[Congratulations, you have gained three wives.]
[You have received Lord Talent Upgrade Card x1]
[Upon using this card, your Lord Talent will be upgraded to SSS rank.]
[Note: You need to become a Lord to be able to use this card.]
Isaac glanced at the floating text.
His thoughts split between Celia’s warmth and the words in front of him.
Becoming a True Lord wasn’t simple.
Upon ascending to that position, a person had the chance to awaken a Lord Talent.
Those talents were different from personal Talents.
They were tied to ruling, governing, and leading one’s territory.
Some Lords even gained abilities that let them summon troops from unknown worlds. The implications were enormous.
But right now, his mind wasn’t focused on that.
Celia continued to kiss him.
Her movements were bolder than before. She pushed him back until he fell onto the couch, then climbed onto him, settling against his lap.
Her wings spread out and wrapped around him, folding close like they were determined to trap him in her embrace.
Her tail moved without restraint, slipping beneath his clothes and hugging around him as if it had its own will.
It was like something inside her was awakening.
Each movement of hers became extremely seductive and alluring.
Isaac’s chest tightened, and the rational part of his mind began to collapse.
His hands moved instinctively, slipping behind her and into her pants. He grabbed and kneaded her ass. His breathing grew heavier with each passing second.
He knew he should stop.
Emily’s evolution would complete in only a few hours, and there was still plenty of work he had to finish before that happened.
But it was as if his body ignored every command his mind gave. His restraint dissolved with every taste of Celia’s lips.
He wanted more.
Her taste was addictive. Her lips were sweet with a faint bitterness that only made him crave it again.
His dragon instincts stirred violently inside him. His vision blurred, and when he blinked, his pupils had become slit-like dragon eyes.
His hand moved up, ready to tear her clothes away, when he managed to stop himself at the last possible moment.
"Hey..." His voice came out hoarse as he pulled her back slightly. "What’s with your body? Are you... using some kind of skill?"
His head was buzzing.
His body screamed at him to lean back in, to kiss her again, to taste her again.
He forced himself to churn mana through his body, activating the emotion-calming technique.
After taking a deep breath, he regained a sliver of control.
"Isaac?" Celia asked, her eyes hazy, her voice soft. "Why did you stop?"
"You taste... different? It feels like I’m getting addicted to you," he admitted.
At his words, Celia blinked, and then a beautiful smile spread across her face. She seemed to snap out of her haze for a moment.
"Hehehe, keep the compliments coming. I love you too."
She grabbed his hand and guided it beneath her clothes, pressing it against her waist, then leaned down and kissed him again.
Isaac felt his control slipping all over again.
’This is just like when Professor Catherine uses that strange skill of hers,’ Isaac thought.
Professor Catherine had teased him before, using some kind of ability that altered her scent, making her unnaturally alluring until his restraint nearly cracked.
The same thing was happening now with Celia. Her saliva was driving him crazy, stripping away his self-control.
’Is she not realizing she’s using some sort of ability, or is she hiding it?’ His thoughts were barely coherent, but suspicion lingered.
He quickly checked her status.
[Status: Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. Isaac.]
Her mind was completely filled with him. Every single thought in her head was his name.
Seeing that made his chest swell. If anything, it only deepened his desire to spoil her, to give her everything, to indulge in her completely.
"Wait!"
"Kyaaa!!!"
Celia yelped, almost jumping when he tugged on her tail.
Isaac leaned back against the couch, eyes on the ceiling, forcing air in and out of his lungs.
He activated the emotion-calming technique again, grounding himself before things went too far.
"Alright..." he muttered after a long exhale.
"Why did you do that?" Celia asked, her eyes teary as she rubbed the spot he had pulled.
"Celia," Isaac said carefully, "do you have a skill that works like an aphrodisiac, or something that makes you more alluring to others?"
"Huh? No," she answered quickly, and realized he wasn’t just trying to compliment her earlier.
Isaac’s thoughts turned sharp again.
’It might be something tied to her race. Emily can fly and turn invisible because she’s a ghost, even though those things aren’t written in her status.’
’Celia might have something similar as a Crown Devil. But what does a Crown Devil have to do with charm or lust? I don’t see the relation.’
He reached out and gently rubbed her backside where her tail was.
"I’m sorry about that. I was losing control, and I needed to stop before I went overboard. Honestly, I would’ve pinched myself to break the trance, but it felt like my body wouldn’t let me move away from you. Pulling your tail was the only way to make us stop."
"Mhm," she pouted, but her expression softened. She seemed both annoyed and oddly pleased by his explanation?
Isaac kept caressing her softly, making sure she understood his words weren’t meant to hurt her. "Celia, is your race somehow connected to having an ability to charm others, or do you have an ability that amplifies other people’s lust?
