Drake stood silently to the side, letting Thero busy himself, unreadable emotion flickering in those deep, obsidian eyes. When Thero noticed Drake's quietness, he paused, walked closer, and lowered his voice as though passing on a great secret. "Mr. Smith, giving gifts alone won't do. You have to learn how to win over Ms. Tibarn." His expression carried the wisdom of an elder, like someone saying, "I've eaten more salt than you've walked roads." He began his earnest lecture. "You used to be too much like a lord, always cold, formal, and distant. What female would like that? You need to change." Drake finally reacted, his voice low. "How should I change?" Thero answered immediately. "First, you need a sweeter tongue. Females adore males who can talk sweetly. Look at Silas Hamblin. Ms. Emma Tibarn loves him. Among all her mates, he was the first to have a child with her." Compliment her?Drake furrowed his brows. "How do I do that?" He didn't know how to compliment females. Thero went on. "Tell her she's beautiful. Say she looks amazing today, that her hair is lovely, that her clothes suit her. Whatever sounds good, say it!" "And another thing—you need to be attentive. When you go to Ms. Emma Tibarn, we can't bring attendants from the Thalassian Palace. She wouldn't like that. So you can't wait for others to serve you. "You must take care of her yourself. If she's thirsty, hand her water right away. If she's tired, find a way for her to rest. If you see her other mates fawning over her, you must outdo them! "Lastly—and most importantly—" Thero's expression turned solemn. "You need thick skin! Ms. Emma Tibarn might not feel anything for you yet. She might ignore you or even kick you out. At that time, you must endure it. Suck it up. Let her see your sincerity and your change. If she scolds you, just listen. If she hits you—well, hopefully not—but still, let her see that for her, you'd do anything." When he finally finished, Thero let out a long sigh of relief."Mr. Smith, when chasing a female, especially one like Ms. Emma Tibarn, you can't cling to your pride or your dignity. What's pride compared to your female?" Drake was no doubt the strongest and most outstanding male across the Three Domains. But beside Emma, even that seemed insufficient. After all, around her stood the powerful Marcus, the clever Silas, and the noble Lucien. And with Corvin and Edric under her protection, they weren't easy to handle either. The more Thero thought about it, the heavier his sighs grew. Drake looked at his worried face, silent for a few seconds, then nodded firmly. "I'll remember what you said." Seeing that Drake had truly taken it to heart, Thero finally relaxed. He turned back to his task, carefully selecting treasures for Drake to bring. They needed plenty of offerings for Emma. Perhaps then, out of kindness, she might treat Drake a little better. Drake, noticing Thero had stopped talking, opened his lightcore and tapped into his chat with Embrace of the Moon.'I have a problem. My female's other mates don't like me. What should I do?' Drake asked. 'It feels like they're hostile toward me.' The last time this Embrace of the Moon had advised him to act pitiful, it had worked. He knew Emma had agreed to take him along because she'd pitied him. At that moment, Silas Hamblin, who was drafting a report, saw the message pop up and raised an eyebrow. Embrace of the Moon replied, 'Every male wants to monopolize his female. That's perfectly normal.' It truly was normal. Hostility and conflict were nothing rare. Some males even fought their female's other mates to the death. Among their own group, harmony existed only because someone kept the peace. With Emma, none of them needed cruelty to win affection, because she gave them security. They never feared being abandoned. A little competition now and then was harmless, even fun.But they all knew that if anyone crossed the line into cruelty, Emma would surely despise them. Another message from Embrace of the Moon read, 'So, do you want to get along with her other mates?' How close are we talking? Just polite on the surface, or like true brothers? Drake stared at the message, thinking about how Lucien and Silas got along. Then, he answered, 'Like brothers.' Embrace of the Moon answered, 'That's harder. True heart for true heart. If you want them to see you as a brother, you must first treat them as one. Step one, ease the tension. As they say, no one strikes a smiling face. Start with gifts.' Just as Drake read that, the door opened and Emma walked in.