"Ms. Emma Tibarn, may I pet your little bird?" Aria looked at Emma with wide, hopeful eyes. A sweet, beautiful girl asking to touch her pet bird—how could Emma say no? "Of course," Emma replied with a gentle smile. The moment Aria heard that, she jumped to her feet, excitement shining in her eyes. "Ms. Veynar!" Her two companions tensed up immediately, ready to intervene. Aria waved them down. "Relax. Ms. Emma Tibarn isn't going to hurt me." She gestured for them to sit, then stepped closer to Emma and reached out to stroke Coalball's inky feathers. "He's so chubby. Still a baby, right?" Emma hesitated. She honestly had no idea how old Coalball was. Edric, standing nearby, subtly shook his head—he didn't know either. Well, if no one knew, she could make something up. "Yes, he's still a baby," Emma said smoothly. Aria brushed her hand over Coalball again. The bird puffed up, clearly annoyed, and snapped his beak toward her fingers. Aria dodged quickly, laughing. "Feisty little thing." She plopped down beside Emma as Edric immediately got up and went to stand next to Corvin, guarding Emma's side. Emma tapped Coalball lightly on the head. "Coalball, don't bite."Then, she looked at Aria's hand in concern. "Did he hurt you?" Aria chuckled and shook her head. "No way. I'm Rank 5—he couldn't hurt me even if he tried." Her beautiful eyes sparkled warmly as she looked at Emma. "Your little one reminds me of my brother. He was just as round when he was small. Couldn't even lift off the ground when he tried to fly." "Chirp!" At the mention of brother, Coalball squawked loudly. Aria ignored him, smiling as she went on. "But my brother's feathers were red. Every Aurelia has crimson plumage—like living fire. Gorgeous. Not like this one. This little guy's kind of… well, not cute." She tilted her head curiously. "Ms. Emma Tibarn, why would you raise such an ugly hatchling? If you like taking care of male chicks, I can give you one from our clan. I promise they're adorable—and much better looking." Emma blinked. Was a young Aurelia really something they could just give away? "No, thank you," she said politely. "I'm not interested in raising anyone else's chicks. I like Coalball because he's… different." Aria looked genuinely disappointed. "That's a shame. I was even thinking of offering you my brother—along with one of our chicks. But if you're not interested, I suppose it can't be helped." Emma froze. Was this an Aurelia tradition—just giving away males like gifts? She couldn't help wondering if Lucien had ever been gifted to someone before. Probably not—he was already matched with her. Hopefully not. Unbothered, Aria patted Coalball again and continued brightly, "You know, my brother's amazing. And handsome. Are you sure you don't want him? It'd be a waste if he ended up matched with some random female." Emma laughed softly. "Why would that be a waste? You have to trust the Beast God. If your brother's as great as you say, the Beast God will match him with the best—and most compatible—mate." Aria sighed in resignation. "You're right. Let's trust the Beast God." Then, she suddenly clasped Emma's hand. "Ms. Emma Tibarn, I liked you the moment I saw you! There's a ball tonight on the starrail—come dance with me?" Emma hesitated and glanced at Edric and Corvin for their thoughts. Edric smiled. "Emma, if you want to go, go. We'll be with you." Corvin nodded. "Ms. Tibarn, I heard it's a masquerade. Sounds fun. You should go and enjoy yourself." It was true—Emma had been cooped up in the cabin for days, barely seeing anyone. A night out sounded refreshing.Emma also wanted to see what all the excitement was about. She smiled at Aria. "All right. Let's go together." Aria beamed. "Emma—can I call you that? You can just call me Aria. You're heading to Central Planet, right?" "Yes. My mate, Corvin, is from Ravaryn. I'm going with him to visit his family." Aria's smile widened even more. "Ravaryn? That's close to Aurelia! Let's add each other on lightcore. You have to come visit us sometime. Even if you don't want my brother, we have plenty of other handsome males—I'll introduce you!" Emma laughed, shaking her head. "I'll visit for sure, but you can keep the matchmaking part." They kept chatting as the day slipped into evening. By nightfall, Edric had already prepared an elegant gown for Emma to wear to the ball.