Chapter 405: Misunderstanding
"Don’t talk nonsense, I haven’t," Rory quickly explained. "I just feel like right now isn’t a good time."
How could she ever get tired of him? Relationships weren’t some kind of game.
"Why isn’t it a good time?" Vangar asked, looking straight into Rory’s eyes. "Just because of this ugly bird?"
He was convinced that couldn’t be the real issue. His little female master had definitely grown tired of him—otherwise, why wouldn’t she let him kiss her?
"Yes, exactly because of him," Rory nodded earnestly. She tried to soothe Vangar, saying, "Go back to your room and wait for me first. I’ll come find you in a little bit."
"Rory, I think you’re lying to me." Vangar stared at her, his eyes swimming with hurt. "It’s just an ugly bird. Why do you care about it so much?"
Even if it was a gift from Yuel, it shouldn’t be more important than him.
"Vangar, it’s really not what you think." Seeing the hurt in Vangar’s eyes, Rory pressed her lips together, her mind racing to figure out how to explain it to him.
"The Marshal has indeed misunderstood."
A cool, familiar male voice abruptly echoed from Rory’s arms.
Vangar’s entire body stiffened instantly, the expression freezing on his face. He looked down in utter disbelief at the plump, pitch-black bird nestled in Rory’s arms.
That voice...
"Vincent?"
"It’s me." Vincent sighed, hopped out of Rory’s arms, and landed on the floor.
The next second, he shifted back into his human form.
"It really is you..." Vangar’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. "How on earth did you turn into such an ugly thing?"
Was this guy out of his mind? Why would he willingly transform into something so hideous?
What shocked Vangar the most was that he hadn’t detected Vincent’s aura at all just now; he had genuinely thought it was just a strangely dark, ugly bird.
Vincent didn’t say a word, merely casting a deeply aggrieved look at Rory.
Feeling incredibly guilty under his gaze, Rory uncomfortably rubbed the tip of her nose. She cleared her throat and explained to Vangar in a low voice, "Um... I was the one who asked him to change into that."
"You asked him to?" Vangar stared at Rory, his handsome face the picture of confusion. He couldn’t quite grasp Rory’s tastes or line of thinking.
Wasn’t Vincent’s original Firebird form way better-looking? Why would she want to look at him as a chubby, black, ugly bird?
Vangar was thoroughly baffled, but he figured he should respect his little female master’s aesthetic choices. He didn’t pry any further, though remembering what had just happened made him feel a bit awkward.
"Cough... Well..." Vangar cleared his throat lightly and said, "I just remembered I have some matters to attend to. You two go ahead and talk, I’ll head back first."
With that, Vangar beat a hasty retreat. The door clicked shut behind him, and the room instantly fell silent.
Watching Vangar flee the scene, Rory wanted to laugh, but she also felt a little sorry for him. She turned around, intending to say something to Vincent, only to meet a pair of phoenix eyes filled to the brim with resentment.
"Well, this is just great," Vincent said softly, his tone laced with accusation. "Now Vangar has seen me looking that hideous, too. He’s definitely going to make fun of me from now on."
"He won’t, he won’t!" Rory quickly hurried over, cupped his face, and planted a kiss on him. "Vangar isn’t that kind of person. I’ll go tell him right after this that he’s not allowed to tease you. Whoever makes fun of you will have to answer to me."
She promised solemnly, her eyes full of sincerity.
"Hmph." Vincent let out a soft snort through his nose, though he wasn’t truly angry anymore.
He turned around, walked unhurriedly to the door, and raised his hand.
With a sharp click, he locked the door from the inside.
The crisp sound of the lock sliding into place was exceptionally loud in the quiet room, causing Rory’s heart to skip a beat for no apparent reason.
Why did this guy just lock the door? Is he about to settle the score with her?
Rory watched as Vincent slowly turned around, stepping toward her one pace at a time. Walking against the light, his expression was obscured in the shadows, but his deep eyes were locked entirely onto her, carrying an undeniable, suffocating intensity.
"Vincent?" Rory instinctively shrank back a little.
Vincent walked up to her, lifting his slender fingers to gently tilt her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"What did you... promise Vangar just now?" Vincent narrowed his eyes, his voice deep and magnetic. It rippled past Rory’s ear like a smooth, vintage wine.
"I..." Rory stammered, unable to squeeze out a single word.
How could she possibly say those kinds of words out loud?
Watching Rory’s cheeks slowly flush a deep crimson, the corners of Vincent’s lips curled into a faint smile.
"Don’t want to say it?" He let out a low chuckle and leaned down, his warm breath brushing against her lips. "It’s fine. I already guessed."
The moment the words left his mouth, he lowered his head and kissed her directly on the lips.
Once the kiss ended, Vincent scooped Rory up into his arms and carried her toward the bed.
"Rory, you wanted to see the little coal ball, and I let you. You can’t be stingy either..."
By the time Rory finally emerged from the room, it was already time for lunch.
She couldn’t help but glare at him fiercely. He had absolutely learned some new tricks from Yuel again. His methods were becoming more and more varied.
Sensing her gaze, Vincent looked up and returned an exceptionally innocent look. His long, slender fingers picked up his chopsticks in a slow, methodical manner. His posture was so elegant that it was as if the clingy, demanding spirit from this morning had never existed.
Vincent genuinely felt he hadn’t done anything out of line—he had just clung to her and kissed her for a little while... that was all...
After they finished lunch, Terry, who had slept the entire morning away, finally woke up.
Having not seen him all morning, Rory had missed him. Now that he was awake, she spent some time playing with him in the living room.
When Terry grew hungry and it was time for him to absorb beast cores, Rory placed the cores beside him. With Vincent and Yuel watching over him, she stood up and headed to Vangar’s room.
Vangar must have been incredibly embarrassed when he left this morning. She needed to go check on him.
Arriving at Vangar’s door, she raised her hand and knocked gently.
Knock, knock.
There was no response from inside.
Slightly confused, Rory knocked twice more. "Vangar, are you in there?"
The room remained dead silent.
Could he be angry? Rory frowned, experimentally pushing at the door.
It wasn’t locked. It swung open with a gentle push.
She stepped inside. The lights weren’t on, leaving the room pitched in total darkness.
"Vangar?"
Rory couldn’t see where he was. Just as she was about to turn on her wrist communicator for light, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Before Rory could even react, her body suddenly felt weightless as she was swept up by the waist. By the time she snapped out of it, she had already been carried over and seated on the sofa.
"Vangar?"
The man wrapped his arms tightly around her, resting his chin on the crown of her head. His muffled voice echoed from above. "I didn’t think you would come over."
Vangar’s voice was very soft.
"How could I not come over?" Rory tilted her head up, reaching out to stroke his face. "Of course I was going to come."
With that, Rory planted a kiss on Vangar’s cheek. "Are you angry?"
"No," Vangar said, tightening his embrace a fraction more. "I just felt a little embarrassed."
Hearing him claim he wasn’t angry, Rory wasn’t entirely convinced. "If you aren’t angry, why are you sitting in here with the lights off? And you ignored me when I called you just now."
Vangar’s voice sounded a bit self-conscious. "I was changing my clothes. And I didn’t turn the lights off on purpose. Just as you came in, the star rail happened to pass through a minor black hole. The magnetic field was disrupted, so the lights went out."
Only after Vangar finished speaking did Rory belatedly realize that the hand resting on his chest wasn’t touching clothing fabric.
Instead, she was feeling his chest muscles. And lower down...
"I..."
Just as she was about to speak, a sharp click rang out, and the room suddenly flooded with light.