Shrike hurried back to the Harem without stopping.
No one knew he had gone out late at night.
On the surface, the Harem remained as peaceful as ever.
Just as everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief, Thorn came up with another stunt.
He ordered every woman in the Harem to prepare a talent and perform onstage.
The bastard had way too much time on his hands.
Kohaku was weeding the courtyard when she heard the announcement. Her mouth twitched violently, and the grass stalk in her hand snapped.
She muttered, "He really won't give us a single peaceful day. Does he get itchy all over if he goes one day without stirring up trouble?"
He had already been annoying. Now he was even worse.
His human privileges needed revoking.
Beside her, Li Xiang nodded softly in agreement, helplessness in her eyes.
"Exactly. He just can't leave well enough alone."
She couldn't understand Thorn's unpredictable temperament.
He really acted on every whim that struck him.
Just like my mom.
"The worst part is that we have to participate too. There's no getting out of it."
After agonizing briefly, Li Xiang quickly made her peace with it. "It's fine. We'll get through it by putting on something halfhearted. No need to take it too seriously."
They were only going through the motions anyway. They could throw together a performance and be done once they got through it.
As she spoke, she turned toward the others beside her and began settling on everyone's acts.
"Lillian, you'll definitely be fine. Pretty much any talent will work for you, right?"
Then Li Xiang's gaze fell on Ginro, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "What about you, Ginro? What are you going to perform?"
At being singled out, Ginro's face instantly fell, looking utterly