Chapter 16: THREE-HEROINE DISASTER

The System officially declared a crisis at breakfast.

[Congratulations!]

[Multiple Route Conditions Fulfilled.]

[HAREM ROUTE UNLOCKED!]

Vael spat tea across the table.

Lyria jumped.

Seraphina protected a manuscript with her body.

Morrigan drew a blade.

"What attacked you, My King?"

Vael wiped his mouth.

"Something worse than an assassin."

[Available Routes:]

[Lyria — Main Heroine]

[Seraphina — Scholar Rivalry Route]

[Morrigan — Loyal Retainer Route]

[Note: Route labels are narrative classifications, not instructions to pursue all candidates.]

Vael paused.

"That clarification is new."

[Legal department requested it.]

"Lock the entire feature."

[Feature cannot be locked after activation.]

"Delete it."

[No.]

"Delete yourself."

[Also no.]

Seraphina leaned across the table.

"I desperately need to study this curse."

"You would not survive."

"That sounds like a challenge."

Lyria pointed between Vael and empty air.

"Is this invisible thing why you keep arguing with walls?"

"Yes."

"What does it want?"

Vael paused.

Three women looked at him.

The System flashed hearts.

He chose survival.

"It wants me to improve my social skills."

[Technically true.]

Lyria looked impressed.

"Finally, a noble curse."

Vael regretted honesty immediately.

The day became worse.

Morrigan decided Lyria and Seraphina were potential political marriages.

Lyria decided Morrigan was definitely hiding several international crimes.

Seraphina decided everyone in the room was historically significant and began taking notes.

At noon, the System assigned Vael a group activity.

[Spend one enjoyable afternoon with all active social-route candidates.]

[Reward: Emotional Awareness +2]

[Failure Penalty: Cat ears, 24 hours.]

Vael went still.

"No."

[Then succeed.]

They went bowling.

Vael had never bowled.

His first throw shattered six pins and embedded the ball in the wall.

The owner screamed.

Morrigan applauded.

Seraphina measured the crater.

Lyria laughed until she fell onto a bench.

Vael was banned after one turn.

They moved to a tea shop.

Morrigan threatened the waiter because Vael’s tea arrived lukewarm.

Seraphina interviewed the owner about the building’s age.

Lyria stole Vael’s cake.

Vael almost enjoyed himself.

Then Seraphina asked Lyria if she could borrow the Valcrest family archives for six months.

"No."

"Three?"

"No."

"One?"

"No."

"A weekend?"

"Still no."

Morrigan leaned toward Vael.

"Permission to remove the scholar?"

"No."

"From the room?"

"No."

"From history?"

"Definitely no."

The System chimed.

[Host noticed escalating tension before physical violence.]

[Emotional Awareness progress detected.]

Vael looked offended.

"That was obvious."

[Three months ago you would have waited for someone to draw a sword.]

The afternoon should have ended there.

Unfortunately, Vael made one tactical error.

He attempted to leave early.

"I have spent three hours socializing. This is sufficient."

[Quest requires four.]

"No."

[One hour remains.]

"I refuse."

[Premature Exit Detected.]

[Penalty activated.]

[Quest remains active.]

Vael heard a tiny magical pop.

The table went silent.

Lyria’s eyes widened.

Seraphina slowly lowered her cup.

Morrigan’s face became devotional.

Vael reached up.

Two black cat ears now protruded from his hair.

He touched one.

It twitched.

No one breathed.

Morrigan stood.

"My King."

"Don’t."

"They are magnificent."

"Do not."

Lyria covered her mouth with both hands.

Seraphina was already sketching.

Vael pointed at her.

"Destroy that page."

"For history? Never."

The cat ears flattened against his head.

Lyria lost the battle.

She laughed loud enough to attract attention from three tables.

Vael’s expression became murderous.

The System displayed:

[Time remaining: 59 minutes.]

For the next hour, Vael remained seated while the three women alternated between teasing him, taking notes, and trying to touch the ears.

He allowed none of them.

At minute fifty-nine, Lyria distracted him by pointing outside.

Morrigan scratched behind one ear.

Vael made a sound.

A very small sound.

Everyone froze.

Vael froze hardest.

Seraphina whispered, "Was that a purr?"

"No."

The System displayed:

[It was.]

Vael stood so quickly the chair fell over.

"I am going to bed."

Lyria laughed until she cried.

The quest completed anyway.

[Reward: Emotional Awareness +2]

Vael felt absolutely no difference.

"What changed?"

[You noticed Lyria was happy before checking a number.]

Vael looked at her.

She was still smiling at him.

The cat ears twitched again.

He hated character development when it happened to him.