Chapter 232: Teachings
Rory reached up and pinched his handsome face as he leaned closer. "If you ask for it now... then you won’t get anything tonight."
Xarion looked at her, aggrieved. "Female Master, you’re playing favorites."
She kissed Nix, but not him.
At that, Rory poked his cheek lightly with her finger. "And you still have the nerve to say I’m biased? On the way here, on the starrail—you and Jasper teamed up to mess with Nix. Do you think I didn’t notice? I was just busy carving at the time, so I let it slide."
Nix was too simple-minded. His head was full of nothing but mechas. He hadn’t even realized the tricks Xarion and Jasper had been playing.
Rory thought to herself that she really should look out for him more in the future. That little cat... simply couldn’t compete with them.
Xarion pressed his tongue lightly against the spot on his cheek where she had pinched him. Then he straightened slowly, lips pressed together.
"It wasn’t my idea. Jasper started it. I just took the opportunity to gain a little benefit."
Rory narrowed her eyes. "I’ll settle accounts with Jasper too."
Neither of them was getting away with it.
Xarion reached out, taking her hand, his voice lowering—almost a complaint. "Then... will you still come to my room tonight?"
If she wouldn’t kiss him now... would she refuse him tonight too?
Rory never went back on her word. But she felt like teasing him a little. So she straightened her expression, putting on a serious face.
"That depends on your performance today."
"...Performance?" Xarion frowned, utterly baffled.
How exactly was he supposed to perform?
***
Meanwhile.
Ethan was nearly worn thin with worry as he helped Paros pack.
One by one, he carefully placed treasures from the Dragon Clan’s vault into Paros’s storage ring—handling each item as though sending a son off on a long journey.
At the same time, he lectured him endlessly, like an anxious old father.
"Dragon Lord, now that you finally have a chance to stay by Rory’s side, you must seize it. You have to make her like you again."
He placed a radiant, thousand-year pearl into the ring. "The pearls of the Water Domain are what females love most. I picked the finest ones—give them to Rory, she’ll definitely like them."
Paros stood silently to the side, letting him fuss over everything. His deep black eyes were unreadable.
Seeing no response, Ethan paused, stepped closer, and lowered his voice—like he was about to impart some ultimate secret technique.
"Dragon Lord, gifts alone aren’t enough. You need to learn how to win her favor."
He puffed up slightly, clearly proud of his experience.
"You’ve always been too... much of a Dragon Lord. Always cold, distant, businesslike. What female would like that? You need to change!"
That finally drew a reaction.
"How?" Paros asked.
Ethan brightened immediately.
"First, your words must be sweet. Females like males who know how to talk. Look at Yuel—Rory clearly favors him. He’s even the first among her partners to have a child."
Paros frowned.
"How do I be sweet to her?" He had no idea how to flatter a female.
Ethan thought for a moment.
"Tell her she’s beautiful. Say she looks especially lovely today—her hair, her clothes, everything. Whatever sounds nice, say it!"
"And you must be attentive. When you go with her, you can’t bring palace attendants—she won’t like that. So you can’t sit around waiting to be served. You have to take initiative."
"If she’s thirsty, hand her water immediately. If she’s tired, find a way to let her rest. And if her other partners are being attentive—then you must be even more attentive than they are!"
"Finally—and most importantly—" Ethan’s expression turned solemn. "Your skin must be thick! Right now, she may not have feelings for you. She might give you the cold shoulder—or even try to drive you away. You have to endure it. You have to bear it."
"You need to show her your sincerity—your willingness to change. If she scolds you, you listen. If she hits you... well, probably not—but you get the point! You have to make her understand that for her, you’re willing to do anything."
After finishing his long speech, Ethan let out a deep breath.
"Dragon Lord, when pursuing a female—especially someone like Rory—you cannot cling to your pride or your dignity. What’s pride compared to your Female Master?"
Their Dragon Lord was undoubtedly the strongest, most outstanding male across the three domains.
But beside Rory... he simply didn’t stand out enough. After all, at her side stood Xarion—overwhelmingly powerful.
Yuel—brilliant and calculating.
Vincent—noble and refined.
And even Nix and Jasper, protected by her, were not to be underestimated.
The more Ethan thought about it, the more troubled he became.
Paros watched Ethan’s deeply troubled expression in silence for a few seconds—then nodded, his tone unexpectedly serious.
"I understand. I’ll remember what you said."
Seeing that he had truly taken it to heart, Ethan finally let out a breath of relief. He turned back to continue packing.
More. He needed to bring more.
More treasures, more valuables—anything that might please Rory.
If nothing else, perhaps... just perhaps... she would treat their Dragon Lord a little better because of them.
Once Ethan fell quiet, Paros opened his light brain.
He tapped into his private messages and opened the conversation with "MoonGathersHearts".
Paros: I’ve run into a problem. The other partners of my Female Master... don’t seem to like me. What should I do?
Paros: I feel like they’re... hostile toward me.
The last piece of advice this person had given him—to act pitiful, to lower himself—had worked.
Rory had agreed to take him with her... because she felt sorry for him.
***
On the other end, Yuel, in the middle of drafting a report, glanced at the message and raised a brow.
MoonGathersHearts: That’s completely normal. Males all want to monopolize their Female Master.
There was nothing strange about it.
Tension? Hostility?
That was nothing.
In some cases, males would even fight to the death. The fact that their group got along as well as they did... was entirely because of Rory.
With her, they never needed cruelty. She gave them security—certainty. They never had to fear being abandoned.
A little scheming now and then? That was fine. But true malice—would only earn her disgust.
MoonGathersHearts: Do you want to improve your relationship with them?
MoonGathersHearts: To what extent? Just civil... or like brothers?
Paros read the reply carefully.
Then, almost instinctively, he recalled the way Vincent, Yuel, and the others interacted—their ease, their unspoken understanding.
After a moment, he answered:
Paros: Like brothers.
Yuel paused, thinking it over.
MoonGathersHearts: That’s... difficult.
MoonGathersHearts: If you want them to treat you like a brother, then you must first treat them sincerely as one.
MoonGathersHearts: Start by easing the tension.
MoonGathersHearts: There’s a saying—no one strikes a smiling face. Begin with gifts.
Just as he sent the message, the door opened.
"Yuel, are you done yet?" Rory stepped inside, her voice soft as she walked toward him.
Her gaze drifted and landed on the still-lit screen of his light brain.