Chapter 376: Scrolling through the group chat
Nix’s entire body stiffened.
Instinctively, he hid his communicator behind his back.
"Rory..." He stammered helplessly, unable to meet Rory’s eyes. "It’s... it’s just a normal group chat."
His gaze darted everywhere except at her.
"We don’t really talk about anything important..."
Seeing him act so guilty only confirmed Rory’s suspicions.
She said nothing, she simply raised an eyebrow.
Her outstretched hand remained exactly where it was. The dangerous look in her eyes, however, grew more pronounced by the second.
"It’s true!" Nix hurried to defend himself. "We mostly just... discuss how to take better care of you sometimes..."
His voice grew quieter and quieter.
"Give it to me," Rory repeated calmly.
Nix pressed his lips together.
Looking very much like a giant dog who had been caught doing something wrong, he lowered his head in defeat.
He handed over his communicator.
Rory accepted it and skillfully opened the contacts menu.
Then she navigated to the group chat section.
The moment the list appeared, her expression became increasingly complicated.
Aside from the pinned group chat titled Happy Loving Family...
There were several other private group chats underneath.
The first one was called:
What Is Rory Eating Today? Recipe Group
Everyone except Rory and Vangar was in it.
Curious, Rory opened the chat.
The contents were surprisingly wholesome.
Most of the messages revolved around discussing what meals to prepare for her each day.
The recipes were carefully planned in advance before being cooked for her the next day.
Rory arched a brow.
She had always assumed they simply decided what to make based on her tastes and whatever ingredients were available.
Apparently, they had been secretly holding menu-planning meetings behind her back.
Suppressing a smile, she exited the chat and opened the next one.
The second group was called:
Matched Partners Exchange Group
This one included Yuel, Xarion, Jasper, Nix, Vincent, Aren, and several others.
Notably absent were Vangar and Wen.
The moment Rory’s finger moved toward the chat, Nix’s tail went rigid.
"Rory..." His smile looked painfully forced. "Nobody even talks in that group anymore. There’s really nothing worth reading."
The more he tried to discourage her, the more suspicious she became.
Without hesitation, Rory opened the chat.
The first thing she saw was a collection of links sent by Yuel.
The timestamps showed they had been shared more than ten days ago.
Scrolling upward revealed even more.
Judging from the conversation history, the others had actively requested those links from Yuel.
Especially Nix.
He seemed to have requested the most.
Curiosity got the better of her.
Rory tapped one of the links.
A page opened.
The next instant, a series of distinctly intimate sounds filled the room.
Rory froze.
"..."
Her eyes widened.
Then she immediately slammed the page shut.
Turning slowly toward Nix, she stared at him in disbelief.
"You..." Her voice rose an octave. "You actually asked Yuel for this kind of thing?"
"Rory, listen to my explanation..." Nix looked ready to combust from embarrassment. "It’s not like I was the only one asking for them!"
Everyone had requested them.
Granted, he had requested more than anyone else.
But that wasn’t the point.
Everyone had watched them.
His face was now red enough to rival a fire alarm.
This was disastrous.
Completely disastrous.
Everything had been exposed.
Nix wished the floor would swallow him whole.
With tremendous guilt, he glanced at Rory.
"Rory..."
His voice was barely audible.
"They’re just animations. They aren’t real."
Nobody in the Empire would ever dare film content like that with actual females.
Even if such material somehow existed, none of the males who already had a Female Master would ever watch it.
"I know they’re animations."
Rory shot him a look.
That wasn’t the issue. What shocked her was the realization that Yuel had genuinely been sharing this sort of material with everyone.
Unable to resist, she opened a few more links.
Some contained videos. Others contained books.
Rory slowly lowered the communicator. Then she looked at Nix.
"Be honest." Her tone carried unmistakable suspicion. "Did all of you actually learn from these things?"
Nix didn’t dare lie. He nodded immediately.
Rory suddenly understood.
No wonder some of their methods occasionally felt suspiciously similar.
So this was where it came from.
Yuel had apparently been running some kind of unofficial educational program.
She already knew they had occasionally sought advice from Yuel.
What she had not expected was that this was his teaching method.
Rory pinched the bridge of her nose.
Then another question occurred to her.
"Why isn’t Vangar in this group?" She narrowed her eyes. "Were you all excluding him?"
"No!" Nix nearly jumped out of his skin. He waved his hands frantically. "Absolutely not."
His expression became even more awkward.
"At the time, Aren wasn’t officially one of the matched partners yet. We created the group before he joined the family."
"And..." Nix hesitated. His voice dropped lower.
"A lot of the things discussed in there would’ve made Vangar beat us to death if he’d seen them."
The moment the words left his mouth, Nix regretted them.
Because Rory’s eyes instantly lit up with dangerous interest.
Clearly, she was now even more determined to read every single message in the chat history.
Nix shook his head so hard his ears nearly flopped.
"No, no."
