Chapter 5 Dream Girl? Interstellar Sensation?

The two locked eyes, the atmosphere turning subtle—clearly leading up to a confession. Tessa unconsciously held her breath. She had to admit that Jacob was incredibly, ridiculously handsome, had an impressive career, and had a gentle and considerate personality. After spending time with him, she had found nothing to fault. But no matter how attractive, talented, or tragic Jacob might be, she had no intention of accepting any confession from him. Then again… maybe she was overthinking it. No, I'm definitely overthinking it! Tessa reflected on herself. She had never been this narcissistic before. Just then, Alexander's HoloCore beeped twice, breaking the romantically ambiguous tension in the air. All three instantly turned their gaze toward his HoloCore, but Alexander frowned at the caller ID, pursed his lips in silence, and then declined the call. Tessa let out a small sigh of relief. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Alexander's expression was unusually heavy, as if he was conflicted about declining the call. Though slightly concerned, she didn't ask any questions, especially since he didn't say anything. Meanwhile, Jacob took the chance to ruffle her hair, offering her some reassurance. When they arrived at their destination, Tessa took in her surroundings, curiously examining Alexander's private villa. Meanwhile, Jacob casually asked, "Was that the Marshal calling you? About Tessa?" Alexander nodded but showed no interest in continuing the conversation. He quickly caught up to Tessa and led her to see her room. This villa had been Alexander's since his youth, purchased during his years at the Empire's Military Academy. But ever since he had graduated and officially enlisted, it had remained vacant. Before departing from the base for Central Planet the day before, he had remotely arranged for the place to be cleaned. And, for reasons even he couldn't fully explain, he had also purchased a variety of furniture and household items tailored to a female's taste. At the time, he and Tessa had barely exchanged a few words. He wasn't even officially her guardian yet. It had been a completely one-sided infatuation—one that left him restless at night, tossing and turning as he imagined countless possibilities for their future together. To the rest of the Empire, Alexander was its youngest major general, a force to be reckoned with. But in truth, he was a hopeless romantic at heart. Since his youth, he had firmly believed that one day, he would meet his true love. Aside from a few close family members, no one knew about this. Even if someone did hear of it, they'd likely dismiss it as an outrageous rumor, too absurd to be true. Blushing slightly, Alexander led Tessa to the sunniest bedroom in the villa. The space was cozy yet expansive—three times the size of the temporary quarters she had on the ship. It had a walk-in closet, a private bathroom, and even a small study. Though it was sparsely decorated, it had everything necessary for daily life. Anything else could be added at Tessa's own pace once she moved in. However, Alexander had conveniently left out one detail—this was the room he had fallen in love with the moment he had purchased the villa. Even then, he had decided that this bedroom would be reserved for his future matriarch. And he? He would live right next door. If, someday, his matriarch would allow him to stay in her room overnight, that would be his ultimate dream come true. Feeling slightly nervous, he asked, "Do you like it? This room?" Tessa's eyes sparkled with excitement as she nodded happily, and seeing her so delighted filled Alexander's heart with joy. "If you like it, I'll transfer the deed to you," he said. In this world, gifting property to a cherished female was an honor for any male. However, his gesture only stunned Tessa, someone from a different universe, and she shook her head immediately. Who just hands over a house without a second thought?! Is this some sort of interstellar cultural quirk? Or is he simply too eager to give things away? She firmly believed that nothing in life came free, and she wouldn't accept something she hadn't earned. Noticing Alexander's slightly crestfallen expression, she spent a good while reassuring him. She made it clear that it wasn't because she disliked anything about the villa but rather that the gift was far too extravagant for her to accept. Though disappointed, Alexander respected her decision. He simply made a quiet vow to himself—one day, he would make sure she was willing to accept his gifts. … The bedroom still felt a little empty, so Tessa opened her HoloCore, planning to browse the Galaxy Net marketplace for decorations. She recalled that the staff had told her every female in the Empire received a monthly stipend—30,000 star coins. Since she had registered as an Empire Citizen this month, the funds should have already been deposited into her account. Tessa marveled at how easily she had achieved a monthly income of 30,000 star coins. As she thought about it, she glanced at her personal account displayed on her HoloCore. Hmm? She blinked. Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands, hundred-thousands, millions, ten-millions, hundred-millions… Her vision blurred as she counted. Her mind went blank. Why does my completely empty account—one that hasn't even posted a single message—have so many followers? And why is the number still skyrocketing?! Unbeknownst to her, the entire incident at Celadon House had been live-streamed. The broadcast had attracted nearly billions of viewers in real-time, and afterward, word of mouth had drawn even more people to watch the replay. A staggering number of male viewers had become utterly captivated by Tessa, turning into her devoted fans and fervent admirers. She even found her name trending on Galaxy Net. Trembling, she tapped on it—only to be bombarded by a flood of exaggerated praise so overwhelming that she couldn't bear to keep her eyes open. Not even the most popular celebrities on Earth probably received this level of attention. What shocked her even more was that these fans could send her direct monetary gifts—resulting in her account now displaying an astronomical sum. However, amidst the overwhelming admiration, there were a few discordant voices. In the interstellar era, personal information was highly transparent. Otherwise, these people wouldn't have been able to track down her personal account so quickly just from a single broadcast. Some were questioning the fact that she had no mental power. Others pointed out that neither Alexander nor Jacob was her mate; they were merely acting as her guardians for the time being. 'As everyone knows, males who choose a female without mental power tend to be the weaker, herbivorous therian species. Their risk of losing control and going feral is lower, so they aren't as dependent on mental comfort from their partners. But if I remember correctly, Major General Lyon and Dr. Lloyd are both extremely powerful carnivorous therians, right?' 'I think this Tessa is pretty scheming, trying so hard to cling to powerful figures.' 'All the scheming in the world won't help her—without mental power, she's useless.' Tessa clicked on those posts, only to find that every single one of them had been flooded with hundreds of thousands of angry replies. 'Get lost! People with dirty minds see filth in everything. You're just good at slandering others while hiding behind your HoloCore. Why don't you come fight me one-on-one? Here's my location…' 'So what if she doesn't have mental power? That doesn't change the fact that she's a rare gem, worthy of love from anyone.' 'I'm a therian with a crocodile form—undeniably carnivorous. I make tens of millions a year, and I'm willing to take on the risk of losing control. I don't want any other female—only her!' 'Crocodile? Move aside. I'm a leopard therian. My family owns a mining business, I graduated from the Empire School of Business, and I run my own company. I'm financially independent, and I've already submitted my application to be Tessa's mate!' 'If Lyon and Lloyd are too blind to see what they have, they should step aside. There are billions of males lined up for their spot!' … Meanwhile, in the room next door, Alexander was on a video call. The male on the other end looked slightly older than Alexander, with strikingly similar facial features. However, unlike Alexander's golden hair, his was jet-black, and his sharp eyes gleamed with intelligence. He was Felix Lyon, Alexander's uncle, and the Marshal of the Empire. The call Alexander had ignored earlier on their way back had been from him. "Alexander, you already know what I'm going to say." Alexander remained silent. "You're no longer a rebellious teenager. Stop acting recklessly." Felix's gaze was steady and commanding as he spoke. He flicked his fingers against a medical report in his hand, making sure Alexander could see it through the screen. "Your last medical examination showed that your Ferality Index had reached 74. If your Ferality Index reaches 80, you'll begin to intermittently lose control, shifting into your beast form without warning. While in that state, you'll have no rational thought—just like a wild animal. "If it reaches 90, not only will you shift uncontrollably, but you'll also lose your sanity, attacking anyone in sight without distinction. If it hits 100, you'll be nothing more than a mindless, feral beast for the rest of your life—never able to return to human form. No one will be able to save you." At that, he tossed the report aside, leaned closer to the screen, and spoke firmly. "You need mental comfort. That's why you absolutely cannot become Tessa's mate—she has no mental power."