Rory couldn’t die.
If she did, there would be no other female capable of calming Paros’s violently restless ntal power. No one else could endure the pressure of his fractured thoughts or stabilize the storms raging inside his mind. That, more than anything, was the real reason he had co all the way to Veridan City.
It certainly wasn’t because he was worried about her.
At least, that was what he told himself.
Cradling Burnt Dumpling in her arms, Rory slowly scanned their surroundings, her brows knitting together in faint dissatisfaction. The forest clearing was uneven, scarred by unstable energy residue and lingering traces of battle. It felt exposed—hardly the kind of place one would choose for sothing as intimate and vulnerable as a ntal comfort session.
"This doesn’t seem like a very suitable setting," she said finally, her tone asured but doubtful.
At her words, Paros lifted his sharply defined hand and gave a crisp, dismissive wave, as though the problem barely deserved consideration. Space rippled briefly, and a premium rest pod materialized before her without warning, its polished surface gleaming softly beneath the filtered light.
"This will suffice," Paros said calmly. "I’ll have my people secure the periter. No one will interfere."
Rory felt a familiar urge surge up her spine—an almost violent desire to go toe-to-toe with these absurdly wealthy elites. The rest pod standing before her was visibly superior to the one Jasper had painstakingly arranged for her in the past. She had once believed that pod to be outrageously luxurious.
Now she realized she’d been naïve.
Just one of these pods was worth tens of billions of star coins. She’d once thought that kind of wealth was the pinnacle of extravagance. Apparently, it wasn’t even enough for Paros to consider it anything more than a convenient travel accessory.
Following him inside, Rory nearly lost her composure.
The floor and walls were inlaid with rare gemstones that shimred faintly with stored energy, interspersed with high-rank beast cores embedded like decorative stones. The air itself felt dense and refined, humming with restrained power. She had once thought Paros’s bed—crafted from Rank 8 beast cores—was the height of excess.
This, however, was sothing else entirely.
It was madness.
Paros wasn’t just rich. He was obscenely, irrationally wealthy.
As Paros settled into a chair encrusted with multifaceted gems, Rory approached him. After a brief hesitation, she spoke carefully.
"Um... I already drank your healing potion," she said. "So let’s skip the star coin paynt for this ntal comfort session. Could you do a favor instead?"
Paros lifted his gaze, expression unreadable.
"I got separated from Jasper and Dax," Rory continued. "They’re probably panicking and tearing the forest apart looking for . Could you have your people pass them a ssage? Just let them know I’m safe. That I’m here."
Paros already knew about Jasper. His subordinates had reported everything—down to the smallest detail. Jasper wasn’t just another male. He was Rory’s other suitor.
Unlike Dax—or Paros himself—Jasper was serious.
He didn’t treat courtship as a transaction or a matter of convenience. He genuinely wanted to bond with her.
Bond.
The word surfaced in Paros’s mind like an unexpected thorn, pricking sharply at sothing deep and uncomfortable. His expression cooled, irritation seeping into his voice as sarcasm followed close behind.
"And why," Paros asked coldly, "are you worried that those failures—males who couldn’t even protect their own huntress—will lose their minds searching for you, instead of punishing them for their incompetence?"
Rory stared at him, stunned.
This female’s judgnt, Paros thought irritably, was completely incomprehensible. She was easily tempted by star coins, and the mont soone showed her even a fraction of kindness, she forgave everything. She had nearly been killed by a Rank 11 Chitinid, yet instead of anger or resentnt, she was concerned about the emotional state of two useless suitors.
"They’re not failures," Rory said firmly.
Her tone hardened, and her posture straightened as she refused to allow even a hint of insult toward her suitors—especially Jasper.
"Not long ago, I was surrounded by a rampaging beast herd," she explained earnestly. "Jasper led us through it. He kept completely safe. He’s incredible."
Her voice softened slightly, but her conviction did not waver.
"No one could have predicted that a Rank 11 Chitinid would suddenly appear. Jasper tried to save , but the enemy was simply too strong. That isn’t his fault."
Rank 11 beings were rare even across the entire Interstellar Empire. Among the Chitinids, they were practically legends. Encounters with monsters like that were almost unheard of.
Rory had simply been unlucky.
Then again, considering she’d transmigrated into this world at all, perhaps encountering a Rank 11 Chitinid wasn’t all that surprising.
"Being weak is still a mistake," Paros said flatly.
The fact that she was making excuses for those two males struck him as absurd. Irritating. Almost offensive.
It was impossible to reason with a high-status male like Paros. To him, worth was asured solely by strength, efficiency, and results. Nothing else mattered.
Rory exhaled slowly, exhaustion creeping into her bones.
"Fine," she said. "Let’s just do the ntal comfort session now."
She wanted it over with. The sooner it ended, the sooner she could leave and find Jasper and Dax herself.
Noticing the darkening of her expression, Paros pressed his lips together. Sothing felt off.
She looked... angry.
Had he said sothing wrong?
But wasn’t it Jasper and Dax’s responsibility to protect their huntress?
After a mont of silence, Paros asked quietly, "Are you angry?"
Rory studied him for a long second.
She had lost weight in just a few days. Her combat suit was torn, scorched, and barely holding together. Soot still clung to her clothes. Only her face—clearly scrubbed clean with effort—looked even remotely presentable.
"Yes," Rory said plainly. "I am."
Her gaze was unwavering.
"I don’t like you speaking badly about my suitors."
Paros frowned. "But I’m your suitor too," he argued. "And they did fail to protect you. They’re useless."
Rory felt drained just listening to him.
"Forget Dax," she said. "Let’s talk about Jasper."
Her voice sharpened.
"He and I are going to bond. He’ll be my mate. No one gets to criticize him—except ."
She t Paros’s eyes without hesitation.
"As for you, yes, you’re technically my suitor. But we already agreed to dissolve the match. To , you’re a stranger. The only thing tying us together is star coins."
Without them, she couldn’t care less.
Paros fell silent, genuinely at a loss for words.
Rory turned away, unwilling to waste another breath.
"Let’s begin the ntal comfort session," she said coolly.
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