Interstellar Beast World: All My Husbands Are Powerful and Rich!-Chapter 173: Fair competition

Jasper’s breathing turned ragged.

He caught Rory’s wandering hand in his own and guided it slowly down the firm planes of his abdomen.

"Didn’t you want to know whether I really have...? It’s your chance to count them yourself..."

The sheets tangled beneath them, twisted into soft creases. Her nightdress had long since slipped from her shoulders, exposing wide stretches of pale skin to the dim room.

Jasper’s voice dropped, husky and edged with danger. His heated lips traced a path down her neck before closing firmly over her collarbone.

A serpent’s tail slid forward, coiling around her.

The dark violet-black scales gleamed faintly in the low light as it climbed, slow and deliberate, along her calf. The cool texture brushed against her sensitive skin, sending shivers rippling through her.

The tail continued upward, gliding along the inside of her thigh, each subtle movement drawing sharper tremors from her body.

Rory nearly whimpered, but Jasper captured her lips, swallowing every broken sound in a deep, claiming kiss.

The silk sheets whispered beneath their shifting bodies, the soft friction unnaturally loud in the quiet room.

Moonlight spilled through the window, casting their entwined silhouettes across the wall.

Muted breaths, half-suppressed gasps, and the faint rustle of fabric blended into a wordless symphony of intimacy.

The delicate silver chain at the head of the bed chimed softly with each motion, as if keeping rhythm for them...

***

Downstairs, Vincent sat on the sofa. Nix was beside him.

Yuel leaned casually against a pillar. On the opposite couch, Xarion lay with his eyes closed, feigning sleep.

In the corner, Aren—still in rabbit form—curled into himself, emotionally collapsed for the entire day.

Ever since learning from Yuel that Rory despised being deceived, Aren had been in turmoil, trying to figure out how to confess his true identity.

Hours of thinking had yielded nothing.

What was he supposed to do? Pretend to be a rabbit forever?

Nix finally broke the silence.

"Jasper went upstairs to call Rory and hasn’t come down since. I guess... he’s not coming down tonight?"

His gaze swept across Vincent, Yuel, and Xarion.

None of them showed a single expression.

Nix sighed.

"This is boring. Should we at least play something? Or maybe just go back to our rooms?"

Rory wasn’t going to bond with all of them at once tonight anyway.

He looked at Xarion.

"You haven’t even gone back to see your room since we returned. Don’t you want to check out how I decorated it?"

Xarion shook his head without opening his eyes.

"I trust you."

That room had been prepared for the Female Master. He would see it with her.

Yuel shifted against the pillar and finally spoke.

"Rory has bonded with Jasper."

"Next, it will be our turn."

"Shall we discuss what happens afterward?"

"What do you mean?" Nix blinked at him.

Yuel was patient with Nix. If one of his subordinates had asked something that foolish, he would’ve scolded them senseless.

"The first round, she’ll definitely bond with each of us. No one will be left out."

"But after that?"

"You don’t intend to sit here waiting for Rory to call your name one by one, do you?"

He scoffed lightly. "She’s not the type to initiate. Unless you provoke her, she won’t come chasing you. The only one she initiates with is Jasper."

That, too, was part of why Yuel and Vincent envied him.

Vincent’s long fingers rested on the gilded armrest of the sofa as he lifted his gaze.

"What are you proposing?"

Nix and Xarion both turned toward Yuel.

Yuel smiled faintly. "I suggest we make name plaques. Write each of our names on one. When she’s in the mood, she flips a plaque. Whoever she chooses accompanies her."

"No." Nix objected instantly. "My luck is terrible. Anything based purely on chance is unfair to me."

He had never won any lottery-style game in his life. He was traumatized.

Absolutely not.

"Then what do you suggest?" Yuel asked.

He was genuinely trying to help. Especially Nix. With that brain of his, how was he going to outmaneuver Vincent or Xarion?

And yet he refused the proposal.

Vincent stood.

"Then let it depend on individual ability. Use whatever methods you can to earn Rory’s affection. But under one condition—no harming Rory, and no attacking the others in this house."

This was a fair competition.

Yuel remained unbothered. "I have no problem with that."

Nix gritted his teeth. "I... also have no problem."

Worst case, he’d return to the Lion-Tiger Clan tonight and consult his more aggressive brothers.

Xarion nodded. "Agreed."

With that settled, Vincent received a message on his communicator and departed.

An elder had reported possible traces of the Merfolk King and requested his confirmation.

After Vincent left, Yuel returned to his own room.

Nix glanced at Xarion. "You really won’t go see your room? It’s amazing."

"No." Xarion closed his eyes again and waved him off. "Go rest. Don’t worry about me."

Nix eventually returned to his own room.

***

At dawn, when the first rays of sunlight slipped through the curtains, Rory was too exhausted to open her eyes.

Jasper brushed sweat-damp hair from her face and pressed a tender kiss to the flushed corner of her eye.

The sheets were in disarray. The air still held traces of lingering heat, silent testimony to the night’s intensity.

"Rory, shall we bathe before you sleep?"

They were both in need of cleaning. And this bed was no longer usable.

Rory couldn’t even move her fingers. So this was the advantage of "quantity"?

He had truly carried on until sunrise.

Jasper lifted her effortlessly in his arms. She melted against him, cheek pressed to his damp chest.

Steam filled the bathroom as he set her gently onto a cushioned surface beneath the shower. Warm water cascaded over them, washing away the evidence of their long night.

"Lean on me if you’re sleepy."

His low voice blended with the sound of running water as his hands kneaded her sore muscles with careful tenderness.

She nodded vaguely, curling against him like a sated cat.

She didn’t even remember returning to bed.

She only remembered him feeding her a fruit-flavored nutrient vial after their bath.

When she woke again, it was the morning of the third day.

Rory opened her eyes, surprised to find her body completely refreshed. The exhaustion and soreness from before had vanished.

Aside from being hungry, she felt fantastic.

"Rory, you’re finally awake." Nix exhaled deeply in relief from where he’d been sitting beside the bed. "That’s such a relief."

She blinked at him, puzzled.

"Did I sleep that long?"

Hadn’t she only slept a day and a night after being overly tired?