Chapter 88: I Wonder, Though...
[Harem]
"This is not good."
Cassian paced back and forth in the mansion’s lobby, his face etched with obvious distress. Dark circles shadowed his eyes as he hadn’t slept a wink the night before.
"I knew it." He clicked his tongue and lightly kicked the floor. "That Elias cannot be trusted."
Just because Elias had been a little nice to him, Cassian had lowered his guard. He had forgotten that Elias was still his rival.
Minnie watched Cassian pace until he started talking to himself. Just yesterday, they had been quite happy about what they’d done. But ever since Cassian rushed off to drag Lynsandra away to play with them, his mood had spiraled.
Why?
Well, because Lynsandra was not home anymore.
"Bestie, do you really like Lizzie?"
Minnie jolted when Cassian suddenly glared at her.
"Is that even a question?" He clicked his tongue and turned to face her squarely, placing a hand over his chest. "Lizzie and I are meant to be together forever. She just hasn’t realized it yet, but she likes me very much!"
"..."
"Don’t worry." He wagged a finger at her. "Once we’re together, I’ll let you hang around her even though you’re a bad influence."
"Hey, I’m not a bad influence. I’m a reliable aide to the Luna," Minnie argued lazily. "I move the moment she even thinks about something."
Cassian’s face scrunched with doubt. "Since you arrived here, I haven’t seen you help my Lizzie at all. Worse—you let her go on a date while you were playing with me!"
"Say, Minnie, be honest!" He pointed at her accusingly. "You’re here to distract me, aren’t you?!"
"Huh?? What the heck are you talking about?"
"Tell me the truth!" he huffed, crossing his arms. "Yesterday’s experiment was your idea! Did you know she was going on a date? Is that why? Because you thought I’d stop her?"
Cassian steeled his heart, already preparing himself for betrayal. Minnie had added color to his life in the mansion—joining him in complaining to the ever-calm and righteous Evander—but at the end of the day, she was Lynsandra’s person.
Who knows?
Maybe Lynsandra had asked Minnie to keep him busy so he wouldn’t get jealous.
"Huh... is that how it looks?" Minnie rubbed her chin thoughtfully, making Cassian arch a brow. "Honestly, now that I think about it, I should’ve asked Lizzie about that. That means she’d owe me extra money."
Cassian narrowed his eyes. "She didn’t ask you to keep me in check?"
"Why would she need to keep you—or anyone here—in check?" Minnie blinked. "If anything, she’d keep the entire harem in check instead of focusing on individuals."
"Huh? Why’s that?"
"Because one or two doesn’t really matter?"
Cassian’s frown deepened. "What the hell does that mean?"
"Bestie, there are seven members in this harem. It’s like there are fifty workers in this mansion." She waved her finger side to side as she explained. "Think of it this way—if there are fifty workers and one or two get sick, the job still gets done. Even if ten quit, it won’t greatly affect her daily life. Sure, it might add some workload to others, but replacements are quick."
Minnie shrugged. "Everyone can be replaced. There are people hired solely to fill vacant spots." She wiggled her brows. "It’s the same with this harem. She doesn’t need to monitor each person individually as long as the whole group remains relatively peaceful—whatever peace means here."
"..." Cassian’s frown deepened further. "Does that mean if one or two quit the harem, there’ll be replacements?"
"About that... I don’t think so." She shrugged again. "Anyway, Lizzie has been fair with all of you. Whether she likes it or not, she still complies with the rules created by the Royal Pack’s court—plus the additional conditions she added."
Cassian dragged himself over and plopped down beside Minnie. He pressed his lips into a thin line, lost in thought.
"Don’t overthink it," Minnie said with a small chuckle. "You already had your turn. And according to you, it was a great date! You can’t be that selfish."
His shoulders sagged. "But I don’t want to share Lizzie. Even if I know everyone has the right to date her, take her places, hold her hand, or even kiss her... I still don’t want to share her."
Once he and Lynsandra made things official, Cassian would absolutely gatekeep her. She was too pretty, too precious, too everything. Anyone who looked at her would fall for her. And the more he looked at her, the more beautiful she seemed.
"It’s like a curse," he muttered, clutching his chest.
"You’ll have your time again," Minnie said, patting his back comfortingly. "You’re doing well, Bestie."
Truthfully, Minnie liked him.
If she had to vote, she’d pick Cassian in a heartbeat. First of all, he was Victor’s brother—and knowing how Victor had hurt Lynsandra, a relationship between her and Cassian would be the tightest slap to Victor’s face.
But more importantly, Cassian was just too pure for his own good.
And someone like him... might actually be a good match for Lynsandra.
But that was just Minnie’s opinion.
At the end of the day, Lynsandra would be the one to decide.
I wonder, though...
Her thoughts trailed off as she glanced up and caught sight of someone stepping away from the railing upstairs. The corners of her lips curled slightly.
What was that vampire thinking?
It was obvious that Cassian was bothered that Lynsandra hadn’t come home. Minnie had told him that Lynsandra probably went straight to work, since she hadn’t expected her to spend the night with Elias.
But...
She was curious how this would affect the others.
For instance, the vampire, who had apparently spent the entire night in Lynsandra’s room waiting for her.
Or Gareth, who was quietly eavesdropping somewhere on the first floor.
I wonder what’s going to happen now that the idea that someone is advancing has been planted?
Minnie smiled from ear to ear, excited to see how things would change among the usually tame members of the harem.
