SDIWD - Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Hua Mu spent nearly the entire day in a half-conscious state. Bai Zhen had to feed her medicine mouth-to-mouth several times, and it wasn't until two in the afternoon that she finally woke up, groggy and disoriented.

The dizziness and muscle aches that followed the high fever were excruciating, and her throat felt as raw as if she'd swallowed a hot piece of iron.

"Thirsty..."

She mumbled indistinctly, and soon a soft sensation touched her lips. Warm, fresh water was slowly passed to her, and Hua Mu drank the life-giving liquid greedily.

After a few sips, her discomfort finally eased, and she had enough energy to notice other things.

"Bai Zhen..."

"I'm here."

Hua Mu struggled to open her eyes, her blurry vision filled with the Sentinel's worried face.

"What happened to me?"

Bai Zhen touched her forehead. "You had a fever, but it's broken now. Do you still feel awful?"

"Mmm..." Hua Mu couldn't suppress the involuntary reaction, and tears streamed from the corners of her eyes. Bai Zhen carefully wiped them away, but the action inevitably caused her a sting of pain.

"It hurts..."

"You've been crying constantly, so it's going to hurt. Let me put something on it for you."

Bai Zhen took out a bit of a gel-like substance from a small glass bottle and carefully applied it to the red, swollen corners of Hua Mu's eyes.

The gel was soothing, not irritating at all. Hua Mu felt only relief as the pain quickly subsided.

"What is this?"

"It's a mixture of aloe vera and a few other plant juices. Do you feel a little better?"

The Sentinel had clearly been applying medicine for her all along; otherwise, she would have been in even more discomfort.

"Mmm." Hua Mu's voice was hoarse and nasal, sounding utterly pitiful.

"Are you hungry? I made a soup with coconut milk and minced fish. Would you like some now?"

"Mmm..."

Hua Mu had sweated profusely and desperately needed to replenish her electrolytes. Having not eaten for nearly a day, she was also famished.

Bai Zhen carefully helped her sit up to eat. After a few spoonfuls of the fish soup, Hua Mu gradually started to feel more energetic.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Almost a day. Where does it hurt the most right now? Is there anything unusual with your calf?"

Her calf still ached, feeling a bit swollen and warm, but it didn't seem as unbearable as it had yesterday. Then again, other parts of her body were aching too, so perhaps her attention was simply divided.

"It's a little better than yesterday." She looked outside the cave and saw sunlight filtering in. "Has the weather cleared up outside?"

"Yes," the Sentinel said, feeding her soup while updating her on the situation. "The seawater on the island has mostly receded, but we probably won't be able to go down for a while."

Bai Zhen's biggest concern was the aftermath of the tsunami. The deaths of so many plants and animals would inevitably lead to the spread of bacteria, and their food sources would be significantly diminished.

"Is it because of my leg?"

"That's only part of the reason. The situation down there isn't good right now. We should wait and see for a while."

As long as Bai Zhen was by her side, Hua Mu wasn't afraid, no matter the circumstances.

"Then can we find food on the mountain?"

"I've checked. There should be enough to get us through this period. And the situation on the north side is much better, so finding food won't be difficult."

Hua Mu listened to Bai Zhen's explanation while finishing the fish soup. She broke into a light sweat and felt a little better.

"Can I go outside and take a look?"

"The wind is a bit strong outside right now. You just broke a sweat, so it's better not to go out."

"Alright..." Hua Mu didn't dare to push it; her physical discomfort was real. "By the way, have you finished making that thing?"

As her body felt a little better, yesterday's memories slowly returned. Hua Mu suddenly remembered this brutally realistic problem—she never wanted to experience that kind of shame again.

"It's done," Bai Zhen said, pointing to a chair-like object in the corner. "What do you think? Will this work?"

As long as it let her sit down, anything was fine!

"Mmm."

Bai Zhen seemed relieved. "That's good. If there's anything else you need, just let me know."

Not for now. Later, she wanted to go to the... huh?

Hua Mu had almost forgotten about it. After all, she wasn't lucid at the time and thought she was dreaming.

But a slight, strange sensation somewhere in her body felt odd... no, it was more than just odd. Where were her panties?

Could it be that it wasn't a dream?

No, no, no, it must have been a dream. Bai Zhen wasn't a real pervert, why would she do that kind of thing to her while she was unconscious?

But... but wasn't she a pervert?

If possible, she didn't want to ask, whether it was true or not. But going commando... not getting to the bottom of it would be a failure as a lady, right?

"Ahem, Bai Zhen..."

The Young Lady decided to use a roundabout tactic.

"Yes?"

"It seems my fever was really bad this time. You've worked hard."

Bai Zhen smiled. "It was no trouble at all. I'm just glad you're getting better."

"Did you wipe my body down while I was unconscious?"

"You needed to cool down, so I wiped you down a few times. If you want to wash up properly, I suggest you wait a little longer."

Just as I thought. So she must have been the one who took off my panties, then?

But if she was just taking them off, why did she have to...

"Where are my underwear?" Hua Mu asked, her face red and her voice a little stiff.

"I washed them and they're drying outside. Would you like to put them on now?"

