SDIWD - Chapter 129
Chapter 129
"Bai Zhen, what on earth is wrong with you?"
Hua Mu found Bai Zhen's unusual behavior a little strange. After all, while the other woman had always cared for her deeply, it had never been to such an exaggerated extent.
Bai Zhen wiped her tears and said in a muffled voice, "Miss, I… I don't want to see you suffer."
Hua Mu was baffled.
"When have I ever suffered?"
Bai Zhen stared at her feet, her eyes red-rimmed, making the soles of Hua Mu's feet itch.
"What- what are you doing…" She had long suspected this Sentinel had a foot fetish, and it seemed she was right.
"I can't give you better shoes to wear."
"That's not your fault," Hua Mu had stopped caring about such things long ago and didn't know why Bai Zhen was suddenly so hung up on it. "Besides, I don't think these shoes are uncomfortable."
Bai Zhen shook her head. "It's not just this, not just the shoes…"
Hua Mu sighed. "It's not like we've only been stranded on this island for a day or two. Compared to the hardships we faced at the beginning, our situation now is countless times better. Why are you getting upset about it now?"
Bai Zhen shook her head, helpless and lost. "I don't know either… I just, I just feel so sad."
The Sentinel was indeed a little flustered by her own intense emotions and reactions, but she didn't find them strange, much less inappropriate. It was perfectly normal for a Sentinel to care deeply for her Guide. Moreover, as the heir to the throne, the Young Lady should never have had to live like this, so her reaction was only natural.
Hua Mu's heart softened at her words. She hugged her and said, "I know you feel for me, but I'm not that fragile. Haven't you seen my progress? I can do anything now."
"I know…"
Bai Zhen knew. She understood everything. She understood how strong the Young Lady was, how capable she was, and she knew about the competitive spirit in her bones.
But Bai Zhen still found it increasingly unbearable to be so powerless, unbearable to see Hua Mu suffer any more hardships. She felt aggrieved for Hua Mu and anxious about her own helplessness.
"Or is it that you still feel we're not equals, that you think you should be the one to sacrifice more for me?"
Hua Mu raised her voice slightly, feigning anger.
Was that it? Was it this thought that made her want to devote herself even more?
Bai Zhen felt that this feeling was slightly different from before.
"…No."
The Young Lady was her Guide, a fact she was beginning to understand more and more profoundly. The desire to possess her exclusively had long taken deep root in Bai Zhen's heart; she didn't think she could be as generous as she once imagined.
At the same time, she was also coming to realize the significance her partner held in her life. It wasn't just their bodies; even their souls seemed to be merging into one. They were each other's soulmates, their flesh and blood intertwined, sharing weal and woe, bound together in life and death.
Bai Zhen found herself becoming more and more sensitive, more and more cautious. She was constantly aware of Hua Mu, feeling her joys and sorrows, experiencing her emotional fluctuations—and even more than that.
She could no longer imagine what would happen to her if she lost Hua Mu… No, at that point, death would surely be the only path left, wouldn't it?
Although Hua Mu didn't have a Sentinel's delicate and sensitive mind, seeing Bai Zhen so distraught over her left her feeling both helpless and deeply moved.
"Alright, alright, I'm really fine." Hua Mu let her go, smiling as she raised her arm, proudly showing off the tiny bit of muscle she had developed on her bicep. "See? I'm not the same helpless Young Lady I used to be. Oh, looking at it this way, it seems I've gained quite a bit of weight."
She had indeed gained some weight and gotten a bit tanner. She looked much healthier.
Bai Zhen gazed at her with teary eyes and said nasally, "You could gain a little more, Miss. You're still too thin."
Every time she got excited, she was afraid of breaking the Young Lady. Her arms were so slender, and her thighs were so thin, forcing her to be extra careful.
Hua Mu was displeased. "You think I'm too thin? Or are you saying you think my chest is too small?"
She was flat-chested. Bai Zhen had worked so hard for so long, but there hadn't been much progress. It was so strange. Both her mother and her aunt had great figures; no matter which side's genes she inherited, it shouldn't have turned out like this, right?
Bai Zhen subconsciously glanced at Hua Mu's flat chest and quickly shook her head.
"N-No…"
The Sentinel's face turned red, making the Young Lady even more suspicious.
"No? Then why are you stammering?"
"Really, no… Miss, I- I think it's very cute. Really, I like it a lot…"
Cute… She didn't like being described as cute at all!
Hua Mu poked Bai Zhen's chest.
"M-Miss…"
Bai Zhen hurriedly backed away, covering her chest.
Hua Mu let out a "ferocious laugh" and pounced on Bai Zhen.
"I think you're mocking me, you jerk! Why does all your fat go to your chest while mine goes to my stomach? It's not fair!"
"W-Wait, Miss, that tickles…"
Bai Zhen didn't dare struggle, trembling as Hua Mu tickled her. The two of them dissolved into a playful tussle, and the heavy atmosphere from before instantly vanished.
