"I just grabbed this one, is it okay?" Linda handed over the yellow dress.

Monica nodded, covering her front with the blanket. "Captain, please don't stare at me..."

The bright daylight made Monica a little uncomfortable.

Linda expressed her understanding and went to the bathroom to wash up first.

A moment later, he saw Monica leaning against the wall, limping over.

The treatment can only stop the bleeding slightly and restore the thickness of the life barrier; it cannot completely heal the injury.

Linda felt a pang of guilt. After helping Monica finish washing up, she took Monica's little hand and walked down to the living room.

Neither of them looked very comfortable.

Monica, needless to say, hid beside Linda like a schoolchild who had made a mistake. Linda walked down the smooth, dark wooden stairs, and the deeper she went, the more she could feel the oppressive atmosphere of an impending storm.

The air in the living room seemed to freeze, and Linda felt a distinct difficulty breathing when her feet touched the red carpet.

"Everyone's up so early? Bread's ready too, Lulu, Tasia, thank you for cooking every day."

Linda laughed awkwardly.

After going down the stairs, you can see four large and tall wooden stools with backs placed in front of the glass round table in the living room.

Lulu, Tasia, and Kaphni each sat in one table.

Given Lulu and Tasia's meticulousness, they wouldn't have missed a single chair.

Cold sweat poured down Linda's forehead.

He didn't feel this much pressure even when facing 50 cult members alone.

Lulu ignored his attempts to make conversation, holding a bowl of mushroom soup in her right hand and a copy of the White Dove Morning Post in her left, reading the news without responding at all.

Kaphni chuckled smugly.

Linda looked to Tasia for help.

Tasia is his most loyal maid, so she'll probably say something in his defense, right?

But when Tasia met his gaze, she silently lowered her head.

Linda suddenly realized: she was now all alone!

Mushroom soup was simmering in the kitchen, the bubbling sound audible even from the living room.

Linda glanced at it and almost burst out laughing. But Lulu remained calmly reading the newspaper.

He sighed, went into the kitchen, brought out the pot, and then moved a chair to the table.

He served the soup, sat down, and had Monica sit next to him.

A subdued atmosphere hung over the dining table. Everyone ate their own food, the only sounds being the clinking of bowls, chopsticks, knives, and forks, and the slurping of soup.

The usually bustling breakfast was deserted, like strangers sharing a table.

A few minutes later, someone broke the silence.

Linda looked at him with gratitude, as if she had found a savior.

The person who spoke was none other than Kaphni.

Kaphni chuckled, raised her ale glass, swirled it, and said sarcastically:

"There was such a commotion last night, I thought it was an earthquake, the whole building was shaking. Oh well, you have to eat tender food if it's tough, otherwise you won't be laughed at if you die instantly, hehehe."

Why bring up something you shouldn't talk about?

When these words reached Linda's ears, it was as if a centipede had crawled inside; they were incredibly unpleasant to hear.

A weird and sarcastic deity has to be a useless god.

He was so angry he almost suffered a brain hemorrhage.

Linda glared fiercely at Kaphni. Monica, standing next to her, was so embarrassed that she almost buried her head in her soup bowl, and tiny drops of tears spilled out shamefully.

Monica tried to keep quiet and wiped herself with her sleeve.

Linda took a deep breath, knowing she couldn't wait any longer. Monica was easily embarrassed, and things could easily escalate because of this.

Recently, many young adventurers have succumbed to the pressure, developed Jade Syndrome, and committed suicide...

He coughed, about to speak, when his voice clashed with Lulu's.

The two exchanged a glance. Linda remained silent, pretending to drink her soup, and let Lulu speak first.

"Monica, did the captain force you?"

A hint of reluctance flickered in Lulu's eyes. Across the table, she took a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to Monica.

Monica took it tremblingly, lowered her head, and shook it.

"You really didn't force him?"

Lulu glanced at Linda, who looked embarrassed, and frowned.

This is what she fears most.

Since Monica joined the team, Lulu has treated Monica like a younger sister in this big family.

Lulu's relationship with Monica is much better than her relationship with Tasia and Kaphni.

She knew Monica was weak-willed, and that if Linda gave the order, Monica would probably agree even if she didn't want to.

These words immediately caught the attention of Tasia and Kaphni.

With so many people watching, Monica spoke so softly it was almost inaudible:

"No, Lulu-jie, it was me who went to find the captain..."

Monica lowered her head to her chest in embarrassment, like a schoolchild caught stealing money, feeling both scared and guilty.

Tears streamed down Monica's face as she wiped them away with the back of her hand, choking back sobs:

"I'm sorry, Lulu, Monica... Monica likes the captain, but not in a teammate or family-like way..."

No one expected that Monica, who was always timid, would be so candid in this situation.

Everyone looked surprised.

But it was Monica's honesty that pulled out a thorn in Lulu's heart. If Monica had made excuses and fabricated lies, the barrier between them would have grown ever thicker.

“I don’t blame you.” Lulu sighed, a helpless smile on her face. She walked to Monica’s side, helped wipe away Monica’s tears, and said, “I expected this day to come, but I didn’t expect it to come so soon.”

The main thing is that the first one was Monica, which surprised everyone.

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