Gon's Harem System
Chapter 87: Lord Thane’s musing

Chapter 87: Lord Thane’s musing

The two of them exchanged a quick glance, their eyes filled with unspoken understanding, before turning on their heels and hurrying away.

Their footsteps, though hurried, were careful, as if they feared making too much noise.

Shoulders slightly hunched, they moved swiftly, their bodies tense with urgency.

Gon smiled in quiet amusement as he watched them scurry away, their hurried movements almost entertaining to him.

He let out a small breath, shaking his head slightly before turning his gaze toward the empty room around him.

Now alone, the silence settled in, pressing against him like a gentle but persistent reminder.

His amusement faded as his mind shifted to more pressing matters.

Then, as if a distant bell had rung in his head, he suddenly remembered, he had to go see the Duke.

His expression grew thoughtful, and with a slight nod to himself, he straightened his posture. There was no time to waste.

The Duke would no doubt be furious that he had collapsed in front of everyone.

Gon could already picture the sharp glare, the rigid posture, the disapproving frown carved into the man’s face.

A quiet sigh escaped his lips as he ran a hand through his hair. He had no excuse, no way to take back what had happened. The damage was done.

All he could do now was face the Duke and endure whatever came next.

Gon rubbed his temple, already bracing himself for what was to come.

He could almost hear the Duke’s voice, firm, measured, and filled with quiet disappointment.

A stern rebuttal was the best he could hope for. Harsh words, at least, had weight.

They carried emotion, even if it was frustration. But what he truly dreaded was the coldness.

The Duke’s silence always cut deeper than his words.

That unreadable expression, the way his gaze would pass over Gon as if he were nothing more than a stranger, it was worse than any scolding.

It left him feeling small, as if he had failed in some unspoken way, as if he were unworthy of even the Duke’s anger.

He could tolerate a lot. Pain, exhaustion, even humiliation. But the Duke’s cold indifference? That always felt like punishment.

Gon let out a quiet breath and shook his head, as if trying to dispel the thoughts weighing him down.

Dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything. Whatever awaited him, he would simply have to face it.

Straightening his posture, he turned and strode toward the door, his steps steady but purposeful

As he stepped out of the room, the air outside felt cooler, sharper, as if the whole world knew what he was walking into. But he didn’t hesitate.

His feet carried him forward, down the familiar halls, past towering walls and silent corridors, each step bringing him closer to the Duke’s office.

*****

Lord Thane had found himself thinking about his plans more and more lately.

No matter how much he tried to focus on other matters, his mind kept circling back, turning over every detail, every carefully laid step that had once seemed so flawless.

Everything had been going so well.

Every piece had fallen into place exactly as he had intended, each move executed with precision.

But now, now it was all unraveling.

Too much was going wrong, and far too quickly.

Problems were piling up before he could fully deal with the last, and the once-clear path before him was becoming clouded with uncertainty.

He had worked too hard, planned too carefully, to let everything slip through his fingers now.

He needed to regain control. And fast.

Of all the problems demanding his attention, Lord Thane had particularly dwelt on one, Gon.

The young heir. The boy who had now discovered mana.

That single development had thrown everything off balance.

Gon was supposed to remain ordinary, unremarkable in the grand scheme of things.

Yet now, he had unlocked a power that could change everything. It was unexpected. Unwanted.

And, worst of all, dangerous.

If Gon continued down this path, he would become a force to be reckoned with. A force that could disrupt everything Thane had worked toward.

Lord Thane found himself growing increasingly resentful of the boy.

Gon had been nothing more than an afterthought, a minor piece on the board, someone easy to overlook.

Yet now, out of nowhere, he had stepped into the light, disrupting everything with his newfound power.

It was infuriating.

Thane exhaled slowly, his fingers curling into a fist. He had no personal quarrel with the boy, but that didn’t matter.

He disliked obstacles, and Gon had made himself one. Whether the boy realized it or not, he was now standing in the way.

And obstacles, no matter how innocent, had to be removed.

However, at the arena, when Lord Thane saw Gon collapse to the ground after his fight, something unexpected happened.

For the first time in two days, he felt the desire to smile.

Perhaps he had overestimated the young heir, just a tad.

The boy had shown promise, yes, but in the end, he was still young, still inexperienced. Power alone meant nothing without control, without endurance.

And here Gon was, sprawled on the ground, utterly spent after a single battle.

Hardly the unstoppable force Thane had begun to fear.

Leaning back in his seat, he allowed himself a small breath of amusement.

Maybe things weren’t as dire as they seemed.

Maybe, just maybe, Gon wasn’t quite ready to stand in his way after all.

Lord Thane had assumed that the Duke, ever the strategist, ever the man of great insight into mana use and control, had seen something remarkable in the boy.

Some untapped, massive potential that warranted his attention.

It was the only explanation that had made sense.

The Duke was not a man who wasted time on lost causes.

If he had taken interest in Gon, then surely, the boy must have been worth it.

Therefore, Lord Thane had unknowingly placed the boy in high regard, treating him as a potential threat, an obstacle capable of disrupting his carefully woven plans.

He had spent days considering the implications of Gon’s discovery of mana, weighing the risks, adjusting his strategies, all because he had assumed the boy was powerful enough to matter. Influential enough to put a cog in his designs.