The luxurious carpet on the floor was wrinkled and trampled, covered in chaotic footprints. Everything was in total mess as if someone had broken into the place and turned everything over in search of something important.

And more importantly, Aren was gone.

"What is going on?"

Bree grabbed a servant by the collar, her voice sharp with fury. "Where is your young master?"

"I... I don’t know..."

The servant was on the verge of tears. "When we brought him here, he was still lying on the bed... I don’t know what happened..."

Bree’s expression darkened, a deep sense of unease rising in her chest.

She shoved the servant aside and strode into the room, scanning every corner.

No signs of a struggle. No blood. Nothing but disorder.

He had vanished into thin air.

Impossible.

Melanie had told her everything. Aren had been heavily injured, bound by special chains, and drugged with the most potent aphrodisiac of the succubus clan.

There was no way he could have left on his own.

Someone must have taken him.

The thought made her chest tighten with rage.

A Rank Eleven powerhouse—and the Beast God Fruit—snatched away just like that.

Her hands clenched.

"Go," she snapped at the stunned servant. "Report to Lady Melanie. Tell her Aren is missing."

***

Front hall.

Rory watched as Melanie was hurriedly summoned away, her composed demeanor cracking just slightly.

Almost at the same time, Rory received a message from Vincent.

Vincent: "Rory, we’ve secured Aren. Yuel and Xarion are taking him back to the estate. I’m on my way to you now."

The moment Melanie left, Rory understood everything.

They had succeeded.

She replied right away.

Rory: "We’ll head out and wait for you."

Aren’s disappearance would soon throw the entire clan into chaos, and she had no intention of staying here any longer.

She turned to Lola. "They’ve found him. We’re leaving."

Lola let out a breath of relief. "Good, I’m glad."

She had no desire to stay another second.

The food was terrible. The atmosphere was dull. There wasn’t even proper entertainment. For a grand banquet, it was painfully underwhelming.

Without drawing attention, the two of them slipped out of the hall with the others.

They had just exited when Vincent arrived.

Rory immediately pulled Lola along and hurried toward him.

"How did it go? Did anyone get hurt?"

When Rory’s first question was about them rather than Aren, Vincent, Jasper, and Nix couldn’t help but smile.

Vincent answered, "We’re fine. No one’s hurt."

He paused briefly before continuing, "It’s just... Aren’s condition is a bit complicated. I had Yuel take Xarion and Paros to escort him back to the estate first."

Rory nodded. This wasn’t the place to talk.

She quickly led Lola and followed them onto the airship.

Only after they had left the succubus territory did she turn back to Vincent, her voice tightening with concern.

"How is Aren now? Are his injuries serious?"

She had assumed he was simply badly wounded.

"Aren, he..." Vincent hesitated. For a moment, he genuinely didn’t know how to explain it. How was he supposed to tell her that they might have... treated Aren into stupidity?

Seeing him struggle, Jasper stepped forward after a brief hesitation.

"Rory, Aren’s condition is... hard to explain."

"What do you mean?" Rory’s heart clenched. "Is he badly injured? Is he... not going to make it?"

"No, no." Jasper shook his head immediately. "His injuries are completely healed. Internal and external. Even his power has recovered to Rank Eleven."

Rory exhaled in relief, tension draining from her shoulders.

Then she frowned.

"If he’s fine, why are all of you acting like this?"

Lola, standing beside her, tilted her head curiously. "Brother, are you hiding something from her? And if Aren is fine, why didn’t he come back with you? Why send him ahead?"

The question hung in the air.

It was exactly what Rory wanted to know. Her gaze moved across Vincent, Jasper, and Nix, one by one.

Finally, it settled on Nix.

"Nix. What happened?"

Nix stiffened instantly when he was singled out. He looked up at her, guilt written all over his face, and answered in a small voice,

"Rory... I’m sorry."

A beat of silence.

"We might have... made Aren a little stupid."

Rory widened her eyes. "...What?"

She stared at Nix in shock, certain she had misheard. "...What did you just say?"

"Rory, it’s like this..." Vincent stepped forward and quickly explained everything, from Aren’s condition to the desperate measures they had taken.

