"Nix, let try yours too, alright?"
Nix had been the quickest this ti. He imdiately lifted the piece he’d just cooked and placed it into Rory’s bowl.
"Rory, mine’s ready too," Jasper added right after, unwilling to fall behind.
Xarion and Paros didn’t say a word, but their actions were just as swift. Each of them added a dumpling to Rory’s bowl.
Even Wen, usually so quiet, mustered his courage. Carefully, almost timidly, he placed the piece he had cooked into her bowl as well.
In the blink of an eye, Rory’s small bowl was completely full.
Rory didn’t know what to do.
Yuel glanced at the mountain of dumplings in her bowl and smiled. He picked up a few strands of bright green vegetables from the pot and placed them neatly on top.
Looking at her, he said gently, "Rory, you can’t just eat at. You need a balanced diet."
The mont those words fell, everyone else fell silent.
Vincent, who had just picked up another dumpling, suddenly hesitated, unsure whether he should still add it to her bowl.
Rory looked at the overflowing pile in front of her and couldn’t help but laugh.
"Don’t just keep giving food. You should all eat too."
As she spoke, she picked up her fork and, one by one, placed dumplings into the bowls of Yuel, Nix, Jasper, Xarion, Paros, and even Wen.
Only then did she finally start eating properly.
She knew exactly what was going on. They had seen her serve Vincent earlier and had all gotten jealous.
"I knew it. Rory treats us the best!" Nix bead, imdiately popping the piece she gave him into his mouth.
Delicious. Absolutely incredible.
Wen stared at the extra dumpling in his bowl, his eyes turning red with emotion. He almost teared up on the spot.
He hadn’t expected that he would be included too.
The al ended with everyone thoroughly satisfied, the atmosphere warm and lively.
After dinner, Nix and the others directed the advanced robots to clean up the dining hall and kitchen.
Rory returned alone to her room.
After forming a bond with Vincent, she hadn’t worked out for three days.
Tonight, it was ti to absorb energy from beast cores again.
She had already reached Rank seven.
Her goal was to break through to Rank eight before the Festival of Ten Thousand Females.
Once Rory went upstairs, Nix imdiately went to find Vincent after finishing in the kitchen.
"Vincent, it’s ti to rearrange who stays with Rory tonight, isn’t it?"
For the past few days, Vincent had monopolized her after forming their bond. There was no way he could keep doing that tonight too.
Vincent nodded. "Yes, it’s ti to rearrange."
He looked at the other n gathered in the living room. "What do you all think? Draw lots, or let assign it again?"
Nix answered without hesitation, "You assign it."
No way he was drawing lots. His luck was terrible.
Xarion added, "I don’t mind you assigning it, but shouldn’t we change the order this ti?"
His gaze flicked briefly toward Jasper. "We can’t have Jasper going first every ti, can we? That’s not fair."
Vincent didn’t respond imdiately. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Yuel and Jasper.
"What about you two?"
Jasper replied calmly, "I’ll follow the arrangent."
Yuel added, "I don’t mind."
There was a faint helplessness in his tone. For now, there wasn’t much he could do anyway, so any day was the sa.
Vincent nodded. "Then this ti, Rory will decide."
"I’ll prepare slips of paper with our nas. Whoever she draws first will stay with her tonight. The rest will follow in the order they’re drawn."
Xarion nodded. "That works."
Nix quickly agreed as well. "As long as I’m not the one drawing."
He trusted Rory’s luck.
...
When Rory ca out of the training room, she saw Vincent already waiting inside her room, a black box resting in his hands.
"What’s that?" She walked over, her gaze landing on the box.
"It’s for drawing lots."
Vincent explained their plan to her.
"They wanted to arrange it, but I wasn’t sure how to make it fair this ti. So it’s better if you draw. That way, no one will have objections."
Of course, that wasn’t entirely true.
It wasn’t that Vincent didn’t know how to arrange it. It was that he had his own selfish thoughts. If he were the one assigning, as the primary partner, he would have to appear generous and place himself later in the order.
But he didn’t want to be last. So this thod was the fairest and safest. In front of Rory, none of them would dare cheat.
Rory looked at the black box in front of her.
She slipped her hand into the box. Inside were several identical folded slips of paper. She stirred them lightly, then quickly picked one out.
Outside the door, Nix, Jasper, Xarion, and Yuel were all pressed against it, ears practically glued to the surface.
Each of them held their breath, straining to catch any sound from inside.
"Who do you think Rory will draw first?" Nix muttered under his breath, his palms damp with nervous sweat.
