Isaac woke up early in the morning.
His eyes felt heavy. His mind felt slow. The dream he had seen was already fading, leaving behind only pieces that still clung to him.
He rubbed his face with both hands and let out a low groan.
"Sword Empress came to tell me to be cautious and I ended up getting seduced not even ten minutes after that."
The memory hit him again.
He groaned and dragged both hands down his face.
He didn’t even try defending himself in his thoughts. Anyone would’ve fallen if Professor Catherine decided to seduce them.
She was more like a succubus than Celia, and Celia actually had skills similar to that race.
"Dammit, Professor is going to make fun of me today."
He could almost imagine her already. That small smile. That look in her eyes that said she completely had him in the palm of her hand.
He sighed and sat up.
The bed felt a little cold. When he looked around, he saw Alice was gone.
"She probably went to the gym."
He opened his system screen next. The moment he saw it, he frowned.
"Professor isn’t a wife even after all we did."
The System name floated at the top.
Bonded Blessing System.
Isaac narrowed his eyes.
’What are the conditions to be a wife?’
’Is it just a kiss?’
’Although Professor and I didn’t kiss, we did much more than that last night.’
He pushed his hair back and thought about it carefully.
The System must have counted everything last night as a fling.
Since they hadn’t kissed, it didn’t register her as a wife.
He didn’t bother yelling at the System. It had no mind. It wouldn’t care.
Instead, he tried to think of a plan to make Professor Catherine his wife today itself.
"I just need a kiss."
He licked his lips without meaning to.
Sword Empress had warned him seriously. A kiss from Catherine would kill him. Even Life Drain wouldn’t save him.
However...
’Alice has a revival skill.’
Her skill was on cooldown, but he had a Skill Rank Upgrade Card.
’If I upgrade it, the cooldown will reset. Alice can revive me even if I die after kissing Professor Catherine.’
He knew it was reckless. He could admit that much to himself.
If he waited patiently, he could create a plant with very strong vitality within a week. Then none of this would even be risky.
But patience wasn’t the issue.
’I can’t stand that damned smirk.’
’She is always looking at me like she has me wrapped around her fingers.’
Kissing her today would wipe that look off her face for the first time.
And he would get access to her skills. Dream manipulation. Perception alteration. Cloning. And all the others she had kept hidden.
He was already strong.
With cloning alone, he would become a nightmare to deal with. And perception alteration would let him hide from anything below Overlord rank.
’There is also the inherent ability of Celestial Kitsune race.’
Sword Empress had said it only activated during coitus. It was the main reason the race became so powerful.
’If I get that... I can make Emily, Alice, and Celia strong too.’
He exhaled slowly.
Of course, all of that came later. He had to speak with Alice first.
He got up and dressed. He handled the farm. He went to the gym. And after that, he returned to wash up.
When he pushed open the bathroom door, Alice was already there, finishing her bath.
"Ah, sorry. I’ll wait until you’re done," Isaac said.
He was about to back out when she said, "It’s fine. Come in."
He nodded and stepped inside.
He began removing his clothes, and his mind drifted toward the skill he wanted to upgrade.
Emily’s strength relied on numbers, so she didn’t urgently need the card.
Celia had two useful skills for upgrade. Her teleportation, and the looping space skill that trapped people for five seconds.
The teleportation was already good enough. The second skill was powerful, but he doubted the upgrade would change it too much. Maybe the duration would go up to thirty seconds or a minute. The skill wouldn’t get something broken.
That left Alice’s revival skill. It was the best option.
Especially now, when the city was close to destruction and the Lord Quest was still hanging over them. And even after that, Mother was still in the shadows.
A revival skill was a trump card. Maybe their most important one.
"Alice, I need to talk with you. When will you have time?" Isaac asked while he washed his hair.
"You can speak now," she said, sinking lower into the bathtub.
She should’ve left already, but she stayed. She was watching him bathe with calm eyes.
She moved a little to the side, indicating him to come in.
Isaac stepped into the bathtub. Alice shifted and sat between his legs.
Her tail rested across his thigh. His arm wrapped around her waist without him thinking much about it.
"So?" she asked softly.
"It’s about Professor Catherine," Isaac said.
"What about her?"
"She helped me regain my memories..."
He started explaining everything. His past with Catherine. How long it went on. Why it mattered.
He would tell everything to Emily and Celia too. But he told Alice first because he was about to propose to Catherine.
Last time, he had confessed to Celia before explaining things to Alice, and it hurt her. He didn’t want to repeat that.
"The woman you call Mother, where is she now?" Alice asked suddenly.
Her voice trembled with suppressed rage.
Isaac couldn’t see her face, but he could feel how tense she was. He could tell she was angry.
Angry for him.
He smiled slightly and leaned in to kiss her nape.
"Let’s think about Mother later. We have other things to focus on first."
"Like what?" she asked quietly.
"I’m going to propose to Professor Catherine."
Alice’s body went still.
She must have expected this, but the words still hit her.
She slowly turned around and looked at him. Her eyes had a small, sharp layer of betrayal in them. And he understood why.
Not even ten days had passed since he proposed to Celia. Now it was Catherine.
It made her feel like he didn’t value her feelings. Anyone would feel it.
"Issac, why are you—"
"If you tell me to not propose to her, I won’t," Isaac said gently.
He cupped her face with both hands and held her still, making sure she saw the sincerity in his eyes.
Alice blinked.
"What?" she whispered.
"I... love her, Alice. But I love you too. And unlike her, you are my wife. Your wishes come first for me."
His voice stayed calm. He wasn’t trying to pressure her. He simply told her the truth.
"I messed up before," he admitted. "I didn’t tell you about Celia in time. It hurt you, and I don’t want to repeat that. You are important to me, and your feelings matter."
Alice’s breathing slowed. Her grip on his forearm tightened slightly.
"That’s why I’m telling you this now. If you tell me to not approach Professor, I won’t," he said softly.
The bathroom became quiet. Only the soft sound of water moved around them.
Alice lowered her gaze for a moment.
Her hands rested on his, holding them in place on her cheeks.