By the end, even he looked slightly guilty. "Rory, I’m sorry. We were trying to save him. We didn’t expect it to turn out like this."

Rory listened in silence.

Then her lips twitched slightly. She could see the guilt on all of their faces.

"Alright. I believe you."

She knew they hadn’t done it on purpose.

***

The airship landed swiftly at the estate.

Rory stepped off and walked inside—only to freeze at the scene in the living room.

Aren was holding a large, brightly colored fruit in both hands, running toward Xarion like an eager child.

"Father! I found the tastiest fruit. Try it!"

Xarion’s face was completely dark as he stiffly took the fruit.

Under Aren’s bright, expectant gaze, he took a vicious bite.

"Father, is it good?" Aren blinked innocently, eyes full of anticipation.

"...Good." The word was forced out between Xarion’s teeth.

The fruit was unbearably sour.

Good? Not even close.

Ever since they returned, Xarion felt like he had fallen into some kind of endless nightmare.

This idiot—this newly "broken" Aren—had already made him eat five identical fruits with that same hopeful expression.

Five.

If he refused, Aren would just stare at him with watery eyes... and then start crying.

If it weren’t for the fact that they had caused this, Xarion would have already kicked him straight back to the succubus clan.

Expressionless, he finished the fruit and held up the bare core.

"Done."

"Yay!" Aren cheered happily and dashed off toward the kitchen again.

The moment Xarion saw that retreating figure, his instincts screamed at him to run.

Five. He had eaten five already.

He was a wolf. A carnivore. Not some cursed herbivore.

Paros reacted instantly, grabbing him before he could escape.

"You can’t go. If he doesn’t find you, he’ll start crying again."

Xarion: "..."

Wen glanced at Xarion’s frostbitten expression and forced himself to speak. "Xarion... just hang in there a little longer. The firebird healers will be here soon."

Yuel stood by the kitchen doorway, watching Aren rummage through cabinets in search of more fruit. He turned to Xarion, his voice filled with sympathy. "Do us a favor. Whatever you do... don’t let him cry again."

The memory alone was enough.

On the way back, Aren’s earth-shattering sobs had been pure torment, both mental and... something else entirely.

There was a strange allure woven into them. A subtle pull.

A group of grown men, reduced to silently shedding tears along the entire journey.

Anyone who experienced it once would never forget it.

Xarion felt like he was on the verge of losing his mind. "You’re all afraid of him crying, but you’re not afraid I might start crying instead?"

Before anyone could respond, Paros’s voice suddenly cut through the tension, bright with surprise.

"Rory, you’re back!"

Xarion, Yuel, and Wen all turned toward the entrance at once.

Rory walked in with Vincent and the others. She gave Paros a small nod before her gaze shifted—and landed on Xarion.

He looked utterly miserable.

"Female Master."

Xarion rushed over like a man who had just seen salvation. His tall frame trembled slightly, his eyes even tinged with red.

"Please save me. I really can’t eat any more fruit."

Another bite and he might actually throw up.

Before he could say anything more, Aren came running out of the kitchen, holding yet another fruit.

But the moment he saw Rory, he froze.

Completely.

The fruit slipped from his hand and hit the ground with a dull thud, unnoticed.

"F-Female Master...?"

His voice was careful, almost fragile, as if afraid that speaking too loudly would shatter the moment.

Rory turned.

Their eyes met.

Everyone else fell silent, staring in shock.

Just like that... he looked normal again?

Aren walked toward her, step by step.

"Female Master... is it really you? Am I dreaming?"

"It’s me," Rory said softly.

She studied him, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.

He didn’t look... broken at all.

The moment he heard her answer, something inside him collapsed. He surged forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Female Master... it really is you!"

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breath hot, his voice trembling with emotion.

"I finally found you... that’s good... that’s really good... I thought... I thought I would never see you again..."

His arms tightened, as if he wanted to fuse her into his very being.

Rory could feel it clearly—the fear, the desperation, the lingering panic.

She lifted a hand and gently patted his back.

"It’s alright now," she murmured softly. "You’re safe."