understand needing to use the toilet, but why the tone? The only reason she could think of was that Hua Mu was afraid of the dark and wanted her to go with her.
"Then I'll go with you."
Go with... hell!
Hua Mu resisted the urge to curse, barely managing to maintain her ladylike image.
"I don't need you to come with me!"
"Then..."
Bai Zhen looked at her expectantly, in desperate need of instructions.
Hua Mu found it hard to speak, but if she didn't, she would probably create a dark chapter in her life's history.
"You people... I mean, without a restroom, how do you use the toilet?"
"Uh..."
Bai Zhen's stunned expression made Hua Mu feel insulted. The other woman must think she was an idiot!
Of course, Bai Zhen didn't think that. In her heart, the Young Lady truly was an ethereal fairy who didn't need to use the toilet.
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