"Mother!"
Suddenly, a soft, babyish voice ca from within the glowing sphere.
Rory froze mid-step.
She turned back in disbelief and stared at the drifting light.
Before her eyes, the small white orb slowly changed shape. The glow softened, gathering and condensing until it revealed a tiny child—no bigger than a toddler—standing where the light had been.
The little boy was completely naked, his skin pale and tender like fresh petals. Atop his head grew a delicate, translucent flower, shimring with faint rainbow light.
He looked up at Rory with bright, delighted eyes.
"Mother... I finally found you."
The child looked almost exactly like a miniature version of Yuel.
Rory stared in stunned silence as the tiny figure ran forward and threw himself into her arms.
Her instincts took over. She caught him automatically, cradling the small, warm body against her chest.
"You’re saying... you’re my baby?"
"Mm-hmm!"
The little one nodded vigorously. The small flower on his head swayed with the motion.
"But I’m not really pregnant," Rory said slowly. "It’s just a false pregnancy. I can’t grow a fruit."
The mont those words left her mouth, the child’s eyes instantly filled with tears.
"On the day Father left... that’s when I appeared," he said, his voice trembling. "But I only gained awareness a few days ago."
"Right now I’m just a ball of light... and I can only appear in Mother’s dreams."
"If Mother doesn’t keep ... I’ll disappear very soon."
His lips quivered. "Mother, please don’t abandon Terry, okay? I’m very capable! I can protect Mother. I can grow lots and lots of flowers for you... And I can help Mother increase her Rank too..."
Rory stared at the little child sobbing miserably in her arms, utterly shocked.
The fruit hadn’t even ford yet—and it already had consciousness?
Seeing him cry so pitifully made her chest ache unexpectedly.
"Terry will be very obedient," the child whimpered. "Mother, please keep , okay? I can even help Mother take care of future little brothers and sisters."
"Please don’t abandon ..."
Was this really the child she had with Yuel?
The soft, babyish voice. The tearful eyes. And that face—so much like Yuel’s. Especially that resemblance.
It was almost painfully adorable.
Rory held him a little closer. "But... how am I supposed to keep you?" she asked gently.
The crying child in her arms suddenly looked up, his watery eyes lighting with sudden hope.
For a brief mont, they sparkled. Then the light dimd again.
"I... don’t know," he admitted. He scrunched up his tiny brows and thought for a mont.
Then suddenly his face brightened. "Father definitely knows! Mother can ask Father."
"Female Master... Female Master..."
Rory slowly stirred, her eyelids heavy as she drifted back toward consciousness. When she finally opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Xarion’s face—his silver-gray eyes filled with unmistakable concern.
"Xarion... what’s wrong?"
The mont he saw that she was awake, Xarion visibly relaxed. The tension that had been gripping him for days finally eased.
"Female Master, you’ve been asleep for three days," he said gently. "Why don’t you get up and eat sothing first... then you can sleep again, alright?"
"Three days?" Rory stared at him in disbelief.
To her, it had felt like she’d only exchanged a few words with Terry in her dream.
She hadn’t realized that three entire days had passed.
Almost instinctively, she reached up and touched the spot on her head that had been itching.
Her fingers found a small raised bump beneath the skin—about the size of a bean.
It felt firm.
And the itch was even worse than before.
Rory took out one of Yuel’s pale blossoms and handed it to Xarion.
"Crush this for and apply the juice here."
Xarion carefully ground the delicate flower and gently spread the cool juice over the swollen spot.
The mont the flower juice touched her skin, the itching vanished instantly.
Just then, Nix entered the room carrying a tray of food.
Downstairs, Jasper was keeping watch over Cotton Candy.
During the past few days, while Rory had been sleeping, Aren had co to check on her several tis—but Xarion had always been there.
Every single ti, Xarion had refused to let him get anywhere near Rory.
The more he was blocked, the more anxious Aren beca.
The Female Master’s condition seed to be getting worse.
Now she had even fallen into a deep sleep that lasted three whole days.
When Aren saw Nix carrying food upstairs, he imdiately realized—Rory must have finally woken up.
He wanted to follow and see her.
But Jasper was holding him firmly in his arms, refusing to let him go upstairs.
anwhile, Nix entered Rory’s room with the tray.
