Charles seemed not to hear the implication in her words and naturally sat back down. "Miss Elizabeth, is something the matter?"
"You said you needed gel. You seemed in such a hurry, so I brought it over." Elizabeth produced a small box from behind her.
"Thank you. How much is it?"
Elizabeth pushed the box straight into Charles's arms with both hands. "Why be so formal? It's not worth much. Consider it a gift."
Having said that, Elizabeth stepped into the room and surveyed the somewhat dim surroundings. "Dear, don't you usually have someone to keep you company? It must be so lonely all by yourself."
Without waiting for Charles's response, Elizabeth closed the door behind her and sat on the edge of the bed.
Seeing her actions, Charles's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at the pairs of eyes under the bed, then coughed lightly and walked over to the table to set the box down.
"You should still tell me the price. I don't like being in anyone's debt."
Elizabeth's lips curled into a smile, her face flushing crimson as the desire in her eyes threatened to spill out. "Well, in that case, you can give yourself to me."
"What… what?"
Before Charles could speak, Elizabeth raised the short wooden stick in her hand and tapped the oil lamp on the table. The lamp burst immediately, and darkness engulfed the entire room.
The next second, Charles caught the scent of a sweet fragrance as a soft body pressed up against him.
"Relax, dear. You have to learn to relax. Life at sea is already oppressive enough."
Charles's breathing grew ragged. Before he could utter a single word, something soft pressed against his lips in the darkness.
Although he was confused by the situation, not responding would be unmanly. A wicked heat surged through him, and he quickly responded in kind.
The suffocating softness finally withdrew, and he could hear rapid, breathless pants in his ear.
Just as Charles was about to lose control, a squeak emanated from under the bed. The sound was like a bucket of cold water being dumped over him, instantly dousing his passion. It might have been fine if it were anything else, but there was a whole audience of third wheels in the room.
Charles raised his left hand, and transparent tendrils quickly wrapped around Elizabeth, pushing her away.
"I'm sorry, Miss Elizabeth, but today isn't a good time."
In the darkness, her expression soured. The blunt rejection made her question her own charm.
Her voice grew cold. "Charles, aren't you being a bit much? *I'm* not 'unavailable,' yet *you* are?"
Charles took a deep breath, opened the room door, and let the light from the corridor stream in. "I apologize, but today really isn't a good time."
"I help you so much at the Association, yet you don't have the slightest clue how to repay a favor. You're truly heartless." Elizabeth straightened her disheveled clothes and, with a composed expression, walked toward the corridor.
As the statuesque beauty left, she threw back one last remark, "You wouldn't happen to be like the Governor, would you? With a liking for men?"
A wry smile crept onto Charles's face. The friend he'd made with such difficulty was probably going to become a stranger again, even if she did have impure motives. But Lily is still in the room. Even though she's a mouse, she's essentially an eleven-year-old girl.
In the dark room, Charles rummaged for a candle and lit it. After pondering for a moment, he began to speak, "Lily, actually, just now—"
A voice came from under the bed. "I know what you were doing. My dad is a Doctor; he taught me about these things. Mr. Charles, was I in your way?"
"Ah…"
「The next morning.」
Curled up on the pillow, Lily opened her eyes. She intended to wish Mr. Charles good morning, only to find the bed empty.
"Jumpy, is Mr. Charles in the washroom?"
A brown rat scurried out from the crack beneath the door and then quickly darted back in, facing Lily on the pillow. SQUEAK! SQUEAK!
"Mr. Charles left so early? He's so busy." Lily stretched on the pillow before sitting up.
Tilting her head in thought, she then said to the rats under the bed, "Shall we go out and play?"
Hearing the excited responses below, a smile appeared on Lily's furry face as she leaped off the bed.
Ignoring the shrieks she caused, Lily led the rats in a rapid dash through the streets of Inner Island.
From a rat's perspective, everything looked huge and novel: women in dresses screaming with hands over their mouths, stray dogs barking wildly, old ladies swinging brooms, and drivers slamming on their brakes.
But as the hostile glances around them grew, Lily quickly led the rats into a side alley.
The quiet alley was much less crowded than the main streets, allowing Lily and her rat friends to stroll leisurely.
"Wow, look at that loaf of bread! It's so big I could sleep in it. Jumpy, don't you dare! That belongs to someone else!"
"Meat is off-limits too! You'll cause trouble for Mr. Charles!"
While Lily was strolling aimlessly, she suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the distance. It was James, the tall guy who worked in the turbine room.
Lily was about to rush over and say hello, but then she stopped. James, who was usually covered in grease, was now wearing a tight suit and holding an extravagant bouquet of flowers.
He looked extremely nervous, and a large circle of sweat had soaked through the back of his suit jacket.
"Come on, let's follow him secretly and see what he's up to."
James zigzagged through the alleys and finally stopped in front of a bakery.
When a delicate and pretty woman in a skirt emerged from inside, James pulled out a small box from his pocket and knelt on one knee. Patrons inside the shop immediately began to applaud.
"Wow! A marriage proposal!" Lily exclaimed excitedly.
Seeing the woman tearfully nod her agreement and then embrace James, Lily's face lit up with a sweet smile. "That's so lovely."
As they entered the bakery, Lily continued on her way. Just then, her stomach began to rumble.
Since Mr. Charles said I'm part of his crew, he should be giving me a salary. Then I could buy food for everyone!
The surrounding rats squeaked in agreement.
Looking around, she noticed a large clock tower in the distance and said to the rats, "Everyone, my old home isn't far from here. Let's go see Mom and then head back to Mr. Charles for food."
With that, Lily led the rats in another mad dash. This time, she was clever enough to stick to deserted corners to avoid startling anyone.
Lily and the rats arrived at the villa once more. The rats expertly formed a tower to lift Lily up to a window.
Lily pressed her face against the glass, watching the family enjoy their meal. Is Dad home from work early today?…
As she saw them talking and laughing inside, her eyes began to well up with tears.
She stood at the window watching until lunch was over. When she saw her mother come out to take out the trash, Lily quickly hid.
Longingly watching her mother return inside, Lily jumped into the trash bin and found the discarded food scraps.
She picked up a fish bone and licked the flesh from it. The brown rats surged forward, and the food remnants were swiftly cleared away.
Just then, Lily heard a little girl's jubilant cry from outside. "Thank you for the birthday present, Mom and Dad! I love you!!"
Standing amidst the trash, the little white rat lifted the fish bone with trembling hands toward the other rats. Tears slid down her face.
"See? I told you, didn't I? My mom's sweet fish soup really is delicious."