"Finally... finally made it..." Bob plopped down on the ground, ignoring the burning heat on his backside, as he spotted the red figure hiding atop the Moni beast.
"Sally..." The moment Burtram laid eyes on his dream girl, it was as if he'd been injected with adrenaline. He sprinted toward the caravan like a whirlwind, bringing a brief gust of cool air to the other lovestruck fools in the scorching desert.
"Ah... men. Men..." Bowen shook his head with a long sigh.
Kyle trudged over to Byron, who was watching the caravan from a distance, and asked quietly, "What do we do? Should we go over, or just wait here?" He never had his own ideas—he just followed whatever the others did.
"Let's wait here. That caravan looks like Sly's. Burtram can handle it." With a snap of his fingers, Byron summoned a large silver-white feather that hovered overhead, casting a patch of shade. The others followed suit, each conjuring their own comfortable resting spots. Finally, they could take a break!
"Sally..." Burtram's eyes were locked on his beloved as he dashed forward, barely even noticing the towering Moni beast. Scaling its back effortlessly, he finally reached her—though all he could see was a tiny glimpse of her figure, it was magnified infinitely in his eyes. So much so that he completely missed Sophie in front of Sally and Sly behind her.
Staring at the golden-haired, blue-eyed super-handsome man before her, Sophie found it hard to believe this was the so-called "pervert." If all perverts looked like this, who'd be afraid of them? Women would be fighting to marry them! Just looking at him was a feast for the eyes. Compared to him, even Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio would probably be ashamed enough to bang their heads against a wall. The only question was whether his heart was as beautiful as his face.
Glancing between the dazed hunk and Sally, who was trembling behind her, Sophie was at a loss for words. Rumors really were vicious! If even a beauty like her couldn't catch his eye, it was clear this man was genuinely smitten with Sally. Just as she was about to greet him, an unexpected voice cut in.
"Burtram, long time no see!" Sly stepped forward with a smile and gave the love-struck idiot a light punch on the shoulder.
"Huh?" Jolted by the unexpected contact, Burtram finally noticed the two people beside Sally. "Sly? What are you doing here?" Seeing the familiar face, he finally snapped back to reality.
"This is my caravan. Where else would I be?" Sly smirked at the usually sharp-witted man now reduced to a lovesick fool. Was this really the most brilliant mind in the Beastmen Kingdom? Did love really have the power to turn geniuses into idiots? "More importantly, what are you doing here?"
Under Sly's knowing gaze, Burtram broke out in a cold sweat. Running into an old friend here—had he made too much of a fool of himself just now? "Heh, I came looking for Sally. I was worried she'd get lost in the desert and run into danger."
"Ohhh~" Sly drew out the word with a teasing lilt, successfully making the golden-haired hunk blush.
"What's that look for? Weren't you the same back then—" The moment the words left his mouth, Burtram realized he'd accidentally stepped on Sly's landmine.
Sophie's eyes gleamed with curiosity as she studied Sly's darkening expression. "Ohhh, there's definitely a story here!"
"Ahem..." Burtram coughed awkwardly, quickly changing the subject. "And who is this lovely lady? She must be the epitome of beauty, wisdom, and gentleness—the perfect wife material!" He even winked suggestively between Sophie and Sly.
"Hi! I'm Sophie! Nice to meet you!" Before Sly could respond, Sophie took the initiative to greet the handsome stranger.
"Hello, Sophie! I'm Burtram, Sly's good friend." He winked again, clearly hinting at something.
Watching the cheerful Burtram, Sophie tugged at Sally, who was still trembling behind her. Since she'd taken such a liking to Sally, she might as well treat her like a little sister. If she could help bring these two together, it'd be a good deed! Birds of a feather flock together—if Burtram was Sly's friend, he couldn't be that bad. Plus, he was easy on the eyes. Why let such a catch slip away?
"Sally, come meet Burtram. He won't hurt you," Sophie coaxed softly.
The moment Burtram's attention returned to Sally, he reverted to the same lovestruck expression Sophie had first seen. Ah, love... truly powerful...
"Let's take it slow. These things can't be rushed," Sly suggested, glancing at the still-shivering Sally. "Burtram, call the others over. We'll have a proper reunion tonight and head to the Beastmen Kingdom together tomorrow." Spotting the lazy figures in the distance, Sly could already guess who they were.
When the rest of the "perverts" joined the caravan, Sophie's poor heart nearly gave out. Sure, she'd met handsome elves, vampires, and phoenixes before, but never so many at once! If even one of them became a movie star, they'd have legions of fans! And here she was, the only one lucky enough to feast her eyes on them all. If her old friends back home knew about this, they'd die of envy!
Noticing the suspicious glint of drool at the corner of Sophie's mouth, Sly rubbed his temples in exasperation. Instinctively positioning himself between her and the others, he warmly greeted his long-lost friends. When Sophie sidled up to him again, Sly threw an arm around the guys and steered them toward his Moni beast.
"Sophie, keep working on Sally. Don't let her see Burtram yet—it might backfire." Before leaving, he made sure to give her a task. Watching Sophie stop in her tracks, Sly smirked to himself. "Still got it."
After an afternoon of gentle persuasion, Sophie finally managed to stop Sally from trembling—though getting her to fall in love with Burtram was still a pipe dream. The road to romance was long indeed...
That evening, with Sally's help, Sophie showed off her culinary skills, preparing a lavish feast. Even if these guys were just eye candy, she wanted to contribute something.
Dinner passed in a harmonious atmosphere, with everyone enjoying themselves—except Sally, who barely ate under Burtram's intense gaze, and Burtram himself, who barely tasted the food while staring at Sally. At this point, he'd probably happily eat sand if it meant being near her.
Having tricked Burtram into spilling secrets under the guise of "love advice," Sophie could barely contain her glee. Now was her chance to dig up dirt on Sly!
"Burtram, do you really want to win Sally over?" Sophie dangled the bait like a cunning fox.
"Of course! She's the first and last woman I'll ever love! I'll marry no one but her!" Burtram declared solemnly.
"Good! With that attitude, I'll help you for sure!" Sophie clapped him on the shoulder. "But I have a tiny little request. Can you do something for me?" Her eyes sparkled in the darkness—she looked more like a fox than Sally did.
"Uh... what is it?" Burtram asked cautiously. Why did he feel like he'd just boarded a pirate ship?
"Well, you know how Sly is... kind of shy? So there are some things he hasn't told me." Sophie put on an innocent, bashful expression.
"Ohhh~" Burtram drew out the word with a knowing look. "What do you want to know?"
"Like... what you mentioned earlier—about how Sly was 'back then'?" Sophie probed carefully. If this was Sly's big secret, as his friend, Burtram might not spill. But if she got her hands on it, she'd have leverage over Sly! Let's see him bully her then!
"Oh, that!" Burtram glanced at Sophie's hopeful face. "Well... my love life is more important. Sorry, Sly—gotta sell you out today! You'd have to tell her yourself eventually anyway!" After a brief internal struggle, Burtram began organizing his thoughts, ready to spill the beans.
**What secrets will Burtram reveal about Sly?**