stjorthotic Chapter 341: Sweet potato
Chapter 341: Sweet potato
She left.
Rory had left.
The thought struck Vincent like a bolt of lightning, instantly shattering the last thread of his reason.
The room was deathly quiet, so quiet he could hear the sound of his own heart plunging into an endless abyss.
Only last night, the air had still been thick with warmth and intimacy. Now, all that remained was the hollow emptiness she had left behind.
Vincent slowly sat up. The chain attached to the headboard rattled harshly with his movement, the grating metallic sound mocking the absurdity of his current situation.
Lowering his gaze, he stared at the discarded chain lying across the bed.
Then, inch by inch, he lifted his head and looked around the empty room.
The firebird eyes that had still seemed gentle beneath the morning light moments ago were now completely devoid of warmth. Nothing remained within them except an endless darkness, thick and bottomless as ink.
Liar.
What fairness?
What gift?
Every word had been fake.
She only reclaimed the ring so she could unlock his restraints. She only wanted the freedom to leave.
He had merely wanted a few days with her.
Could she not even spare him that much?
"Heh..." A fragile laugh escaped Vincent’s pale lips. "Heh... hehehe..."
Then the laughter grew louder and louder until it spiraled into madness, thick with despair and self-mockery.
Suddenly, the bedroom door creaked open. Rory walked in carrying a shopping bag printed with cute cartoon characters.
"Why are you laughing so horribly this early in the morning? And so loudly too. I could hear you from outside. You don’t sound like a firebird at all. You sound more like a crow."
She came back? She... hadn’t left?
Vincent froze completely, as though someone had cast a spell over him.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared blankly at Rory setting down the bag before walking toward him.
Seeing the familiar signs of another breakdown brewing in his expression, Rory reached out and poked his stiff cheek with her finger.
"What’s wrong? Did you go stupid?"
The warmth of her fingertips against his icy skin snapped him back to reality like a sudden rush of heat.
Vincent stared at her. His lips trembled violently.
All the darkness and fury surging inside him collapsed in an instant, replaced entirely by overwhelming grievance.
The next second, he lunged forward and wrapped Rory tightly in his arms with all his strength.
The chain attached to the bed jerked violently, rattling sharply as it stretched taut.
Caught off guard by the sudden embrace, Rory staggered backward.
Before she could even speak, Vincent’s choked, trembling voice broke against her ear, thick with suppressed anguish and tears.
"You didn’t leave... you didn’t leave..."
His voice shook so badly it barely sounded human anymore.
"I thought you left. I thought you unlocked the chain because you didn’t want me anymore... I thought you’d never come back again... Why didn’t you wake me? I thought... I thought you tricked me again..."
His arms tightened around her more and more desperately, as if only by holding her this tightly could he convince himself she was truly real and would not disappear from his life again.
Listening to his tearful, incoherent accusations, Rory’s heart softened.
She wrapped her arms around him and gently patted his tense back while soothing him softly.
"You’re still here, so where would I go? I already told you I wouldn’t leave you. I just went out to buy something. You were sleeping so peacefully when I left, so I didn’t wake you."
After saying that, Rory pointed toward the shopping bag she had brought back.
"See? I bought this for you. Who knew I’d come back to hear you wailing like a ghost."
Vincent slowly straightened and looked at her in disbelief.
"You went out... just to buy something for me?"
"Of course." Rory smiled and pinched his cheek lightly.
Then her gaze shifted to the wrist still restrained by the chain. The skin there had already been rubbed raw and red.
Her brows immediately knitted together.
"Give me your hand."
"Oh."
Vincent obediently raised his wrist.
Rory held his hand and quickly twisted the mechanism on the bracelet lock several times.
Click.
With a soft sound, the restraint around Vincent’s wrist sprang open.
Yet the moment freedom returned, Vincent felt no joy whatsoever.
Almost instinctively, he grabbed Rory’s hand before she could pull it away.
As if he feared that if he let go even a second too late, she would disappear again.
Rory allowed him to hold on while she reached into his storage ring and pulled out a fresh set of clothes for him.
Then, impatient to show him what she had bought, she picked up the cute cartoon shopping bag and shoved it into his arms.
