Charles seemed to ignore the underlying meaning of Elizabeth's words and naturally sat back down. “Miss Elizabeth, is there something you need?”

  “I brought the gel you asked for since you seemed in such a hurry,” Elizabeth said, pulling out a small box from behind her.

  “Thank you. How much is it?”

  Elizabeth pushed the box into Charles's arms with both hands. “Why are you being so formal? It’s not worth much; consider it a gift.”

  After saying that, Elizabeth stepped into the room, surveying the dim space. “Darling, don’t you ever find someone to keep you company? It must be lonely being alone.”

  Before Charles could respond, Elizabeth closed the door behind her and sat down on the bed.

  Seeing her action made Charles's heart skip a beat. He glanced at the pairs of eyes peeking out from under the bed, cleared his throat, and walked over to the desk to set down the box.

  “Why don’t you tell me the price? I don’t like being in debt to others.”

  A smirk appeared on Elizabeth's lips, a hint of crimson flushing her cheeks, and desire sparkled in her eyes. “In that case, why don’t you give yourself to me?”

  “W-what?”

  Before Charles could finish his sentence, Elizabeth raised a short wooden staff and pointed it at the oil lamp on the table, which exploded, plunging the room into darkness.

  In the next moment, Charles was enveloped by a fragrant breeze, and a soft body pressed against him.

  “Relax, darling. You need to learn to unwind; the sea is oppressive enough.”

  Charles felt his breath quicken. Before he could utter a word, a soft form met his lips. Although he was confused by the situation, he knew that if he didn’t respond, he wouldn’t be a man. A surge of heat ignited within him, and he quickly reciprocated.

  Just as the suffocating softness finally pulled away, he heard hurried gasps nearby.

  At that moment, a squeak echoed from under the bed, like a bucket of cold water dousing his fervor. It was one thing to deal with other matters, but there was a whole bunch of mice in the room.

  With a swift motion, Charles raised his left hand, and transparent tendrils quickly wrapped around Elizabeth, pushing her away.

  “Miss Elizabeth, I’m sorry, but I’m a bit indisposed today.”

  Her face in the dark looked displeased, and being so decisively rejected made her question her allure.

  Her voice turned cold. “Charles, aren’t you being a bit excessive? I’m perfectly fine, yet you say you’re not?”

  Taking a deep breath, Charles opened the door, letting light from the corridor spill in. “I’m really not available today.”

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  “I’ve helped you so much at the association, and you don’t understand the concept of gratitude at all. How heartless!” Elizabeth straightened her disheveled clothes and walked toward the corridor.

  As the towering beauty left, she threw back one last comment, “You’re not like the governor, are you? You don’t prefer men, do you?”

  Charles couldn’t help but smile wryly. A friendship he had just formed seemed destined to dissolve, even if her motives were questionable.

  But Lily was still in the room. Although she was a mouse, she was essentially an 11-year-old girl.

  In the dark room, Charles rummaged for a candle and lit it. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke. “Lily, actually, just now I—”

  A voice came from under the bed. “I know what you were doing. My dad is a doctor, and he taught me about these things. Mr. Charles, am I interrupting you?”

  “Uh…”

  The next morning, Lily, curled up on the pillow, opened her eyes. Just as she was about to greet Charles, she noticed he was missing from the bed.

  “Jumpy, is Mr. Charles in the bathroom?”

  A brown mouse squeezed under the door and quickly returned, squeaking at Lily on the pillow.

  “Mr. Charles went out so early? He’s really busy.” After stretching lazily on the pillow, Lily sat up.

  Tilting her head in thought, she said to the mice below, “Shall we go out to play?”

  Hearing the enthusiastic responses from below, a smile spread across Lily’s furry face as she leaped off the bed.

  Ignoring the chorus of squeaks that followed, Lily raced through the streets of the inner island with the mice.

  Women in dresses gasped, wild dogs barked, old ladies waved their brooms, and drivers slammed on their brakes. Everything seemed vast and full of novelty from the mice's perspective.

  However, as more hostile gazes turned toward them, Lily quickly led the mice into a nearby alley.

  The secluded alley was less crowded than the main street, allowing Lily and the mice to stroll leisurely.

  “Wow, look at that loaf of bread! It’s so big I could sleep inside! Jumpy, don’t go for it! That belongs to someone else!”

  “No meat either! You’ll get Mr. Charles into trouble!”

  As Lily wandered aimlessly, she suddenly spotted a familiar face in the distance—it was the tall guy who worked in the turbine cabin.

  Just as she was about to rush over to greet him, she saw James, who was usually covered in grease, now dressed in a tight suit, holding a bouquet of expensive flowers. He looked extremely nervous, with sweat soaking the back of his suit.

  “Let’s follow him and see what he’s up to.”

  James twisted and turned through the alley and finally stopped in front of a bakery.

  When a graceful woman in a dress walked out, James knelt down on one knee, pulling out a small box from his pocket. The customers inside began to applaud.

  “Wow! A proposal!” Lily exclaimed excitedly.

  Seeing the woman tearfully nod and embrace James, a sweet smile spread across Lily’s face. “How wonderful!”

  Watching them enter the bakery, Lily continued on her way when suddenly, her stomach let out a loud growl.

  “Since Mr. Charles said I’m his crew member, he should pay me a salary! That way, I can buy food for everyone!”

  The surrounding mice squeaked in agreement.

  Looking around, she noticed a large clock tower in the distance. “Everyone, this is close to my home. Let’s go check on Mom, and then we’ll return to find Mr. Charles for something to eat.”

  With that, Lily took off running, this time being careful to stick to the quieter corners, avoiding scaring anyone.

  Lily led the mice back to her family’s house, where they skillfully stacked themselves to help the white mouse reach a window.

  Lily pressed her face against the glass, staring longingly at the family inside, who were happily eating their meal. “Why is Dad home so early today?”

  Watching them chat and laugh, Lily’s eyes began to well with tears.

  She stood at the window, watching until lunch ended. Only when she saw her mother come out to throw away the trash did she quickly hide.

  Reluctantly, she watched her mother return inside and then jumped into the trash can to scavenge for food scraps.

  She picked up a fishbone, licking the remaining meat off it, and the brown mice rushed in to clean up the leftovers.

  Just then, Lily heard a little girl’s cheerful voice outside. “Thank you, Mommy and Daddy, for my birthday gift! I love you!”

  Standing in the trash, the white mouse raised the fishbone tremblingly. Tears streamed down her face.

  “You see, I told you, my mom’s sweet fish soup is really delicious.”