Ever since the Leader went to the front lines, the war had progressed rapidly. In less than a month, most of the old Hezhou district had returned to the empire's control. Now, only the area surrounding the Hezhou branch Tower's base was still struggling to hold on.
Both Hua Cu and Hua Zheng were well aware of Hua Ce's ambitions, so they had taken many precautions. The military forces in the Hezhou Military Region had been gradually rotated and reduced over the past decade. At the end of last year, the military headquarters was even relocated to the neighboring Xinzhou, the fiefdom of the old Grand Duke Hua Yuanziwei, precisely to prevent Hua Ce from colluding with the army.
However, Hua Ce's father, Hua Yuanqing, had been the Leader before Hua Zheng. Many of the elders in the Hezhou branch Tower were his former subordinates, and even after all these years, Hua Zheng still hadn't gained complete control over the region.
Perhaps driven to desperation, Hua Ce was now putting up a last-ditch struggle, attempting to overthrow the government with just one branch Tower and a pitifully small armed force.
But Hua Ce hadn't been idle all these years; he had devoted himself to the construction of the Hezhou branch Tower's facilities. In terms of both counter-surveillance measures and firepower, it was on par with the headquarters in the imperial capital. Coupled with the possible existence of weapons of mass destruction, even Hua Zheng didn't dare to launch a swift, breakthrough-style attack for the time being.
But the progress made in this one month had far surpassed the efficiency of the previous half-year, and the council finally changed its dissatisfied attitude, offering its congratulations to the Queen.
The power of the Inner Tower not only greatly boosted their confidence but also instilled a slight sense of fear in them. Of course, they didn't fear all Sentinels and Guides—those were the nation's assets and strength, one of the standards for measuring a country's power, a consensus shared by all.
What they feared was the power of the Leader, who had single-handedly turned the tide of a stalemate and always appeared as a cold, ghostly figure.
Everyone knew that the Leader had to be a member of the royal family, but aside from the Queen, no one knew this Leader's true identity, which was highly unusual.
Past Leaders were chosen from a few suitable candidates within the royal family. Although they wore masks in public and were formally removed from the royal registry as a matter of procedure, some people at the top of the power structure could still interact with them and knew their identities.
They were loyal to Her Majesty, loyal to the royal family, and loyal to the country. They lived like normal people and were no different from ordinary Sentinels.
But this Leader was different. She had been directly appointed before the previous monarch's death, after the position of Leader had been vacant for three years. After Hua Cu inherited the throne, she began to step into the limelight.
Her mysterious identity, power that far surpassed any previous Leader, and lifeless demeanor all made her seem like a destabilizing factor. The common people might be happy to have such a powerful Leader, but those who understood the position better felt how terrifying she was.
The Queen's trust in her and the power she wielded could overthrow the nation in an instant. In a sense, she was more dangerous than Hua Ce.
If she was someone trustworthy, then of course it wouldn't be a problem. But not even the prime minister knew which member of the royal family this Leader was.
She might even be a robot.
Such a rumor had started circulating on the internet at some point, becoming one of the urban legends. Even some officials had begun to believe that the faceless person was truly an android.
Whenever one had an audience with the Queen, the Leader was always by her side, as if she never slept. There were also rumors within the Tower that this Leader had once gone seven days and seven nights without closing her eyes during a mission.
The Leader's power had even surpassed the scope of a Dark Sentinel, possessing a strength that not even members of the royal family could hope to match.
How on earth did the Queen control such a person? And was the Queen's trust in her a sign of overconfidence?
If it was merely a romantic relationship, that was hardly a reliable bond.
Due to excessive exertion, Hua Cu had been forced to stay in the imperial capital for over a month. During that time, she had tried to come to the front lines several times but was stopped by her ministers. She was only allowed to come recently, when the fighting in Hezhou had temporarily subsided.
The army had already surrounded the branch Tower; its capture was only a matter of time. Her only worry was that Hua Ce, in a desperate move, would detonate the bomb. If that happened, everything within a hundred-li radius could be turned to ash, and the entire Hezhou province would be affected.
"Your Majesty, the Leader has returned!"
During Hua Zheng's absence, Chen Guan and another Sentinel of major rank were appointed as Hua Cu's personal guards. Although Chen Guan was not old and usually worked as an instructor in the Tower, his extrasensory intuition was extremely useful for a guard.
However, he couldn't use his ability constantly and had to rotate shifts with the other Sentinel. To help him maintain his ability for longer periods, his wife, Shen Mengxin, was also assigned as one of the temporary guards.
Shen Mengxin had barely finished speaking when the door was opened from the outside. Chen Guan pushed the door open and respectfully ushered the faceless person into the room. Following behind her was an injured Liang Jinshen.
The two walked before the Queen and were about to salute, but Hua Cu had already stepped forward to take the faceless person's hand.
"You may all withdraw. I need to hear… the Leader's debriefing."
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