Back at the manor, Rory had just finished dinner.
Instead of returning to her room imdiately after dinner, she remained seated on the living room sofa, absentmindedly playing with Terry while holding her light-brain.
Yuel sat beside her.
Watching her distracted state, he shook his head helplessly.
"Rory, if you’re worried about Vincent, I can have soone bring him back, alright?"
"I’m not worried about him." Rory replied stubbornly.
Ever since they had returned from the Divine Fallen Battlefield, Xarion had already snuck back to the manor.
Yuel had also checked with the military earlier—Vangar had returned to the army and was currently supervising Aren’s training.
Only Vincent remained completely unreachable. He still hadn’t replied to the ssage Rory had sent him.
She had even contacted Lola, only to discover she had gone off-world to another planet for fun and wasn’t in the Firebird Clan at all.
She didn’t even know whether Vincent had returned yet.
"Alright, alright. You’re not worried. I’m the one who’s worried about Vincent."
Yuel smiled softly at her stubborn denial without exposing it.
"I’ll send soone to the Firebird Clan to ask."
"Then hurry up." Rory imdiately replied. "As long as we know he’s alright."
The truth was... She really was worried.
Vincent had ignored every one of her ssages. Yet the beast mark on her chest remained calm and undisturbed, which ant Vincent shouldn’t be in mortal danger... right?
Or was he still angry and deliberately refusing to answer her?
Yuel nodded and was just about to open his communicator when the captain of the guards suddenly rushed inside in a panic.
"Female Master Rory! Sothing happened to Prince Vincent!"
The guard captain sprinted over before dropping to his knees directly in front of Rory.
"Please save His Highness!"
The communicator slipped from Rory’s hand and crashed onto the floor. She shot up from the sofa instantly.
"What happened to Vincent?!"
The captain quickly relayed everything the Firebird guards had told him.
"A relapse?" Rory stared at him in alarm. "What illness does Vincent have? Why have I never heard about this before?"
Not once had Vincent ntioned it. Even Lola had never told her.
"We’ll explain on the way. Please head to the Firebird Clan with us."
Rory didn’t wait for further answers. She imdiately called Paros downstairs while urging Yuel to hurry and find Xarion.
. . .
Out in the flowerbeds surrounding the manor, Xarion had just finished drinking a nutrient solution and was planning to sleep for a while before sneaking into Rory’s room later that night after she fell asleep.
He had barely curled up onto the small bed he’d made from flowering vines when he suddenly heard rapid approaching footsteps.
The sound was light but incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, the footsteps stopped outside the flowerbed where he was hiding.
Yuel? What was he doing here? Picking flowers? He couldn’t possibly be looking for him... right?
Right?
"Xarion. Co out." Yuel’s voice suddenly rang out. "Sothing happened to Vincent. Rory wants us to go to the Firebird Clan and help."
Xarion didn’t even have ti to ask how Yuel had found him. He imdiately burst out of the flowers.
"What happened to Vincent? What does Female Master need to do?"
"We don’t know the full situation yet. Hurry."
Yuel grabbed Xarion and dragged him away. Ahead of them, the aircraft had already been prepared.
The mont Yuel and Xarion boarded, the craft launched from the manor within seconds, speeding toward the Firebird Clan.
During the journey, the guard captain thoroughly explained Vincent’s condition to Rory. The more she listened, the tighter her brows furrowed.
An old illness? No dicine worked?
"What about Divine Beast Fruit?" she asked urgently. "Doesn’t that work either?"
Before leaving, she had brought every single Divine Beast Fruit she possessed.
The aircraft arrived at the Firebird Clan swiftly.
The mont Rory stepped off the ship, she rushed toward Vincent’s palace at full speed.
By the ti she arrived, the Empress Matriarch had just stepped out from Vincent’s chambers.
The instant she saw Rory hurrying over with two Rank Eleven powerhouses behind her, panic and worry written plainly across her face—she knew she had judged Rory correctly.
"Rory, you ca!"
Empress Matriarch looked at her, forcing her anxious voice into sothing gentler.
"Empress Matriarch, how is Vincent?" Rory asked urgently.
"He’s still unconscious for now. The episode hasn’t fully begun yet," the Empress explained.
"When Vincent was younger, every flare-up began with a period of unconsciousness before the symptoms truly erupted."
"I want to see him." Rory imdiately rushed into Vincent’s chambers.
Inside the vast, lavish palace room, her eyes landed instantly on the figure lying motionless upon the bed.
Her steps halted abruptly. It felt as though an invisible hand had clenched around her heart so tightly it hurt to breathe.
Vincent lay there silently, his complexion pale to the point of translucence.
Those firebird eyes that once always shimred with warmth and starlit gentleness were now tightly closed, his long lashes casting fragile shadows beneath them.
"Female Master Rory, you’re here."
The physician guarding the bedside quickly stepped aside the mont he saw her arrive, making room for her near the bed.
Rory walked over slowly. Every step felt unbearably heavy, as though she were treading directly upon her own heart.
She crouched beside the bed and carefully reached out, trembling fingertips brushing lightly against Vincent’s cold cheek.
Just earlier at the Divine Fallen Battlefield, he had still been perfectly fine.
How had he suddenly beco like this?
Rory imdiately opened her storage ring, taking out every Divine Beast Fruit and every precious dicine she possessed.
"Doctor," she asked anxiously, "is there anything here Vincent can use?"
The physician’s eyes widened in shock the mont he saw the Divine Beast Fruits.
In the Central District, obtaining even a single Divine Beast Fruit was nearly impossible.
The Firebird Clan had once possessed one... And it had already been used on Prince Vincent long ago.
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