Chapter 372: Why are you tying me up?
Was that really something you were supposed to tell other people?
Rory hadn’t even stepped out of her room yet, and she was already dying of secondhand embarrassment.
Nix was impossible.
Taking a deep breath, she silently reminded herself to stay calm.
Getting angry wasn’t good for the baby.
Slowly, she closed the door again.
Then she hurriedly changed into a fresh outfit.
Once she was ready, she returned to the doorway, took another steadying breath, arranged a pleasant smile on her face, and opened the door.
"Nix."
Her voice was sweet as she called out to him.
At that moment, Nix was still sitting on the sofa, enthusiastically recounting his stories.
The instant he heard Rory’s voice, he whipped around.
Everyone else turned to look as well.
Rory maintained a perfectly pleasant smile.
Ignoring the others entirely, she crooked a finger at Nix.
"Nix, come here."
Her smile remained flawless.
"I need to talk to you about something."
"I’m coming."
Without the slightest suspicion, Nix jumped to his feet and hurried over.
The moment the others watched him approach Rory, they collectively lowered their heads.
Not one of them dared say a word.
Only Nix remained blissfully unaware.
"Rory, what did you want to tell me?"
He stopped in front of her, eyes bright with anticipation.
Then his gaze dropped to the hand gripping his collar.
A faint blush immediately appeared on the tips of his ears.
His thoughts wandered back to the previous night.
Rory smiled.
Then she grabbed his collar and dragged him into the room.
The door closed behind them.
A moment later, she locked it.
Nix’s heartbeat instantly accelerated.
"Rory..."
His face grew even redder as she led him toward the bed.
Surely... No. Could it be...?
His imagination immediately started racing.
Rory guided him all the way to the bedside.
Then, with a firm push, she sent him tumbling backward onto the mattress.
Before he could react, she reached out and grabbed his tail.
Nix’s breathing instantly became uneven.
"Rory..."
His voice grew nervous.
"Wouldn’t this tire you out?"
After all, she had already helped him the previous night.
Even if they hadn’t actually done anything, her hand still had to work.
He didn’t want her exhausting herself.
"It won’t."
Rory’s smile widened.
Then she leaned closer.
And squeezed his tail hard.
Nix sucked in a sharp breath. Pain shot through him instantly. His eyes immediately reddened.
"Rory..."
He looked up at her pitifully. That really hurt.
Rory had been completely ruthless.
"What’s wrong?" Rory asked innocently.
"You told Lian that I like playing with your tail, didn’t you?"
As she spoke, she wrapped his tail around one of the bedposts and tied it into a knot.
Nix stared at her in confusion.
"Rory..." He blinked. "Why are you tying me up?"
Then he frowned thoughtfully.
"If you’re going to tie me up, shouldn’t you use chains instead of my tail?"
A hopeful look appeared in his eyes.
"Do you want to try something different?"
Rory nearly laughed from sheer disbelief.
"Because I like it."
Her answer came smoothly.
Then she stepped forward and grabbed him by the throat.
Nix froze.
The sight would have terrified anyone else.
Yet instead of fear, a completely different reaction coursed through him.
The sudden intimacy. The unexpected forcefulness.
A shiver ran through his entire body.
Rory looked adorable when she was angry.
He liked that too.
"I heard everything."
Rory’s hand wasn’t actually applying any pressure.
Instead, her warm fingertips brushed lightly against his throat, sending an entirely different kind of sensation through him.
Leaning down, she brought her lips close to his ear.
Her warm breath tickled his skin.
When she spoke, her voice was low.
There was irritation in it... And something strangely captivating.
"You told Lian and the others that you like it when I play with your tail."
"Didn’t you?"
The moment the accusation landed, Nix’s entire body stiffened.
Guilt flashed across his face. He couldn’t even meet her eyes.
Watching him squirm, Rory gritted her teeth.
Her expression mixed exasperation and disbelief in equal measure.
"Seriously, Nix."
She stared directly at him.
"Is that the kind of thing you’re supposed to tell other people?"
"I... I only said that one thing."
Nix’s voice grew noticeably quieter as he defended himself.
It wasn’t as though he shared everything.
He did have some sense of boundaries.
Besides, he was fairly certain Rory would eventually become mates with Lian.
In that case, mentioning something like this to him didn’t seem like a big deal.
If anything, it might even help Lian understand how to make Rory happy.
"Even that one thing wasn’t okay."
