Chapter 22: Let’s Form An Alliance!
The next day...
"It’s a sad ending; they’ll get skewered by a sword together."
"They won’t find a cure, and she’ll die of her disease. The male love interest will end up spending the rest of his life grieving."
"The female love interest changes halfway through the book. They’ll have a happy ending, except for the readers."
"That one ends tragically..."
Gareth felt like he was losing his mind after seven days of Lynsandra’s relentless spoiler attacks. He had thought she would only visit the library for a day, but he was wrong. She came back the next day and spoiled the new book in his hands.
On the third day, she showed up without even bothering to read anything. She simply told him that the book he had picked up also had a sad ending, and that both protagonists would end up barbecued.
On the fourth day, Gareth tried reading somewhere else. He chose the garden, only for Lynsandra to "take a walk" and casually spoil the book as she passed him.
On the fifth day, she found him holed up in the kitchen with a new novel. And yes, she just had to summarize it with glee.
And now, on the seventh day, here he was—sneaking into the tool shed at dawn just to hide from her. He had gone to the library early to grab a new book and planned to stay hidden here until he finished it.
Gareth pulled the string, switching on the lone bulb in the shed.
"I just want to finish one book without spoilers," he muttered, staring at the cover with deep dejection. "Just once, please let it have a happy ending."
At this rate, he felt like he’d end up depressed from all the tragic endings. It felt like those who wrote these weren’t authors, but executioners.
He couldn’t even tell which traumatized him more: Lynsandra’s spoiler attacks or the books themselves.
Shaking his head, he placed a palm over the cover and whispered a prayer. "Please be good."
After a huff, he nodded to himself with resolve.
"I swear, if this author gives me another sad ending, I’ll never read their work again!"
He had already given them far too many chances.
*****
Meanwhile, in the mansion’s library, Lynsandra stood before a shelf with her arms crossed, eyes scanning the titles.
"Two books are missing," she murmured, amusement flickering in her eyes. "Is he trying to make me guess which one he’s reading now?"
Suddenly, Virgo’s voice echoed as he approached the aisle.
"Luna, perhaps you should give Gary Stone a break," he said with a light chuckle. "I’m fairly certain he’s already suffering enough from those novels."
"I’m only trying to save him from further suffering," Lynsandra replied as she turned toward the window. "But he insists on reading them anyway."
Virgo followed her, stopping a few steps behind as she gazed outside, clearly searching for someone.
"Luna," he said gently, "do you find Gary Stone to your liking?"
She didn’t answer immediately.
"I find him... adorable," she said at last. "After dealing with Cassian’s and Elias’s constant ambushes, not being on the receiving end feels refreshing."
She paused, lips pressing into a thin line.
"And compared to the others, he seems like the only one who isn’t even remotely interested in marriage."
"I like him," she added without hesitation, turning back to Virgo. "He passed the selection. That alone qualifies him as a potential husband."
Virgo’s brows rose slightly, his expression sharpening. "Are you choosing Gary Stone?"
"I didn’t say that," she chuckled. "I’m saying he’s a good person. And that’s rare these days."
From the beginning, Gareth had never stood out—so much so that one might wonder how he had even made it this far. She understood Cassian’s presence. But Gareth?
He intrigued her.
According to the selection reports, Gareth had worked twice as hard as anyone else. And yet, since arriving at the mansion, he hadn’t tried to impress her or gain her attention. If anything, he seemed determined to avoid her.
"At first, I thought that was his strategy," she said thoughtfully. "I even considered how clever it was... because it was working."
Her lips curved faintly and gave Virgo an amused look. "But after days of ambushing him, I realized... it’s not a strategy."
She glanced back outside, spotting August returning from his morning run.
"Gary Stone is genuinely avoiding me," she said. "And that only makes me more curious."
August paused below, his gaze lifting until it met hers. Lynsandra didn’t look away, but rather stared back.
"Virgo," she said, eyes still locked with August, "on the coming full moon..."
She trailed off, then turned away from the window to face him.
"Send everyone away from the mansion."
Virgo frowned. "Again?"
"Why?" she laughed lightly. "Do you have a problem with it?"
"No," he replied with slight hesitation. "But does that include the harem?"
"Yes, all of them," she said flatly. "Send them home, or create a reason they can’t stay."
Virgo studied her in silence.
Emptying the mansion during full moons and some specific dates wasn’t unusual. Lynsandra required isolation to mend her bond with her wolf, during which her unleashed power could endanger others.
At least, that was the explanation she’d given him.
"So you won’t be getting married this full moon?" he asked lightly.
"Unfortunately," she waved dismissively as she walked away. "Better luck next month."
Virgo chuckled, watching her leave.
"I guess twenty days is still not enough for you to decide," he murmured. "Another full moon alone... I wonder until when she’ll have to mend her bond with her wolf?"
*****
Meanwhile, in the harem’s shared quad, Elias lounged with one leg crossed over the other, foot shaking restlessly.
Across from him, Cassian paced back and forth, fuming.
"Are you even listening?!" Cassian snapped, stopping abruptly. "That white-lotus Gary pretends he’s not a rival, but he’s been hogging Lizzie all to himself these days!"
White lotus? Elias tilted his head. What is that?
Cassian, unaware of Elias’s confusion, scowled. "I knew it. That sneaky brat."
Elias raised a brow. "And you dragged me here just to rant?"
"What do you mean?" Cassian jumped and sat down. "Don’t you like Lizzie? Doesn’t that two-faced Gary make you angry?"
"Not nearly as much as you do."
"Shut up!" Cassian snapped, dragging the chair beside him. "I hate you, but this is important. More important than our mutual hatred."
Elias tilted his head. "Oh?"
"If we let him keep her attention, she might choose him!" Cassian gasped. "Doesn’t that bother you?"
Elias hummed. "It is... concerning."
"That’s what I’m saying!" Cassian slammed the table, then froze as he spotted August approaching. "Hey!"
August stopped as Cassian bolted toward him, grinning wide it could blind someone. Then, without a second hesitation, Cassian reached out a hand and intoned,
"Let’s form an alliance!"
