"Did you take the wrong medicine or something?" Xarion glanced at the gift box in his hand and shot Paros a suspicious look.

You’re the one who’s taken the wrong medicine.

Paros felt an immediate flicker of irritation. For some reason, every time he saw this wolf, he found him insufferable.

But—for Rory’s sake—he forced himself to suppress it.

"I’m perfectly fine," Paros replied evenly. "These gifts are a sincere gesture. A thank-you—for everything you’ve done."

Xarion opened the box.

The moment he saw what was inside, his brow lifted slightly.

Yeah. This dragon had definitely lost it.

Beast cores? And not just any—high-rank ones.

"Alright. I’ll take it."

Eleventh-rank cores? No way he was refusing those. Xarion accepted them without a shred of politeness.

Yuel, meanwhile, studied Paros in silence, his gaze sharp and thoughtful.

Under that scrutiny, Paros felt a faint prickle of unease.

"Yuel... is there a problem?" he asked.

What kind of look was that? He was just giving a gift—trying to build a better relationship. Nothing more.

"No problem." Yuel smiled lightly and shook his head. "Thank you for the gift. I’ll accept it."

"That’s good," Paros said, nodding. "I’m glad you like it."

Then, without lingering, he added, "You two carry on. I’m heading to the kitchen to learn how to make breakfast from Wen."

With that, he turned and walked off.

Xarion watched him disappear into the kitchen, then leaned slightly toward Yuel and muttered under his breath,

"Is his mental state getting worse or something?"

He frowned. "He’s acting... strange today."

Yuel gave him a brief glance but said nothing, simply turning to leave.

Xarion blinked. "Weren’t you the one who wanted to talk?"

They hadn’t even started.

Yuel waved a hand dismissively. "No need anymore."

Xarion: "..."

Now he felt like Yuel was the strange one.

"Xarion!" Vincent hurried out of his room, spotting him in the living area. "I need a favor."

His tone was brisk. "I’ve just been assigned a mission. I’ll be away for a few days."

He paused only briefly. "Tell Rory not to worry about me. And... take care of her."

"Got it." Xarion nodded, watching as Vincent left just as quickly as he’d come.

***

Not long after, Rory came downstairs, freshly dressed.

The moment Xarion saw her, he relayed Vincent’s message.

Hearing that Vincent had been called away on a mission for several days, a trace of concern surfaced in her eyes.

But she said nothing. This was his duty. No matter how worried she felt, she wouldn’t hold him back. Instead, she quietly sent him a message—telling him to stay safe and take care of himself.

"Female Master, breakfast is ready." Wen’s voice drifted from the kitchen doorway.

"Coming." Rory smiled faintly and took Xarion’s hand, leading him toward the dining area.

At that moment, Paros emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray. He carefully set the dishes in front of Rory.

"Rory... I made all of this myself," he said, his voice carrying a hint of anticipation. "Try it—tell me if it’s good."

Wen immediately nodded in agreement.

"Female Master, Lord Paros prepared everything personally. He was very serious about it. I’ve tasted it—it’s even better than what I make."

After all, he had accepted Paros’s gift. A few good words were only fair.

Rory met Paros’s hopeful gaze. She lifted the bowl, took a small sip of the porridge, then smiled.

"It’s delicious."

The moment she said it, Paros’s face lit up with unrestrained joy.

"As long as you like it, that’s all that matters," Paros said, his eyes bright. "I’ll keep learning from Wen. Whatever you want to eat, I’ll make it for you."

More than anything, he wanted Rory to accept him. If he wanted a place by her side, then he had to prove his worth—do more, give more, make her happy.

"Paros, you don’t have to do all this," Rory said gently.

He wasn’t her partner. And knowing his nature, once his mental state stabilized, he would likely return to the ocean territories without hesitation.

If he gave too much now... she worried he might one day look back and find it unbearable.

But Paros didn’t see it that way.

He looked at her with a sincere expression. "I like doing these things for you."

At the very least... it made him feel like he had a place beside her.

"Female Master, he’s idle anyway. If he wants to do it, let him."

Xarion set down a bowl of cooled steamed beast-egg custard in front of Rory.

Unlike Wen, he wasn’t speaking up for Paros out of courtesy.

Xarion genuinely wanted him occupied—so he’d have less time trying to cling to Rory.

"Xarion’s right," Paros added quickly. "I enjoy doing this. Just let me continue."

Before Rory could refuse, he moved on decisively:

"You eat first. I’ll go call Yuel, Jasper, and Aren down for breakfast."

With that, he turned and headed upstairs.

...

He went to Jasper’s room first—and handed over a prepared gift along the way.

Jasper accepted it, clearly surprised.

He immediately checked his spatial ring, intending to return the gesture—but found nothing suitable.

"Paros, thank you for the gift," he said. "I don’t have anything appropriate to give you right now. I’ll make it up to you another day."

"No need." Paros waved it off. He hadn’t given the gift expecting anything in return.

He’d also prepared one for Aren. Even if Aren wasn’t officially Rory’s partner yet... Paros knew it was only a matter of time.

...

When he went to find Yuel, Yuel handed him a small box.

Inside were several delicate blossoms.

"Thank you for your gift," Yuel said with a faint smile. "I don’t have much to offer in return. These are my flowers—you know what they do. I hope you don’t mind."

Paros hadn’t expected anything back at all.

He accepted them, genuinely pleased.

"Thank you. If you ever need anything, just tell me—I’ll help you."

Yuel smiled. "Don’t worry. I won’t be polite."

Using my own advice to win over my Female Master...

And when I ask his identity, he lies straight to my face.

Yuel’s smile deepened just a fraction. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Oh, he definitely knows who I am—and he’s playing along.

Fine.

If I don’t make him pay for that, then I’m not Yuel.

...

The two of them headed downstairs together. As they walked, Yuel lowered his voice slightly.

"Paros, are you planning to give Vincent a gift as well?"

Paros nodded without hesitation. "I want to thank all of you."

All of them.

Yuel let out a quiet chuckle. "I understand your intentions—and I know you want to become Rory’s partner."

He paused, then added meaningfully, "But Vincent is different from the rest of us. He’s Rory’s first partner. If you want to join us... it’s not enough for Rory alone to agree. Vincent must also approve."

Paros stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at Yuel, his expression serious.

"I didn’t realize that." He was sincerely concerned. "How does that work?"

Yuel’s advice had clearly hit its mark.

So the gifts really do work, Paros thought.

Yuel continued calmly, "If you want to give Vincent something, it has to be something he actually needs. People are less likely to refuse someone they’ve benefited from. If he accepts your help... when the time comes, he won’t make things difficult for you."

Paros didn’t hesitate. He immediately took out an eleventh-rank worm core and placed it in Yuel’s hand.

"Brother, I’m new here. I don’t understand these things well."

He looked at him earnestly. "Can you tell me—what does Vincent need most right now?"

Yuel glanced down at the core in his palm, then lowered his voice.

"Vincent is building a combat squad. He needs two things—resources... and people."

He paused, eyes flickering with quiet calculation. "The beasts of the Four Great Domains are fierce. They’re the best candidates for his squad. Vincent tried recruiting there before—but he had no connections."

Yuel looked up at Paros. A faint smile touched his lips.

"If you’re willing to step in..."