Just thinking about it made Rory want to disappear from existence.
The embarrassment was unbearable.
A muffled sound escaped Nix’s throat.
His entire body went rigid, as though he’d been struck by a surge of electricity.
Instinctively, he wanted to retreat.
Unfortunately, his tail was still securely tied in place, leaving him unable to move.
The sensation of being completely at her mercy filled him with a confusing mix of emotions.
Part of him was delighted. Part of him was overwhelmed.
"Rory..." His eyes reddened. "I was wrong. I won’t do it again."
A sheen of tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.
At this point, he couldn’t even tell whether he felt miserable or happy.
All he knew was that his heart seemed determined to hammer its way out of his chest.
Rory was scolding him. Punishing him. And somehow, it felt suspiciously similar to being rewarded.
The contradiction was driving him insane.
"Hmph."
Rory let out a soft snort. Then she pulled out a nutrient drink.
Holding his chin firmly, she tipped the bottle toward his mouth.
"You’re staying here this morning."
She made him swallow a few mouthfuls before continuing.
"Think about what you’ve done. I’ll let you out at lunchtime."
The whole situation was simply too embarrassing. Too humiliating.
At this point, Rory barely wanted to leave her room.
She honestly felt like biting Nix.
A knock suddenly sounded from outside. Jasper’s voice followed.
"Rory, breakfast is ready."
Rory took a deep breath.
Then she shot one final glare at the thoroughly pitiful-looking Nix tied to the bed.
"Coming."
After straightening her clothes, she headed to the washroom for a quick cleanup.
Only then did she leave the room.
The moment the door closed behind her, every trace of misery vanished from Nix’s face.
A grin immediately spread across his lips.
He touched his mouth thoughtfully.
Rory couldn’t bear to truly punish him.
She had locked him in the room, yet she was still worried he might get hungry and had given him a nutrient drink first.
Clearly, she cared. Very much.
Finding a comfortable position, Nix sprawled across the bed and pulled Rory’s blanket into his arms.
Then he buried his face in it and rubbed against it repeatedly.
Outside, Jasper waited patiently.
The moment Rory emerged, he naturally reached for her hand.
His fingers intertwined with hers.
"Nix spends most of his brainpower designing mechs and warships."
His tone was gentle.
"Sometimes he doesn’t think things through. He overlooks details."
Jasper smiled faintly.
"But we all understand that. Nobody is going to hold today’s bragging against him. I know you wouldn’t bully him."
Rory’s cheeks flushed immediately. She buried her face against Jasper’s chest.
"It’s just so embarrassing."
Her voice was muffled.
"Right now I feel like digging an entire castle underground and hiding inside it forever."
The men in her household knew plenty of things about her.
That wasn’t the issue.
The problem was that some things simply weren’t meant to be discussed publicly.
The more she thought about it, the stronger the urge became to return to her room and lecture Nix all over again.
Jasper wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Rory."
His voice held obvious amusement.
"I don’t think embarrassment is what you should be focused on right now."
She looked up.
"What should I be focused on, then?"
"You should be thinking about what gifts you’re going to choose for Vangar and Wen."
His smile deepened.
"After all, Nix didn’t really say anything outrageous. The only remotely suggestive thing he mentioned was that you like playing with his tail. Everything else was perfectly normal."
Jasper shook his head.
"The real issue isn’t what he said. It’s that everyone else is jealous. Jealous that he received a gift from you."
Rory groaned softly.
"That idiot really knows how to create problems for me."
Her original plan had been to wait until after she became mates with Vangar and Wen before giving them their gifts.
Now that plan had been thoroughly ruined.
She would have to prepare them much sooner.
Together, she and Jasper headed toward the dining area.
The moment Rory appeared in the doorway, every man seated around the breakfast table looked up.
Instantly.
The intensity of their gazes was enough to burn holes through solid metal.
Pretending not to notice, Rory calmly walked over and sat down between Vincent and Yuel.
Then she turned toward Vincent with an expression of complete seriousness.
"How are you feeling today?"
Her voice was full of concern.
"Are you still getting sick?"
Vincent smiled and shook his head.
"I’m much better now."
He gestured toward the table.
"I’m even able to join everyone for breakfast."
The medication Lian had prepared was remarkably effective.
Just yesterday, Vincent had barely been able to keep food down.
Today, he was sitting at the table eating alongside everyone else as though nothing had happened.
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