Chapter 449: A massive matchmaking event

As Lola munched on her snacks, she enthusiastically shared stories of her recent travels with Rory.

When Rory heard that Lola had actually gone beyond the empire’s borders, she was quite surprised. "You went all the way to the Outer Realm?"

"Mhm." Lola nodded. "On the desolate planets out there, I saw so many things that don’t exist in the Empire. There were tons of alien beasts too, though they aren’t the biggest threat—the Insects are. On those Outer Realm wasteland worlds, there are whole swarms of Insects lurking around."

"Did you run into any Insects this time, then?" Rory asked her.

Lola nodded. "I did, quite a few actually! But I’m so strong, I’m not afraid of those bugs. My companions and I chased them off easily."

After finishing her story about encountering Insects on the desolate planets, Lola asked Rory, "Tomorrow is the Festival of All Females. Sister, have you thought about how you want to spend it?"

Lola had rushed back today specifically for tomorrow’s festival.

Rory smiled softly and said, "I actually made plans with a female friend." She looked at Lola and asked with a chuckle, "Do you have something in mind?"

Lola certainly did! She leaned in, taking Rory’s hand and whispering in her ear. "Every year during the festival, there’s a massive carnival gala hosted right here in the Capital District. Sister, why don’t you invite your friend and we all go together?"

She had wanted to attend that party for years. When she was younger, the Empress wouldn’t allow her to go. But now that she had her own companions, she was finally eligible.

"Absolutely not."

Before Rory could even respond, Vincent—who was sitting nearby—overheard Lola, his expression instantly darkening.

"Why not?" Rory turned to look at Vincent.

Meeting Rory’s curious gaze, Vincent looked like he wanted to speak but hesitated for several seconds before finally opening his mouth. "Rory, that kind of carnival party is not suitable for you."

Hearing this, Lola immediately snapped back, dissatisfied. "Brother, I totally disagree with you! Rory already has so many companions, so attending this carnival party is perfectly fine, alright?"

"You’re not allowed to go either," Vincent shot Lola a cold glare. Had he known she had this up her sleeve, he wouldn’t have let her through the front door today.

"I’m going anyway!" Unwilling to back down, Lola locked eyes with Vincent. She was a female with her own companions now; her eldest brother no longer had the right to control her.

"Hold on, don’t argue just yet," Rory interjected curiously. "Tell me first—what kind of carnival gala is this, exactly?"

It can’t possibly be what I think it is... right? Right?!

"Sister, let me tell you!" Lola grabbed Rory’s arm, her voice full of excitement. "This carnival gala is specially organized for females and unmated males!"

"It’s an incredibly grand event! Any male from any beastman race across the Interstellar Empire can participate, as long as they meet the qualifications."

So it’s basically a massive matchmaking event?

Rory felt a slight wave of disappointment. No wonder Vincent didn’t want her to go.

"That doesn’t sound like anything too wild. Even if you don’t want me to go, why are you so against Lola going?" Rory asked Vincent, genuinely puzzled. Logically, the ones who should be stopping Lola were her own males. Besides, Lola only had five companions right now, so there shouldn’t be any issue with her attending.

Vincent swept an icy glance over Lola and said coldly, "She secretly snuck into that gala once when she was little. In a single night, she brought home over a hundred males."

"The Empress was nearly angered to death back then and had to expend an immense amount of effort just to send all those males away."

Rory turned to look at Lola in utter shock. "Lola... I really didn’t see that coming."

Lola flushed with embarrassment and poked her tongue out playfully. Trying to defend herself, she murmured, "I was still little back then, okay? I didn’t understand any of it! I just got lost and accidentally wandered into that area, and those males said they’d escort me home. So I just agreed!"

With that, Lola clung to Rory’s arm, acting cute. "Sister, just bring your friend and come with me! I’m telling you, the males who get into this party have gone through rigorous selection—they’re the youngest, most powerful, and best-looking males in the entire Empire!"

"Plus, most of the females will be attending too. Even if we’re not picking out any males, it’d still be nice to make a few female friends, wouldn’t it?"

Rory glanced at Vincent, thought it over for a moment, and suggested, "There must be more than just that one event tomorrow night, right? Why don’t we go to a different party instead?"

She already had enough companions. She truly had no desire to go around attracting any more males.

Hearing that Rory didn’t want to go, Lola felt a bit disappointed. "Alright then, we’ll check out the other parties and events instead."

While there were plenty of lively gatherings scheduled for tomorrow evening, the matchmaker gala was undoubtedly the most bustling of them all.

Lola chatted with Rory for a while longer, making plans to pick her up tomorrow afternoon so they could head out to enjoy the Festival of All Females together before finally taking her leave. Having just returned today, she needed to properly prepare for tomorrow’s festivities.

Once Lola had left, Vincent took Rory’s hand, hesitating before saying, "Rory... if you really want to go to that party, I... I won’t stop you. But on one condition: you have to bring me along."

Call him petty or overly possessive, but he simply didn’t want Rory attending that gala. Because...

"Didn’t I already say I’m not going?" Rory cut him off with absolute certainty. "Having you guys is more than enough for me now. I have no intention of looking for any other companions."

She was already struggling to keep the scales balanced as it was—she’d have to be out of her mind to invite even more males into her life!

"What’s this about other companions? Is Rory thinking of finding new companions?"

Wen strolled over, holding an exquisite box in his hands.

Rory didn’t bother hiding her reaction and rolled her eyes at him without hesitation. "With a rank as high as yours, do you honestly expect me to believe you didn’t hear everything I said from that distance?"

Look at them. Every single one of them is so scheming!

"I originally wanted to play dumb, but I didn’t expect Rory to catch me red-handed," Wen chuckled softly, handing the box to Rory. "I prepared this for you—it’s the outfit for tomorrow’s Festival of All Females."

Tomorrow, every female participating in the festival would be dressed to the nines, so Vincent and the others naturally wouldn’t let Rory be outshone by anyone. A few days ago, the group had already discussed the details in their group chat: Wen was in charge of preparing Rory’s wardrobe, Nix and Jasper took care of the supplies needed for going out, while Vincent and the others handled the route planning and security.

"I’ll go try it on right now," Rory took the box and turned around, intending to head to her room.

Seeing her turn to leave, Wen immediately reached out and gently caught her wrist. "Why the hurry? There are two outfits in there, and they’re a bit tricky to put on. Come to my room and let me help you. Besides, I happen to have something else I want to talk to you about."

Vincent chimed in, "I’ll head to the kitchen to see how Nix and Jasper are doing."

Rory suddenly felt like her schedule was ridiculously packed. First she had to coax one, then another, and after that, yet another...

Following Wen back to his room, no sooner had Rory stepped inside than a gentle stream of water swept her up, whisking her down into his submerged underwater palace. Before she could even process what was happening, Wen swept her into his arms, tumbling together onto the warm waterbed.