Chapter 375: Exposed
Vincent said nothing.
But the slight tremor running through his body betrayed everything he was trying to hide.
His hands hung rigidly at his sides, fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms.
Sharp pain shot through his skin. It was insignificant compared to the agony in his heart.
As her mate, he had utterly failed.
He hadn’t known.
Hadn’t known that his Rory had once struggled to survive like the lowest-ranking beastkin, fighting through mud, blood, and hardship just to stay alive.
Meanwhile, the group chat continued flashing with messages.
Nix: Why did everyone stop talking?
Nix: Tell me.
Nix: Did Rory really suffer that much before?
Nix: Somebody answer me.
Nix: Please say something.
He desperately wanted to run out and find Rory.
But Rory had told him he wasn’t allowed to leave until noon.
If he broke his punishment and ran out now, she might be upset.
The anxiety was driving him crazy.
A short while later, Rory returned from Vangar’s room.
The moment she stepped inside, she found Nix kneeling on the bed.
His fingers flew frantically across the communicator screen.
"Nix?" She hurried over. "What happened?"
"Rory..."
The instant he saw her, his pale blue eyes lit up. Then a thick layer of moisture gathered in them.
Without even thinking, he threw his arms around her and pulled her tightly into his embrace.
"Rory..." His voice was muffled against her neck. "Rory..."
He buried his face deeply in the crook of her shoulder. His tone shook with restrained emotion: heartache, distress, and an almost overwhelming urge to protect her.
The sudden embrace caught Rory completely off guard. She could feel the faint tremor running through his body.
Frowning slightly, she stroked his back.
"What happened?" Her voice softened immediately. "Did tying you up scare you that much?"
Regret flickered through her.
If she had known he would react like this, she never would have punished him.
Nix only shook his head.
Once.
Twice.
Then he tightened his hold around her even further.
Nobody had properly explained anything in the group chat.
All he had been left with was silence.
Heavy silence.
But somehow, that silence told him everything.
It told him that before he met her, before any of them found her, Rory must have endured things he couldn’t even imagine.
The thought made his chest ache.
Had she been injured?
Had she gone hungry?
Had she spent cold nights alone and frightened?
Had she cried with nobody there to comfort her?
The images crushed his heart.
It felt as though an invisible hand had seized it and refused to let go.
"Alright, alright." Rory gently soothed him. Then she reached over and untied his tail.
"There." A smile touched her lips. "I’m not keeping you tied up anymore, okay?"
"Rory..."
At last, Nix lifted his head.
His eyes were red.
His voice broke as he looked at her.
"I’m sorry."
The apology came out as little more than a whisper.
"It’s all my fault."
He swallowed hard.
"You suffered so much."
If only he had been matched with her sooner.
If only he had met her earlier.
If he had been there, he could have taken care of her.
She wouldn’t have had to struggle through so much alone.
Rory blinked, completely bewildered.
"Huh?" She stared at him, wide-eyed. "Suffered? Suffered how?"
The confusion on her face was entirely genuine.
From her perspective, her current life had absolutely nothing to do with hardship.
"Nix." She tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"
Concern replaced confusion as she studied him.
His eyes were red.
He looked seconds away from bursting into tears.
What exactly had happened?
Was this some kind of nightmare?
Had he woken up upset from a bad dream?
The more baffled Rory appeared, the worse Nix felt.
His heart squeezed painfully.
Of course.
His Rory must have suffered for so long that she no longer even recognized it as suffering.
Carefully taking her hands into his own, he hurriedly tried to explain.
"Rory, I know now." His voice was urgent. "Xarion told everyone in the group chat."
"Xarion?" Rory’s brows drew together immediately.
Her confusion deepened.
Xarion said she had suffered?
When?
How?
Why was she the only one who seemed completely unaware of this supposed hardship?
Rory stared at Nix, utterly bewildered.
Since when had she been living such a miserable life without even knowing it herself?
"What did he say?"
Rory looked at Nix in confusion.
