The bathroom was spacious, with a large ceramic bathtub near the window, big enough for two or three people.

The puppet Lu Xin first retrieved a lounge chair from a storage ring and settled Alicefiel’s body onto it.

Then, he turned on the overhead shower, carefully cleaning the bathtub walls before opening the hot water valve, testing the temperature, and letting warm water fill the tub.

Before soaking, Alicefiel needed to wash off the dirt.

Controlling the puppet, she began undressing herself.

First, the shoes—white mesh sneakers and socks came off, revealing delicate pink feet.

The puppet’s hand glided over her small toes.

Next, the outer clothes: a gauzy jacket, a knee-length pleated skirt, and finally, her undergarments.

Soon, Alicefiel’s body was bare, not a single stray hair, accompanied by soft panting and her curled-up posture, as if the bathroom was filled with a pinkish scent.

In this moment, Alicefiel’s heart remained unshaken.

Any excitement she might have felt had long since passed.

Now, it was just a puppet cleaning her body.

She washed and dried her hair first, then had the puppet pick up the handheld shower to scrub off the dust, working from top to bottom—chest to hips, head to feet.

Alicefiel let out a soft moan, a fleeting pleasure briefly overpowering her pain.

Once clean, she directed the puppet to tie up her silver hair and lift her flushed body into the bathtub.

The warm water enveloped her instantly.

The pain eased slightly—bathing helped, but only so much.

Alicefiel squinted, tilting her head slightly, and sent a mental command to the puppet.

The puppet, standing by like a servant, rinsed itself quickly and joined her in the tub, beginning to massage her body.

Mm, ah~ The mix of pain and relief was soothing.

Alicefiel reveled in the sensation, as if she were a wealthy lady enjoying attentive service.

If only someone truly cared for me like this.

Controlling the puppet, she adjusted her body to sit upright, leaning against the tub’s edge.

Her blurred eyes opened, staring at the bathroom ceiling.

Only Alicefiel. Only… myself.

She looked up at the puppet’s face, and it lowered its head in sync.

In a daze, through the puppet’s pupils, she glimpsed a reflection of the white-haired girl she’d once longed for.

That was Liu Lian, Corona, her love… her sun.

Alicefiel lowered her gaze, watching ripples in the bathwater, her expression forlorn.

She wouldn’t cry.

She had no right to cry.

She couldn’t cry.

It was settled—Corona was long married, with a family and a daughter.

Yuehua had married herself, and they should’ve parted ways forever.

Yet fate was a strange thing.

The student she’d taken in became the bridge reconnecting Corona and Yuehua.

And Yuehua felt, once again, Corona’s unwavering love.

Mother.

Alicefiel thought of her mother, who vanished when she was young.

In her faint memories, there was a warm embrace and silver hair.

Growing up, she had only a father and an alchemical puppet cloaked in human skin.

Occasionally, her mother’s consciousness would inhabit the puppet, bringing her trinkets.

Her happiest childhood moments were when her mother’s consciousness took the puppet to take her and her father on outings.

But a machine’s coldness could never replace flesh’s warmth.

In truth, her father had played both parental roles.

His boundless indulgence only suffocated her, especially after learning the identity he’d hidden from her.

Back then, as Lu Xin, it wasn’t just about chasing Corona’s footsteps.

It was about escaping her father’s shadow.

She worked tirelessly to prove she had the ability and right to claim what she wanted, not just her father’s influence.

Later, Lu Xin wronged Corona.

During that time, she felt spineless, waiting for her sins to be judged.

Yet, to this day, only she and Corona knew.

Alicefiel wondered if her father had used his power to suppress her past sins, but subtle inquiries revealed he knew nothing.

For a Saint Domain Magister, that was unusual—he’d never even used mind-reading spells on his child, all for her freedom.

When she finally stood on equal footing with her father, the puppet felt she could respond to his heavy expectations.

But now, only the embers of seventeen years ago remained.

Love came too fleetingly, too heavily, too easily.

Only Xiao Yue.

Alicefiel recalled holding her babbling daughter, whose first word was “Mama.”

In that moment, her long-unmoored love found a home.

She had someone to give her love to without reservation—her child, her daughter.

But her greatest regret was Corona.

The mistakes of Lu Xin, the man, were too cruel.

As Alicefiel, the woman, she was too greedy.

The only one she could truly open her heart to was herself.

Alicefiel tilted her head back, gazing at herself through the puppet’s eyes.

A solo play is pretty fun too, she thought, feeling the cooling water.

“It’s getting late. Time to lift myself and dry off,” she commanded the puppet mentally.

After drying her body, she stopped the puppet before it dressed her.

“Let’s leave it at that. Clothes are too restrictive and might hinder pain relief,” she said through the puppet.

The puppet carried her back to the bedroom, placing her in the center of the large bed.

In her current state, Alicefiel looked like a frail, innocent maiden.

But she was alone.

“Goodnight, myself. Sweet dreams,” the puppet said, gently stroking her silver hair.

“Mm,” Alicefiel replied softly.

And so, uncovered, without further movement, she remained still until the sun rose the next day.