**Four Seasons Hotel, New York.**
**Banquet Hall.**
"Ah!"
The blonde girl, Iliad, couldn't bear it anymore. She let out a gasp, lowered her head in embarrassnt, and tried to run away.
"Miss Reed, your last na sounds familiar."
Adam finally realized—this girl must have blurted out her words out of admiration for him.
For girls like this, just like everyone else, he couldn't help but see her in a different light. Naturally, he didn't want her to leave feeling so ashad, so he quickly changed the topic.
"Really?"
Iliad's face turned red with excitent. "My grandfather is a doctor, my father is a doctor, and my brother is also a doctor. Maybe you've heard of them?"
"Hmm, maybe."
Adam smiled noncommittally. He couldn't quite recall where he'd heard that last na before.
Dr. Reed?
Professor Reed?
Seeing that Iliad was no longer trying to run away in embarrassnt, and recalling what Professor Jas Mudd had said about his class being particularly competitive this year, Adam couldn't help but ask, "So, you're from a family of doctors. Are you planning to beco a doctor too?"
"Of course!"
Iliad bead. "Everyone in my family is a doctor, so I want to be one too. I want to prove to them that even though I'm a girl, I'm just as good as any boy!"
Her father had even given her a gender-neutral na, which leaned more masculine—his intentions were clear.
"A prestigious dical family with a strong competitive streak."
Adam mused internally, "I don't know how talented she is, but based on those two factors alone, she's definitely another competitor."
Now, he fully believed what Professor Jas Mudd had told him.
Murphy's Law was really coming for him.
"Are you planning to attend Columbia dical School?"
Adam asked with a resigned smile.
"Yeah."
Iliad hesitated slightly. "My father and the others suggested Columbia, but honestly, I'd rather go to Harvard dical School or Johns Hopkins."
She didn't say it outright, but the fact that she was attending this kind of event spoke volus about where she stood.
"She seems competitive, but deep down, she might have so insecurities. Probably her parents' fault again."
Adam analyzed.
If she were a truly competitive and confident Arican individualist, she would have insisted on her own choice instead of compromising with her family and indirectly accepting their help.
Adam glanced at Leonard from a distance and saw that he was happily chatting with his old friends. The banquet wasn't going to end anyti soon, so he struck up a conversation with Iliad.
Although she was blonde, she wasn't the typical "blonde bombshell" like Penny. She was much slimr—almost too slim—but still attractive enough, around a six or seven out of ten.
More importantly, she admired Adam, ca from a family of doctors, was the sa age and in the sa cohort as him, and had a perspective on dicine different from Leonard and the older generation. This made their conversation quite engaging.
Until—
"By the way, who's your favorite character in *Lord of the Mysteries*?"
Casually, Adam asked the question.
"…!"
Iliad was instantly dumbfounded.
She had never actually read *Lord of the Mysteries*. She had only overheard people ntioning that Adam was the author at the event earlier, so she had used that as an excuse to start a conversation.
The truth was, she had been drawn to Adam's looks and charisma—it had nothing to do with being a fan of his novel.
Now that Adam was asking, she had no idea how to answer.
"I-I like the female lead the most."
Iliad stamred.
Adam glanced at her.
Was she joking? *Lord of the Mysteries* had a female lead?
How had he not known?
But considering that so people might view Miss Justice as the female lead, he held back his skepticism and continued, "What do you like most about her?"
"The romance between the male and female leads."
Iliad racked her brain, trying to cover her lie. "It was so moving, especially the scene where they first t. I almost cried!"
"…"
The corner of Adam's mouth twitched.
If anyone was crying, it was him—tears of laughter.
This girl was a little clueless.
Did she really think throwing in so generic romantic clichés would fool him into believing she had read the book?
No way.
No way, right?
Still, he didn't call her out. Instead, he smirked playfully and said, "That scene was really touching when I wrote it. By the way, who do you think she should choose?"
"Huh?"
Iliad froze, her head throbbing.
One lie required countless more to cover it up. She deeply regretted this.
"You know, the female lead."
Adam continued, barely holding back his laughter. "Should she choose the male lead, or stay with her mistress?"
"Wait, what?"
Iliad was even more stunned. She scread internally, *Where did this 'mistress' co from? Is this… a yuri subplot?*
Frantically trying to find a way to spin it, she pondered how to keep up the act.
Just then, Adam, as if speaking to himself, added, "Susie was a dog before, but after drinking the potion, she could talk and was basically no different from a human. She's even more talented than her mistress. But her bond with her mistress is really strong, so it's a tough choice."
"WTF?!!!"
Iliad was completely floored. Her eyes widened in shock.
*The female lead isn't even human? She's a dog?! Even if she can talk, she's still a dog! Bro, what kind of taste is this?!*
Her mind raced.
*I always heard that writers were eccentric, but this is insane.*
Her dad once treated a writer who, after years of failing to produce a novel he was satisfied with, swallowed his entire manuscript in frustration—only to require surgery to remove it.
But compared to Adam, that guy seed as normal as a little bunny.
*Lord of the Mysteries?*
*Just from the title, it sounds eerie and mysterious. And now there's a talking female dog torn between the male lead and her mistress? Huh… this actually sounds interesting. Maybe I should buy a copy after the banquet…*
As her thoughts spiraled into absurdity, Adam, observing her reaction out of the corner of his eye, initially found it hilarious. But as her shocked expression dragged on, he started to feel a little nervous.
Did he just break her brain?
Technically, he hadn't even lied. In his past life, many people had jokingly considered Susie—who had nearly as much screen ti as Miss Justice—the real female lead.
The charm of the *Dream Hound* was no joke.
But for soone who had never read *Lord of the Mysteries*, this was way too much information.
Iliad was already a little ditzy—what if he had completely overwheld her?
"Iliad?"
Adam called out, slightly concerned.
"Ah!"
Snapping out of her daze, Iliad looked at Adam strangely, forced a few awkward laughs, and then bolted.
No matter how much she wanted Adam, she just couldn't handle this.
*Your Majesty, you play too much. I simply can't do this!*
(End of Chapter)
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