!!!

Hua Mu looked at the Sentinel's innocent face and began to wonder if there was something wrong with her own way of thinking.

"Y-you, why did you take off my underwear? It's not necessary even for a sponge bath!"

Bai Zhen's expression was one of sudden understanding. She explained, "That's not it, Miss. I used a suppository to bring down your fever. I was afraid you might get hurt, so I applied some gel, and I didn't want to get it on your underwear."

She understood every word, but the whole sentence made no sense at all.

"A suppository?"

"Yes. It's all thanks to that that your temperature came down."

It sounds like a good thing, but why did she have to take off my underwear?

"So, how do you... eat it?"

Bai Zhen was as patient as if explaining science to a small child. "Miss, it's not taken orally. It's administered rectally. We each carry one when we're on missions, and it's mostly used on unconscious comrades."

What is that?

Hua Mu didn't want to understand anymore.

Wait!!!

More than the shame, what bothered Hua Mu was what Bai Zhen said—used on comrades?

For the first time ever, jealousy triumphed over shame. Or perhaps it was just the Young Lady's way of avoiding the issue.

"Y-y-you, why do you prepare this kind of medicine! Wouldn't an injection be fine?"

And it was used on comrades, too. Did her comrades have no shame? Had Bai Zhen had it used on her by someone else?

The Sentinel showed a hint of pride. "Miss, we used to have fever-reducing injections. But injections have the disadvantages of being bulky, inconvenient to carry, expensive, and having a short shelf life. The Leader reformed this and replaced them with suppositories. She said it could also deepen the bond between comrades."

This Leader must be a huge pervert!

If it were just for the previous reasons, Hua Mu could understand, especially the price—cost reduction was a necessary consideration. But what was with that last sentence?

Hua Mu finally understood who had corrupted Bai Zhen. Their boss was the problem!

"So... so have you used this medicine before?"

"Do you mean have I used it myself, or have I used it on others?"

"Both!"

She couldn't accept either one! Why should her Sentinel show her butt to others... and she shouldn't see others' either!

"Not yet. This is the first time." Bai Zhen said with some concern, "Actually, there were a few times before when it was needed, but my colleagues strongly begged me before they passed out to save the medicine for a more critical time. I don't have any experience, did I hurt you? I did apply some medicine, but if you're still uncomfortable, I can apply some more for you."

Your comrades just didn't want to experience the shame, okay!

While Hua Mu breathed a sigh of relief, she also realized something. Not all Sentinels and Guides lacked common sense like Bai Zhen. This one must have been deeply poisoned by their Leader!

The Young Lady suddenly felt like none of it mattered anymore.

"No need, I think I'm fine. Just get me a pair of underwear, I want to wear them now."

Should I correct her?

Can decades of ingrained ideas be corrected?

Is it necessary?

Compared to this, there's something else that needs correcting!

"Also, you must be more cautious when using this medicine on others in the future!"

If they ever got back, she would definitely establish a special fund for fever-reducing injections for the Tower, to save these poor soldiers from their fiery ordeal!!!

Bai Zhen had a look of partial understanding, but she still replied, "I understand."

Hua Mu leaned weakly in her arms, worried that she wasn't having the breakdown she'd expected.

Was it because it happened while she was unconscious? Or had her threshold for shame been lowered yet again?

No, no, no, just as Bai Zhen said, it was applying medicine because she was sick. It wasn't something to be ashamed of. Besides, it wasn't like they hadn't been completely open with each other before. They'd already seen everything there was to see, so what was there to care about?

That's right. After becoming lovers, there would be many more intimate things to do. How could she be defeated here? This kind of thing, that kind of thing, they had to do them one by one. At times like that, shame would truly be unnecessary!

Hua Mu imagined their future, and her mood strangely calmed down.

No matter how hard things were now, the simple fact that she was with Bai Zhen was enough to make her forget all her difficult circumstances.

"Bai Zhen, cut my hair for me later."

The Sentinel asked nervously, "Why? What's wrong?"

Hua Mu's waist-length, platinum-blonde hair had always been eye-catching, one of the trademarks of the royal family and of herself. She had always cherished her beautiful hair and had done her best to take care of it even after arriving on the island.

"Because it's a hassle. I'm still recovering, I don't have the energy to deal with it."

Bai Zhen loved her long hair. Since long ago, she would always find herself staring at it, lost in a daze.

"I can help you. I'll take care of it for you!"

Hua Mu shook her head. "Just cut it. I can always grow it back later when I have the energy."

She had to start facing the reality that she and Bai Zhen might never be able to go back in this lifetime.

But as long as she was with Bai Zhen, it didn't matter where they were. Although she sometimes felt lonely and missed her family, facing the present and living positively was surely happier than simply wallowing in self-pity.

If life wasn't comfortable enough, then she would work to create a comfortable life. If she was bored from a lack of amusement, then she would go find amusement.

Perhaps they should stop thinking of themselves as mere passersby, timid about interacting with this island. Instead, they should consider themselves a part of the island, explore it, understand it, give back to it, and in turn, accept its gifts.

First, let's give this island a name.

Let's call it "Dream Isle."

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