“Oh, just don’t worry about all that for now. Focus on getting better… Don’t you need to use the restroom?” Hua Mu abruptly changed the subject.

“…I’ll go.”

The courage Bai Zhen had just managed to summon faltered, then vanished completely. It was an impossible problem, and even she, who always planned ahead, had no choice but to temporarily retreat from it.

The Sentinel was indeed weak, needing help just to walk. If Hua Mu hadn’t built up some strength during her time on the island, she might have been crushed under Bai Zhen’s weight.

Although Bai Zhen was now frightfully thin, she was still in a different weight class compared to the scrawny Hua Mu.

“Miss, can you manage? Am I very heavy?” Hua Mu only came up to about Bai Zhen’s shoulder, making her the perfect height for a crutch.

Hua Mu was half-dead from exhaustion, but she said, “Heavy? What are you talking about? You-you’re too light. You need to eat more.”

The walk, which normally took two minutes, took them a full ten minutes this time.

“O-Okay, I’ll wait for you out here.” Panting, Hua Mu secretly resolved to start exercising properly.

Bai Zhen looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated, ultimately entering the bamboo shelter in silence.

Good grief, that was exhausting!

Hua Mu plopped down on a nearby rock and began rubbing her arms and legs.

When Bai Zhen carried her, it was like carrying nothing at all. Just how incredible was her physical conditioning?

Then again, the thinner this big lug got, the more defined her muscles became. All those years of training weren’t something Hua Mu could catch up to overnight. Sigh, she’s gotten so thin, even her chest has shrunk. I’ll have to fatten her up again.

Her mind wandered through a jumble of thoughts, but Bai Zhen still hadn’t emerged. It was taking so long that she started to worry Bai Zhen had fainted inside from weakness.

“Bai Zhen, are you okay? You didn’t faint, did you?”

“…No, I didn’t faint.”

Bai Zhen’s reply wasn’t immediate, but it didn’t seem to be because she had fainted.

“Then what is it? Do you have diarrhea or are you constipated?”

Hua Mu couldn’t believe it. Just two months ago, she was using euphemisms like “picking flowers,” and now she was spouting such crude words. Though her vocabulary was quite extensive thanks to reading certain… ahem… racy literature, she had rarely ever spoken such words aloud.

To be honest, not having to mind her words felt rather liberating.

“N-No…” Bai Zhen’s voice was laced with embarrassment.

“Hm? Then what is it? Are your legs too weak to walk out? I can come in and help you, you know~” The thought of Bai Zhen depending on her didn’t feel like a burden to Hua Mu at all; in fact, it was deeply satisfying.

The fact that this seemingly invincible Sentinel had a vulnerable side and needed to rely on her for care gave Hua Mu a profound sense of accomplishment.

“It’s not that… Miss, I… I’ve gotten my period…”

Her period… Of course Bai Zhen had a period! As a physically mature woman, wasn’t that perfectly normal?

Hua Mu had often wondered why Bai Zhen was always so full of vigor, even when Hua Mu herself was dying from cramps. But since Bai Zhen was a Sentinel, it never seemed that strange.

But now that Bai Zhen was also having her period, Hua Mu couldn’t help but feel a sense of equality at last.

Misery loves company!

“Ahem, well, I’ll go get you one of those… pads you made? There are three unused ones left, so you can use them.”

The more pitiful Bai Zhen seemed, the gentler Hua Mu became.

“…Mm.” At this point, Bai Zhen had no other choice. The lack of Guide-hormone and Hati’s slumber had finally broken her body out of its emergency mission state, and her period could no longer be suppressed.

Her physical weakness wasn’t just from forcibly enduring the binding heat; it was also a side effect of her long-term missions.

Hua Mu brought Bai Zhen a menstrual pad and boiled some hot water for her. She cared for the Sentinel exactly as she had been cared for before.

For the first time since arriving on the island, she felt confident and accomplished.

Bai Zhen had planned to slowly begin some rehabilitation exercises, but her period disrupted her plans. She had no choice but to let her body rest completely.

After completing a typical mission—unlike bodyguard duty like Bai Zhen’s—a Sentinel was usually granted at least half a month of leave to allow their body to fully recuperate.

Bai Zhen knew this well.

But watching Hua Mu bustle about, taking care of her, made Bai Zhen extremely anxious. She wore a worried expression almost constantly. When Hua Mu offered to help dispose of her used menstrual pad, Bai Zhen nearly threatened to kill herself to stop her.

Hua Mu was rather disappointed she couldn’t return the favor, but seeing Bai Zhen’s “I’d rather die” expression, she finally relented.

After three days of rest, the Sentinel could finally walk on her own. Still, Hua Mu refused to let her do any physical labor, throwing a fit anytime she tried.

