Inside the dining hall of the starship, lunch had long since ended.

The dishes had been cleared away, the tables cleaned, and everything returned to order.

Yet Rory still had not emerged from Yuel’s room.

Leaning against the doorway, Vangar glanced toward Yuel’s room for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Why isn’t the female master out yet?"

That guy really was dangerous.

Vangar had no idea where Yuel had learned so many tricks, but if Yuel wanted to keep Rory by his side, it seemed as effortless as breathing.

The thought was enough to make any beastman jealous.

Across the room, Xarion sprawled lazily in a chair, appearing completely indifferent to everything around him.

Slowly, he lifted a hand.

An icy blue current gathered in his palm.

Mist curled around his fingers as frigid energy condensed into a translucent wolf no bigger than his hand.

The tiny ice wolf gleamed like crystal.

It threw back its head in a silent howl, radiating arrogance and dominance.

If one looked closely, its sharp features resembled Xarion himself by seven or eight parts.

Xarion merely glanced at it before his brows furrowed.

The Female Master definitely wouldn’t like that.

Expressionless, he clenched his fingers.

A crisp crack echoed through the room.

The ice wolf shattered instantly into glittering fragments that slipped through his fingers and dissolved into the air.

The temperature in the dining hall seemed to drop a few more degrees.

Xarion opened his hand again.

Another stream of frost gathered. This time, he shaped it with far greater care.

Ice crystals formed and layered themselves together before everyone’s eyes.

Moments later, a new sculpture appeared––another ice wolf.

This one sat obediently on its haunches.

Beside it sat a slender young woman.

Even in miniature form, it was easy to recognize Rory.

Xarion studied the tiny sculpture intently.

For a brief moment, he seemed satisfied.

Then his brow creased again.

Something was wrong.

The Female Master would never sit quietly beside him like that.

She was lively and bright as sunlight.

She laughed and tugged on his ears.

This little ice version was far too obedient, nothing like his Female Master at all.

Crack.

The sculpture shattered once more, dissolving into glittering frost.

On the other side of the room, Lian handed a freshly prepared vial to Aren.

The moment Aren uncapped it, a terrible smell drifted out.

Lian immediately looked apologetic.

"Aren, I’m truly sorry." His voice was gentle and sincere. "The medicine doesn’t smell very good, but I promise it will be extremely beneficial for your recovery."

His expression was so earnest that no one could find fault with it.

Standing nearby, Jasper shot Aren a sympathetic look.

He had no idea how Aren had managed to offend Lian.

But judging from that smell, Jasper was almost certain the unpleasantness was entirely intentional.

Aren stared at the vial in his hand. His handsome face twisted into a frown.

The odor alone was enough to make him nauseous.

He had absolutely no desire to drink it.

Unfortunately, Lian was looking at him with complete sincerity.

The medicine had also been specially prepared at Rory’s request.

If he refused to drink it now, he would only look childish.

Grinding his teeth, Aren tipped back his head and swallowed the entire vial in one go.

The taste was even worse than the smell.

Suppressing the urge to vomit, he immediately grabbed a glass of water and gulped down several mouthfuls.

Only after the revolting aftertaste faded slightly did he finally relax.

Then Lian calmly produced another vial.

"And this one needs to be taken now as well."

Aren stared at him, speechless.

Nearby, Nix poured a glass of water for Vincent while pleading desperately.

"Vincent, I’m begging you."

His voice was full of despair.

"Please stop placing so many orders with my laboratory."

"If you keep doing this, when we get back, I’ll be living in the lab full time."

He dramatically clutched his chest.

"I won’t even have time to come home and spend time with Rory."

Vincent accepted the glass and took a leisurely sip.

Then he glanced at Nix.

"I can stop placing orders."

Nix’s eyes lit up immediately.

Before he could celebrate, Vincent continued.

"On one condition."

His smile was calm and elegant.

"Tell me what Yuel called you over for earlier."

Nix instantly covered his mouth with both hands.

"I can’t."

No chance.

Absolutely none.

If he told Vincent the truth, Yuel would definitely make good on his threat and ban him from accompanying Rory for an entire year.

He would rather die.

Vincent raised an eyebrow.

"Not telling me?"

The smile on his face remained, but it no longer looked particularly friendly.

"Then I suggest you start preparing to move into your laboratory permanently."

Nix froze.

His heart shattered into pieces.

So this was what betrayal felt like.

The Vincent he knew before was gone.

Gone forever.

