Linda did not spill the bottle intentionally—it was a rush of emotions she couldn't control. It wasn't that she didn't want to take the medicine, but the sight of the bottle reminded her of her illness. The feeling of dizziness and burning in her stomach after taking the medicine was unbearable. She preferred not to take it at all.With her eyes shut and a frown on her face, Linda's pale complexion lacked color. In the midst of this, she heard some commotion at the door. Lifting her head to glance, she lazily flipped over, not bothering to ask who it was.However, the door swung open, and a sweet singing voice accompanied the entry of a silly bear walking in a wobbly manner. The balcony was filled with singing and sunlight, and the bear's adorable and comical dance brought joy to the scene. As the dance came to an end, the bear raised its arms over its head, forming a heart shape.Linda couldn't help but burst into laughter. The bear head was then removed, revealing Lina, who was sw
Lina smiled and asked, "Can you count the number of pillars in the model?"Linda was taken aback, but she decided to take the task seriously and started counting. However, the tiny size of the pillars on the model made it difficult to count them accurately."55, 56, 57..."Finally, after some time, Linda showed a relaxed smile and confidently said, "There are 82 pillars, right?""Correct! But that's only a part of the palace. The real palace has even more pillars," Lina said, pursing her lips. She then asked, "Now, can you count how many windows there are?"Linda looked troubled, as numbers had always made her nervous. She tried to negotiate with her daughter, saying, "Can we... not count anymore? I'll get a headache if we continue!"Lina smiled and replied, "No can do. But you did a great job just now, so I'll give you the promised reward!"Linda was stunned when she saw Lina taking out a small cookie and motioning for her to open her mouth. Like a child, Linda obediently opene
Linda quickly realized that someone must have treated her daughter with such gentle care, and she suspected it was her adoptive mother.Conflicting emotions welled up within Linda, a mixture of gratitude and a secret hope that the family had been unkind to Lina. Linda wanted her daughter to come back to her without hesitation, to call her "mom" without reservation.Linda took a deep breath, trembling with fear at her own dark thoughts. She struggled to speak, her voice trembling. "Pammy… You should go now... I need to rest."Lina froze momentarily, then carefully helped Linda onto the bed, tucking her in and replacing her slippers with comfortable silk ones. She smiled through teary eyes and gently reminded her, "I'll be back when it's time for your medicine! And I'll give you a special reward if you get the window count right!"With a teary smile, Linda asked, her voice choked with emotion, "Will I really get better?""Dr. Ivy said you will, without a doubt.""Pammy..." Linda re
At dusk, Zuko and Lina strolled hand in hand along the beach, immersed in the golden afterglow of the sunset. Seagulls soared above, and a gentle breeze swept through, creating a humid yet cool atmosphere.Their footsteps left two rows of imprints on the sandy beach.Zuko occasionally turned his head with a smile on his face. It reminded him of the times when he held Pammy's hand as they played on the beach during their youth. Pammy's footprints were unsteady back then, as she had just learned to walk."I often came to this beach when you were missing," he said, his voice deep with a hint of melancholy. "They said you died in the sea accident, but I didn't believe it. I thought... you turned into a mermaid princess."Lina was taken aback, turning to look at him. Although he smiled, a trace of sadness lingered in his eyes. Every time he embraced her, he held on tightly as if afraid she would slip away again."They said Uncle Nicholas wants you to join the film studio project?" Zuko
"Don't worry. You have just the right amount of luck," Zuko reassured Lina as he held her. "Not only do you have two sets of parents who love you, but you'll also have one more set that will.""Huh?" Lina was confused.Zuko lowered his head, and his soft lips lightly touched the tip of her nose. "My parents would love you just the same!"…A few days later, Lina and Renee showed up at the film studio project as assistant interns.Nicholas and Linda, who treated Lina as their own, had arranged for her to stay at the Thompson residence and accompany her to work.They arrived together at the Supremacy Building, which housed the temporary office for the project. While it wasn't a landmark building, it held a prominent position in Centrolis' central business district.The people there exuded arrogance, looking down on Lina and Renee as mere student interns. They underestimated them, assuming they were simple and hardworking.Consequently, they were assigned all the menial tasks—serv
Renee flashed Lina a thumbs-up before they returned to the office. However, as soon as they arrived, they were greeted with a pile of documents on their desks.Their supervisor, Mollie Chapman, pushed her glasses up and approached them slowly. She was a strict and rigid middle-aged woman who only showed that side to her subordinates.Lina couldn't help but notice how Mollie's usual stern expression transformed into a bright smile when the project manager arrived for a department inspection. It seemed like she was trying to impress him, smiling so hard that a few extra wrinkles appeared on her face."Where were you two?" Mollie glared at them. "Even as interns, you are expected to follow company rules!""We..." Lina began to explain, but Mollie slammed her hand on the table before she could finish. "You need to sort out these proposals by today! Don't even think about leaving until they're done!"Just as Mollie finished scolding them, she noticed the general manager making his roun
