Free Web NovelChapter 355: Tricked again
"Don’t worry. I know exactly what I should and shouldn’t do from tomorrow onward."
Vincent looked at Yuel and spoke with complete sincerity.
Yuel nodded. Then he turned his gaze toward Xarion.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Xarion replied with a helpless look. "I’ve already been very well behaved."
He had only thrown a small jealous fit, and somehow it had ended with the Female Master vomiting.
Even though Xarion knew he wasn’t entirely to blame, the incident had frightened him enough.
As a result, he had been on his best behavior ever since. Neither Rory nor Yuel had needed to say a word. He had voluntarily taken responsibility for helping care for Vincent.
"That’s true. You’ve been very obedient lately." Yuel agreed readily.
Then his tone shifted, becoming noticeably more dangerous.
"But people only become especially obedient when they’re feeling guilty about something."
His calm gaze settled on Xarion.
"Rory is fine now, so I won’t ask what exactly happened."
A brief pause followed. "But there won’t be a next time."
Xarion pressed his lips together. "I understand."
Having said everything he needed to say, Yuel rose and left the room. The door shut behind him with a soft thud.
The moment it closed, Xarion turned toward Vincent.
"Is he always like this in the military?" There was genuine disbelief in his voice. "His sense of pressure is a little excessive, isn’t it?"
Even Xarion had felt the weight of it.
Vincent nodded. "In reality, he’s even worse."
Xarion suddenly felt a pang of regret.
"It looks like life won’t be easy for us from now on."
In terms of strategy, none of them could match Yuel.
When it came to subtle manipulation and psychological warfare, they were even less capable of competing with him.
Yuel could probably sell them off and have them happily counting the money afterward.
Outside the room, Yuel had barely stepped into the corridor when Vangar intercepted him.
Yuel looked at him with slight confusion.
"Shouldn’t the Marshal be keeping Rory company? What are you doing out here?"
"Jasper is with the Female Master."
Vangar casually draped an arm over Yuel’s shoulders. "I came out to get some fruit for her."
A grin spread across his face. "And thank you for giving me a chance to spend time alone with the Female Master."
His expression grew more amused. "Because of that, I’m willing to overlook the fact that you gave away my sacred medicine."
Yuel stared at him and silently rolled his eyes.
"Marshal, who exactly do you think that medicine was given away for?"
Vangar answered without hesitation. "Obviously for the Female Master."
"Exactly." Yuel nodded. "It was given away for Rory’s sake."
He looked at Vangar innocently. "So why would you hold that against me?"
Vangar froze. "Wait."
He rubbed his forehead with a pained expression.
"That’s not how this works."
He had nearly been led into another one of Yuel’s verbal traps.
"If you hadn’t told her, how would the Female Master even know I had that medicine?"
"What do you mean your medicine?" Yuel asked calmly. "Do you want to become Rory’s mate?"
"Of course I do." Vangar answered immediately.
Did that even need to be asked?
Yuel sighed. "Marshal, use your brain for a moment. If you become Rory’s mate, then everything you own belongs to Rory, doesn’t it?"
Vangar nodded. "Yes."
Yuel continued. "So that medicine belongs to Rory too, doesn’t it?"
Vangar paused. "...Yes."
Something felt wrong, but he couldn’t quite identify what.
Yuel pressed forward.
"If the medicine already belongs to Rory, and Rory clearly doesn’t want to owe Lian a favor, then what use is it sitting in storage?"
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Giving it to him solves the problem perfectly, doesn’t it?"
Vangar stood there speechless.
For some reason, every word sounded completely reasonable.
And yet somehow... He felt as though he’d been tricked again.
Seeing that Vangar’s brain was visibly starting to short-circuit, Yuel honestly felt a little guilty about continuing to outmaneuver him.
Patting him on the shoulder, he spoke earnestly.
"Marshal, you can’t solve everything with brute force. Try using your brain a little more often, alright? The reason I gave that medicine to Lian was for your benefit and Aren’s as well. Especially yours."
"What about me?" Vangar frowned in confusion.
Patiently, Yuel began explaining.
"The techniques you use to please a female all came from those internal courses on serving females, didn’t they?"
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Take that sleepwear you wore last time. How many times do you think you can get away with using that trick?"
Vangar fell silent.
Yuel continued mercilessly.
"You haven’t even become Rory’s mate yet. Aren is still waiting in line behind you, and he should be recovering soon, shouldn’t he?"
