Chapter 420: See you later

The way he looked right now made Rory’s heart skip a beat. When someone who usually looked terrifyingly fierce gave you a pathetic puppy-dog look like that, who could possibly resist? Rory certainly couldn’t.

"I’m not even mad at you." Rory couldn’t help but reach out and pinch Vangar’s sharp, handsome cheek. "Besides, you didn’t know it was alcohol. You really can’t be blamed for this."

"But I disturbed your rest after I got drunk," Vangar said guiltily.

"You didn’t," Rory shook her head. "You actually handle your liquor pretty well. Once you got drunk, you just went to sleep. You didn’t cause a scene or anything."

Vangar didn’t know what "causing a scene" entailed, but he had literally crawled into Xarion’s arms to sleep. Wasn’t that bad enough?

Seeing him standing there looking utterly dazed, Rory took his hand and led him over to the sofa to sit down. She then handed him the warm water Aren had prepared for her earlier.

"You drank last night, does your stomach feel upset now? Have some water first. I’ll have Aren make you some porridge." As Rory spoke, she reached out to open her terminal to contact Aren in the kitchen.

"No need." Vangar gently caught her hand, stopping her. "I’m not hungry, and my stomach feels fine." Vangar looked at Rory, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the corner of her lips. "Rory, thank you for not being angry with me."

When he walked in earlier, he had been genuinely terrified that she would be furious.

Rory kissed him back. "Don’t worry, I wouldn’t get mad at you over something like this." Unless, of course, he got drunk and did something truly out of line.

Vangar pulled Rory onto his lap. He was so heavily built that when Rory sat on him, she was completely enveloped in his embrace. He kissed her again before bringing up his actual reason for coming.

"I heard you’re going to Starlight Prime Tech today with that human female, Bree?"

"Yeah, I made plans with her yesterday." Leaning against Vangar’s chest, Rory’s gaze drifted over his clothes. "Why do you ask? Do you want to come with me?" He was dressed so nicely; it was obvious he had meticulously groomed himself before coming over.

Vangar nodded, looking at Rory with pure anticipation. "Can I?"

"As long as it doesn’t interfere with your work," Rory replied.

"It won’t," Vangar said happily. "I finished all of today’s work yesterday just so I could spend the day with you." Getting the chance to accompany his female master out on a stroll didn’t happen often.

The two talked in the room for a while longer. When Rory saw it was about time, she headed downstairs with Vangar.

Jasper and the others had already prepared all the supplies, food, and drinks she would need for the trip.

Terry was sitting on the sofa, and the moment he saw Rory come down, he instantly transformed into a flash of blue light and landed right on her head. He had shrunk his fruit form to the size of a blueberry, looking as though he were attached to Rory’s hair—no matter how she shifted, he wouldn’t fall off. With a slight movement, he could bury himself deep in her hair, masking his presence so completely that no one would ever notice him.

"Mama, am I cute?" Terry’s voice echoed directly in Rory’s mind. "Mama, you don’t need to speak out loud. Just think it, and I’ll be able to hear you."

"That’s amazing." Rory didn’t say a word, simply forming the thought in her mind.

Immediately, she heard Terry giggling, "Hehe, told you it’s amazing! Aren’t I great?"

"Yes, you are. My Terry is the greatest," Rory thought with a smile, reaching up to gently pat the little berry on her head.

She then looked over at the group standing in the main hall and realized that, except for Yuel, every single one of them was there.

"Are you all coming with me?" Rory asked.

Standing right beside her, Nix nodded eagerly.

"How could we miss out on such a great opportunity to go shopping with you, Rory?" Vincent said. "I wrapped up all of today’s work yesterday too. My entire day belongs to you."

Wen looked at Rory with pure anticipation. "Master, I... I want to go with you too." This was the first time Wen had ever openly voiced his own wishes.

Rory walked over and took his hand. "My little fish is always so good, of course I’m bringing you along."

The other men in the house had such massive presences. Wen hated conflict and always quietly stood in the back. Since she had already decided to form a bond with him, she couldn’t keep sidelining him like before.

Wen hadn’t expected Rory to step forward and take his hand. He stared at her, deeply moved, his eyes stinging slightly. The next second, a pink pearl dropped right into Rory’s palm.

Rory looked down at the pearl. She used to love Wen’s pearls, but now, seeing it only made her heart ache for him.

"Master, I..." Wen looked at her in a panic. He felt so useless—just a couple of words, and he was already shedding pearls. Every other male in the household was tough as nails; he was the only one who cried like this. Would she lose feelings for him?

"Our little fish’s pearls are as beautiful as ever," Rory said with a reassuring smile. "I’m going to save this and make it into a bracelet to wear." She could tell Wen simply had a crying condition; any spike in emotion made him drop pearls. She would have to take extra gentle care of him from now on.

Standing next to Jasper, Paros watched Wen with envy. It turned out staying by her side could be so simple, yet at the same time, so impossibly difficult. If only he had... from the very start... Paros pressed his lips together, lowering his eyes in silence.

Jasper noticed the shift in Paros’s aura and glanced over at him.

Ping.

Rory’s communicator chimed. It was a message from Bree.

Bree: [Rory, Yilan and I are almost at your castle. Are you ready?]

Rory: [Yep, all set. Heading out now.]

After replying, Rory turned to the men around her. "Let’s go. Bree is almost here. Time to move."

Jasper draped a jacket he had prepared over her shoulders. "The temperature dropped a bit outside today. Keep this on so you don’t catch a cold."

"Thanks." Rory pulled the jacket close. Aside from Yuel, Jasper was always the most attentive.

The moment Rory and the group stepped out of the castle, Bree’s airship arrived. She touched down and hopped off with Yilan, waving cheerfully at Rory. "Good morning, Rory! Do you want to ride in our airship with us?"

She had brought several of her mates along today, and walking right beside her was Sylas. The moment Sylas saw Rory, his eyes instinctively flickered before he quickly looked down. What was wrong with him? Hadn’t he cut ties with Rory long ago? Why did he still have such intense emotional swings every time he saw her?

Rory didn’t spare Sylas a glance, smiling back at Bree. "I think I’ll take my own airship. My mates get terrible separation anxiety; if I leave their sight, they’ll panic."

"Fair enough," Bree laughed, nodding. "See you at Starlight Prime Tech, then!"

With that, she turned back toward her airship with her mates and Yilan. Yilan was still staring longingly at Vincent, but Bree grabbed her by the arm, forcing her to turn around.