The elder looked at Damian and sighed with helpless disappointment. "You should've thought of that before." Damian didn't reply. No sh*t! If he'd known, he never would've done it. He'd made his own mess—now he had to live with it. … At the Starrail Hub, Edric walked back after buying the tickets, looking a bit guilty. "Emma, I'm sorry. I wanted to get you a private premium cabin, but the staff said they're all full. There's only one left, and you'll have to share it with another female." Before meeting Emma, Edric's attitude toward life had been simple—survive, nothing more. A private Starrail compartment? He'd never have thought of getting one. Corvin rarely left his lab or his home, barely traveling beyond the Central Planet. Since he almost never took the Starrail, he didn't have a private line either. Damian had one, of course. Edric had asked Emma if she wanted to borrow it, but she'd refused. Now that their match had been dissolved, she preferred to stay clear of any more entanglements. Building a private Starrail now was also out of the question. Still, Edric found himself thinking differently. Before, he never needed one. But now that Emma was in his life, he suddenly felt that he did. Once they returned from the Central Planet, he planned to have one custom-built for her. The approval process was strict and complicated, but with Silas around, Edric wasn't worried at all. "I think the Empire's public Starrail is great," Emma said cheerfully. Truth was, she'd always wanted to ride one. So many therians traveled through here—it looked lively and full of life. She loved crowds like this.Her parents had died young, and she'd been raised by her grandmother, a quiet woman who barely spoke and rarely let Emma out to play for fear the village children would bully an orphan. The only time Emma had felt truly alive was during New Year celebrations—following her grandmother around to visit people, surrounded by laughter and noise. Later, when she went to school, her favorite thing had been spending time with classmates—playing, chatting, laughing. Even after she was transported to this world, she'd made many friends—until her secret forced her to stay cautious and distant. Only Laura had ever gotten close. She smiled at the others. "Sorry to make everyone ride the Starrail with me." Jimmy and Thero both had their own starships, capable of crossing vast space freely. Those were specially designed for Rank 10 powerhouses like them. But the speed of such vessels would have torn Emma's Rank 4 body apart. They could have left first and met her there—but they chose to stay by her side. "No trouble at all. We're happy to travel with you," Corvin said at once. This is perfect! I haven't been on a Starrail with Ms. Tibarn before. "Let's go then," Emma said, taking both Corvin and Edric by the hand as she led the group aboard. Her eyes lit up as she looked around at the bustling crowd of therians. Most of them were male, but plenty of females were traveling too—more than she'd ever seen in one place. Interstellar females were stunning—fair skin, long legs, tall and graceful, every one of them over 5'7". Emma couldn't help but envy them every time she saw one. Her own skin had grown smoother and fairer after awakening her ability, and she was beautiful in her own way—but she wasn't tall, and certainly didn't have those endlessly long legs. Whenever people complimented her, they always called her cute.Still, most females here were friendly toward others—well, except for the Evie types. As she stepped onto the Starrail platform, a gorgeous woman waved and smiled at her—a golden-haired beauty with soft curls, an hourglass figure, and a tight black dress that accentuated every perfect line. Emma quickly let go of Corvin's hand and waved back enthusiastically. At that moment, she almost wished she were a man. Corvin, whose hand had just been released, already felt a little hurt. When he turned and saw his huntress smiling at another female so brightly her eyes nearly disappeared, he immediately reached out to cover her face. "Ms. Tibarn, you shouldn't stare like that. Can't you see her mate glaring at you?" "Huh?" Emma blinked. She hadn't noticed. She brushed Corvin's hand away and looked again—sure enough, the blonde's mate had quietly stepped in front of her, blocking her from view.Emma sighed. Come on, I was just appreciating beauty, not trying to steal your girl. So stingy. She had even wanted to go over and say hello, but now that chance was gone. With a small, regretful sigh, she turned—just as something bright appeared before her eyes. A rose hovered in front of her face, its red petals sparkling faintly with starlight—beautiful and otherworldly.