naaapseattle Chapter 333: Was it worth it?
Chapter 333: Was it worth it?
At Jasper’s words, Vangar, Xarion, and Paros all stiffened simultaneously.
The three of them subtly shrank back, their eyes darting everywhere except toward Rory, guilt written all over their faces.
Vangar felt especially guilty as he was the main culprit responsible for flattening the estate with that final attack.
Now he looked like a giant dog that had just realized it destroyed the furniture.
Quietly, he edged closer to Rory and lowered his voice, sounding unexpectedly cautious and ingratiating.
"Uh... Female Master... I really didn’t do it on purpose."
She was already angry enough about the whole First Mate incident. And now he had gone and reduced the estate to rubble.
The more Vangar thought about it, the more nervous he became.
Would the Female Master get so angry this time that she directly dissolved their match bond?
Please don’t...
Rory looked at the nervous expression on his face and, instead of scolding him, reached out and took his hand first.
"We can always rebuild the estate. As long as all of you are safe, that’s what matters."
Vangar’s tall body visibly jolted. Instinctively, he lowered his head and stared at the small hand wrapped around his own.
Her hand was so soft... So small... Warm against the rough, battle-scarred calluses covering his massive hand.
Vangar’s brain abruptly stopped functioning.
What... what had he even been thinking about just now?
Watching Vangar go stupid from nothing more than Female Master holding his hand, Xarion rolled his eyes in open disdain.
Then he asked bluntly, "If the estate’s gone, where’s Female Master supposed to live?"
He personally didn’t care. He could sleep anywhere by pulling out his ice crystal coffin. But Female Master was different; she deserved only the best.
"I already made arrangements." Yuel spoke calmly as he lifted his wrist and tapped lightly on his communicator.
A holographic star map instantly projected before everyone. One coordinate, glowing softly, was clearly marked on the map.
"We’re going here."
"Where is that?" Wen asked curiously.
Everyone turned toward Yuel, but he merely smiled without explaining.
"You’ll find out once we arrive."
Then he turned toward Jasper and the others.
"Since Vincent is stable now, come with me to the control room. The marshal can stay here with Little Rory and look after Vincent."
Vangar immediately looked toward Yuel.
Was this guy actually creating an opportunity for him on purpose?
Still, Vangar understood perfectly well why Yuel had intentionally left him behind alone.
Jasper and Xarion exchanged glances with Yuel, then with Vangar, but neither of them said anything.
Soon, they silently turned and left.
As for Wen and Paros, they weren’t even officially matched partners yet, so they naturally didn’t dare voice objections either.
Once everyone else had left the room, Rory carefully adjusted the blanket covering Vincent before straightening up and turning toward Vangar.
"Vangar... thank you for helping me keep my secret from the Firebird Clan physician earlier."
The moment Rory decided to transfuse Vincent with her blood, she had already anticipated the consequences.
Vincent’s nirvana required human blood. There had been no way her identity could stay hidden forever. She had already prepared herself for exposure, yet she never expected Vangar to help conceal it for her.
"Female Master." Vangar stepped closer and took her hand into his own, meeting her gaze directly.
"Hearing you thank me like that... It hurts more than you think. I’m your matched partner. Protecting you, caring for you, doing anything for you—that’s what I’m supposed to do."
What he wanted wasn’t her gratitude. What he truly wanted... Was for her to accept him from the bottom of her heart, the same way she accepted Vincent and Yuel.
Vangar stared at Rory, his Adam’s apple bobbing once.
His eyes darkened instantly, deep and smoldering like twin flames igniting in the night.
His gaze slowly traveled downward, from her clear eyes... To the delicate curve of her nose... Finally stopping on her soft red lips.
His little Female Master really was unbearably tempting.
If Vincent weren’t still lying here, unconscious in the room... Vangar honestly wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and.
His gaze was far too intense. Too openly possessive. Like an invisible net tightening around her.
Rory felt increasingly uneasy beneath that scorching stare and instinctively tried to pull her hand back.