The two girls looked exhausted, while the brothers were full of spirit. Toph, in particular, ordered a table full of skewers.Zuko carefully picked out the fish bones and placed the grilled fish on Lina's plate."Are you feeling unwell?" he asked with concern, noticing her tired appearance."I have a slight headache," she replied.His brow furrowed. "You've been working overtime recently. Is there too much work?""Let me tell you, Zuko!" Renee interjected, taking a sip of her beer. "The people in the office bully us interns. They make us do all the heavy lifting! And that Meanie Mollie... she's so cruel to us!"Toph listened intently, growing increasingly angry.Although he didn't know who Meanie Mollie was, anyone who bullied Renee became his enemy.Renee shared everything that had happened that day. "They even said that we don't have boyfriends and nobody likes us!""God damn it!" Toph was getting pissed as he listened and slammed his hand on the table. "Tomorrow, I'll stand
The next day, delivery guys arrived one after another, flooding the entire office building floor with packages addressed to Renee Thompson.Each delivery person would shout loudly in the hallway, "Ms. Renee Thompson, you have a package. Please sign for it!"Renee's legs had no rest that day. She barely had time to sit down before standing up again to receive another package.The packages piled up on her desk, filled with top-tier luxury brand clothes, shoes, bags, and cosmetics, causing her female colleagues to envy her.Being reserved and low-key, Renee felt uncomfortable with all the sudden attention.Quietly, she ran to Lina and pointed at the packages on her desk. "Look at all this..."Lina chuckled, already guessing that they were all gifts from Toph.After learning about their encounter the previous night, Toph was eager to seek revenge for them, especially after the remark about Renee not having a boyfriend!Toph could not tolerate it any longer. How dare someone mock Re
"Only Morpheus and Sephy aren't like that. They respect and understand me. Sephy told me once, 'One's appearance doesn't indicate anything. A clean heart is what truly matters!'"Rebecca chuckled dismissively."You're a psychologist, yet you fail to grasp this," Wynn said coldly. "Actually, I pity you. You could have stepped out, yet you insist on dwelling on the trivialities."Morpheus has psychological barriers, a consequence of returning from the battlefield. No one has cured his PTSD except Sephy... It shows that a true psychologist is never just a title."What truly heals everything is love!"-One particular morning a year later, sunlight streamed through sheer cream curtains onto the floor.Persephone was sound asleep when she suddenly felt something pressing down on her... Then, Morpheus' strong arms wrapped around her slender waist. She drowsily opened her eyes to find him sealing her lips with heated kisses.Over the year, his kissing skills had improved, and Persepho
With Morpheus' involvement, the police didn't slack off and quickly found Rebecca.That day, Rebecca was preparing to escape from a small port. The boat she had found was an illegally operating one.As she was about to board, piercing sirens sounded nearby.The boat owner, enraged upon hearing the sirens, grabbed Rebecca by her hair and pushed her into the water.Rebecca screamed for help, but he roared, "I didn't expect you to be sent by the cops!""I'm not..." Rebecca choked on water. "Sir, let's leave now. Your boat is fast. As long as we reach the open sea, no one will catch you!""Dream on!" The boat owner wanted to strangle her. "Do you not understand? These sirens are from the royal guards! Who did you bitch provoke?"Rebecca was dumbfounded. Being a foreigner, she naturally didn't understand the local affairs in the Southeast Aciatic region.The police and royal guards quickly caught up, armed, and surrounded them.Rebecca turned pale and trembled all over, her gaze gr
"You had no choice on the battlefield."Persephone looked at him with her crystal eyes. There was a magical power in them. Even if a devil was tearing him apart, her eyes would always bring him back to light.She smiled and caressed his cheek. "Though you killed your father, you saved the country.""Do you really… think so?"She nodded. "You're not at fault. He was the one who made a mistake. You were just fulfilling your job as a general to protect the country."But I also understand that he's your father who brought you up, after all. You guys must have had happy days before that happened, right?"Morpheus held his head low in silence."You did well as the protector of the country," she said softly. "But as a son, you can secretly pay homage to him."Persephone held his hand. "Reconcile with your father, Morpheus. You'll also reconcile with yourself by doing that, okay?"He was stunned for a long time and felt a lump in his throat.-Morpheus stayed with Persephone in the
