Wen was Rory’s follower. He could remain by her side openly and without question.

Vangar was Rory’s official match, so his presence was justified as well.

Only Paros had no title. No place.

Even though Terry had called him Daddy for so long... even though he had long since regarded that soft little fruit as his own child...

In the end, he was still nothing. He had no right to compete with Vincent and Yuel.

Paros knew his request was excessive. In truth, he had already prepared himself to be rejected by Rory. But even so... he still wanted to cling to a tiny sliver of hope and try.

As he looked at Rory, nervous sweat dampened his palms.

Rory watched his anxious, cautious expression and hesitated briefly.

Then she nodded. "If you want to come, then come." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The moment he heard her answer, Paros’s eyes widened in disbelief. For a second, he genuinely wondered if he had misheard her.

"Sister... I... I really can?"

He held his breath, staring at Rory without blinking, waiting desperately for her answer again.

He hadn’t heard wrong just now... right?

Rory had truly agreed. Right?

"Of course you can." Rory nodded again.

Wasn’t it just staying together to watch over Terry? Vincent and the others would all be there anyway. One more person didn’t matter.

An overwhelming wave of joy instantly surged through Paros’s entire body. The excitement spread from his heart like an electric current, racing through every nerve and vein.

He was so thrilled he nearly jumped on the spot. His hands clenched unconsciously into fists, his knuckles turning pale from the force.

"Sister, wait for me—I’ll go get ready right now."

Even his voice trembled with barely concealed excitement. The second he finished speaking, he turned and ran toward his room. His hurried footsteps made it seem as though he feared Rory might change her mind at any moment.

Sitting on the sofa, Rory watched his excited retreating figure and frowned slightly.

What exactly was he so excited about? He hadn’t misunderstood something... had he?

The moment Paros returned to his room, he rushed straight to his wardrobe and began selecting clothes.

Tonight, he would be accompanying Sister. He absolutely had to dress properly. He had to make sure she liked what she saw.

He pulled all of his clothes out one by one.

"This one won’t work. Too ordinary."

"This color is too dark. Sister definitely won’t like it."

"This one’s too formal."

"This style looks too old..."

"..."

Soon, clothes were scattered all over the floor, yet Paros still couldn’t find a single outfit he was satisfied with.

He glanced at the time on his light-brain. There was still plenty of time. If he placed an order now with express delivery, the clothes would definitely arrive before he went to Rory’s room tonight.

Paros immediately opened the online marketplace and began frantically browsing through clothing options.

He selected countless outfits.

Every piece looked good to him, yet he couldn’t make up his mind.

Which one would Rory like? He still didn’t fully understand her preferences.

Then suddenly, his eyes lit up.

That’s right. Rory’s preferences.

The person in the house who understood Rory best was Yuel.

The moment he thought of him, Paros immediately opened his chat with Yuel.

He already knew the truth now. Yuel was the beastman who had secretly been giving him advice online about how to please his female master.

Yuel himself had personally admitted it. He had even returned all the insect cores and beast cores Paros had previously given him.

Although the entire situation had been unbearably awkward, Paros still felt deeply grateful toward Yuel.

Because Yuel truly had helped him.

After staring at the chat window for a moment, Paros hesitated briefly before sending over pictures of the outfits he had picked out.

Paros: [Yuel, could you help me choose? Which outfit do you think Sister would like best on me?]

Fresh out of the shower, Yuel glanced at the message Paros had sent him and nearly laughed from sheer disbelief.

Instead of immediately helping him choose an outfit, he replied with a question first.

Yuel: [Why are you picking out clothes?]

[Did Rory agree to let you stay with Terry tonight too?]

Paros replied almost instantly.

Paros: [Yes. I asked Sister if I could stay with Terry tonight too, and she agreed.]

Paros: [I won’t ask for your help for free. I’ll give you beast cores—could you help me choose an outfit?]

Paros: [I still don’t really understand Sister’s preferences. I don’t know what she’d like me to wear.]

Yuel stared at the messages, the corner of his mouth twitching.

He genuinely didn’t know what went through Paros’s head sometimes.

Using his child to compete for affection, and then asking him to help pick clothes?

Was he the idiot here, or was Paros?

Yuel looked through the photos Paros had sent.

Every single outfit was conservative and painfully proper, wrapped up from head to toe.

A cold laugh escaped his lips.

Without the slightest politeness, he replied:

Yuel: [None of them work.]

[Rory doesn’t like that kind of style.]

Paros frowned at the response.

Doesn’t sister like those clothes?

Paros: [Then what kind of clothes does Sister like?]

[Could you help me pick something?]

[I can pay you for it.]

He didn’t want Yuel helping him for free. After all, they weren’t close enough for that.

Seeing Paros’s follow-up message, Yuel finally decided not to make things difficult for him.

He casually opened his shopping cart and forwarded two clothing links directly to Paros.

Yuel: [Pick one yourself.]

Paros immediately opened the links Yuel sent him. The instant the product pages loaded, his entire face turned bright red.

T-These were clothes?!

One outfit was an almost transparent night robe, covered in hollowed-out designs that revealed more skin than they concealed.

The other was made from sheer black silk, with a dangerously deep V-neck and fabric so thin and sparse it barely covered anything at all.

Paros froze in shock.

Sister actually liked this kind of clothing? Could Yuel be messing with him?

But every piece of advice Yuel had given him before had worked perfectly.

He probably wouldn’t trick him.

...Which meant Rory might genuinely like this style?

Paros wrestled with himself for a long time before finally deciding to trust Yuel.

In the end, he bought both outfits.

***

At the same time, in another bedroom, Vangar was also meticulously preparing for tonight.

He thoroughly cleaned himself from head to toe, carefully scrubbing every inch of his body until even the spaces beneath his nails were spotless.

Steam filled the bathroom as he stood before the mirror, examining his tall, powerfully built frame.

Earlier today, he had blown up the kitchen.

Then he’d blown up the grill.

He had completely embarrassed himself in front of his little female master.

Tonight, he absolutely had to reclaim his dignity.

After drying himself off, Vangar opened the deepest compartment of his wardrobe and carefully removed an exquisite box.

Inside lay the "battle attire" he had specially prepared for victory tonight—a nearly transparent silver-gray gauze sleep robe.

This had been a graduation gift from his instructor back when he graduated top of his class from the Imperial Male Training Academy.

Even now, he still remembered his mentor’s earnest words:

"Vangar, remember this. On the battlefield, you are an invincible marshal. But before your female master... your greatest weapon is your body."

Vangar slowly changed into the robe.

The thin gauze clung softly to the sharply defined lines of his muscular body, revealing and concealing in equal measure, creating an alluring contrast of restraint and temptation.

Standing before the mirror, he struck several poses he considered especially charming.

Perfect.

After all, he had been the academy’s most outstanding graduate.

Tonight, he was absolutely going to satisfy his little female master.