"Take a look. Do you recognize what’s inside?"
Vincent lowered his head and opened the bag in confusion.
Inside were several fist-sized fruits with reddish-purple skin that resembled some kind of root vegetable.
He had never seen anything like them before. Puzzled, he lifted his gaze toward Rory.
Smiling, Rory explained, "Back where I come from, we call these sweet potatoes. They may not look impressive, but roasted like this, they’re absolutely delicious. Sweet and fragrant."
She urged him eagerly, "Go wash up first. I’ll roast them for you."
After saying that, Rory leaned forward and kissed the feather mark between his brows.
Just as she had suspected, after their very thorough exchange last night, the black flames within the feather mark had faded even more today.
And Rory noticed something else.
Ever since the black flames inside the feather mark began decreasing, Vincent had gradually started regaining control over his emotions.
He no longer looked like the dark, unstable man who had just awakened from his rebirth.
As soon as she turned to leave, Vincent wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back.
"Rory... you won’t leave me, right?"
"Mhm." Rory nodded. "I swear to the Beast God that I will never leave Vincent behind and walk away alone."
"I don’t want you swearing to the Beast God. If you say it, I believe you."
As he spoke, Vincent picked up the chain Rory had tossed aside on the bed.
Rory immediately looked at him warily.
"What are you doing? Don’t tell me you still plan on chaining me up. That chain can’t hold me anymore. It really can’t."
Vincent looked at her quietly. Then he slowly opened his palm. Without warning, a brilliant golden flame burst to life in his hand.
In the next instant, the chain dissolved into countless golden sparks and vanished into the air without leaving behind a trace.
"Rory, from now on, I won’t use anything to lock you up again."
Because the thing capable of keeping her by his side... was never a chain.
It was him. His heart.
After saying that, Vincent took out Rory’s communicator and returned it to her.
"I know you must be worried Yuel and the others are concerned about you. So I’m giving this back too."
Anyway, he did not have much time left.
Judging by the timing, once Rory contacted Yuel and the others, Xarion and Vangar would probably arrive soon enough.
And by then... it would be time for him to leave.
Rory stared at the communicator in her hand and twitched the corner of her mouth.
Seriously, he could’ve returned it sooner.
Then she would not have had to get up early and run around borrowing someone else’s communicator just to contact Yuel and the others.
After putting it back on, Rory wrapped her arms around Vincent’s neck and kissed him hard on the cheek.
"I knew my Vincent was the best. Wait here. I’m going to make you something delicious."
Vincent still refused to let go of her waist.
"I’m coming with you."
He did not want to be separated from her even for a moment.
If possible, he wanted to stay glued to her forever.
Rory did not refuse him.
Instead, she simply dragged him straight into the bathroom with her.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, after Yuel received Rory’s video call through someone else’s communicator, he remained silent for a very long time.
Nix looked at him in confusion.
"Rory told us not to rush to find her, so why aren’t you telling Vangar and Xarion?"
Rory had explained that she was safe with Vincent. Vincent was simply dealing with some issues, and she needed to stay with him for a few more days.
Once Vincent recovered, she would come back on her own and told them not to worry.
Now that he knew Rory was safe, the tension crushing Nix’s heart these past few days finally eased.
Still, Vincent was absolutely infuriating for secretly stealing Rory away like that.
How had he even managed it?
Yuel glanced at Nix before speaking calmly.
"Rory may not be in danger with Vincent, but Vincent alone can’t possibly take perfect care of her. There will always be things he overlooks. It’s better for Vangar and Xarion to get there early. Even if they don’t show themselves, they can still protect Rory from the shadows."
"Yes, exactly!"
Nix looked at Yuel with admiration.
"How did I not think of that? Yuel, you really are thoughtful."
Yuel ignored him.
Rory needing to borrow someone else’s communicator meant her own communicator definitely was not with her.
That damned Vincent had actually confiscated Rory’s communicator too.
Thinking this, Yuel sent a message directly to Vangar.
Yuel: [We found Rory. She doesn’t want you showing yourselves. Protect her from the shadows instead. Also, somewhere Rory can’t see, beat Vincent up for me. Since you’re close to the outer territories, it’ll be convenient for you to make a move.]