"Female Master... I’m sorry. I’m so sorry." The soft, pink rabbit beside her suddenly spoke.
Female Master? He had just called her Female Master. Rory’s heart jolted with shock.
Did that an... he was one of her matches, too?
But who?
Sylas Ruan?
Impossible. Sylas Ruan didn’t have the kind of brain needed to pull off sothing like this.
Dax?
That couldn’t be right either. Ever since their bond had been severed, Dax barely dared show his face around her again. He didn’t have the courage for sothing like this.
Paros was on the battlefield with Vincent and the others.
So it definitely wasn’t him.
That left only one possibility.
Rory stared at the rabbit in front of her and spoke cautiously.
"You... are you Aren?"
The next second, the rabbit vanished. In its place stood a man with long black hair. He bore the exact sa face as Aris, yet his aura was completely different.
There was none of Aris’s cold malice or calculating cruelty about him. Instead, Aren carried an almost overwhelming allure—an intoxicating charm that felt as though it could draw a person’s very soul into its depths.
"Female Master... I’m sorry. I deceived you."
Aren dropped to his knees before Rory.
His jet-black hair spilled down like the finest silk, draping over his pale shoulders and back. A few loose strands fell across his face, accentuating the breathtaking beauty of his features.
It was the sa face.
Yet the details were unmistakably different.
Aris’s eyes were always half-lidded, sharp and watchful—like a hawk forever calculating its next strike.
But Aren’s eyes were wide and open.
The outer corners curved slightly upward in a naturally seductive arc.
His pupils were darker than the night sky itself, deep and endless. When one looked into them, it felt as if they were gazing into a whirlpool of stars—an abyss that seized the mind and refused to let it go.
Rory looked at him and knew instantly.
This was Aren.
Not Aris.
"Why did you disguise yourself as a rabbit to deceive ?" she asked quietly. "And such a pink, fluffy rabbit at that. It doesn’t match you at all."
Watching the mix of panic and sorrow on Aren’s face, Rory had already guessed part of the reason.
It was probably because of Aris.
Even though she had already figured it out, she still wanted to hear Aren explain it himself.
"Because of Aris," he said softly. "I learned what Aris did to you. I have the sa face as him. When I returned, Aris had already been killed by two of your partners. But he has an ability that makes him impossible to truly kill. I was afraid... that if I suddenly appeared before you, you would hate because of what Aris did."
"...I thought you would drive away."
Just as she had suspected.
Listening to his explanation, Rory realized that his answer matched almost perfectly with what she had already guessed.
"I’m sorry, Female Master. I never ant to deceive you. I was just afraid... that you wouldn’t want ."
Aren hesitated, as if wanting to reach out and hold Rory’s hand—but in the end, he didn’t dare.
He knew how much she hated being lied to. And he had committed the worst offense.
There was no way the Female Master would forgive him now.
The corners of Aren’s eyes had turned red. His gaze was filled with reluctant longing, as if he couldn’t bear to leave her.
"Female Master... I received the notice that you had dissolved our match. But even so, I still wanted to stay by your side. Even if it was only as a follower."
"Female Master, please believe —I’m truly not the sa as Aris."
"I believe that you’re different from Aris," Rory replied.
From everything she had seen during this ti, it was clear enough that Aren and Aris were completely different kinds of people.
"Female Master... you believe ?" Aren looked at her in stunned disbelief.
He had been certain that once she exposed his identity, she would scold him... strike him... perhaps even order him to leave.
But never—not even in his boldest hopes—had he imagined she would say she believed him.
Overco with emotion, Aren suddenly grabbed Rory’s hand.
"Female Master, thank you for trusting . I will cure you. Just wait for to co back."
"You—where are you going?" Rory didn’t even get the chance to finish her question.
The man who had been kneeling before her a mont earlier suddenly transford into a streak of light—and vanished.
Rory stared at the empty space in front of her.
"...Aren? Aren! Get back here!"
She sat up imdiately and called out toward the doorway.
But there was no answer.
And Aren did not return.
The bedroom door burst open. Jasper and Nix rushed inside and hurried to Rory’s side.
"Rory, are you alright?"
Rory shook her head quickly. "I’m fine. And I already know Cotton Candy’s identity. He’s Aren..."
"We know," Jasper said gently. "Don’t worry. Xarion already chased after him." He spoke in a soothing tone.
They had been outside the entire ti. Every word of the conversation in the bedroom had reached them clearly.
Aren had said he would cure Rory. Leaving so urgently ant he was almost certainly going to find dicine for her.
Hearing that Xarion had already gone after him, Rory relaxed slightly.
"He was too impulsive," she muttered. "He ran off before I could even finish speaking."
Nix laughed lightly. "Rory, it’s lucky he cares about you that much. If he hadn’t rushed off like that... we would’ve just let Xarion beat him to death."
Jasper nodded in agreent.
Yes—this was exactly what they had been thinking.
Just monts earlier, Xarion had been standing outside the door, and the killing intent radiating from him had nearly beco impossible to suppress.
Rory sighed.
So... it was actually lucky that Aren had run fast enough.
Now that Xarion had gone after him, Jasper’s focus returned to Rory.
"Rory, since we already know that Cotton Candy is Aren," he said gently, "does that an we’re leaving tomorrow to find Yuel?"
Right now, Aren wasn’t the priority. What mattered most was Yuel’s child.
Rory nodded. "Yes. In order to avoid any unexpected complications, we should leave as soon as possible. I’ll start packing now. You two should go get ready as well."
Nix spoke up imdiately. "Rory, my things are already packed. I’ll help you with yours."
He didn’t have much to bring—just a few sets of clothes and his combat chs.
This ti, he had returned with several powerful new chs. More than enough to protect Rory.
Seeing that Nix would stay with Rory, Jasper said, "Then I’ll go prepare the supplies everyone will need."
When traveling far from ho, it was always better to bring extra. With that, Jasper quickly left the bedroom.
Rory went to wash the pale makeup from her face first. Once she was done, she and Nix began packing together.
"Nix," she asked while sorting through her belongings, "how long will it take us to travel from the Central District to where Yuel is now?"
Nix calculated for a mont before answering. "The total travel ti will be five days, three hours, and six minutes."
That precise?
Rory gave him an impressed thumbs-up. "Nix, your calculation skills are amazing."
Being praised instantly made Nix grin so widely that his eyes nearly disappeared into crescents.
He pulled Rory into a hug and planted a firm kiss on her cheek. "When Rory praises , it makes really happy."
Rory laughed and kissed his cheek in return. "When we co back after seeing Yuel, I’ll go with you to visit the Lion-Tiger Clan."
She had promised before that she would accompany him back ho.
But one event after another had delayed it until now.
"Mm."
Nix’s smile grew even brighter.
He had thought Rory had forgotten about that promise. He hadn’t expected that she still rembered.
He was so happy he almost wanted to shift into his beast form and roll around on the floor.
Rory quickly finished packing the things she needed.
Then she took out several pieces of wood and a few crystals she had bought earlier.
These were ant to be materials for a gift she planned to make for Yuel.
With five days of travel ahead of them, she had plenty of ti.
She was determined to finish making that gift.
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