But Vangar tightened his grip instead, his scorching palm wrapping around hers possessively, as though silently declaring ownership.
When she failed to pull her hand free, Rory could only lift her other hand and press lightly against his solid chest, forcing a sliver of distance between them.
Then she turned her face slightly aside to avoid his burning gaze and awkwardly changed the subject.
"You... how did you figure out my identity?"
Since Vangar had stepped in to help conceal it immediately, he must have already guessed who she truly was.
At her question, Vangar fell silent for a moment. His large hand still enveloped hers completely, absorbing the warmth from her skin.
"It was Vincent’s blood." His voice was low and slow. "When I helped absorb the violent energy inside his body earlier... I accidentally swallowed a bit of his blood."
As he said this, the look in his eyes deepened further.
"And then... my body started changing."
Rory’s heart skipped nervously. She immediately looked up at him.
"What kind of changes? Are you alright? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
Seeing the concern in her expression, warmth spread quietly through Vangar’s chest.
He shook his head with a faint smile. "I’m fine. In fact, I feel better than ever. I realized Vincent’s blood could actually strengthen my abilities."
His gaze locked onto hers as he spoke each word deliberately.
"It felt like... Rain falling onto parched earth. Every cell in my body was celebrating. But Female Master, Vincent’s blood itself absolutely shouldn’t have that effect. A beastman’s blood is useless to other beastmen."
As he spoke, his other hand came up as well, fully enclosing her smaller hand between both of his.
"There’s only one kind of blood capable of producing that effect. The blood of a human female."
His voice lowered almost to a whisper.
"And the person capable of transfusing Vincent could never have been that human female named Bree Dekhart."
"So..." Vangar looked at Rory with complicated emotions swirling in his eyes. "The blood Vincent received... Could only have come from you."
A firebird’s nirvana didn’t require just a drop or two of blood.
Vangar had no idea how much blood Rory had transfused into Vincent, but it certainly hadn’t been a small amount. And yet, judging from how she looked now, her body seemed completely unaffected.
Although he had no idea how she managed it... As long as she was safe, that was enough.
At that moment, Vangar truly envied Vincent. Envied him enough to go mad.
For Rory to go this far for him... Imperial females were unimaginably precious.
If a female suffered even the slightest grievance, her partners would lose their minds from distress.
The Empire’s laws protected females with absolute severity. Any act that might harm one was punished mercilessly.
No female in the Empire would go this far for a partner while ignoring all consequences. Even risking exposure of her greatest secret.
Vangar lifted his hand and gently cupped Rory’s face, his expression complicated.
"Using your own blood to save a partner... There isn’t a single female in the Empire who would dare do something like this."
"Female Master... You were using your life in exchange for Vincent’s. Was it worth it?"
"It was," Rory answered almost without hesitation.
Vangar stared at her in stunned disbelief. He never expected such an immediate answer. It completely overturned everything he believed he knew.
"...Why?"
His voice carried tension he himself hadn’t realized was there.
How deeply did this little Female Master love Vincent?
The thought alone nearly drove Vangar mad with jealousy.
How could he possibly compete with that?
"Because Vincent is my partner." Rory answered with a smile. "If the person lying there today had been Vincent, or Yuel... Or Jasper, Nix, Xarion... Or even you and Wen... I would have made the exact same choice."
Her gaze swept across Vangar’s stunned face as she continued softly, "Because I know... If I were the one in danger today, every single one of you would also give up your lives without hesitation to protect me."
"Vincent would. You would too... wouldn’t you?"
Her words struck Vangar straight through the heart. He nodded instantly, without the slightest hesitation.
Yes. He would.
More than that... At this very moment, he almost wanted to tear his heart from his chest and place it before her just to prove his loyalty and love.
So that was it... It wasn’t because Vincent was special.
It was because Vangar, too, was one of the partners she had truly accepted.
In her eyes, he was not an outsider standing beyond the boundary, but someone who carried the same importance as Vincent.