Chapter 361: Rather fond of succubi
After the Firebird Emperor’s birthday banquet, Lian had originally planned to seek Rory out the very next day.
Unfortunately, an unexpected incident got in the way.
Aren’s deranged younger brother, the succubus, had come looking for trouble.
At the time, two elders from Starlight Isle were constantly at Lian’s side. In order to avoid revealing his true strength in front of those two old schemers and smoothly step down from his position as Young Island Master, Lian had deliberately refrained from fighting back when the succubus attacked him.
Afterward, he used his injuries as an excuse to remain in the Central District.
The problem was that the injury had been to his face. Even while staying in the Central District, he had no way of creating a natural encounter with Rory.
All he could do was quietly follow her whenever she left her estate.
Unfortunately, Rory rarely ventured outside.
Later, after she became pregnant with Yuel’s child and traveled to the Four Great Domains to find him, Lian followed behind in secret once again. Even then, he never found an opportunity to approach her.
Then came the incident involving Rory and Paros.
By the time Lian arrived, he was already too late.
He watched as Rory and the unconscious Paros were swept away by the devastating snow surge.
From the shadows, he rescued them both.
He treated the injuries Rory had sustained during the disaster and ensured her safety.
However, because his own face had not yet healed, he still did not dare appear before her.
Instead, he focused on helping Paros regain consciousness first.
What he had not expected was that the moment Paros woke up, he would immediately take Rory back to the Water Domain.
"Brother."
Polly watched as Lian absentmindedly organized the medical instruments spread across the table.
Unable to help herself, she spoke up.
"From what I can tell, Rory’s mates don’t seem to like you very much."
She paused.
"Do you really think they’ll agree to let you become Rory’s mate?"
Unlike the others, her brother was not Rory’s destined match.
If he wanted to remain by Rory’s side, he would first need the approval of her existing mates.
To Polly, Vincent and Xarion already looked difficult enough to deal with.
The later arrivals, Yuel and Vangar, seemed even harder to handle.
The path ahead for her brother did not look easy at all.
"It won’t be easy." Lian nodded calmly. "But I’m confident I can make her choose to keep me."
A faint smile touched his lips. He had already won Nix over. He had also figured out Jasper’s attitude.
As long as he genuinely treated Rory well, Jasper would have no objections.
At the moment, he was personally overseeing Vincent’s treatment, which meant Vincent’s side would not be particularly difficult either.
As for Xarion and Vangar, their tempers were far from pleasant.
Still, Lian did not consider either of them a real threat.
The only person who truly concerned him was Yuel. That man was extraordinarily difficult to deal with.
And then there was the one who had yet to appear.
Aren.
At the thought of the succubus, a smile slowly curved Lian’s lips.
He had always been rather fond of succubi.
Polly looked at the smile on her brother’s face and instinctively rubbed her arms as goosebumps spread across her skin.
"Lian, that smile is terrifying."
"Is it?"
Lian pulled out a mirror and examined his reflection.
"I think it looks quite handsome."
Polly fell silent.
If he was happy, then so be it.
Meanwhile, in another room, Rory lay comfortably on the bed, watching Yuel emerge from the bathroom.
Freshly bathed and dressed from head to toe, he walked toward her with his usual elegant composure.
She glanced at him and asked curiously, "Is Terry still sleeping against your chest? It’s been an entire day. Why hasn’t he woken up yet?"
Yuel approached the bed and climbed onto it on one knee.
Then he pulled open the front of his sleepwear so she could see.
Inside the tiny house nestled against his chest, Terry remained fast asleep, curled up comfortably in his miniature home.
Before coming here, Terry had eaten a small section of vine from the Moonvine Divine Plant that Vangar had given him.
Now he was busy digesting the energy contained within it."
Understanding immediately dawned on Rory.
"Like when he ate the Ebony Divine Fruit before?"
Yuel nodded. "Exactly."
Rory gently reached out and stroked Terry.
The chubby little firebird nuzzled affectionately against her fingertip in his sleep.