"Anyone’s fine, as long as it’s not Vincent," Xarion said flatly. "That guy’s had her to himself for three days already. If he gets picked again, there’s no justice in the world."
"I think Rory’s luck is great. She’ll definitely pick ," Nix declared, his confidence rapidly inflating into blind optimism.
Jasper and Yuel exchanged a glance but said nothing.
Just then, Rory’s voice drifted out from inside the room, laced with a hint of amusent...
"The first one’s drawn. Let open it and see who it is."
Outside the door, all four of them felt their hearts leap straight into their throats.
Yuel had said he didn’t mind, but deep down, he still hoped it would be him.
Even if they did nothing, just holding Rory as they slept would be enough.
Inside the room, Rory slowly unfolded the slip of paper between her fingers.
On the white strip, Vincent’s na ca into view.
Rory: "..."
She lifted her head and looked at him, her eyes filled with suspicion.
A flicker of surprise crossed Vincent’s face, and he imdiately said, "Rory, I swear to the Beast God, I didn’t cheat."
But even as he spoke, the corners of his lips couldn’t help but lift slightly.
His luck today was truly excellent.
Rory studied his expression. It didn’t look like he was lying. And he had sworn to the Beast God.
It seed tonight really was just Vincent’s good fortune.
"Alright, I’ll draw the second one."
Very quickly, she finished drawing the rest.
Yuel was second, Xarion third, Jasper fourth, and Nix fifth.
Vincent neatly wrote down the order, then stood and walked to the door, pulling it open.
Outside, Nix and the others imdiately looked at him, tense and expectant.
"Vincent, who’s with Rory tonight?" Nix asked impatiently.
Vincent handed them the slip with the final order.
The mont they saw his na at the top, the air froze.
Nix pointed at him, his face full of disbelief.
"No way. Absolutely no way! Vincent, did you cheat?!"
Xarion said nothing, but the look in his eyes clearly said the sa thing.
Yuel and Jasper remained silent as well, but their gazes were equally suspicious.
Vincent had expected this reaction. He raised his hand solemnly.
"I swear to the Beast God, I did not cheat."
Rory stepped forward and added calmly, "I can vouch for him. He didn’t cheat. I drew the order myself."
With Vincent’s oath and Rory’s confirmation, the others had no choice but to accept it.
No one voiced further doubt.
But Nix was unhappy. Extrely unhappy.
He had thought that if Rory did the drawing, his luck would finally turn around.
And yet he still ended up last.
Watching Nix and the others leave in dejection, Rory’s gaze shifted to Paros, who stood quietly by the staircase.
His tall fra leaned against the railing, head slightly lowered. Long black hair fell forward, veiling most of his face, hiding whatever expression lay beneath.
Paros wanted to draw lots just like the others. But Vincent had made it clear—he was not yet Rory’s partner. He didn’t even have the right to participate. So all he could do was stand here and watch.
As Nix and the others passed by, Paros turned, about to leave, when Rory’s voice suddenly stopped him.
"Paros, wait a mont."
She... was calling him?
The step he had just lifted fell back down instantly.
He turned around at once, eyes locking onto her.
Did she call him back because she wanted him to stay?
To stay tonight... together with Vincent?
As Rory walked toward him step by step, Paros felt his heartbeat quicken uncontrollably. Even his breathing grew warm, uneven.
Rory, however, had no idea what was going through his mind. She stopped in front of him, her figure filling his vision.
Paros stared at her, almost forgetting how to breathe. His throat bobbed, and in his dark eyes flickered a soft, almost puppy-like glimr of hope.
"Sister... you called ?" His voice was gentle, almost lting at the edges. He didn’t dare ask the question buried in his heart.
Rory looked at him, her tone calm and steady. "It’s been a few days since I last soothed you. Let’s go to your room. I’ll help you now."
On the journey back from the water domain, she had soothed him every day. His condition had improved significantly. He no longer needed it daily.
"Soothe..." The word rang in Paros’s mind like a dull echo.
In an instant, every fragile thread of hope shattered. So that was it. She hadn’t called him to stay. She only wanted to help him stabilize.
The light in his eyes dimd visibly, the disappointnt too raw to hide.
Rory noticed his expression and frowned slightly. "Paros, what’s wrong? Do you not want soothing today?"
If he didn’t want it today, tomorrow would be fine too.
Of course, she understood exactly what he was feeling. But she couldn’t let him stay with her. So she chose to pretend she didn’t.
"I... no, that’s not it." Paros quickly shook his head.
Not being able to stay with her was already enough to disappoint him.
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