Vangar hesitated for a brief moment—then reached out and took the fruit Aren was holding.

The instant he accepted it, Aren broke into a radiant smile. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Daddy, hurry and eat!"

Vangar: "..."

With visible reluctance, he lifted the bright red fruit—one he didn’t even recognize—and took a bite.

Crunch.

His expression stiffened.

So sour. What kind of cursed fruit was this?

He nearly spat it out on the spot. But Aren looked up at him with shining, hopeful eyes.

"Daddy, the fruit I picked is good, right?"

Vangar: "..."

He very nearly stuffed the entire fruit back into Aren’s mouth just to make him taste it himself.

"Daddy, you haven’t answered me yet. Is it good?"

Aren asked again, tilting his head.

Every time before, his father had always said it was delicious.

"...It’s good."

Vangar forced the words out through clenched teeth, biting down on the fruit like he was at war with it.

Aren beamed.

"If Daddy likes it, I’ll go get more!"

Before Vangar could react, he turned and darted back into the kitchen.

The moment he disappeared, Vangar immediately tossed the fruit into the nearby trash.

Then he turned to Yuel, his voice dropping, laced with unmistakable menace.

"And none of you thought to stop this? You let someone like that stay by the Female Master’s side?"

Vangar had never been known for a gentle temperament. At times, his bluntness bordered on outright brutality.

Yuel and Vincent were used to it. But this... was not the battlefield.

Yuel’s expression turned serious as he reminded him, "Marshal, this is a home—not the military. In this house, we’re family. Family treats each other with care. No matter what Aren is like, he is someone Rory has already promised to bond with. If you want to stay here, there are things you cannot say... and even thoughts you shouldn’t entertain."

Vangar fell silent. His lips pressed into a thin line.

"...I understand. I’m new here. Thank you for the reminder."

He exhaled slowly.

Here, he couldn’t follow his own rules. He had to follow his Female Master’s.

Without another word, he walked back to the trash, bent down, and retrieved the fruit he had just discarded.

Then, bite by bite, he finished it.

He had barely swallowed the last piece when Aren came running back out of the kitchen, clutching another fruit.

"Daddy! I found another good one!"

"...Thank you."

He ran his tongue over his teeth—still aching from the sourness—and, under Aren’s eager gaze, took the second fruit and bit into it.

Crunch.

"Daddy, is it good?" Aren watched him expectantly.

Vangar stared at him, baffled.

Was this fool really out of his mind? Or was he deliberately trying to torture him?

"...It’s good."

His face remained completely expressionless.

Good, my ass.

What kind of monstrous fruit was this? How could something be this sour?

"If Daddy likes it, I’ll go get more!"

Aren turned and dashed back toward the kitchen again.

Vangar: "..."

Wait... More?!

A terrifying killing intent began to leak uncontrollably from Vangar.

Yuel’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly stepped in, trying to defuse the situation.

"Marshal—please, don’t get angry. Just bear with it for a moment. I’ll go get Rory to save you."

And with that, he bolted upstairs without hesitation.

***

Upstairs, Rory was on a call with Xarion and Vincent.

Vincent’s voice came through clearly over the line.

"Rory, I’ve written down everything you said. I’ll stay on the call. I’m heading over now to see those two females—Bree and Yilan."

"Alright." Rory’s tone turned cautious as she reminded him,

"Be careful. Until we’re certain about Bree’s identity, don’t let her grow suspicious of you."

"Understood."

Vincent slipped Xarion’s communicator into his pocket and told him to remain in the command room.

Xarion watched him leave, then slumped into his chair, looking half-dead.

He hadn’t even had the chance to ask his Female Master how many new matches she had today.

Or who they were.

The thought alone made his mood sour.

More people... to compete for her attention.

His jaw tightened.

He really wanted to beat them up.

***

Meanwhile, near the medical pod, Yilan, already dressed and composed, lit up the moment she saw Vincent.

She nearly threw herself into his arms.

"Vincent, you’re here! It’s been so long—do you still remember me?"

Her voice brimmed with excitement as she stepped closer.

Vincent subtly stepped back, suppressing the disgust rising in his chest, maintaining a careful distance.

"I came to check on your injuries," he said evenly, glancing between her and Bree.

"My injuries are already healed!"

Yilan answered immediately, her eyes shining. "Vincent, thank you for caring about me."

On the other end of the call, Rory listened quietly.

Even without seeing Yilan’s face, she could easily hear the undisguised affection in her tone.

After Yilan finished, Bree spoke softly, her voice gentle and composed.

"Yilan is right. We’ve mostly recovered. This time, it’s all thanks to you, Vincent. If we had really been captured by the insectoids..."

She trailed off, her expression turning pale. "The consequences would have been unimaginable."

At the mention of the insectoids, Yilan’s face turned white as well.

"Bree’s right!"

She looked at Vincent, her tone turning aggrieved.

"You don’t know how horrible those creatures were. They even hit me—look how badly I was hurt. My whole body still aches..."

Vincent ignored her complaints entirely.

Instead, he asked calmly, "How did the two of you encounter the insectoids?"

This was a question Bree had long prepared for.

She had already crafted a story—and shared it with Yilan.

Her eyes reddened as she spoke, her voice trembling.

"We were bored at home... so we secretly snuck out without telling our families or partners. Who would have thought... we’d run into insectoids..."

Tears began to fall as she spoke, her appearance pitiful and fragile.

Vincent watched her quietly.

In his ear, Rory’s voice came through.

"Vincent, give them tissues. Show some concern."

Rory wasn’t acting out of sympathy. She simply wanted to lower Bree and Yilan’s guard.

Only then could Vincent extract useful information.

Vincent hadn’t intended to comfort them at all.

But upon hearing Rory’s instruction, he signaled a military medic instead of moving himself.

The medic stepped forward and handed tissues to both women.

"Thank you..."

Bree accepted them, dabbing gently at her tears, looking every bit the delicate victim.

Once she had finished, Vincent continued,

"Bree... before I came here, I received a call from the higher command. They told me you’re a human female. Is that true?"

Bree looked at him, hesitant, then nodded softly.

"Y-yes... it’s true."

A faint smile appeared on Vincent’s lips.

"Then there’s no need to be nervous. Since you are a rare human female, I will protect you at all costs aboard my warship."

His tone seemed to soften slightly.

"The human females who have appeared in the Empire... all seemed to arrive out of nowhere."

He held her gaze.

"I’m curious—where do human females like you... come from?"