Not far away, Wen sat quietly polishing an exquisitely beautiful seashell.

By the observation window, Paros stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the ever-shifting sea of stars beyond the glass. Countless constellations drifted past in silence, their light reflecting faintly in his eyes. His expression remained calm, but the worry etched between his brows betrayed the thoughts weighing heavily on his mind.

The atmosphere in the dining hall was surprisingly peaceful, almost harmonious even.

Meanwhile, inside Yuel’s room, Yuel held Rory gently in his arms.

Only after hearing her speak about her past did he finally understand where she had come from.

A place called Blue Star.

She had grown up without parents and had been raised solely by her grandmother.

Unlike the females of the Interstellar Empire, who enjoyed carefree childhoods sheltered from hardship, Rory had known responsibility from a very young age.

As soon as she was old enough to understand the world, she had been helping her grandmother survive.

They took odd jobs wherever they could find them.

Worked in the fields.

Struggled to make ends meet.

Sometimes they had not even had enough food to fill their stomachs.

Yuel could not imagine what it felt like to go hungry.

Nor could he imagine a child barely tall enough to reach an adult’s waist following an elderly woman from place to place, working simply to survive.

He had faced danger.

He had walked through darkness.

He had fought battles where a single mistake meant death.

But he had never worried about whether he would have food tomorrow.

Never worried about survival itself.

The realization made his chest ache.

"Those days are over now."

He tightened his embrace slightly.

"You’ll never have to live like that again, Rory."

"I won’t let you."

It had been a very long time since Rory had spoken to anyone about her past.

Now that she had, memories of her grandmother flooded back with overwhelming force.

Tears gathered in her eyes despite herself.

"I never thought those days were miserable."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"Because I had the best grandmother in the world."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"And now I’ve met all of you."

She looked up at him.

"I think I’m very happy."

The more optimistic she sounded, the more Yuel’s heart hurt.

His Rory was incredibly resilient.

No matter how difficult life became, she always managed to find beauty within it.

To make flowers bloom even in barren soil.

Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Have you ever thought about going back?"

Rory considered the question.

"When I first arrived here, I thought about it all the time."

She laughed softly.

"Everything was unfamiliar. I didn’t fit in. I wanted to go home."

"But now..."

She paused.

"I rarely think about returning anymore."

"Sometimes I miss my old life."

"My friends."

Her voice softened.

"And I miss Grandma all the time."

Yuel nodded thoughtfully.

Blue Star.

He had never heard of such a place.

Yet he was certain of one thing.

Rory’s arrival here had something to do with the Beast God.

Perhaps he should speak with Lian about it.

A notification suddenly chimed from his communicator.

Ding.

A message from Vangar.

Vangar: @Yuel It’s already three in the afternoon. Should the little female master have some juice or fruit?

Jasper: I baked an orange cake this morning. Ask Rory if she’d like some.

Aren: What kind of fruit would the Female Master like? I have plenty here.

Xarion: @Aren Stop talking. All your fruit is sour.

Vangar: I can testify. Back when you were calling me Father, every fruit you gave me was sour.

Aren: ...

Rory nearly burst out laughing.

"Those two are doing it on purpose, aren’t they?"

Yuel smiled.

"Aren fed them enough sour fruit to last a lifetime."

"It’s only natural they’d take every opportunity to get revenge."

His expression softened.

"Don’t worry. They know where the line is."

"They’re just teasing him."

Yuel handed his communicator to Rory.

"More importantly, it’s time for your afternoon snack."

"What would you like?"

"Fruit?"

"Cake?"

"Or something else?"

Rory glanced at the screen.

Alongside the group chat were numerous work reports and classified communications.

The contents alone were enough to make her head hurt.

Yuel trusted her enough to let her see everything.

Ironically, she was the one too intimidated to look.

It all seemed far too complicated.

Far too exhausting.

She rubbed her stomach thoughtfully.

"I’m honestly not hungry at all."

Then she looked at him.

A mischievous smile appeared in her eyes.

"Compared to food, I’d rather have you."

Yuel froze.

For a moment, he could only stare at her.

Then a helpless laugh escaped him.

His Rory had become bolder and bolder lately.

She could say things like that without even blinking.

"I’d be more than happy to let you."

His fingers lightly pinched her cheek.

"But unfortunately..."

His gaze drifted briefly to her stomach before returning to her face.

"Neither of us is in a position where that’s possible right now."

He smiled gently.

"How about this instead?"

"We go out together and have some fruit."