"They’re all yours."

After saying that, Xarion quickly turned and went back to help Yuel with the grilling.

Rory watched his retreating figure, then glanced down at the two spatial rings in her hand.

Just as she was finally about to relax, Wen suddenly shouted, "Fire!"

Rory whipped her head around. The grill in front of Vangar had somehow erupted into towering flames.

Orange-red fire burst upward with a whoosh, soaring over a meter high as thick black smoke rolled into the air.

Rory jumped in shock.

Before she could even react, a powerful arm wrapped tightly around her waist and yanked her backward with tremendous force.

Almost simultaneously—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion tore through the lakeside.

The grill exploded into pieces instantly, metal fragments scattering through the air alongside sparks and smoke.

The entire lakeside was swallowed in thick smoke, the choking stench of burnt meat and scorched metal spreading everywhere.

Xarion and Wen moved at the same time.

A torrent of water and sheets of ice crashed down from above, instantly suppressing the flames.

Amid the chaos, Vincent’s furious roar cut cleanly through the smoke.

"Marshal, what exactly did you do?!"

His face was covered in soot, and even his usually immaculate clothes had been blasted into disarray.

Pointing at the remains of the grill, Vincent glared at Vangar in disbelief.

"I turned around for one second to grab more meat."

"How did the grill explode?"

"And with that much force?!"

Vangar stood stiffly where he was, looking deeply guilty.

His tall frame somehow appeared unusually pitiful.

Soot streaked across his face, making him resemble a giant dog caught after causing trouble, his expression full of helpless guilt and awkwardness.

Lowering his head, he didn’t dare look at anyone.

Especially not Rory.

In a quiet voice, he explained weakly, "I... I saw the fire getting smaller... So I added a little more fuel..."

"And then?" Vincent asked flatly.

Adding fuel shouldn’t have been enough to blow up an entire grill.

Vangar’s voice grew even quieter.

"I noticed the fuel wasn’t igniting... Earlier, I saw Wen use a little ability to light it..."

"So I thought... I’d use just a tiny bit of energy too... to speed things up..."

The more he explained, the lower his voice became, his head nearly bowing to his chest.

Vangar swore he’d truly been careful this time. He had only intended to use a thread of power—less than what it took to light a match.

And yet somehow... It still exploded.

Wen had done it perfectly fine earlier. So why did it explode the moment he tried?

Vincent’s mouth twitched violently. Grinding his teeth, he forced out, "Marshal... are you seriously comparing yourself to Wen?"

He stared at Vangar in disbelief.

What Rank was Wen? And what Rank was he?

Did Vangar genuinely have no awareness of how terrifying his own power was?

Water dripped steadily from Vincent’s soaked hair, black soot streaking down his face, making him look utterly miserable.

Vangar knew he was in the wrong and wisely stayed silent.

At that moment, Rory walked over.

Looking at Vincent’s soot-covered face still dripping black water, she reached out and firmly held his hand.

"Vincent, don’t be angry. Vangar doesn’t know how to cook. He didn’t do it on purpose. Look at you—you’re filthy now. Come upstairs with me and wash up."

Originally, Rory had thought the worst Vangar might do was accidentally start a fire. She truly hadn’t expected him to blow up the entire grill.

Thankfully, at least he hadn’t destroyed the house.

After speaking, she glanced toward Vangar, who still stood there with his head lowered guiltily, not even daring to look at her.

"Vangar, you should go clean up too."

Then she turned toward Yuel and the others.

"Yuel, clean this place up. There are more grills in the storage room. Once everything’s sorted out, we’ll start over."

This meal... Really hadn’t been easy to make.

Rory pulled Vincent back to the bedroom with her and headed straight into the bathroom. She turned on the water, steam quickly beginning to fill the space. Then she turned around and reached for the tattered remains of Vincent’s shirt.

The once-pristine white dress shirt he wore was barely recognizable now. Soaked with blackened water, the damp fabric clung tightly to his lean, toned body.

The moment Rory’s fingers brushed the buttons on his chest, Vincent’s warm hand closed gently around her wrist.

"Rory." His voice was low as he looked down at her, dark phoenix eyes deep and unreadable.

"Mm?" Rory lifted her head, confusion flickering in her gaze. "What’s wrong?"

"I can do it myself."

Vincent released her hand and lifted his own to undo the buttons on his shirt.

Slowly. Painfully slowly.

Long, elegant fingers unfastened them one by one, revealing sharp collarbones beneath the soaked fabric.

Warm mist clouded the mirrors in the bathroom, blurring the reflection around them—and concealing the emotions hidden deep within Vincent’s eyes.

Rory watched him silently, pressing her lips together. She swore she could hear herself swallowing.

Thankfully, the sound of rushing water drowned it out.

"...Let me do it instead."

She reached out again.

Vincent was moving far too slowly.

At her words, his fingers paused on the button—then obediently let go.

A faint smile rippled through his cool phoenix eyes.

Rory’s heartbeat immediately sped up beneath that gaze.

Lowering her head, she reached for the second button on his chest. Her fingertips brushed against the warm firmness of his skin.

One button after another came undone. Soon, his chest was completely exposed before her.

Wide shoulders. Narrow waist. A body so perfectly sculpted it almost felt unfair.

Unable to stop herself, Rory leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his chest.

It was only the lightest touch.

But the instant her lips met his burning skin, she was the first one to blush furiously, immediately trying to retreat in embarrassment.

Before she could move away, however, a strong arm suddenly tightened around her waist.

Vincent’s hand locked firmly against her, holding her in place.

"Rory..."

His usually cool voice had turned deeply hoarse, as though he were restraining something intense beneath the surface.

Lowering his head, he fixed her with a scorching gaze that felt hot enough to melt her apart.

Under that look, Rory’s heart pounded wildly.

She could feel it clearly—Vincent’s heartbeat was just as fierce as hers.

"If Rory wants to kiss me..." His thumb slowly stroked the side of her waist. "How can one kiss possibly be enough? Rory... kiss me a few more times, alright?"

Earlier, outside, watching Xarion shamelessly cling to her and demand rewards, Vincent had nearly died of jealousy.

The gentle rubbing at her waist made Rory instinctively shift away slightly.

"You should finish washing first," she reminded him softly.

Vincent glanced down at his chest.

"It’s already clean."

As he spoke, he suddenly lifted her effortlessly and set her atop the bathroom counter beside the sink.

"Rory..."

The steam curled around him as he looked up at her.

"While I was gone... did you miss me?"

Rory met his expectant gaze and nodded firmly.

"I did. Very much."

Every single day he had been away, she had thought about him. Worried about him. Missed him.

The moment he heard her answer, overwhelming joy surged through Vincent’s eyes.