Interstellar Beast World: All My Husbands Are Powerful and Rich!-Chapter 201: You again?

"Female Master, wait for me." Xarion’s voice turned cold with murderous intent. "I’ll go kill him right now."

"Wait!" Seeing the killing aura radiating from him, Rory quickly grabbed his arm and held him back. "Xarion, calm down first. What if it isn’t Cotton Candy?"

"We still don’t fully understand what he is or what he’s capable of. If you rush down there and fight him now... what if you get hurt?"

Rory wasn’t worried about the rabbit. She was worried about Xarion.

She knew how powerful he was—and she knew about his abnormal counterattack ability—but accidents could still happen.

Because she cared about him... she worried.

Just as Rory finished speaking, her light-brain chimed. A video call was coming in.

From Yuel.

"Xarion, calm down first. I’ll take Yuel’s call."

Afraid that Xarion might truly rush downstairs to kill Cotton Candy, Rory kept a firm grip on his hand. With her other hand, she accepted the incoming call.

The situation was still unclear. Acting recklessly now would only make things worse.

As soon as the connection opened, Yuel’s projection appeared before them.

He was dressed in a commander’s uniform, the crisp lines of it giving him a composed, authoritative air.

"Rory, I’m very sorry," he said immediately. "It took me this long to find an opportunity to call you."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted.

First to Rory’s hand gripping Xarion’s. Then, to Wen standing nearby.

His brows knit slightly.

"Rory... what’s going on?"

The atmosphere in the room was clearly tense.

"Did something happen?" Yuel asked at once.

Rory glanced at Xarion before turning back to the projection.

"Yuel... I’m pregnant." She didn’t try to hide it from him.

"What?" Shock flashed across Yuel’s face.

The normally gentle and refined man narrowed his eyes dangerously as he looked toward Xarion and Wen in the room.

Then his gaze returned to Rory, instantly softening.

"Rory," he asked quietly, "whose child is it?"

His voice was incredibly gentle—so gentle it sounded as though he was afraid of frightening her.

Rory looked at him helplessly and shook her head.

"It’s still too early. The doctors can’t determine it yet. Wen brought an artifact from the Water Domain that’s supposed to identify the father of a baby..."

She quickly explained everything that had happened.

"Now Xarion, Nix, and Jasper have all tested it. None of their hair reacted. So now... I don’t know who the baby’s father actually is."

When Yuel heard this, he seemed to freeze. It was as if lightning had struck him.

He stood there stiffly, completely silent for several long seconds.

Seeing his strange reaction, Rory frowned slightly.

"Yuel... what’s wrong?"

Yuel stared at Rory, his voice trembling slightly.

"Rory... have you felt any discomfort lately? Anywhere in your body? Anything unusual?"

Rory thought for a moment.

"Not really. I don’t feel sick or anything. I’ve just been eating a bit more than usual... and sometimes I get sleepy."

As she spoke, a sudden itch returned to her scalp.

She lifted her hand and scratched lightly before continuing.

"Oh—right. For the past few days, this spot here has been a little itchy."

She pointed to the front-right side of her head.

Because Wen was standing nearby, Rory didn’t mention the other change she had noticed—that the speed at which she absorbed beast cores had increased again.

Yuel watched as she pointed to that spot on her head, his lips pressing tightly together with visible tension.

"Rory... I’m sorry. I... I think I know who the father of the baby is."

"You know?" Rory’s eyes widened in shock. "Who is it?"

Yuel’s voice carried deep guilt as he answered. "It’s me."

"What?!" This time, it wasn’t just Rory who froze.

Even Xarion and Wen stared at the projection in stunned disbelief.

"Yuel, are you sure you’re not mistaken?" Rory asked immediately. "We haven’t even formed a bond yet!"

How could there possibly be a baby without a bond?

That sounded even more absurd than the baby belonging to Cotton Candy.

Yuel lowered his gaze slightly and explained, guilt thick in his voice.

"Rory... do you remember the day I left? It happened to be the day my blossoms opened."

Rory nodded. "Of course I remember."

She had personally picked all of the blossoms that bloomed on him.

And even... collected the pollen.

Thinking back to that moment made Rory’s face heat up instantly.

Fortunately, she had used something earlier to make her complexion appear pale, so no one could see that her cheeks were actually burning red.

"You mean... it has something to do with your flowering?"

Yuel nodded. "Yes. That’s correct."

"This situation is extremely rare. Since the emergence of the Moonvine clan, it has only occurred twice."

Yuel himself had never expected such a thing to happen between him and Rory.

If he had known... He should have restrained himself that day.

Instead, he had lost control.

Not just once—but many times.

"Rory... I’m sorry." The guilt in his heart was almost overwhelming.

Rory looked at the deeply remorseful Yuel and felt as though her brain had completely short-circuited.

This was beyond ridiculous.

Ridiculous didn’t even begin to cover it. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

It was like absurdity itself had opened the door for something even more absurd.

After a long moment, she finally managed to find her voice.

"Yuel... if that’s the case... What exactly am I going to give birth to?"

"A fruit?"

"A wooden stick?"

"Or... a little stick figure?"

Rory felt as though her thoughts had completely left the bounds of the Interstellar Empire.

Her mind was drifting somewhere far beyond the stars.

