Drake rubbed his temple. He spoke, his voice low and calm. "I didn't say anything bad. I just invited her to dinner." Drake switched on his lightcore and turned the screen toward Thero. Thero's eyes scanned the chat log, and his jaw tightened. He clenched his teeth so hard it looked painful. "Mr. Smith," he said slowly, trying to stay calm, "why would you invite Ms. Emma Tibarn to dinner, only to ask her to cook it?" Drake blinked, his tone perfectly serious. "Because her cooking is incredible." Thero froze. Then he laughed once, short and sharp, almost choking on it. He didn't even know what to say anymore. She deleted him, and honestly, she was right to.Drake frowned. "What's wrong with that?" Thero took a deep breath like he was trying to keep himself from screaming. "Mr. Smith, females are rare and precious. I may not have a huntress myself, but I've never in my life heard of a man making his huntress cook for him." Their mighty Mr. Smith, the pride of the Drakonids really had outdone himself this time. Drake tilted his head, confusion clear on his face. "She used to cook for me on F-268. She seemed happy to do it." And that was true. He couldn't understand why she was so mad this time around. He thought females were complicated. Thero's eyebrows shot up. "Wait. You made her cook for you the first time you met her?"He rubbed his temples. "What exactly did Ms. Emma Tibarn say back then?" She must've been polite. And this fool actually believed she was enjoying it. Drake thought for a moment, then started explaining everything. Normally, he'd never share something like this with anyone below him. But he was frustrated. And confused. He needed to understand why Emma had deleted him. "I sent her star coins," he said. "She looked happy and agreed to cook for me." His brow furrowed. "Maybe she's mad because I didn't send any this time." He hesitated. "But then why did she send star coins back to me? She sent them, deleted me, and didn't even explain." Thero just stared, utterly done with life. "Mr. Smith," he said, almost whispering, "you're the one who ended the match. Your mental power's stable now. So why are you still contacting her?" He threw his hands up. "And asking her to cook again? What did you expect her to do—thank you?" He sighed. "Maybe you should try being single like me. Sure, you don't get a warm huntress to hold at night. Nobody whispers sweet things to calm your mental power. But at least you're free. No one controls you. That's peaceful, isn't it?" Honestly, Ms. Emma Tibarn was a saint for not cursing him out. Just deleting him was already kind enough. Drake's eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to say?" He looked irritated. "Are you saying I was wrong?" If Thero hadn't been talking to his commander, he would've stormed out."Mr. Smith," he said slowly, "you're powerful, but you're also clueless. You should've paid more attention to your huntress." He leaned closer. "You said Ms. Emma Tibarn was happy when she accepted your star coins and cooked for you. Did you ever think why she was happy?" Drake stared at the ground. He remembered her little house, the empty cupboards, the worn-out furniture. His voice dropped. "Because she needed the money." Thero pointed at him, completely exasperated. "Exactly! You knew that all along. You just didn't think deeper." He groaned. "You were her first match, Mr. Smith. You had everything in your favor. How could you not see what mattered most?" Drake's eyes darkened, his tone low and sharp. "When I met her, I could tell right away she was independent. She didn't need anyone taking care of her. Least of all me."He crossed his arms, voice steady. "And I never planned on bonding anyway. My focus is uniting the entire interstellar system." Thero sucked in a deep breath. His tail flicked, the scales along it twitching like he was seconds away from snapping. "Oh, great. That's just fantastic." He threw his hands up. "Mr. Smith, since your dream is conquering the galaxy, and Ms. Emma Tibarn clearly isn't part of that plan, then do both of you a favor. Stop contacting her. Let her live her life, and you go chase your glory." Drake didn't respond right away. His expression turned to ice. He stared Thero down. "You're not advising me. You're mocking me." Thero forced a thin, nervous smile. "I wouldn't dare."He wanted to roll his eyes into another dimension, but he liked being alive too much. He sighed. "Mr. Smith, Ms. Emma Tibarn already made her point. She deleted you because she doesn't want anything to do with you."