The mont Yuel finished speaking, Burnt Dumpling bristled as if struck by lightning.
With an angry flutter of wings, he lunged forward and started pecking at Yuel without rcy.
"Chirp chirp—!"
Shut up.
"Chirp—chirp chirp... chirp!"
You’re not allowed to say it.
"Burnt Dumpling, don’t peck Yuel!"
Rory hurriedly reached out to grab him.
Burnt Dumpling darted aside, easily dodging her hand.
"Chirp!"
Rory, don’t interfere.
This guy is bad news.
"All right, all right, I won’t say anything." Yuel covered his face and surrendered imdiately, his tone full of exaggerated defeat.
Only then did Burnt Dumpling finally stop attacking him.
At the noise, Nix walked over. Seeing Burnt Dumpling causing chaos, he reached out and lifted the little bird by the scruff with practiced ease.
"Burnt Dumpling, my lady is tired today. You’re coming with to the cockpit."
"Chirp!"
As he was carried away, Burnt Dumpling didn’t forget to turn his head and screech a warning at Yuel.
It’s not your business—stay out of it.
"Enough with the noise." Seeing Burnt Dumpling still acting arrogant, Nix gave him a light but warning tap on the head.
"Female Master, get so proper rest. I’ll take care of Burnt Dumpling."
Watching Nix leave with the bird, Rory hurriedly turned back to Yuel.
"Are you all right?
"He didn’t peck you anywhere serious, did he?"
"No," Yuel replied with a gentle smile, shaking his head. "He was just trying to scare ."
Seeing that Yuel really was unhard, Rory finally relaxed.
She sat down on the sofa in the lounge, her gaze drifting to Yuel as her mind replayed Burnt Dumpling’s strange behavior just now.
"Yuel," she asked slowly, "what were you trying to tell earlier?
"Who were you going to introduce?"
Yuel blinked at her innocently.
"I was planning to tell you, Rory—but as you saw, he wouldn’t let ."
"Wouldn’t let you?" Rory frowned slightly. "Burnt Dumpling?"
Yuel didn’t answer directly. He simply smiled at her, his expression warm and gentle.
"Rory, don’t put in a difficult position. I already promised—I can’t say it."
That was enough. Rory understood imdiately.
So it really was Burnt Dumpling.
"What’s going on with him?" she pressed. "What’s his relationship with you? He isn’t just an ordinary bird, is he?"
She fired off several questions in a row, her eyes fixed on Yuel.
When she had first picked up Burnt Dumpling, Rory had deliberately examined him and found no trace of energy fluctuations at all.
Still uneasy, she’d even asked Jasper and Xavier to check him thoroughly.
All three of them had reached the sa conclusion—Burnt Dumpling was just an ordinary bird.
Maybe a bit smarter than average. Occasionally able to understand what she said.
Jasper and Nix had both told her that in the interstellar age, there were plenty of birds that could comprehend human speech—so could even talk.
So Rory had never once doubted him.
"My Rory really is clever," Yuel said softly, his smile deepening. "Just one sentence, and you already realized he isn’t ordinary. Since you know that much, you must have already guessed who he really is, haven’t you?"
Rory’s eyes widened.
The mont she realized Burnt Dumpling was a beastman, a na had already ford in her mind.
"He’s... Kather?"
"Rory," Yuel said calmly, "I didn’t say anything."
He had promised Kather not to reveal the truth.
But if Rory figured it out on her own—that had nothing to do with him.
"I really never would have imagined it."
Rory was genuinely stunned.
Who could have guessed that the dignified Second Prince under the code na "Kather"... would end up as a pitch-black little bird?
"This isn’t your fault," Yuel said gently. "You never saw what he looked like as a child. And the way he is now—aside from his family, no one could recognize him. If I hadn’t transford alongside him, I wouldn’t have known either."
"When we found him," Rory said quietly, "there wasn’t even the faintest trace of energy left in his body. "We all thought he was just an ordinary bird."
"He had completely exhausted his powers," Yuel explained, "and deliberately concealed his identity. Of course you couldn’t detect anything."
After speaking, Yuel picked up a thin blanket and draped it over Rory.
"Let’s stop talking about this for now. Stay with and rest a bit. I’m feeling rather tired."
