The atmosphere between the two was a little strange, an indescribable mood filling the air around them. In the end, it was Hua Mu’s extreme hunger, the rumbling in her stomach, that broke the stalemate.

Bai Zhen’s hearing naturally didn’t miss it. “Ah… Miss, lunch is ready. I-I’ll go bring it over. You…”

There was no need to finish the sentence. The Young Lady needed to put her clothes on first.

“Aren’t you going to hurry up and go…”

Hua Mu didn’t even know which thing she should be more embarrassed about—never mind, she’d done more shameful things. This really wasn’t much.

Bai Zhen carried the water away, and Hua Mu waited until she heard her footsteps recede before hastily grabbing her underwear and dress to put them on. Those two items were fine, as they’d been taken off early, but another small item wasn’t so lucky.

When Hua Mu saw the panties, twisted into a crumpled strip in the corner, she couldn’t help but cover her eyes.

Just how intense had it been? What on earth was her brain thinking? This was her only pair, and now they were unwearable, weren’t they?

Although she often used other “items” as substitutes while waiting for them to dry after washing, that was for a normal change of clothes!

Hua Mu didn’t dare touch her utterly ruined panties, afraid of feeling something that would trigger embarrassing memories.

Maybe… maybe it’s better to wait until they’re dry before washing them. Yes, that’s what I’ll do!

Hua Mu used Bai Zhen’s jacket to cover her panties.

Bai Zhen brought lunch over in several trips. Hua Mu, holding down the hem of her skirt, sat perfectly upright, adopting a rare posture of someone who has everything handed to them.

The Sentinel was diligent and meticulous, taking on the great responsibility of feeding the Young Lady her lunch without complaint.

After all, the Young Lady’s hands were sore. She couldn’t let her get any more tired.

Hua Mu ate slowly and methodically, displaying the grace and refinement of a noble lady, as if the person who had been chopping firewood with an axe earlier wasn’t her at all.

Bai Zhen had always been focused when doing things, but this time, for some reason, her gaze couldn’t seem to move away from Hua Mu’s lips, and she forgot what she was doing several times.

Hua Mu took a final sip of soup, signaling that she was finished eating.

Bai Zhen devoured the remaining food like a whirlwind and then began to clean up. Thinking that she had to do laundry anyway, she figured she might as well wash her jacket too, and casually picked up her coat lying in the corner.

It was too late for Hua Mu to stop her.

Bai Zhen quickly discovered the small white cloth underneath and picked it up without a second thought. She was puzzled by the damp, slick texture, and then realized that the thing in her hand was one of the sources of the strong scent in the shelter.

If there were a hole right now, Hua Mu would have jumped into it without a moment’s hesitation!

The Sentinel, for reasons unknown, even brought it to her nose and sniffed.

“Bai Zhen!”

Hua Mu nearly died of anger—from embarrassment!

“Hmm?”

“Put that down this instant!”

Bai Zhen finally seemed to realize what she was holding. With trembling hands, she stammered, “Miss, I-I didn’t mean to…”

If you didn’t mean to, then why haven’t you put it down?

“G-give it back to me…”

Hua Mu was furious! Because she had been too… uh, too indulgent earlier, she was afraid her image in Bai Zhen’s eyes would be ruined. She had deliberately put on an act for over half an hour, only for it to all come crashing down now.

How could asking a Sentinel for her panties back possibly be considered elegant or proper!

Bai Zhen quickly held them out to her, only to freeze halfway.

“What are you doing?”

Hua Mu watched, dumbfounded, as the hand holding the panties slowly but firmly retracted!

Bai Zhen looked at Hua Mu and stammered, “Are you going to wash them? I can h-help you wash them…”

Since the Young Lady had already let her help wipe her body, then washing clothes should be fine too, right?

Exactly. The Young Lady was already very tired; she couldn’t even eat lunch properly, so how could she possibly wash clothes?

Hua Mu was stunned!

“What nonsense are you talking about…”

Those are p-p-p-panties that have been soaked in… that! They’re super private! And they’re her only pair! They could be considered her most valuable possession at this point!

What’s the difference between this and a marriage proposal?

Ah, although it wasn’t like they hadn’t been washed before, that was because she couldn’t touch water. This was completely different.

Bai Zhen didn’t understand why Hua Mu was resisting and couldn’t help but flush red with anxiety. They had already… done that. This-this shouldn’t be anything out of line, right?

“I’m not talking nonsense… I’ll wash them for you. Aren’t you… aren’t you very tired? You said your hands were sore… That’s my fault, so-so I’ll wash them for you.”

Just how badly did she want to wash them for her? For such a dense person to come up with so many reasons in one breath.

Although Hua Mu was embarrassed, for some reason, she also felt a faint sense of happiness.

“W-well, it’s not impossible… It’s only because you insisted so strongly that I’m accepting your kind offer. It’s not that I want you to wash them.”

“Yes, yes!”

Bai Zhen’s expression could only be described as overjoyed.

Hua Mu hadn’t expected her to be so happy, and a sense of doubt stirred in her heart.

