QT: I hijacked a harem system and now I'm ruining every plot(GL)-Chapter 260: Alliance

Chapter 260: Alliance
Chapter 260
Felix
I can’t believe this.
The message crumples easily in my hand, parchment folding in on itself with a dry, unsatisfying sound.
"Leave," I snap, and the maid startles, bowing hastily before retreating down the corridor.
The door closes. Silence rushes in.
I drag a hand down my face and exhale slowly, pressing my palms to my eyes as if I can force the thoughts back where they belong.
I hate being told what to do.
And yet—
I can’t lose Edith.
The very idea tightens something ugly and panicked in my chest. She isn’t like the others. She never has been. She doesn’t orbit me out of habit or ambition alone. She looks at me like she expects something solid, something real.
But Lumiya—
I drop my hands, staring at the ceiling.
Lumiya is beautiful. Perfect, even. Polished in a way that never falters. A little cold, yes, but that has always felt like her nature rather than a flaw. For as long as I can remember, I assumed she would be Queen one day.
It felt inevitable. Logical. Clean.
Then Edith arrived.
And suddenly, inevitability fractured.
I don’t know when the future stopped being obvious but now, standing here with Nyxclaw’s words burning into my thoughts, I realize something with sickening clarity.
Not choosing
is
a choice.
And I’m running out of time.
***
Lira
"May I ask why you’ve called us here?"
My arms fold across my chest as I take in the room, the hour, the tension humming just beneath the surface. The teaching assistant accommodations are quiet at this time of night, too quiet—like the walls themselves are listening.
I don’t like it.
The other person present only worsens my mood.
The snake stands near the far wall, posture relaxed, expression unreadable. She has always unsettled me. There’s something about the way she watches—patient, coiled, like she’s already ten steps ahead of everyone else. I don’t understand what His Highness sees in her. I never have.
And then there’s the one who summoned us.
Lady Edith.
She’s dressed in a robe, her hair loose, her appearance effortless in a way that feels deliberate. She’s beautiful,stunning,but I feel no need to compare myself unfavorably. I am no less beautiful than she is.
"What is this about?" I press.
Edith turns, finally giving me her full attention.
"Something to discuss," she says calmly.
Her tail flicks behind her, slow and deliberate, and she moves with that unnerving, unnatural grace of hers, like someone who has never once doubted the ground beneath her feet.
"Take a seat."
It isn’t a command, but it might as well be.
I hesitate only a second before pulling out a chair. As I sit, I catch a faint trace of His Highness’s scent lingering in the room — clean, familiar, reassuring. It settles my nerves despite myself.
"I propose an alliance," Lady Edith says.
My ears perk instantly.
Alliance
.
"I want to be Queen."
For a moment, I simply stare at her.
The words land with no flourish, no hesitation. No embarrassment. As if she’s stating a fact rather than declaring an ambition that could reshape the entire court.
"I’m aware you don’t wish for the position," she continues smoothly, turning her gaze toward me.
"And you—" her eyes shift to the snake, "—well, you never had that choice anyway."
The snake doesn’t react. Not even a flicker. It is an unfortunate truth though, a snake would never marry into royalty, the thought is ridiculous.
"You’re right. I don’t fancy that position," I say, leaning back in my chair. "So I care very little about whatever drama is unfolding between you and little Miss Ice Queen."
I tilt my head toward the snake. "And as for her, well... Snowfrost politics hardly concern protectors."
"Oh dear," Lady Edith says gently, almost fondly. "But you should care. Both of you should care."
She looks at us the way one might look at children who have missed something painfully obvious.
"You see, the Snowfrosts have had many queens over the past centuries," she continues.
"But there’s one detail everyone seems to overlook."
She steps forward and places a stack of papers in front of me.
I frown and pick them up.
White hair. Icy gray eyes. Portraits, records, family trees, dates of birth and death. Snowfrosts ,all of them. I flip through the pages, uncertain what I’m meant to notice.
"I don’t—"
"Look at the harem members," she says calmly.
I flip again.
Once.
Twice.
My ears twitch. My grip tightens.
I see it.
A
pattern
.
My stomach drops.
"That’s right," Lady Edith says softly. "Each time a Snowfrost becomes Queen, the king’s other spouses and their children meet... unfortunate ends."
She lists them without emotion.
"Sudden illnesses. Accidents. Scandals. Crimes committed conveniently just before exile."
My fingers clench around the papers. My claws tear through the parchment without me realizing.
"Of course," she goes on, "it’s all very tidy while you’re still in the academy. But what do you think happens when you reach the palace?"
Her gaze shifts to the snake.
"And little Miss Protector ... surely you aren’t naïve enough to believe they’d allow a former lover to remain at his side indefinitely. Especially one with influence."
The room feels colder.
Edith turns back to me.
"And you," she says. "You may not want the crown, Lady Moonfox, but crowns have a way of deciding for people who stand too close."
Silence stretches.
Then she smiles.
"Now," Lady Edith says lightly, "about the alliance I mentioned."
My heart is pounding.This —
this
is why I don’t want to be Queen.
I don’t have this kind of mind. This sharpness. This willingness to see people as pieces on a board and move them accordingly.
But she’s right.
And whether she’s telling the truth or manipulating us, the risk is real.
Between a Snowfrost queen and Lady Edith ... Edith is the safer bet.
"I’ll hear you out," I say finally, my voice quieter than before.