A hopeful smile spread across her face as she looked up at Yuel.
"Once Terry wakes up this time, will he finally be able to leave your body?"
Rory remembered Yuel mentioning that once Terry absorbed enough energy, he would no longer need to remain attached to him and could become a normal little child in human form.
"Yes."
Yuel took Rory’s hand and gently pressed a kiss to her fingertips.
"Though this time, it may take him a little longer to finish absorbing all the energy."
Just as Yuel finished speaking and began to settle onto the bed, Rory stopped him.
She looked at him with a mischievous smile.
"Since Terry isn’t waking up anytime soon, Yuel, I want you to change into something else."
Yuel looked at her, immediately sensing trouble.
"Change into what?"
Rory pulled an elegant box from her spatial ring.
"I picked out something especially for you. I’m certain you’ll love it."
She slid the box toward him.
"Yuel, I want to watch you open it myself."
Yuel looked at Rory’s suspiciously delighted smile, then lowered his gaze to the box before him.
He already had a fairly good idea of what was inside.
"Anything chosen by you, Rory, is something I’ll like."
Reaching out, he slowly lifted the lid.
The moment the box opened, he saw a dark blue sleepwear set nestled neatly inside, its color nearly identical to that of his vines.
"Take it out and have a look."
Rory’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
The instant she had seen it in the virtual marketplace, she had thought it suited Yuel perfectly.
Suppressing a smile, Yuel obediently lifted the garment from the box.
The amount of fabric was almost laughably minimal.
The outfit consisted of several dark blue satin bands of varying widths, connected by carefully placed panels of silk that covered only the most essential areas.
The material was crafted from premium ice silkworm silk. Under the soft lighting, it shimmered with a liquid sheen. The fabric looked impossibly smooth and cool to the touch, designed to cling closely to the body and accentuate every line of muscle beneath it.
The upper portion featured a halter-style top with an extremely deep V neckline.
The lower half consisted of a fitted undergarment, joined together by delicate dark chains that glittered like tiny stars. Every subtle movement would cause the chains to brush together, producing soft, musical chimes that somehow felt both elegant and dangerously alluring.
In Yuel’s eyes, this was hardly sleepwear.
It looked far more like battle armor.
Looking at Rory, he asked softly, "You want to see me wear this?"
Rory nodded immediately.
"I picked it out especially for you. If you don’t wear it, won’t all my effort be wasted?"
The more she looked at it, the more convinced she became that it belonged on him.
"Then I’ll wear it."
His voice carried a trace of helpless amusement, though the slight upward curve at the end of his words betrayed how pleased he truly was.
His gaze lingered on her, filled with the same indulgence and tenderness he always reserved for her.
Rather than retreating to the bathroom or avoiding her attention, Yuel remained exactly where he was.
With deliberate ease, he began undoing the buttons of his sleepwear.
One after another, the buttons came undone.
The fabric loosened and slipped from his broad shoulders, hanging carelessly from his arms as if it might fall away completely at any moment.
Instead of immediately putting on the new outfit, Yuel picked up the dark blue undergarment first.
Leaning slightly forward, one hand braced against the mattress beside Rory, he calmly loosened the drawstring of his sleep pants.
The fabric slid down his long legs and pooled around his ankles.
Then he stepped into the dark blue garment and adjusted it into place with smooth, unhurried movements.
The slender ties highlighted the lean lines of his waist and the powerful contours of his physique.
Even without trying, there was something effortlessly captivating about him.
Rory had once thought she had become immune to this sort of thing after everything they had been through together.
Clearly, she had been mistaken.
Watching him now, she could feel warmth rising rapidly into her cheeks.
She swallowed unconsciously.
Yuel noticed immediately.
A smile flickered through his eyes as he reached for the matching top.
He slipped the satin bands over his neck, allowing the dark blue silk to settle neatly against his chest.
As he adjusted the garment, the delicate chains decorating it brushed softly against one another.
A series of gentle, crystalline chimes filled the room, light and musical, lingering in the quiet air between them.
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