Emma snapped her head up, locking eyes with the man before her, momentarily taken aback. Tall. Daunting. He had the sort of presence that signaled trouble from the very first glance. That was her initial impression of Calum. His presence was so powerful that she instinctively took a small step backward. He noticed her reaction and scowled. He thought, My female appears… less than thrilled to see me. She even looks a little frightened. Am I truly that menacing? Or did I get too agitated earlier and end up scaring her without meaning to? In an effort not to further alarm the gentle, sweet-looking woman in front of him, he made an effort to soften his tone before speaking again. "Greetings, Ms. Tibarn. I am Calum Jenkins from Argenclaw." "H-Hi…" She offered him a tense, awkward grin. You couldn't hold it against her. The pressure radiating from him was overwhelming. Just having his gaze fixed on her was enough to make her skin crawl. "You step back a bit." Drake advanced and shoved him aside, giving him a look of clear disapproval. "You're intimidating Emma," Drake shouted. Calum's aura was simply too potent—sharp, aggressive, nearly suffocating. Even Lucien and Silas would be affected by it, and they were typically unfazed. Now that Calum had advanced to level twelve, the pressure he emitted was even worse. Drake could feel it bearing down on him. "Marshal…" Silas positioned himself in front of Emma, readying himself. "This isn't the right place to discuss this. We should return first." "Okay!" he agreed, casting one last glance at her before turning to lead the way out. As soon as his back was turned, she finally felt a sense of relief wash over her. She thought, Can I back out of this match right now? Emma thought, This man is frightening—the kind of fear that rises from deep within. "Emy, are you alright?" Silas asked, holding her hand softly. "I'm fine," she replied, shaking her head. Calum caught her answer, and his strides hesitated ever so slightly. He thought, So my female is afraid of me. What do I do now? I've fought so hard to win her—losing her isn't an option. They exited the Consort Pavilion. He quickly called for his personal warship to arrive. "Ms. Tibarn, please accompany me," he requested. He thought, Is it shameless? Definitely. But a therian without a bit of shamelessness rarely survives long. Just because my female fears me doesn't mean I should stay away. If anything, I need to be near her. Maybe if she spends more time with me, her fear will fade. Silas turned to Emma, his tone as gentle as always. "Emy, we can return on our own airship if that's what you prefer." Even though Calum was his superior. But for him, a superior paled in comparison to their future female. She took a steady breath and responded, "It's alright. We will take Calum's warship." She thought, We're already engaged. I shouldn't live in constant fear of him. I need to understand this man. If it works, we become partners. If it doesn't, I'll end the engagement. I refuse to shrink back and hide like a scared quail. That's not who I am. Emma boarded the warship and raised her eyes to Calum. Still somewhat frightened, but it was manageable. "Marshal Calum, Silas has informed me about your identity. I'm… astonished the system matched me with you." "You can simply call me Calum," he replied. He was genuinely trying to soften his voice—but it still carried that innate authority, that weight, one that bore down on you whether you wanted it to or not. "May I inquire about your current level?" she asked, compelling herself to maintain his gaze despite the intensity. She genuinely felt as if she were on a blind date—with a high-level therian who made her feel like she might sweat through her shirt. "Ms. Tibarn, I'm in level twelve," he answered composedly. She thought, Level twelve…? She gaped at him in astonishment. Even Drake and Silas were taken aback. They thought, It's been ages since the Empire has seen a level-twelve elite. How did Calum reach that level? Tall, powerful, and frightfully strong. That was her second impression of him. She thought, The only thing I'm unsure about is his character.If his temperament turns out to be agreeable, I'd definitely consider bonding with him. Not for romance or sentiment—but because a level-twelve elite is basically an elite bodyguard. Who wouldn't want that? Shortly after, the warship touched down in the manor's courtyard. Emma disembarked and said, "Silas, please prepare a room for Calum. Allow him to stay here for the time being." She wasn't the kind of person to be overly dramatic or push someone away simply because she felt anxious. Emma thought, If I want to truly understand this man, I need to get familiar with him first. And to become familiar, we need proximity. Calum hadn't anticipated this situation. He had assumed that since she was quite afraid of him, She would want to send him away to maintain distance. He didn't expect her to actually permit him to stay. "Ms. Tibarn…" He gazed at her, and even the menacing aura surrounding him seemed to lighten. "May I remain… a bit closer to you?" Emma replied, "The rooms nearest to mine are already occupied. Choose any of the others available and inform Silas." He turned to Silas.