(Edwin's POV)

The boy didn't like the plan, but he didn't have the courage to say so, much less with Theo's enthusiasm. He was the one who had asked for help, he couldn't just say no now.

However, the thought of Ophelia paired with someone else turned his stomach, even if it was fake. But what embarrassed him the most was the fact that he felt no discomfort at having a fake girlfriend.

He was certainly reluctant at first, but it was only because of the looks.... well, not entirely. The concern he had initially was the possibility that Ophelia would find out about it.

He was sure Ophelia would be upset if she knew.

They were both born and raised in Holmfirth Village, a rather small but pleasant place.

Ophelia was always the number one beauty in the small village, something inherited from her mother, as the older generation of the village would say. 

And although she could be a bit bossy, she always treated Edwin with kindness. He remembered times in her childhood when she would confess her love for him, but it was so distant that he was embarrassed to ask anything related to those days.

He didn't want her to have a boyfriend, even if it was fake. However, seeing the two boys in front of him talking and correcting mistakes in the plan, he suppressed the discomfort.

It was all to help him, he couldn't just ruin everything because he didn't like the idea.

However... discomfort inevitably appeared every time he remembered the look on Zedrick's face when he showed him Ophelia's picture.

Theo didn't notice because he was also looking at the picture at the time, but he did, if only for an instant.

It was a murky look of obsessive lust. Edwin had the impulse to run out and warn Ophelia never to go near the Duke's son, but her gaze returned to normal immediately.

Edwin didn't know if it was an illusion or not and his unease about the plan still gnawed at him, but he decided not to say anything and returned with a frown to the inn. Convincing himself that it was all the fault of jealousy.

(Zedrick's POV)

When the excited Theo and the reluctant Edwin left the cafe, I lingered for a few moments to make arrangements.

With the phone I regularly used, I contacted Kristia.

I was planning to call the family butler, who always took care of most of my brothers' requests. After all, he was a reliable and experienced elder.

But I needed a woman's opinion and influence for this. I opened the exclusive messaging app to contact the family maids and searched for Kristia's chat.

I could simply hire a prostitute and that's it, but I want to check something: If it is possible to get Credits and XP from a relationship created by me.

For that I needed a girl my age and, if possible, who also attends the Academy.

It shouldn't be impossible to find a girl who works as an escort, rental girlfriend or something else that doesn't require sexual acts.

In case it is impossible, I will hire a young prostitute and as a last resort, I will buy a slave. The only drawback with those methods is that I would have to intervene to get them into the academy, after all, the few days off before the start of classes are not enough to romance the boy.

But it shouldn't be just any girl. She has to be cheerful, funny and of course, cute.

If I make Edwin fall in love with her, I will not only be able to get Credits and XP from Ophelia, but also from her. That will open up a lot of possibilities in the future, if it works out, of course.

I wrote all that to Kristia, adding that she should leave the interview to me. She answered immediately, no questions asked, and accepted the order.

After paying, I left the cafe.

Walking slowly in the direction of the hotel, I noticed that many women turned their heads or took a deep breath every time I walked past them.

It was quite stimulating at first, but became monotonous after a while. I had been walking for a long time, but nothing lucky had happened yet.

Maybe all my luck was spent on Edwin? After all, he seemed very reluctant to go along with the plan, and I won't complain if that's the case.

'Should I start programming?' I thought carefully. The applications should have already been downloaded, but I wanted to start somewhere comfortable and not walking.

As I was thinking these things, I heard a light thump to my right.

I turned my head, looking down the dark alley. There, a box had fallen off a cart that was disappearing on the other side of the alley.

I looked around me, finally noticing the bustling atmosphere. A large crowd of people were crowding in front of a cake store that I recognized. In the store there is a product that is sold only on Fridays around noon and always attracts a lot of clientele.

I quickly realized that no one had heard the box fall due to the noise of the crowd, not even the driver of that cart.

That's very lucky... I thought, looking at the box, which suddenly shook.

Curious, I stepped into the alley.

The box rattled even more as I approached, as if something wanted to come out urgently.

I crouched down in front of the box and after looking at the ends of the alley for a moment, I opened it. It didn't take much effort, even though the lid was nailed on.

Immediately after opening it, a large speck of gray hair jumped out at me.

"Boohoo! Mommy! I was so scared! Waaaaaaah!" I felt little hands squeeze the front of my clothes, accompanied by a little girl crying.

Mommy? I was stunned looking down, seeing a full head of gray hair, but what caught my attention were the two gray feline ears with black spots.

"Um... I think you got the wrong person..." I said slowly, trying to sound as friendly as possible. It would be bad if the little girl's cries got attention.

"Uh? Sniff-Sniff..." The little girl sounded confused and looked up as her nose blew.

My eyes met jade green orbs that reflected confusion and innocence. 

Her eyes were red from crying, and a small tear fell as she blinked in confusion.

"You're not mommy... But you smell just like her.... hmm..." the girl said in a small voice and frowned as she hummed, thinking deeply.

So the girls are also affected by my skill? Or just because she is half beast...? I asked myself, but I left it for later.

I looked at the girl who was still thinking with a frown, as if she had forgotten the reason for her earlier crying.

"Why were you in a box? Do you want me to help you look for your mom?" I asked softly. Although I don't consider myself a good person, I'm not heartless either...or not all the time at least.

"Huh?" The little girl awoke from her reverie and her bottom lip began to quiver. "Waaah!" she jumped onto my chest and burst into tears.

I sighed and stored the wooden box in the inventory during her distraction.

'This is a fortuitous event..... This is a fortuitous event...' I repeated the phrase like a mantra before I began to calm the girl down.