Xavier couldn't believe his eyes. He had fully expected to find something under that cover that would make him feel like a live fish being skinned and gutted.
He had completely forgotten the last time he actually ate, or even how long it had been. For the past year, Scarlet had given him nothing but nutrient pastes, and the worst-tasting kind at that. God knows how agonizing it was for him to swallow that garbage every time.
You see, Xavier was different from the others. He didn't have a job. And as an alien, he was forced to just stay cooped up in the palace day after day. He couldn't even communicate with the outside world.
So, seeing real food again, his eyes instantly welled up with tears. He took a massive bite. It was real, actual, piping hot food.
"It's so good."
A single pearl dropped onto his plate.
As if telepathically linked, the other three men turned to glare at Scarlet in unison. Scarlet let out an awkward laugh, frantically waving her hands in defense. "Hey, I wasn't the one who made him cry this time."
After dinner, Scarlet, wanting to prove she was done being the villain, assigned them brand new rooms. They no longer had to curl up and shiver in that dark, cramped basement.
Xavier's room came with a massive swimming pool, and he could adjust the temperature and humidity however he liked. He wasn't under Scarlet's control anymore. Overwhelmed with emotion, the corners of his eyes turned red, and he couldn't stop shedding little pearls.
Without a second thought, he dove straight into the pool. His beautiful silver tail instantly unfurled in the water. Every single scale shimmered brilliantly.
It was only then that Scarlet realized Xavier's beast form was over three meters long. That massive tail swayed gracefully underwater, stirring up endless ripples on the surface. Thank God this pool was big enough. Otherwise Xavier wouldn't even be able to stretch out.
And honestly, Xavier was even more breathtaking as a merman, with his rosy lips and striking features. His skin was as translucent as jade, and those deep blue eyes were like the vast ocean, so profound and mesmerizing.
But quickly, she shifted her focus back to the others.
Designing the rooms for the other three was a real headache. I mean, a tiger, a white wolf and a nine-tailed fox. They didn't exactly have any obvious preferences, so Scarlet decided to start with the food. She tossed a few live chickens into Riley's room, and tossed those two tails in there for good measure. As for the vibe, she gave them mountains, rivers and a forest. One hundred percent pure wilderness.
Scarlet was pretty damn proud of her design, certain they'd love it. She smiled warmly as she watched them step inside. But less than a second later, she heard three furious, through-gritted-teeth roars of her name.
Scarlet whipped around and bolted. "Nope, I'm out of here."
She scurried back to her bedroom, excitedly opening up her system shop.
Affection level: zero.
Scarlet's face instantly darkened. What a bunch of cheapskates. I've been so nice to them. Would it kill them to give me a little affection?
Meanwhile, after Scarlet had run off, her beast husbands headed back down to the basement to pack up their things.
They exchanged a knowing glance, and Xavier slowly closed his eyes. A soft, pale blue light began to glow right between his flawless brows. As he poured his spiritual energy into it, the light grew brighter and brighter until it completely bathed the entire basement in its glow.
Xavier opened his eyes. "It's done," he whispered.
His special ability was Absolute Domain, and within the range of this domain they were completely untouchable, invulnerable to any weapon, fire or magic. It could isolate any surveillance instruments, including the ones embedded in their brains — the neural chips linked to the mainframe.
"Do you guys actually believe what Scarlet said?" Riley broke the silence first, his handsome face etched with an unspeakable exhaustion.
Kai stayed silent for a few seconds, then let out a sudden laugh. "She might be vicious, but she hasn't actually lied to us yet."
"Looks like you haven't lost quite enough of your tails yet," Ziko cut in coldly.
Kai immediately shot him a death glare. "Hey, still better than you. You've only got half a tail left."
Ziko's naturally striking, romantic eyes glared wide open, filled with a sudden dark hostility. "What did you say? You want to fight?"
Riley's eyes darkened instantly. He flashed forward, stepping right between the two of them. "Now is not the time to be fighting. Xavier's energy shield won't hold out much longer. Let's solve the problem at hand. So, are we supposed to trust Scarlet?"
Xavier blinked his warm eyes. He looked a little guilty. Deep down, he was actually leaning toward trusting her. He really liked the new room Scarlet had set up for him, especially that massive swimming pool. Swimming in there felt absolutely amazing.
But looking at the dark expressions on everyone's faces, they obviously didn't trust Scarlet at all. He didn't have any friends here, so he could only rely on them. If they didn't trust her, then he'd have to pretend not to trust her too.
The little merman gave a barely noticeable pout. He prayed silently in his heart, hoping they would just give Scarlet a chance this one time. He really didn't want to go back to choking down nutrient paste and sleeping in a cramped sauna.
After a long, heavy silence, Riley finally spoke up. "Let's trust her for now. It's not like our situation can get any worse than this."
Then he shot a sharp look at Ziko. "As for the public outrage on the Star Network — keep fanning the flames. Since Scarlet is so afraid of the backlash, we'll use it to keep her on a tight leash. If she agrees to the divorce three months from now, we'll make her death quick and painless. But if she backs out of the deal, we'll pay her back tenfold for every single thing she's done to us."
"Deal." Ziko and Kai agreed in perfect unison.
Xavier chimed in with a weak "Deal."