His expression turned sympathetic.
"What exactly are you planning to use to compete against a succubus?"
Vangar remained speechless.
"And if we add Lian into the mix..."
Yuel paused.
"Marshal, do you honestly think you could beat either of them when it comes to winning Rory’s affection?"
Vangar had no answer.
Seeing him rendered completely mute, Yuel sighed dramatically.
"By giving Lian that medicine, didn’t I effectively remove a competitor for you?"
He continued before Vangar could respond.
"And Aren only recovered because of you. Doesn’t that mean he owes you a favor?"
His smile widened.
"When it comes to competing for Rory’s attention, shouldn’t he give you some consideration?"
Yuel spread his hands innocently. "So tell me, wasn’t I helping you?"
Vangar stood there speechless. The more he thought about it, the more Yuel’s argument seemed to make sense.
And yet... Something still felt wrong. The problem was that he couldn’t find a single flaw in the logic.
"Forget it." He rubbed his forehead. "I’m done arguing with you."
After a pause, he reluctantly added, "I’ll assume you were right this time. Thank you."
The moment the words left his mouth, Vangar turned and walked away.
He still needed to bring fruit back to the Female Master.
The sound of applause suddenly echoed behind him.
Yuel turned around.
Standing several meters away was Lian, smiling as he slowly lowered his hands.
There was no telling how long the fox had been standing there or how much he had overheard.
Not that Yuel particularly cared.
"Young Master Lian." Yuel smiled. "Since when did you develop a habit of eavesdropping?"
"I wasn’t intentionally listening." Lian lifted the vial in his hand. "I came to deliver medicine for Prince Vincent."
His smile remained gentle.
"I happened to see you and Marshal Vangar talking. I didn’t want to interrupt, so I stayed quiet."
Then he added thoughtfully, "Although, honestly, Yuel, you really don’t need to be so wary of me."
His gaze softened. "We’ve fought side by side before. We’ve survived life and death together."
A hint of amusement entered his voice.
"Our relationship isn’t bad, is it?"
"You may think so," Yuel replied. "I’ve fought alongside plenty of people."
His smile never wavered. "That doesn’t mean I consider all of them friends."
Lian immediately fell silent. Some things truly never changed. This vine was just as impossible to deal with as ever.
"Fine." He sighed. "As long as you’re happy."
After a brief pause, he continued. "As far as I know, Rory currently has only five mates. Adding Vangar and Aren, who haven’t officially mated with her yet, plus Wen as a follower, that only makes eight males."
He spread his hands. "Wouldn’t one more make a perfectly good number?"
Yuel said nothing.
"And I’m a doctor." Lian continued calmly. "If Rory becomes ill, I can treat her immediately."
His silver eyes gleamed. "I’m no longer the heir of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan. I can stay by her side permanently and protect her."
He looked directly at Yuel.
"You, Vincent, and Vangar all know exactly what I’m capable of."
A trace of confidence entered his smile.
"Having me beside Rory brings nothing but benefits. And besides..."
His voice lowered slightly. "The Beast God has already approved."
Lian understood something very clearly. If he wanted to join this family, Rory herself was not the obstacle. Most of her mates were manageable. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
The real problem was Yuel. This vine was incredibly difficult to deal with.
He could have used Rory’s secret as a human female to negotiate with Yuel. But he never considered doing so. Because he knew that if he resorted to such tactics, he would truly lose any chance he had.
More importantly, he disdained that sort of approach.
Yuel waited until Lian finished speaking.
Then he smiled.
"You’ve made two mistakes."
Lian raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"First." Yuel held up a finger. "Rory still has Paros. So that makes nine."
His smile deepened. "As for whether she’ll eventually mate with him, that’s difficult to say."
He shrugged. "But who can predict the future?"
Before Lian could respond, Yuel raised a second finger.
"Second. Rory already has a match."
His gaze sharpened slightly. "Since you’re both foxes, you should know who I’m talking about."
The smile on Lian’s face faded slightly.
"Dax?"
"Exactly." Yuel nodded. "That fox has far more patience than you do."
For the first time, genuine surprise appeared in Lian’s eyes.
"I can understand why you keep Paros in consideration. After all, he rules one of the Three Domains."
His expression turned thoughtful.
"But the fact that you’re keeping Dax in mind as well..."
A faint laugh escaped him. "That truly surprises me."