"I don’t mean this to insult you, alright? I lose control of my lust sometimes because of my dragon instincts, but this time it was worse, and it happened faster. That’s why I’m asking. Of course, it might be because I like you too much."
He explained it calmly, not wanting her to feel accused.
"I do have a Charm skill that makes others like me more easily, but that’s it—oh." Celia stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening slightly.
She scratched her cheek, giving a bitter smile. "I don’t remember much about our childhood, but I think... our clan was connected to Lust among the seven major clans. Maybe that’s why your... um... lust went out of control when we kissed. I’m sorry. I don’t know more about it. You’re the first person I’ve ever kissed."
"What’s there to be sorry about?" Isaac asked gently, brushing his fingers across her cheek.
She leaned into his hand with soft eyes.
"Isaac, you dislike that kissing me made you lose control of your emotions?"
"Silly girl," Isaac said, shaking his head. "There’s nothing I dislike about you. So stop thinking like that."
"Let’s continue the kiss then."
Her reply was so quick and certain that Isaac froze for a moment.
He blinked, trying to process how fast she turned the conversation back.
Only when he caught the twinkle in her eyes did he realize she had been waiting for this.
She had known exactly what he would say to her question, and she had planned her answer in advance.
She noticed his accusing expression, so she spoke with a righteous tone. "What’s there to hesitate about? We’re doing this so you can become stronger, and help Emily in her trial. Now, let’s continue."
Isaac couldn’t help staring at her, caught between exasperation and amusement.
For a moment he thought about giving in again, but he shook his head and steadied his breathing.
"Let’s stop here."
The firmness in his voice was clear, but even then Celia only frowned, tilting her head slightly as if she didn’t understand why he would cut things short.
"Why?" she asked, almost like a child asking why bedtime had to come so soon.
"Why what?" Isaac chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "Where did the picture-perfect Celia go, the one who always said yes to everything with a smile?"
"That’s my persona for dealing with the media and fans," she answered, rolling her eyes. "I’m at home now."
She leaned forward again, making no effort to move away.
"So, now—"
"Now we need to finish our pending work," Isaac cut in quickly. "We should—"
"Emily," Celia said, reminding they needed to be intimate for Emily.
"I can handle Emily’s trial on my own," he said.
"...You." Celia’s eyes narrowed slightly as if she were piecing together a puzzle. She spoke haltingly, "Can you already copy my abilities? Does that mean... kissing is enough?"
Isaac’s lips twitched, but he forced an innocent expression.
He was sure kissing wasn’t the only requirement. It was only the final confirmation.
There had to be real feelings, deep enough to connect both sides to considered them as husband-wife by the System.
But there was no way he was about to confirm that to her face.
"What are you talking about?" he asked lightly.
Celia gasped, her eyes widening. "So it’s really like that! How!? What kind of absurd ability do you even have!?"
For a moment, her curiosity overshadowed everything else. She seemed to forget the position they were in, but when Isaac tried to pick her up and stand, she pushed him back down.
"It’s a boyfriend’s responsibility to satisfy his girlfriend’s demands," she declared with all the confidence of someone who thought she’d just won the argument.
"Is that so?" Isaac gave her a playful look.
He leaned in and kissed her.
This time, he expected the surge of emotions, and the haze threatening to overtake his reasoning, and he pulled away before it swallowed him completely.
Celia went quiet, and her cheeks carried a faint blush.
Isaac lifted a hand and gently caressed her head.
"I want to do it too," he said in a soft tone. "I can assure you I feel just as much, if not more, than you do. Having a wife as loving and beautiful as you, how could I not feel that way? But this isn’t the right time, Celia.
"I don’t want our first time to be rushed, or something we have to finish quickly before moving on to the task at hand. I want it to be special, where I can give you the attention you deserve," he said, caressing her.
"W-wait," Her eyes widened slightly, and she stammered, "W-what did you just say?"
Isaac tilted his head, confused. "That I want our first time to be special, where I can pay attention to—"
"Not that," she cut him off quickly. "Before that."
"I feel the same way as you do?" he asked, still not understanding.
"Ugh, are you doing this on purpose?" Her face was burning red now. "What did you say after that?"
At that, Isaac finally caught on, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
He leaned in slightly and whispered in her ears, "I called you my wife."
Celia shuddered.
Her blush deepened until it spread all the way down her neck. Her breathing grew unsteady, but before she could gather her thoughts, Isaac changed the mood with a mischievous grin.
"Wait, are you saying you don’t want to marry me?" he said in a raised voice.
"T-that’s not what I said," Celia stammered, lowering her head. Her words became a string of half-muttered gibberish that Isaac could barely catch.