“A patient should act like one! You’re supposed to rest properly during your period. Look at me—I always lie down when it’s my time. Why should it be any different for you?”

Bai Zhen wanted to point out that being bedridden during one’s period was hardly normal, but considering Hua Mu’s habits, she silently changed her tune.

“Miss, I’m really fine now. I can start a fire and chop wood without any problem.”

“We have enough firewood, and I can start the fire. We’re not lacking for food or water, so why are you so determined to find work? Are you that bored?”

She was, in fact, so idle that she was filled with guilt.

With a pained expression, Bai Zhen said, “It’s not right for me to rest while you do all the work. Protecting and caring for you is my duty.”

Hua Mu slammed the axe in her hand into a log and said disdainfully, “If you ask me, it’s not right to make a patient work. I think you’re looking down on me. That’s discrimination.”

The accusation was too much. Bai Zhen said, flustered, “No… I would never think that!”

Hua Mu sat down across from her and wiped the sweat from her brow with a bold sweep of her arm.

“Yes, you do. You think I’m so weak that you can’t let me do anything.”

“That’s not it…” Even as she denied it, Bai Zhen began to wonder if she really did think that way. She had to admit that while she cherished and admired Hua Mu, she also genuinely saw her as delicate, someone who shouldn’t be doing such menial labor.

Wasn’t that only natural? She was the Young Lady, a member of the royal family, the future queen. How could she be expected to do such things?

In the past, Hua Mu could never quite figure out what the Sentinel was thinking, but now, for some reason, she could see right through her.

“See? You do think that way.”

“But-but it’s my place to take care of you. My duty is…”

“Still talking about duty? When you wanted to die, did you ever stop to think that I’d have to do all this by myself?”

Bai Zhen was ashamed. “But I had no other choice…”

“Whether you had a choice or not, your actions proved you believed I could survive on my own. If that’s the case, why are you still giving me special treatment? Aren’t you just looking down on me?”

Hua Mu’s words quickly muddled Bai Zhen’s thoughts. She didn’t understand. This was how things had always been, so why was it suddenly not okay?

“I just don’t want you to have to work so hard…”

“And shoulder the entire burden yourself?” Hua Mu felt it was time to teach Bai Zhen a lesson. In the past, she would have been furious, but seeing the Sentinel looking so pitiful, her patience had grown immensely.

“Bai Zhen, why have you always protected me so diligently, to the point of being willing to sacrifice your life?”

As Hua Mu asked, she already had a good idea of what the answer would be, but a small part of her still held out a sliver of hope.

“That’s… because you are my master, and the future leader of this country. Protecting you is my responsibility.” This was, of course, a significant reason, but Bai Zhen had other reasons she couldn’t voice.

“So, it’s out of loyalty to the country and the royal family?”

“…Mm.”

Hua Mu had to use all her willpower to resist the urge to shove a handful of sand in the Sentinel’s face.

“So, to be precise, your loyalty is to the country. The royal family is only important because of our contributions to the nation and its people. If my aunt and father were to implement a tyranny, would you still protect us?”

“That… that’s unlikely to happen under the current system.”

“Exactly. The parliament ensures a separation of powers, so the royal family can’t rule alone. But it’s not impossible. You know how desperate that cousin of mine is to restore absolute monarchy and hereditary succession, don’t you?”

“This…”

“But let’s put that aside for now. My point is, on this island, I’m a nobody. Is there a country here? Does my royal status make any difference in this environment? Have I contributed anything to this island? You became my guard because of who I am, because of my position and value in the Sheng Chao Empire. But here… I neither need to be protected nor deserve to be. So what responsibility do you have left?”

“This is only temporary. And in my heart, you will always be…”

Hua Mu raised a hand to stop her. “I don’t care what you think, but I have my pride. I’ve been relying on you for the past two months, but the longer we’re here, the less hope I have of ever going back. Am I supposed to just depend on you forever to survive? And how could I possibly repay you?”

“I-I don’t need to be repaid. You don’t have to worry about that…”

Hua Mu frowned. “Why not? And why shouldn’t I care? I care a great deal, and I hate this feeling. To be honest, I never dared say any of this before because you were so strong, and I was subconsciously depending on you. But not anymore. And frankly, I feel much more relaxed.”

Bai Zhen never knew Hua Mu felt this way. “You really don’t need to feel burdened,” she said in a panic. “I do it all willingly.”

“Why shouldn’t I? Who are you to me?”

“I’m your guard.”

Hua Mu waved her hand dismissively. “I have no salary to pay you, so you’re not my guard anymore. And from now on, stop calling me ‘Miss’.”

Bai Zhen was stunned. If she wasn’t the Young Lady’s guard, what was she supposed to do?