Marcus burst through the library doors like a man possessed.
The family library hadn't seen this much action in years.
Dust particles exploded into the air. Ancient books seemed to flinch at the sudden intrusion.
"Prophecy. Demon Lords. Political alliances. There has to be something here."
Marcus grabbed books off shelves with the desperation of a student cramming for finals.
History of the Valerian Kingdom.
Chronicles of the Great Wars.
A Nobleman's Guide to Not Embarrassing Yourself at Parties.
That last one he threw aside. Too late for that.
The library was massive and completely neglected.
Three floors of books that the original Marcus had never touched.
The dust was so thick it had its own ecosystem.
"Think, Marcus. You're a researcher. You've done literature reviews.
This is just another client case study."
Except the client was the entire world and the stakes were everyone dying.
No pressure.
Marcus found the history section and started pulling books. His life coach training kicked in.
When overwhelmed, break the problem into smaller pieces.
Step one: Understand the threat.
Step two: Identify the solution.
Step three: Make his dense brother follow through.
Step four: Try not to panic about step three.
A particularly old tome caught his eye. "Prophecies of the Kingdom: A Complete Collection."
"Bingo."
He opened it carefully.
The pages were yellow with age.
The text was in elaborate script that hurt to read.
But there it was.
The prophecy of the Child of Destiny.
"When darkness rises from the Forsaken Lands, only the Child blessed by fate shall unite the fractured realm."
Marcus kept reading.
The prophecy was frustratingly vague, as prophecies always were.
"Through bonds of heart and soul, the Child shall forge alliances that no sword can break."
Bonds of heart and soul. That had to mean marriage. Or at least romance.
"Four pillars shall support the kingdom's salvation.
North, South, East, and West united under destiny's banner."
Four pillars. Four heroines. It was starting to make sense.
Marcus grabbed a map of the kingdom. He spread it across the dusty reading table.
The Roselle Duchy controlled the eastern border.
That was the redhead, Catarina.
Her family had the largest standing army outside the royal forces.
The Adventurer's Guild operated from the southern free cities. They were politically neutral but could be swayed.
The crimson-haired woman looked like an adventurer type.
The elven enclaves were to the north. Notoriously isolationist.
But if that silver-haired elf was here, maybe they were willing to talk.
And the Royal Academy was in the central capital. It trained the kingdom's future leaders and mages. Seraphina was an instructor there.
"Four directions. Four factions. Four women."
Marcus pulled another book. "Recent History of the Demon Realm."
The information made his blood run cold.
Border skirmishes had increased by 300% in the last five years.
Demon scouts spotted closer to human territories.
Strange magical phenomena near the Darkwall Mountains.
All signs pointed to preparation for invasion.
Marcus checked the dates.
If the pattern held, full invasion would begin in three years.
Three years for Theodore to romance four women and unite the kingdom.
Theodore, who thought swords were more interesting than people.
"We're doomed."
✧✧✧
Marcus had covered the entire table with books, maps, and hastily scrawled notes.
His handwriting looked like a spider had learned penmanship while drunk.
But the connections were clear.
The Demon Lord wasn't just a story element. Historical records showed a cycle.
Every few centuries, a new Demon Lord rose.
Each time, humanity barely survived.
This time looked worse.
"United, the kingdom stands a chance. Divided, we fall."
Marcus read from a military assessment.
"Conservative estimates suggest a three-to-one disadvantage in raw numbers."
The only way to win was through perfect coordination.
Multiple armies working as one. Shared resources and intelligence.
The kind of cooperation that only came through marriage alliances.
Marcus found genealogy records next.
Each heroine wasn't just beautiful. They were politically crucial.
Seraphina came from a minor noble family, but she had connections.
War heroes, Academy graduates, people in positions of power.
Her endorsement meant something.
Catarina wasn't just a duchess. She was THE duchess.
Her father had died four years ago, leaving her in charge of the kingdom's largest duchy at twenty-two.
The notes on Vivienne were sparse. But the name Blackthorn appeared in adventurer records.
"The Crimson Viper" had been legendary a decade ago.
And the elf, Iris Silvermoon. Any elven involvement was historic.
They hadn't allied with humans in over two hundred years.
"Theodore needs to marry all of them."
The words sounded insane out loud. But the math was clear.
Lose even one alliance and the defense would crumble.
The kingdom needed the eastern armies AND the adventurer irregulars AND elven magic AND Academy mages.
All four or nothing.
Marcus slumped in his chair. How was he supposed to make this happen?
Theodore could barely recognize that women existed.
The original Marcus had negative credibility in romantic matters.
And these women were out of everyone's league.
"What did the novel say?"
Marcus tried to remember. He'd skimmed it during a particularly boring flight. The client had insisted it would help him understand "modern romance dynamics."
It hadn't. It had been standard wish fulfillment trash.
But he remembered the basic beats.
Theodore would save each heroine from something.
They'd fall for his earnest nature and hidden depths.
There would be misunderstandings that somehow brought them closer.
Standard harem nonsense.
Except now Marcus was living in it. And the nonsense had world-ending consequences.
He found another book.
"Noble Marriage Customs and Traditions."
Multiple marriages were legal but rare.
Usually only in extreme circumstances. Like, say, preventing demonic invasion.
"I can work with this."
Marcus started a new page of notes.
"Operation: Get My Brother Laid for World Peace."
He immediately crossed that out. Too crude.
"Operation: Romance for Global Salvation."
Still bad.
"Operation: Make Theodore Notice Women Exist."
That was step one at least.
Marcus reviewed what he knew about each heroine from glimpsing them at the ceremony.
Seraphina projected ice queen vibes.
Probably had tragic backstory. The novel loved tragic backstories.
Catarina looked exhausted under the perfect facade.
The pressure of leadership at a young age.
Vivienne seemed bored.
A retired adventurer at a formal ceremony? She must be dying inside.
And Iris watched everything with the detachment of someone very old.
How old were elves anyway?
"They all need something," Marcus muttered. It was his life coach instinct.
"Something emotional. Something Theodore can provide."
Except Theodore couldn't provide emotional anything. Theodore provided sword facts and training tips.
"So I'll have to teach him."
The irony wasn't lost on Marcus.
The man who'd died alone of a heart attack was going to teach his brother about love.
But what choice did he have? The world literally depended on it.
Marcus gathered his notes. He'd approach this like a coaching case.
Identify goals. Create action plans. Provide support and accountability.
Step one: Get Theodore to have an actual conversation with a woman.
Step two: Build from there.
Step three through infinity: Figure it out as he went.
"I can do this," Marcus told the empty library.
"How hard can teaching romance be?"
The books seemed to laugh at him. They knew the truth.
Teaching romance to someone who thought "nice sword" was a pickup line would be impossible.
But Marcus had coached impossible cases before.
Executives who thought emotions were weakness.
Couples on the brink of divorce.
That one guy who collected toenail clippings.
Actually, Theodore might be worse than toenail guy.
"No. Stay positive. You're going to help your brother save the world through the power of love."
Marcus stood up, filled with determination.
He had three years.
Three years to turn Theodore from a sword-obsessed density protagonist into someone who could maintain four relationships.
The fate of the world rested on his shoulders.
No pressure.
He headed for the door, then stopped. One more book had caught his eye.
"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Romance."
Marcus grabbed it. He'd need all the help he could get.