He hurriedly explained.
"Vangar joined later. We just forgot to add him."
That was technically true.
Originally, Paros had been in the group as well. But after his match with Rory was dissolved, Vincent had instructed Nix to remove him.
Paros had even messaged him afterward, asking why he had suddenly been kicked out.
Nix hadn’t dared respond.
Now, under Rory’s increasingly suspicious gaze, he carefully asked,
"Rory... how about I add Vangar later?"
"Should I thank you on Vangar’s behalf?" Rory shot him a look.
By now, she had discovered something else.
Every single one of these groups had been created by Nix.
The culprit behind the entire operation was sitting right in front of her.
Ignoring his increasingly nervous expression, Rory opened the group chat Nix had mentioned earlier.
The one where Xarion had shared the messages about her sewing.
Casually scrolling upward, she found page after page of conversation.
The messages were dense, yet every single discussion revolved around her.
The newest messages were exactly what Nix had described.
Xarion and Nix discussing her ability to mend clothes.
A little farther up were messages from this morning.
Vincent: During breakfast, Rory didn’t finish her porridge. I think someone added too much sugar. Who’s cooking tonight? Use less sugar.
Jasper: I’ll make dinner tonight. Got it.
Rory blinked.
Then continued scrolling.
Yuel: Rory didn’t drink enough water today.
Nix: Understood! Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she drinks more.
Further up:
Yuel: Rory only ate one cookie this morning. That’s half her usual amount. Whoever’s with her today should bring some of her favorite fruit and coax her into eating more.
Xarion: The weather’s getting colder lately. When you’re spending the night with the Female Master, pay attention.
Xarion: Don’t let her kick off the blankets.
Xarion: Especially you, Nix.
Nix: @Xarion Why especially me?
Xarion: Because once you fall asleep, you sleep like a pig. I’m worried the Female Master will end up taking care of you and covering you with blankets instead.
Nix: Nonsense! I sleep with one eye open all night!
Jasper: Rory has been craving fruit lately. If anyone has time, go gather more.
Vangar: I’ll go collect some later.
The further she scrolled, the warmer her heart became.
Every detail of her daily life had somehow found its way into this chat.
What she ate.
What she drank.
Whether she slept well.
Whether she was warm enough.
Whether she was eating enough fruit.
The group chat looked chaotic.
But beneath the chaos was a level of care so meticulous it almost made her chest ache.
Then, somewhere farther back, the tone suddenly changed.
Vangar: I’ve always wanted to ask something.
Vangar: Why can’t two people spend time with the Female Master together?
Vangar: Wouldn’t that make it easier to take care of her?
Rory nearly choked.
Then she kept reading.
Vincent: If the Marshal wants to try, you can ask Rory directly.
Vincent: As long as Rory agrees, none of us have any objections.
Yuel: Same.
Xarion: +1.
Nix: Support! Strongly support!
Jasper: I’ll follow Rory’s decision.
Vangar: Look at all of your answers.
Vangar: Which only proves this question shouldn’t be asked.
Vangar: I’m not falling for that trap.
Yuel: Is the Marshal scared?
Vincent: He’s definitely scared.
Xarion: Absolutely terrified.
Nix: Disappointed.jpg
Jasper: Disappointed.jpg
A few seconds later:
Vangar: @Vincent Suddenly I remembered something.
Vangar: You’ve been on leave for a very long time.
Vangar: Isn’t it time for you to go back to work?
Vangar: @Yuel The old men in the military have complained about you several times.
Vangar: They said you ignore orders, act on your own, and keep taking leave.
Vangar: @Xarion Do you want the Female Master to find out how badly you lost to me back then?
Nix: I’m going to spend time with Lolo. Goodbye.
Jasper: I need to cook dinner.
Wen: I didn’t say anything. This has nothing to do with me.
Rory stared at the messages.
For a moment, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
She was touched.
Ridiculously touched.
And at the same time, she found the entire thing hilarious.
Finally, she lowered the communicator and looked at Nix.
A dangerous smile spread across her face.
"Add me to this group."
Nix froze.
Then froze even harder.
Rory pointed a finger at him.
"And they can’t know it’s me."
Nix: "..."
The request was terrifying.
Far more terrifying than any punishment.
Just as he was trying to figure out how he could possibly pull off such an impossible task, Jasper’s voice called from outside.
"Rory."
The sound came from the hallway.
Rory immediately looked toward the door.
"Coming."
Handing the communicator back, she reached up and pinched one of Nix’s ears.
"Remember."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Add me to the group."
Nix swallowed.
Hard.
Unfortunately, she was right.
If anyone in the household possessed the technical skills necessary to secretly infiltrate a group chat without being detected, it was probably him.
After delivering her order, Rory turned and walked out of the room.
The door slid open.
The moment she stepped into the hallway and saw the man standing in the living room, she stopped dead in her tracks.
For a brief moment, she simply stared.
Completely stunned.
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