Yuel glanced at Vangar, carefully choosing his words under the weight of that overwhelming presence.

"Besides me... there’s also someone you know—Vincent."

"Vincent is one of the Female Master’s partners as well?"

A faint flicker crossed Vangar’s brow. That name was more than familiar.

Vincent was his most trusted subordinate—his chosen successor, the one he had long intended to inherit the position of Marshal.

And yet, both his most valued commander... and his future successor... had become his Female Master’s partners.

A quiet, amused realization stirred within him. His Female Master was quite remarkable.

A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Who was the Female Master’s first partner?" Vangar asked. "Was it you, or Vincent?"

He knew his own people well. With both Vincent and Yuel around, there was no way anyone else could have taken that position first.

At the question, the corner of Yuel’s mouth twitched. "It was also Vincent."

For a fleeting moment, Yuel almost felt sorry for him.

If Vangar hadn’t returned from Beast God Mountain, in another two years, Vincent would have ascended to Marshal.

But now... Not only was the position gone, even his place as the first partner might no longer be secure.

From now on, within this household... should he listen to Vincent?

Or to his superior?

The mere thought gave Yuel a headache.

Vangar, however, had no interest in such complications. What mattered most to him now... was understanding Rory.

"Other than Vincent, who else are the Female Master’s partners?" he continued.

Yuel answered, "The ones you know are Nix of the Liger Clan, and Jasper from the Hunters’ Alliance. The last one... is Xarion."

Nix and Jasper—Vangar was familiar with both.

But... "Xarion?"

The moment he heard the name, Vangar’s expression turned cold. "You mean that Xarion of the Snowfield Wolf Clan?"

"Yes." Yuel nodded, though confusion crept into his gaze.

Why did Vangar react like that? Did they... have a history?

"Marshal... do you know him?" Yuel asked cautiously.

"Know him?" Vangar let out a low, humorless scoff. "I do."

The two words were forced through clenched teeth.

Know him? He had fought that man. And although he had won that battle by a narrow margin, it hadn’t come without cost.

"The Beast God must have lost its mind," Vangar muttered darkly. "Matching someone like that—someone clearly unhinged—to my little Female Master."

And worse, he had been matched earlier than Vangar himself.

The thought alone was infuriating.

Yuel rubbed his chin thoughtfully. There was clearly more to this story than met the eye.

Then again... considering Xarion’s sharp tongue, offending someone like Vangar didn’t seem all that surprising.

Before Yuel could probe further, Vangar spoke again. "If the Female Master only has the five of you," he said, "then what about Paros?"

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Is he like me—a match assigned by the system? Or just a follower?"

Yuel shook his head. "Paros used to be one of Rory’s matches," he explained. "But they dissolved it. He remains by her side now because his mental power collapsed. He needs her to stabilize him—she’s helping him recover."

Vangar frowned deeply. "She already dissolved the match... and she’s still helping him stabilize?"

His gaze darkened with something unreadable.

His Female Master... was far too kind.

That dragon now looked dazed and foolish—yet his Female Master didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.

Vangar’s gaze darkened with thought. "Why did the Female Master dissolve her match with Paros?"

He needed to understand everything about Rory—and right now, Yuel was the most convenient source of information.

Yuel could tell exactly what was happening.

Vangar had turned him into an information hub.

Suppressing a sigh, he answered honestly, "I came to Rory’s side rather late. By the time I arrived, she had already dissolved her match with Paros."

He shook his head slightly.

"She never told me the details, and I didn’t pry. If you really want to know... you might have to ask her yourself."

Vangar wasn’t about to do that.

Since that line of questioning led nowhere, he shifted gears.

"Other than you partners—and myself and Paros—are there any other males by the Female Master’s side?"

Females typically had at least nine partners Yet his little Female Master only had five.

Even including himself, that made six.

As for Paros... in Vangar’s mind, once a match was dissolved, it no longer counted.

"He’s no longer hers," Vangar thought coldly. "No need to include him."

"There’s also Aren and Wen," Yuel said, deciding to skip the piecemeal questioning and explain everything at once.

"At the moment, Aren is one of Rory’s matches. Once he recovers, she’ll likely form a bond with him."

"And Wen... is still a follower. That’s the current situation in the household."

Just as Yuel finished speaking—

Creak.

The kitchen door slowly opened.

Aren stepped out, clutching a bright red fruit in his arms, moving with exaggerated stealth like a thief in the night.

Both Yuel and Vangar paused.

They stared right at him.

Vangar had never seen Aren before, but judging from the furtive way he held the fruit and crept forward...

This must be the one Yuel mentioned—the young master of the succubus clan whose mind was currently... unstable.

Aren froze as well when he noticed the two of them in the living room.

He clearly hadn’t expected anyone to be there.

"You—"

He started to speak, but his gaze suddenly locked onto Vangar’s short, silver-white hair.

His eyes lit up instantly.

Bright. Excited.

Overjoyed.

Yuel saw that reaction and quietly, very wisely, took two steps back.

Sure enough, Aren suddenly dashed forward, clutching the fruit as he ran straight at Vangar.

"Daddy! You’re finally back! I missed you so much!"

Vangar’s eyes widened in shock.

Before he could react, Aren had already flung himself into his arms like a missile.

His entire body went rigid.

He didn’t even dare move.

Still being clung to, Vangar shot a desperate look toward Yuel, who had somehow already retreated to a safe distance.

"What is going on?"

Yuel pointed at his own head, indicating the problem.

"Marshal... Aren isn’t in his right mind right now. Any male with white hair—he’ll recognize them as his father."

At first, when Aren mistook Xarion for his father, Yuel had thought it was due to some past interaction.

But after investigating, they discovered the truth.

Aren’s deceased father... had also had white hair.

Since then, they had tested it.

Any white-haired beastman who appeared before Aren would instantly be claimed as "father."

Yuel coughed lightly, barely holding back his laughter.

"Marshal... for Rory’s sake, please bear with it. She hopes the males in this household can get along like brothers—supporting and caring for each other."

Vangar: "..."

He had originally intended to throw Aren off him immediately. Now... he couldn’t.

Aren looked up at him with bright, eager eyes and held out the fruit in both hands.

"Daddy, I found a fruit! You should eat it!"

Yuel lowered his head, saying nothing.

Vangar stared at the fruit.

His brow twitched.

He hated fruit.

Absolutely hated it.

But looking at Aren’s expectant face... He had a strong feeling that if he refused, this lunatic might actually burst into tears.