He sighed dramatically, putting on a pained expression. "so you were planning on playing with my innocent heart, taking advantage of me, and then throw me away when I asked for marriage in future?"
"Who’s trying to take advantage of you?!"
Her head shot up instantly.
She smacked him lightly on the chest, her face blazing even hotter. But the look on his face made her pause, and she realized he was pulling her leg.
Before she could complain, Isaac pressed further. "So you are going to marry me?"
"Isaac—"
"Is that a yes?"
Celia’s face was so red that for a second Isaac worried she might actually catch fire. She opened her mouth but no words came out, and that only encouraged him more.
"So I can call you my wife, right?" he asked, his grin widening.
She muttered something completely incomprehensible under her breath, her voice too low to catch.
"Right?" Isaac pressed again, not giving her a chance to recover.
Celia buried her face in her hands, unable to look at him.
Seeing her so embarrassed filled Isaac with an odd sense of achievement.
You think you can tease me whenever you want without consequences?
You’re wrong!
I might not be able to do anything against that stinky fox, but you’re different! You’re just a noob like me at this game!
He chuckled softly and stood, lifting Celia in a princess carry as he did so. "Let’s do it when we have time, okay? You should rest now. I’ll deal with the matters here."
He thought she would finally nod, but when he glanced at her face, she was glaring at him with narrowed eyes.
The expression wasn’t anger so much as indignation, like she was accusing him silently for teasing her so mercilessly.
Before he could say anything else, her expression changed suddenly as if struck by inspiration.
She smiled.
She reached up, grabbed his face with both hands, and pulled him down abruptly.
Isaac felt her lips press against his neck, and before he realized what she was doing, a sharp sting followed.
She sucked on his skin deliberately, leaving behind a love bite that burned faintly when she pulled away.
"What was that about?" Isaac asked, confused.
Celia smiled brightly, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Good luck explaining that mark to Alice."
Isaac froze in place, his mind blank.
Slowly, he looked at her, his expression one of pure disbelief.
"You..." he muttered. He opened his mouth again but no words came out.
I’m happy you can talk so casually about Alice even though she’s also my wife... but can you not throw me under the bus like this?!
Celia, seeing his dumbfounded look, covered her mouth with a hand and giggled. "Hehehe, serves you right."
Isaac sighed heavily.
It wasn’t worth arguing.
He had already planned to talk to Alice anyway, and honestly, a love bite wasn’t going to make things worse than they already were.
’Actually, I’ll just heal it. After all, if she sees the love bite, she might actually try to kill me before listening to me,’ he thought.
Without hesitation, he activated Miracle of Grace , the healing skill that belonged to Alice.
A soft glow spread across his neck, and the red mark disappeared as if it had never existed.
Celia’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"Hey, that’s not fair!" she complained.
He glanced at her briefly, deciding to ignore the fact that she didn’t even bother asking why he could use Alice’s skill.
He had already prepared an excuse for that—he’d just say he used one of the healing items he bought from the special shop during the trial.
But since she didn’t question it, there was no need to waste his breath.
"Should I take you to your room," Isaac said instead, shifting her slightly in his arms, "or do you want to pick another one now that you’ll be living here permanently?"
Celia pursed her lips, thinking about it for a moment before answering.
"Take me to your room. Wait—uh—" she hesitated, biting her lip, "it would feel weird if Alice, Emily, and I all slept together with you. Should we... start taking turns? I want to sleep with you alone too, after all."
She mumbled the last part more to herself than to him, her eyes flicking away as if she was embarrassed by her own words.
Isaac didn’t comment immediately.
He just kept walking through the hallways.
What he didn’t say out loud was that Alice had already stopped sleeping with him and Emily.
She told him plainly that she didn’t want to share a bed with another girl. She said if she slept with him, things would definitely escalate beyond just sleeping, and she refused to show her skin to anyone else than him.
Because of that, these days Isaac either slept with Emily curled up beside him, or with Alice while Emily stayed with her spirits in the Soulbind Pendant.
It was an easy arrangement, and kept everyone happy.
"You can sleep in my room today. Alice isn’t home, and Emily is still in the middle of her evolution," Isaac said at last.
"Mm," Celia nodded, satisfied with the answer.
She leaned against him, silent for a while, but her expression showed she was still running through different scenarios in her head.
He could almost see her trying to organize some kind of sleeping arrangement that would be fair to everyone.
Isaac smiled faintly.
Seeing her seriously thinking about it warmed him.
She was making herself at home.
’Now...’ Isaac thought. ’Time to share her skills and stats.’
Isaac had been curious about her abilities from the beginning.
He wanted to see exactly how her Crown Devil lineage reflected in her skills, and what exactly her Talent skills were.
A grin tugged at his lips as he spoke in his mind.
’System, show me Celia’s status!’