Is this person dense or not? She’s clearly so simple, yet why did she always give off an unconcealable… uh, calling it perverted seemed a bit much. Although she had blurted out that insult before, she had never truly thought of her that way.

What is it, then? It’s so strange.

Hua Mu thought about it for a long time but couldn’t figure it out, so she decided to stop thinking and just wait for Bai Zhen to finish washing and come back.

The two of them had gone back and forth, saying a lot, but neither of them explicitly mentioned what had happened earlier. Hua Mu was too embarrassed, and Bai Zhen didn’t dare to speak of it. The atmosphere remained strange, but ultimately, no awkward scenes occurred, and their hearts slowly settled back into place.

Bai Zhen finished cleaning up, hung the clothes to dry, and hurried back to the shelter. Although she didn’t dare bring up the incident, she didn’t want to leave Hua Mu’s side at all, wishing she could stay with her every second.

It seemed different from her past desire to protect the Young Lady. This could already be considered attachment.

The Sentinel had her worries, but no matter how worried she was, it wasn’t as strong as her desire. It was just her and the Young Lady on this island. What else could she do but stay by her side?

Although it had already happened and Hua Mu didn’t particularly mind the reason for the binding heat’s eruption, it was always beneficial to understand the situation. So, when Bai Zhen returned, she took the initiative to ask about it.

Bai Zhen sat outside the bamboo shelter and answered respectfully, “Miss, it was your inhibitor… It seems to have malfunctioned.”

The Sentinel was deeply ashamed of her loss of control, so she lacked confidence when speaking about it—after all, it sounded like she was trying to shift the blame.

“Malfunctioned? How is that possible?” Hua Mu subconsciously picked up the pendant on her necklace, saying in disbelief, “My aunt gave this to me. I’ve worn it for six years, and it’s never broken before.”

The necklace’s design was very simple: a platinum chain and setting, with a blue gemstone embedded in a trumpet-creeper-shaped base. If there was a hidden mechanism anywhere, it could only be inside the base.

Hua Mu only said this out of trust for her aunt, but it couldn’t help but sound a bit like she was accusing the Sentinel of lying.

As expected, Bai Zhen grew flustered. “It’s true, Miss, I’m not lying to you… I didn’t do it on purpose… I-I really did smell the scent of your Guide-hormone…”

Hua Mu knew she had misunderstood and was so angry she could have bitten her own tongue off.

“I believe you. I wasn’t saying you did it on purpose… I just don’t understand why it would malfunction. It was fine even after falling into the sea before.”

That was true. If there was any difference, it was only that Hua Mu had opened the inhibitor twice.

“Miss, may I see your necklace?”

“Of course. You know how to examine these things?”

In truth, Hua Mu’s was the only inhibitor Bai Zhen had ever known. In the old dark ages, Guides mostly used steroid hormone injections to neutralize their Guide-hormone and hide their identities. Even now, for missions that required concealing their status, Guides still used these drugs.

Therefore, Bai Zhen didn’t know much about this inhibitor. She only knew that the Grand Duke had said it was a very precious item, a royal secret, and that Hua Mu must never take it off.

The blue gemstone was cut perfectly, and the entire necklace looked exquisite. But there was no mechanism anywhere, and even the gem itself, aside from being valuable, had no special properties.

Although Bai Zhen didn’t understand mechanics, her Sentinel senses could tell that this was just an ordinary, albeit expensive, piece of jewelry.

Instead of asking why it had malfunctioned, the better question was how it had worked in the first place.

“Miss, did Her Majesty the Queen give you this necklace?”

“Yes, my aunt gave it to me after I… awakened.”

Bai Zhen glanced at her carefully. “Is it because of your ability?”

A hint of surprise bloomed in Hua Mu, but she had to work hard to suppress it. “Y-you know about my ability?”

Could it be that she hadn’t actually forgotten? Then what was her reaction when they first met all about? And why hadn’t she responded after being tested so many times?

Bai Zhen furrowed her brow and said in a low voice, “Please forgive me. I’ve heard some rumors, and combined with this incident… I’ve made some guesses. If your ability is truly like that, then perhaps the rumors about Her Majesty the Queen’s ability aren’t just rumors either.”

“My aunt’s ability?”

Hua Mu disliked her identity as a Guide, so she didn’t pay much attention to that sort of thing. She only knew that her father and aunt were both very powerful Guides, but as for what specific abilities they had, she was almost completely clueless.

“Do you remember the circumstances under which Her Majesty gave you the necklace?”

Of course Hua Mu remembered. It was the second time she had ever seen her aunt cry. Her aunt had hugged her while putting the necklace around her neck, telling her that as long as she had this necklace, no one could ever hurt her.

She had said, “My dearest Mumu, it’s okay even if you don’t want to be a Guide. This necklace will protect you. As long as you don’t take it off yourself, Luna—your little unicorn—won’t come out. You will have peace and tranquility.”

The palm of her aunt’s hand on her forehead had been so warm, her words so trustworthy, that she had never taken the necklace off since.