Seeing the bewildered, helpless expression on her face, Yuel’s heart tightened painfully.

He hurried to reassure her. "Rory, don’t be afraid. You won’t actually give birth to anything. Because the fruit doesn’t grow inside you—it grows outside."

He gestured gently toward the place she had scratched earlier.

"Right where your head feels itchy. If we estimate the timing, in about ten days or so, a tiny vine should start to grow there. When the vine grows two leaves, it will produce a flower bud."

"Once the bud blooms, the flower will wither after seven days, and the vine will fall off on its own."

He paused before adding quietly, "Since we never truly formed a bond, a fruit will not develop."

This condition was known as a false pregnancy.

It produced symptoms similar to pregnancy, but no actual fruit would form.

Yuel tried his best to soothe her.

"Rory, don’t be nervous. If the itching becomes severe, you can crush my petals into juice and apply it to the area. Once the vine grows out, the itching will disappear. After that, your body will return to normal and you won’t feel any discomfort."

"You can just think of it as wearing... a hairpin."

Rory’s mouth twitched.

A hairpin?

Seriously?

Still, curiosity got the better of her.

"And if a fruit did grow... what would it look like?"

Yuel was certain that wouldn’t happen—but since she asked, he explained gently.

"It would grow into a dark blue fruit, about the size of a grape at its largest."

"When the fruit matures, it will detach on its own along with the vine. After that, the father would raise the child."

"Vinefolk are different from beastmen. They only transform into humanoid form at the age of three."

"Before that, they remain in fruit form, hanging from the father’s vine while they grow."

That was precisely why Yuel had never wanted children.

For the three years before the child could take human form, it would have to remain attached to him.

Which meant... For three entire years, he wouldn’t be able to be intimate with the Female Master.

Not three days.

Not three months.

But three whole years.

Three years!

Yuel would have to be out of his mind to willingly want a child.

At last, Rory fully understood. And finally, she felt relieved. "I understand now, Yuel."

So it wasn’t a real pregnancy after all.

She had been worrying for days for nothing.

Even though it was only a false pregnancy, it still made Yuel feel guilty.

"Rory... I’m sorry. This time I wasn’t careful."

"I promise it won’t happen again."

Rory reached up and touched the itchy spot on her head again.

When she pressed lightly, she felt a small hard bump beneath the skin—about the size of a mung bean.

So that must be the vine Yuel had mentioned.

"It’s okay, Yuel," she said gently.

"I’m not blaming you."

"Focus on commanding the battle. We’ll wait for you to come back."

"If you happen to see Vincent," Rory added softly, "tell him I’m waiting for him to come home."

At a moment like this, she had no intention of blaming Yuel.

He had only managed to call her because he’d found a brief opening in the middle of an overwhelming workload. From the rear command center, even a short video call required rare timing.

As for Vincent, since leaving for the battlefield, he had effectively vanished from contact.

Even Yuel hadn’t seen him for several days. The only way they could communicate now was through the military’s internal channels.

Before long, someone called for Yuel from his side.

He quickly exchanged a few final words with Rory before ending the call.

When the connection closed, Rory reached up and touched her head again, letting out a long breath of relief.

Xarion also exhaled quietly.

Thank the Beast God.

The Female Master wasn’t carrying his cub after all.

Rory’s gaze drifted to the mirror lying on the bed. On a sudden whim, she picked up one of Yuel’s pale blossoms and placed it on the surface.

Since she didn’t have Yuel’s hair... the flower should work too, right?

The moment the translucent blossom touched the mirror, it floated across the surface and drifted toward Rory’s strand of hair.

Then it settled on top of it, pinning her hair gently beneath it.

Seeing this, Wen spoke immediately.

"Master, see? I told you—the treasures of the Water Domain never fail."

It was only that earlier, they had tested the wrong father.

Rory nodded thoughtfully. Then another question occurred to her.

"You gave this to me... what will the merfolk females use in the future?"

Wen smiled.

"Master, there’s no need to worry. The merfolk still have another one."

That put Rory’s mind at ease.

After all the commotion that morning, she suddenly felt exhausted.

Yawning softly, she looked at Xarion and Wen.

"You two go take care of your work. I’m feeling sleepy."

"Let me have a quiet nap."

"I’ll stay with the Female Master," Xarion said immediately.

Hearing that, Wen simply turned and left.

Right now, he was only the Master’s follower. Unless she said otherwise, he had no standing to compete with Xarion.

Rory didn’t object.

Even though it was only a false pregnancy, the symptoms were surprisingly intense. When the drowsiness hit, it came like a wave—strong enough to drag her instantly toward sleep.

She lay back on the bed.

Before she even had time to pull the blanket over herself, she had already fallen asleep.

Xarion lay down beside her, gently drawing her into his arms. He pulled the blanket over them both, tucking it around her with quiet care.

As he gazed at Rory’s peaceful sleeping face, his Adam’s apple shifted slightly.

Since the Female Master wasn’t actually pregnant...

Did that mean he could...?

Rory, of course, had no idea what he was thinking.

The moment she drifted into sleep, she saw it again.

That glowing sphere—the same one that had chased her through her dream the other night.

"You again?"

Rory stared at the little ball of light drifting toward her.

Almost instinctively, she turned to run.