Nix took a deep breath.
His voice was still thick with emotion as he answered.
"Xarion said you repaired Vangar’s clothes."
Rory froze.
For a moment, her mind went completely blank.
Repaired his clothes?
That was it?
She stared at Nix’s heartbroken expression, then glanced down at her own fingers.
There wasn’t even a needle mark on them.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t understand where the suffering was supposed to be.
Wasn’t sewing simply a normal life skill?
Before coming to this world, she had often enjoyed handicrafts in her spare time.
She would embroider small patterns onto clothing, both as a hobby and a way to relax.
How had that somehow become evidence of hardship?
Rory couldn’t help laughing.
Looking at Nix, she patiently explained,
"Sewing is just a skill." She shook her head. "I don’t consider it suffering."
She knew that beastkin culture was different.
When clothes were damaged, people simply discarded them and bought replacements.
Very few bothered repairing anything.
To Rory, that was merely a difference in lifestyle.
She genuinely had never connected sewing with hardship.
"Rory, stop trying to comfort me."
Nix grabbed her hand.
A tear slipped down his cheek and landed on the back of her hand.
His eyes were full of pain.
"Only the poorest beastkin repair their own clothes."
His voice trembled.
"You must have suffered so much before."
The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.
The sorrow in his chest grew heavier and heavier.
"It’s all our fault."
His grip tightened.
"Why didn’t we meet you sooner?"
"If we had found you earlier, you wouldn’t have had to go through all of that."
At last, Rory understood.
Nix didn’t think she had suffered because she repaired Vangar’s shirt.
He thought she had suffered because she knew how to repair a shirt.
In his mind, sewing was a skill associated only with the lowest-ranking beastkin who lived in extreme poverty.
So naturally, he had assumed she once lived a life as difficult as those powerless males struggling at the very bottom of Imperial society.
"Nix." Rory squeezed his hand. "You really misunderstood."
Her voice turned serious.
"I learned sewing because I enjoyed it. It’s a hobby. Not because I was suffering."
She smiled faintly.
"My family wasn’t wealthy when I was little, but I had my grandmother."
The memory softened her eyes.
"She was with me the whole time. I was happy. I never thought my life was difficult."
After a brief pause, she continued.
"When I first arrived here, things were a little harder."
She admitted it openly.
"I was alone. I wanted to increase my Rank. I faced danger constantly. I didn’t have many star credits. I couldn’t afford expensive things."
Even the nutrient solutions she bought had been the cheapest available.
"But that was only at the beginning. My life improved a lot once my ability Rank increased."
Thinking back on it now, Rory realized that her starting point had simply been lower than most people around her.
Compared to many natives of the Empire, she had faced more risks.
But she had never truly considered herself miserable.
At the very least, there had been no crushing mortgage.
Medical care for females was free.
The government provided generous monthly subsidies.
If she had wanted to do nothing all day, stay home, and simply coast through life, she could have lived quite comfortably.
After finishing her explanation, Rory leaned forward and planted a firm kiss on Nix’s cheek.
Then she smiled.
"By the way." Her tone suddenly changed. "You said Xarion mentioned all this in the group chat."
She tilted her head.
"Why didn’t I see any messages like that?"
A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes.
"As far as I know, we only have one group chat."
"The ’Happy Loving Family’ group."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Nobody was talking there."
Slowly, realization dawned.
A very dangerous realization.
Her smile became sweeter. Far too sweet. The kind of smile that made people nervous.
The moment Nix saw it, his entire body stiffened.
Oh no.
While he had been busy worrying about Rory, he had accidentally exposed something important. Something very important.
Rory looked at his guilty expression.
The danger in her gaze intensified.
The more nervous he became, the more certain she was.
These men...
They had definitely created another group chat behind her back.
Slowly, Rory extended her hand toward him.
"Give me your communicator."
Nix’s heart nearly stopped.
His face instantly filled with panic.
It was over.
Completely over.
Was there still time to delete the chat history?
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