Interstellar Beast World: All My Husbands Are Powerful and Rich!-Chapter 53: You’re not angry with me?

"Don’t worry, Rory. I’ll make sure it’s properly taken care of," Dax said quickly, his tone smooth and reassuring.

Then, as if that weren’t enough, he immediately added, "Female Master, I’ll assist Jasper as well. Between the two of us, nothing will happen to it. Promise."

You two shameless idiots—just wait, Kather seethed inwardly. Once I recover, I’ll make you pay for this, pinheads!

He could tell without a doubt that those two males were scheming something vile. Their words sounded polite, but their intentions were anything but pure.

Still, as a male himself, Kather understood the unspoken rules of propriety. It was inappropriate—even borderline offensive—for him to enter a female’s private room, no matter the form. If not for this unexpected injury, he would never have appeared here in such an undignified state to begin with.

Since both Jasper and Dax had offered to take responsibility for him, he chose not to resist. Pride aside, this was the most reasonable outcome.

When Rory noticed that Kather didn’t struggle, she nodded in agreement, handing the bird over. "Alright then. I’ll leave him with you for now."

She turned to Jasper afterward, hesitation flickering briefly across her expression.

Jasper and Dax were different from Paros. Jasper genuinely wanted to be her mate. He was gentle, obedient, and unfailingly considerate. Should she ask him to stay with her on the third floor now?

Her thoughts drifted—quite involuntarily—to the firm strength of his body when he had supported her in the forest, the solid warmth of his chest against her back. A tiny, traitorous voice in her mind giggled shyly.

She hadn’t wondered about such things in a long while.

She had heard that other females sometimes invited three matched males into their rooms at once. Surely, inviting only Jasper wouldn’t be too much, right? She wouldn’t know.

Rory cleared her throat, steadying herself. "Jasper, my room is on the third floor. You—"

Before she could finish, Jasper answered obediently, as if he had been waiting for this moment this entire time, "Then I’ll choose the room closest to yours."

She froze.

That... wasn’t what she meant at all.

Closest to her room? Why not in her room? Wouldn’t that make more sense?

A flicker of doubt crossed her heart. Had she misunderstood him after all? Was he not as serious about becoming her mate as she thought?

"Jasper," she said slowly, choosing her words with care, "besides the rooms on the first and second floors... you can also stay with me. It’s... no trouble at all."

This time, she was clear and direct.

Jasper’s eyes lit up instantly. For a female to invite her match into her private room was a powerful sign of affection. Of acceptance.

Joy surged through him so strongly that he nearly leapt into the air—though he forced himself to remain still.

Yet the happiness lasted only a heartbeat before being replaced with visible struggle.

"Rory," he said, his voice low and conflicted, "I truly want to stay with you. More than anything. But I can’t."

Her brows knit together in confusion. "Why not?"

"I’ve reached the peak of level nine," he explained, fixing his eyes on hers. "My mental energy is unstable because I’m on the verge of advancing. Until I successfully break through, I can’t be near you like that."

She frowned, clearly not convinced. "If your mental state is unstable, I can help calm it. I’ve done it before. I’m pretty good at it."

"I know you can, and I know you are," Jasper said quickly. "But right now, the only thing you can help with is mental power. I don’t know when I’ll advance. When it happens, I’ll revert to my beast form, and I may lose control. I could hurt you."

After saying that, he looked at her anxiously, his hands clenched at his sides in tight fists.

He had heard the rumors before—how females might lose interest when rejected, how they might turn cold. The thought alone terrified him. Rory happened to like him, and yet he had to refuse her now. The frustration made his chest ache, but her safety mattered more than anything else.

Male Etherians always avoided close contact with females during advancement. Losing control was far too dangerous.

"I see," Rory said softly at last.

A quiet sense of relief settled in her chest. As long as he wasn’t rejecting her because he didn’t want her, everything was fine. Sharing a bed could wait.

She rose onto her toes and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek.

"Then you’ll have to stay alone for a little while."

Jasper stiffened.

She kissed him on the cheek again.

His eyes shone with unrestrained joy. "Rory... you’re not angry with me?"

"Why would I be?" she replied warmly. "This isn’t your fault. I understand."

She wasn’t desperate, nor would she force him into something when she knew he was facing a critical moment.

"Thank you," Jasper said, deeply moved. "You’re so kind."

The urge to lift her into his arms and spin her around surged through him—but just as his hand moved, a sharp squeak cut through the air. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Rory looked down.

Kather lay sprawled on the floor, all four limbs stretched stiffly outward, red eyes blazing with fury as he glared at Jasper.

Jasper pressed his lips together and scratched the back of his dark purple hair awkwardly. "Rory, I... I forgot I was holding him."

Another loud squeak followed, indignant and accusatory.

Kather fumed. He had always thought his brother Yuel was reckless in public, but now he realized Jasper was just as skilled—if not more so—at pretending to be calm in front of females. He had seen it clearly. Jasper wanted to hold Rory, and he had deliberately dropped him.

Jasper quickly crouched down, lifting Kather carefully into his arms. "I promise," he said earnestly, "I’ll never drop him again."

Seeing that Kather wasn’t seriously hurt, Rory didn’t scold him. Still, for the bird’s safety, she offered a gentle reminder—one that Jasper accepted without complaint.