NOVPUBVillain Ch 1035. How to Survive a Harem for Dummies
Allen felt his face heat up, but he tried to play itol. "That was an accident. And if you didn’t pull the fire alarm, it wouldn’t have happened," he shot back, his voice firm but laced with mild embarrassment.
Emma raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by his flustered state. "Oh, please," she said, drawing out the words in a sarcastic tone. "Don’t act like you weren’t loving the attention. Youuld’ve put a shirt on before getting out of your room, you know."
"I didn’t exactly have time to think," Allen retorted. "I just woke up. My brain wasn’t functioning yet."
Emma snorted, clearly enjoying every snd of this. "Yeah, sure, blame it on the alarm. But you didn’t mind when all your girlfriends were doting on you in front of the whole mansion."
Allen groaned but managed to give her a dry smile. "They did it only in front of you, not the whole mansion. Don’t exaggerate things," herrected, giving her a flat stare.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Emma waved him off with a nonchalant tone, like she wasn’t even listening. But then her eyes sparkled with that mischievous glint again, the one that always spelled trouble for him.
Allen braced himself, knowing another jab wasming. "But I have to say," shentinued, her smirk widening, "you’re quite strong, Allen. I didn’t expect that. I mean, seven girls in one night? That’s something."
Allen didn’t even flinch. He’d gotten used to Emma’s relentless teasing. It was just her way of dealing with things. She never meant harm by it and Allen had learned to just roll with her jabs. Still, that didn’t mean he was going to let her have the last word.
He sighed dramatically, rubbing the back of his neck as if Emma’s teasing was a physical weight. "You know," he started, voice laced with mock seriousness, "it’s not as easy as it looks. A lot of stamina andordination is involved."
Emma rolled her eyes, but sheuldn’t help but snicker. "Oh, please. I don’t need the details. I’ve seen enough to get the idea."
Allen chuckled, shaking his head. "You were the one who brought it up."
"Yeah, but I didn’t expect you to just run with it," she shot back, crossing her arms. She tilted her head, pretending to think deeply. "Maybe you should write a guidebook or a new story. ’How to Handle Seven Girlfriends Without Dying’ or maybe ’How to Survive a Harem for Dummies.’ Could be useful for other idiots who somehow end up in your situation."
"I’m sure that’d be a bestseller," Allen said dryly. "I can already see the reviews."
Emma grinned, clearly pleased with herself. "You should do it. Go write."
He groaned. "You’re impossible, you know that?"
"I’ve been told," she replied with a casual shrug, clearly not offended in the slightest.
Her teasingntinued. This was their rhythm, their dynamic. Emma always knew how to push his buttons, but she also knew when to stop—right before things ever got too serious.
There was something oddlymforting about it, even if it didme wrapped in snark and sarcasm. Allen and Emma had this easy back-and-forth, a rhythm that made the teasing feel less like jabs and more like an inside joke they were both in on.
They walked back into the mansion andntinued theirnversation.
"Hey," Allen started, his voice taking on a more curious tone as they walked through the large entryway. "Have you ever dated anyone before?"
The question was casual enough, but heuld feel Emma stiffen slightly beside him, even though she tried to play it off. "Why? Are you writing a dating guide and need tips?" she shot back, her usual teasing tone still intact. But there was something else beneath it. Something… guarded.
Allen smirked, but there was a touch of sincerity in his voice when hentinued. "No, seriously. Have you ever liked someone?"
Emma hadn’t expected that. The question caught her off guard, and for a snd, her usual playful demeanor faltered. Allen noticed. She was rarely speechless, and he hadn’t seen that look on her face before—a mixture of surprise and something deeper.
Emma had to admit that she had liked Allen before when she didn’t know that he was her half-brother. But once she found out, she suppressed her feelings and somehow she was now moremfortable with him as a sibling. She always wanted to have a brother after all since she always felt a bit lonely being an only child, especially since her mother died. And Allen’s presence filled it all.
She tilted her head, as ifnsidering how to respond. Her smile was still there, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes this time. "I almost fell in love with someone," she finally said, her voice still carrying that annoying, sarcastic edge, but there was a shift in her tone. Something more serious.
"Almost?" Allen asked, hisnfusion evident. Heuldn’t imagine Emma being the type to do anything halfway.
"Almost," she repeated, her eyes fixed ahead as they walked, avoiding his gaze. "But I decided not to like him the way I wanted to, but how I should."
Emma’s grin returned, this time a little forced, but there was something resolute about it. "And I’m happy about it. It’s perfect, really," she said, her voice brighter than it had been a snd ago, as if she was brushing off whatever she was feeling. She even added a little flourish, throwing her hands up dramatically as if to emphasize how ’perfect’ it all was.
Allen furrowed his brow at that. "What do you mean?" He wasn’tnvinced. "Did he… reject you?" 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
Emma stopped in her tracks. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and then she cringed, as if the mere suggestion was insulting. "Uh, is there a man whould reject me?" she ffed, wiping a hand through her hair in as if she was a model in a shampoommercial. She struck a pose, as if to say, ’Look at me—howuld anyone turn this down?’
Allen held his cringe. ’Hernfidence is surely something,’ he thought. "I don’t know. I’m just asking."
"Please," Emma replied, still holding her pose for a moment before dropping it and resuming her usualnfident stride. "I made the decision, not him. And trust me, I made the right call."
Note: Should I write stories with those titles? Lol XD