"No way!" Christopher smirked, glancing at Morpheus. "To him, you're his only princess! I just got lucky for the princess carry, thanks to you!""Yeah, at least you're self-aware!" Persephone nodded, rubbing her chin."We've known each other for so long! What kind of person do you think I am?" Christopher laughed. "I can be a bit shameless at times, but..."But upon learning that the one she loved was the unbeatable god of war, he willingly stepped back, offering his blessings with a smile."Okay, okay. You two stop crowding around me!" Christopher waved his hand. "Sephy needs more rest, and I'd like to get some more sleep, too! Once we heal, let's go out and have some fun together!""You're still thinking about fun?" Morpheus' deep voice intervened with a wry smile. "With the factory explosion incident, the royal family is furious and will thoroughly investigate it. Many people will probably be coming to talk to you both in the next few days. After all, you two are the most direc
"Let's get out first!""Hey, wait..." Persephone pointed to the other side.In moments of life and death, it wasn't appropriate to laugh, but Morpheus still chuckled. The young Prince Christopher was sprawled on the floor in a very ridiculous pose, and they almost forgot about him!"Don't worry," Morpheus whispered. "I won't let anything happen to him."He had Persephone cling to his back and then carried Christopher.Christopher was a tall fellow, so it took some effort to carry them both to a safe place.Fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars rushed in. Their sirens pierced the sky, startling a flock of birds.The fire was soon extinguished, and Persephone and Christopher received timely treatment. Luckily, their burns weren't too severe, and even more fortunately, their faces were unharmed.When Christopher woke up, he felt bandages wrapped around his head, and his skin had a burning sensation. His heart sank, and he was almost on the verge of tears."Tell me the truth! A
There was fire everywhere. Flames rushed toward Persephone like menacing dragons. Her consciousness grew increasingly blurred, but the searing pain coursing through her body became clearer. She struggled to get up, the agony almost unbearable.Despite several attempts, it was futile...Something was pinning her feet down, and stones kept falling on her. She couldn't even muster a shout.Many images flashed through her mind in that fleeting moment, each frame featuring Morpheus' face…She remembered the times they had spent together in Flinge, how he had initially distanced himself from her, then later had exerted every effort to protect her. She recalled how he would gently ruffle her hair and call her "silly goose"..."Morpheus, I'm afraid I might have to go first..."The fire grew fiercer, explosions resonated continuously, and she could no longer hold on.Christopher, who was nearby, wasn't any better.Amidst the roaring flames, he couldn't see anything clearly, only pulling
"No need, you can go back first." Morpheus glanced at him. "I'll wait here for her a little longer.""Prince Christopher wouldn't do anything to Ms. Hamerton...""Alfred, what are you thinking?" Morpheus couldn't help but chuckle. "I know exactly what Christopher is like, but I just want to wait here for Sephy. Christopher mentioned that she'd specifically designed these fireworks for me. Hah! I'm the useless one. I don't even dare to go inside and take a look.""Sir, don't say that.""If I wait here, will it count as accompanying her in her efforts?"Alfred nodded.Morpheus smiled and sent Alfred back. He continued waiting under the tree.The air in Southeast Aciatic was hot and humid. The shade of the banyan tree offered some relief, but it couldn't completely dispel the oppressive heat.Morpheus took a deep breath, about to move elsewhere, when he glimpsed a suspicious figure swiftly darting through the factory's side gate.The security at the side gate was lax, making it e
Christopher struggled to swallow the bite of the sandwich in his mouth for what seemed like ages. He gazed at Persephone, his mind wandering back…He didn't just know Morpheus. He had been close since childhood to the children of the two prominent military families in Southeast Aciatic.Compared to the Harrises, he preferred visiting the Ortons, especially when he got to spend time with Morpheus. He considered Morpheus a friend, a brother even, having engaged in countless mischief together, much to their parents' dismay.In his memory, Morpheus was someone who smiled a lot, radiating warmth and brightness like the Southeast Aciatic sun when he did.However, from the moment Kaiden betrayed the country, Morpheus never smiled again, gradually growing distant from Christopher as well.It wasn't until that evening at the gates of the palace that Christopher felt like it had been a lifetime."I... I don't know him." Christopher forced a smile. "Where would I have met your boyfriend!"
Morpheus wasn't just an ordinary person!Christopher wholeheartedly accepted his defeat to Morpheus."Then... I'd like to invite you to come over to my place for a while as a friend. That's fine, right?"-A few days later, Persephone finally ran into Christopher, who had been missing in action for days, in the classroom."Hey, you finally showed up!" She dashed over, plopping down in the seat beside him and handing him breakfast. "You haven't eaten, right? Let's eat together!"Usually, Christopher would readily accept, but he waved his hands now. "No, no, no!""What's wrong?" Persephone widened her eyes. "This breakfast isn't poisoned!"Christopher awkwardly smiled. "You have a boyfriend, so maybe... we should keep some distance."Persephone burst into laughter. Then she remarked, "Strange... Morpheus was right!""Uh, what?""My boyfriend!" She chuckled. "He made this breakfast. I asked if he could also make a portion for you, and he said sure, just worried you wouldn't tak