As he spoke, his form softened and transford into slender vines that gently wrapped around Rory’s wrist.
Knowing that he hadn’t fully recovered yet, Rory didn’t say anything more.
She quietly stayed with him.
...
Rory couldn’t fall asleep.
Her eyes were closed, but her thoughts kept circling back to Burnt Dumpling.
In truth, there had been clues.
At first, she hadn’t known Burnt Dumpling was Prince Vincent—but when the firebird appeared that day, she should have been suspicious.
Then there were Vincent’s words on the star rail, saying he had always been by her side.
And Lola Brandon’s attitude toward Burnt Dumpling.
How had she not thought more deeply about it back then?
It seed that lately, she had been taken care of too well by Nix and Jasper.
So well that she’d almost lost her vigilance.
Wait—Lola Brandon!
Rory’s eyes snapped open.
Judging by how Lola Brandon treated Burnt Dumpling, she must have already recognized his identity.
And Burnt Dumpling clearly knew Lola Brandon as well.
That little liar—he hadn’t told her the truth at all.
Why hadn’t he told her?
Was it because he thought he looked too ugly now... and was afraid she’d dislike him?
When the battleship finally landed inside the estate Yuel had purchased for Rory, the vines around her wrist stirred.
In the next instant, Yuel appeared before her once more.
"Rory, we’ve arrived. I’ll help you down."
He reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist.
Through the lounge’s screen, Rory had already seen the estate in full.
The grounds spanned over a thousand hectares.
White jade archways stood at the entrance, embedded on both sides with naturally luminescent energy crystals.
The glass tiles of the main building’s dod roof refracted the sunset into shimring, peacock-feather hues, while an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows mirrored the rippling light of a distant artificial lake.
Humanoid service robots in maid uniforms descended the rose-patterned white jade steps in orderly silence.
Armored robotic soldiers patrolled the grounds.
The entire estate was enveloped in a high-level protective barrier.
"Rory," Yuel asked with a smile as he helped her off the ship, "do you like this place? I didn’t know what kind of male beastn you prefer, so I didn’t make arrangents. I only had a group of armored robots stationed here for protection."
"If you plan to live here long-term, in a few days I can accompany you to choose so beastn guards. We can also hire ordinary, non-powered females to help take care of your daily needs."
After all, no matter how advanced they were, synthetic robots were still less flexible than real beastn.
"No need," Rory replied imdiately. "I’m already used to using high-grade robots."
Just set the programs, and everything was taken care of.
Using real people would feel strange instead.
"This is perfect," she said sincerely. "Thank you, Yuel. I really like it here."
She climbed the steps, her eyes shining with excitent.
She had never lived in such a huge place before.
Yuel followed her.
"Rory, your room is on the third floor. I had it arranged based on your room in the Alliance. I’ll take you to see it."
"Mm!"
Rory nodded, then turned to look at Nix as he disembarked from the ship.
Burnt Dumpling stood stiffly on Nix’s shoulder.
The mont he noticed Rory looking at him, he straightened his posture.
Yuel didn’t tell her my identity... right?
Rory only glanced at him briefly before looking away.
She said to Nix, "Nix, my room is on the third floor. Choose whichever room you like."
"Yes, Female Master."
Nix scanned the layout of the estate, already planning to choose the room closest to her.
Looks like Rory doesn’t know yet. At least Yuel still has a conscience. Burnt Dumpling finally let out a silent sigh of relief.
Nix lifted him down from his shoulder.
"Burnt Dumpling, you should stay with ."
Before the words had fully settled, Rory spoke without even turning back.
"Nix, let Vincent choose a room for himself."
Nix’s eyes widened in surprise. "Vincent? Where?"
Burnt Dumpling’s body went rigid.
So... she did know.
He knew it. Yuel was only reliable on the battlefield—everywhere else, completely unreliable.
Rory... she doesn’t dislike , does she?
Nix was utterly confused. "My lady, Prince Vincent is here as well?"
Why hadn’t he seen him?
The mont the question left his mouth, the Burnt Dumpling in his hands vanished—
And a tall, strikingly handso man stood in front of him.
Nix froze in shock.
(It seems His Highness the Second Prince’s good days... have finally arrived.)
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