Interstellar Beast World: All My Husbands Are Powerful and Rich!-Chapter 93: Like spring water
He held Rory close, his arms firm yet careful, as though afraid she might slip away if he loosened his grip even slightly. Their foreheads touched, breaths mingling in the quiet space between them.
"I heard about everything you did today," Yuel said softly. His voice carried a mixture of awe and restrained emotion. "The way you stepped forward without hesitation. The way you shielded others even when the danger was overwhelming. I won’t lie—it shocked me."
He paused, then let a faint, sincere smile surface.
"But more than anything... it made me proud."
Rory blinked, caught off guard.
"Rory," he continued gently, "you handled the situation as well as anyone possibly could have. Better than most. Don’t shoulder guilt that was never meant to be yours. What happened today was the internal rot of the Violet Obsidian Clan finally surfacing. Jasper was simply unlucky—born into a Dragon Kind family where affection is rare and survival is cruel."
Rory listened in silence, but her brows knit together.
She couldn’t agree. Not completely.
Her chest ached—not for herself, but for Jasper.
"I’m Jasper’s huntress," she said quietly, but with unwavering certainty. "If something burdens him, then it burdens me too. How could this possibly have nothing to do with me?"
If it involved Jasper, then it involved her. That was all there was to it.
Yuel chuckled under his breath, unable to hide his reaction.
"If Jasper heard you say that," he said with a hint of amusement, "he’d probably break down on the spot."
Then, more softly, more honestly,
"I envy him. Truly. Maybe even a little jealous. To have someone stand up for him like this... especially at a time like today."
That serpent is unbearably lucky, he thought.
Yuel had always been clever, always calculating—but he had never dared to hope that Rory might one day defend him with that same fierce loyalty.
"I’m your huntress," Rory said simply, meeting his gaze. "And you and Jasper are both my suitors. If something happens to either of you, of course I’ll stand up for you."
What else was she supposed to do—sit back and let another female fight for the people she cared about?
She reached up, brushing her fingers lightly along Yuel’s cheek.
His skin was cool and impossibly smooth beneath her touch, softer even than her own. Flawless. Almost unreal. She genuinely didn’t understand how someone could look like this and still walk the world as if it were normal.
Yuel’s eyes softened further, deep blue and luminous. He lifted his hand, cradling her face with unmistakable tenderness.
"Then, Female Master..." he asked quietly, affection threading every syllable,
"may I have a kiss?"
Rory almost laughed.
How did he say things like that so effortlessly? How was he this smooth without even trying?
Instead of answering, she leaned in and kissed him first.
His hand slid to her waist, drawing her closer until there was no space left between them. Unlike the overwhelming intensity of the day before, Yuel’s touch was now incredibly gentle—as if she were something precious, something fragile.
His lips brushed hers again and again, lingering, coaxing, unhurried. Each kiss felt like a careful promise rather than a demand.
Rory’s vision softened, her thoughts drifting, and she was just about to melt entirely into his arms when a sudden floral sweetness bloomed across her tongue.
Cool. Pure. Like spring water kissed by sunlight.
The sensation slipped down her throat and spread through her body in gentle waves. Her exhaustion evaporated. Her mental power surged, filling every corner of her being. Even the weight pressing on her heart seemed to lift.
She had never felt this light before—never felt so completely comfortable in her own body.
"What did you just give me?" Rory asked, blinking up at him in genuine curiosity.
"My flower," Yuel replied with a small smile. "Not today’s. One from before. I saved it."
Then, quietly,
"That was the last one."
Her chest tightened.
He gave it to me... just like that?
"I wasn’t even hurt," she murmured. "Isn’t that wasted on me?"
"How could that ever be a waste?" Yuel said firmly. "You are its best purpose. Giving it to anyone else would be the real waste."
His voice softened again.
"Rory, my strength is nearly depleted. I need to enter dormancy for a time. If you need me... tug one of my leaves. I’ll wake."
He pressed a final, gentle kiss to her forehead.
"Sweet dreams, Female Master."
His body dissolved into soft blue light, drifting downward until it merged seamlessly with the deep-blue vine resting in the flowerpot.
As the room grew quiet once more, Rory frowned faintly.
There was something she meant to ask him...
Before the thought could take shape, a familiar voice cut through the silence.
"Rory!"
The bedroom door flew open.
Jasper rushed inside, panic etched into every movement. He pulled her into his arms with such force that she nearly lost her balance, his chest trembling beneath her cheek.
"Rory, are you scared? Are you hurt?" he demanded hoarsely. "I’m sorry—this is my fault. I should’ve been here. I should have protected you."
Fear. Guilt. Self-blame.
They wrapped around him so tightly it felt like he might collapse under their weight. His purple-black eyes were bloodshot, shadows bruising the skin beneath them. Rory couldn’t imagine how long it had been since he’d slept.
Her heart clenched.
She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his chest, listening to the frantic rhythm of his heartbeat.
"I’m fine," she said gently. "Really. I wasn’t scared at all."
She pulled back just enough to look at him and smiled brightly.
"You don’t even know how amazing I was today."
She launched into an animated reenactment, gesturing enthusiastically.
"I went in like this—blade up, one clean strike—and it was over. Instantly. I probably looked incredible. Even Nix said I was impressive! I even pulled out the emergency crystal Paros gave me, and then—"
She froze.
"The firebird," she whispered.
That was it.
That was what she had forgotten to ask Yuel.