When he saw Rory walking out of the bathroom, his face lit up with pure relief.
"Rory—you’re finally awake!"
If his hands hadn’t been full of food, he would have rushed forward and hugged her imdiately.
After sleeping for three days, Rory was ravenous.
The mont she saw the food Nix had brought, she hurried over.
Right now, she felt hungry enough to swallow an entire pig.
On the table sat a bowl of small at-filled buns and a few pan-fried dumplings.
Rory shook her head. "Nix... I’m really hungry. Can I have a bowl of rice too? And add beast at—lots of beast at."
Nix nodded instantly. "I’ll make it right away."
Xarion had already explained everything to them earlier. Rory wasn’t actually pregnant—she was just growing Yuel’s vine.
The symptoms, however, were nearly identical to pregnancy.
They had even researched it.
Rory’s enormous appetite right now was simply because the erging vine needed extra nutrients.
Once the vine sprouted, these symptoms would disappear.
Nix imdiately ran downstairs to cook more noodles for her.
Before leaving, he also told Jasper to take Cotton Candy out of the living room and make sure the rabbit didn’t see him.
Rory quickly finished everything on the table in front of her.
The bowl of buns was empty in monts, and the fried dumplings disappeared just as fast.
Now she sat waiting eagerly for the beast-at rice Nix had gone downstairs to cook.
With food finally settling in her stomach, the gnawing hunger eased a little. Strength gradually returned to her limbs, and she finally had the energy to ask Xarion about sothing that had been on her mind.
"While I was asleep these past few days... did Cotton Candy do anything unusual?"
Xarion nodded slightly. "He’s been getting more and more restless," he said. "Last night I noticed he left the estate."
"But he was too fast. I couldn’t catch up."
There was another reason he hadn’t pursued the rabbit.
Xarion didn’t dare leave the estate unattended.
If the other party was trying to lure him away from the villa, Rory would be left vulnerable.
"Female Master," he continued, his voice quiet but certain, "I’m now almost completely sure he isn’t an ordinary rabbit."
"We just don’t know his true identity yet."
After hearing this, Rory’s thoughts quickly began to organize themselves.
A plan ford almost instantly.
"It seems the performance has run its course," she said calmly. "Tonight... we can close the net."
As she spoke, she reached up and touched the small swelling on her head again.
The mory of the crying child from her dream surfaced vividly in her mind.
The tiny figure sobbing in her arms.
The trembling voice calling her "Mother."
After a brief hesitation, Rory opened her light-brain and sent Yuel a ssage.
Rory:
Yuel, is there any way to make the flower I grow actually produce a fruit?
Far away on the battlefield, Yuel had just finished directing a major engagent.
He was on his way back to review the operation with Vincent and the others when Rory’s ssage arrived.
The mont he read it, he nearly lost his footing.
For a second, it looked as though he might collapse directly to his knees in front of Vincent.
"What’s wrong?" Vincent imdiately reached out and caught him before he could embarrass himself.
It was the first ti he had ever seen Yuel lose his composure like this.
"Did sothing happen?"
"Nothing," Yuel said quickly, shaking his head.
"You all start the review first. I need to step out for a mont. I’ll be back shortly."
With Vincent and Paros working together, the war had progressed exceptionally smoothly.
The campaign was already nearing its end.
Before long, they would all be able to return ho.
Seeing that Yuel truly seed to have sothing urgent to handle, Vincent reminded him,
"Co back quickly and take over for . I haven’t sent Rory a ssage in ages."
He had only just returned and had been planning to contact her once the review ended.
Yuel nodded. "I’ll be quick."
With that, he left the eting room at once.
Video calls weren’t possible in this area, so he could only reply through text.
Yuel:
Rory, why are you suddenly asking about that?
Didn’t you say you didn’t want children?
He couldn’t lie to her.
But he also didn’t want to tell her the full truth.
So he tried to steer her away from the idea instead.
As soon as Rory saw his reply, she imdiately answered.
Rory:
I dread about the baby.
He was crying and begging not to abandon him.
Yuel... he’s so cute.
And he looks just like you.
I want to keep him.
Can I?
The glow of the screen reflected in Yuel’s eyes.
The gentleness on his face vanished instantly.
In its place appeared a deep, grave seriousness.
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