Corvin watched Emma carve with intense focus, then quietly raised his lightcore and snapped a photo without a sound. He quickly sent it to the group chat, adding: 'Emma is working so hard, and she looks absolutely charming!' Marcus typed back: 'Why is Ms. Tibarn just poking at a block of wood?' Corvin answered: 'She's not just poking. Emma's making a puppet. She promised me—it's going to be a gift she's crafting herself.' He followed up by sending another playful meme, a wide grin spreading across his face. Marcus' already gloomy expression grew even darker. Ms. Tibarn is actually going to make a puppet for Corvin herself? He had no idea what the puppet was supposed to represent. And yet, it was going to be handcrafted by Emma herself. How can she possibly give it only to Corvin?Edric had seen the chat too. He narrowed his eyes, letting his fingers glide over the lightcore. Then he typed: 'Corvin, Marcus—can you come over? We need to figure out who will keep Emma company over the next few nights.' He added: 'You saw what happened last night. We can't just barge in and force her to decide. We should plan it ourselves—assign who goes when.' He was finished with sharing a bed alongside Corvin and the others. Corvin responded: 'Agreed.' Marcus typed back: 'Yeah.' Kieran stayed quiet in the chat. He knew it wasn't his place to step in. Still, he couldn't help wishing he could get a hand-carved puppet from Emma too. ... An hour later, in the starrail meeting room, Edric set the prepared box down in front of Corvin and Marcus. "We'll keep this simple and fair," he explained. "We'll draw lots using paper balls to decide who stays with Emma. There are three balls in the box. One means tonight, two means tomorrow night, and three means the night after. If you're ready, we can draw now." "I'm ready," Corvin said, immediately reaching in to grab a paper ball. Marcus glanced at Edric. "You go first." Edric gave a calm nod and drew his ball. Only then did Marcus take the last one. The moment he pulled it out, Corvin let out a frustrated howl. "Seriously? My luck is terrible! I got three!" Marcus raised an eyebrow and unfolded his slip. Seeing the "2," his expression tightened with suspicion. It was obvious to Corvin that Edric had manipulated the draw. When he saw the "2" in Marcus' hand, envy flared across his face, and he shot a sharp look at Edric. "Edric, what kind of luck is that? Did you pray to the Beast God ahead of time?"Edric laughed softly. "The Beast God doesn't concern himself with things like this. I'm just naturally lucky." Marcus rolled his eyes, while Corvin groaned in frustration. "You totally prayed in advance. Next time we redraw, I'm praying too." He was certain he would pull number one. Edric studied Corvin's stubborn glare and said calmly, "If Marcus is okay with it, I'm fine." Corvin turned immediately to Marcus. "You'll agree, right? Next time we redraw?" Marcus nodded reluctantly. "Fine." That was all Corvin needed to see. Relief and warmth surged in him. "Marcus, I knew you were the loyal type," he said softly, unable to hide his happiness. Marcus was left speechless. Who? Me? "I'm done with this chat. I'm going back to watch Emma carve," Corvin announced before darting off. "I'll handle dinner for Emma," Edric replied."Wait a second," Marcus interrupted. "Next time, I draw first. And if you don't agree, I'll tell Ms. Tibarn and Corvin that you cheated." He had no idea what trick Edric had pulled, but he was certain that Edric had somehow rigged it. Edric stayed quiet, saying nothing. Apart from Corvin, no one in the house had ever been easy to deal with. After a brief pause, he finally added, "I promise." ... In the bedroom, the block of wood in Emma's hands was slowly transforming into a recognizable form. Corvin examined the emerging puppet, his brow furrowed. "Emma, is this… supposed to be a little person?" The carving took the shape of two tiny figures. Emma nodded. "Yeah." "Then why are there two of them?" Isn't this wooden puppet meant for Silas?Emma pointed to the two tiny figures. "This one's me, and this one's Silas." Corvin froze in surprise. "You can do that? Then I want one with the two of us together too." "Alright," Emma replied immediately. She didn't hesitate; she already had a clear idea of how to make Corvin's puppet. When Edric arrived with dinner, Corvin stepped out of Emma's room on his own. "Emma, eat first," he said. Edric set the plates on the table and leaned closer to look at the puppet Emma was shaping. "Emma, this puppet is impressive," he remarked. Emma paused mid-bite, fork in hand, startled. "You think it's impressive already?" she asked, frowning. It was still just a rough model; the head and body were barely formed, and by any normal standard, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it.