I stared at Aurelia's message, feeling a surge of relief mixed with frustration. I needed to vent, to talk to someone who knew me better than anyone else. I quickly dialed her number, tapping my foot impatiently as I waited for her to pick up.
"Hey, Lise! What's up?" Aurelia's cheerful voice crackled through the speaker.
"Hey, Aurelia. I'm not doing well," I said, my voice cracking slightly. "This mission has been a nightmare. I just want to come back to the demon realm."
"Whoa, slow down. What's going on?" she asked, her tone shifting to concern.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "It's this damn perfect match system. It matched Eileen with Thalira. Can you believe that? Eileen! With Thalira! It's like some kind of cruel joke. And now, I can't even get close to her because of the guards. It's driving me insane."