Hearing Emily’s refusal again in her own head, Priscilla and Celeste exchanged a glance and then looked at Isaac almost in unison.
There was a quiet hope in their eyes, as if they were waiting for him to say something that would make things easier.
Isaac noticed it immediately.
He gave a small, wry smile and reached out, patting Emily’s head in a familiar, gentle way.
"Let them help you. Don’t worry about embarrassment. You’ll get used to it," he said calmly.
Emily hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Okay," she said. She didn’t want to keep refusing Isaac in front of everyone.
That much, at least, she understood clearly.
Since meeting her mother, the Empress of Netherworld, she had begun to grasp certain things she had ignored before.
For a Monarch, appearances mattered, and respect was one of the foundations of rule.
If she continued to refuse Isaac openly, especially in front of subordinates, it would chip away at his authority, even if no one said it aloud.
Priscilla straightened slightly, relief flickering across her face.
"Madam, we will bathe your summons too. Please inform them beforehand. We have already tried, but they do not allow us to touch them," she said.
"Okay. I’ll tell them," Emily replied, this time without hesitation. Her voice even sounded a little eager.
With that settled, Priscilla and Celeste both turned toward Isaac. They didn’t say anything, but their intention was obvious enough that even Emily noticed it.
They wanted to bathe him too.
Isaac shook his head, and his answer came immediately.
"No."
The firmness in his voice left no room for misunderstanding.
’I don’t think I’ll be able to control myself if I’m naked with women who will listen to every word of mine. That wouldn’t end well.’
He didn’t say his thoughts out aloud. But he was correct. With the number of bloodlines and physiques he possessed, his libido was far from normal. Even with emotion-calming techniques, he still needed time and practice to maintain proper restraint.
Priscilla lowered her head slightly.
"...Understood, master," she said, catching the seriousness behind his words.
Isaac nodded once and shifted the topic.
"Let’s go. Breakfast should be ready by now, right?"
"Yes," Priscilla replied. "Lyra and Kyra are helping Miss Selene prepare it. I hope it will be to your liking."
"I’m sure it will be fine," Isaac said as they continued walking.
Celeste slipped away silently, her presence fading like a shadow peeling off the wall. She was heading to assist Celia with bathing and dressing. Alice had already woken early and gone to train, so there was no need for Celeste to check on her. As for Catherine, no one had seen her since dawn, and no one was particularly surprised by that.
As they approached the dining hall, Ruby quickened her pace and came up beside Isaac, a stack of documents held neatly in her arms.
"Lord, these are the reports. I’ve estimated the time and funds needed to rebuild the damaged infrastructure," she said, handing them over.
Isaac accepted them and skimmed through the pages as he walked.
"Thirteen trillion," he muttered, eyes narrowing slightly. "And three months."
He exhaled slowly.
"The money isn’t a problem," he continued, more to himself than anyone else. "But the time is. Three months is too long."
"About that..." Ruby began, hesitating.
Isaac looked up from the documents. "Yes? Is there something else you want to tell me?"
"Miss Althea said she might be able to help with the rebuilding," Ruby said.
Isaac stopped walking for half a second before resuming his pace.
"How?" he asked. "And what’s the price?"
"We don’t know yet She said she would discuss it with you directly," Ruby replied.
Isaac nodded. "Alright. We’ll hear her out."
They entered the dining hall shortly after. The long table was already set, and the smell of warm food filled the air. Everyone looked exhausted. Dark circles sat under more than a few eyes, and shoulders were slumped from both physical and mental fatigue.
Despite that, there were smiles.
Surviving such a catastrophe had a way of doing that. The relief of being alive, of still being able to sit together and eat, outweighed the exhaustion.
Breakfast passed in relative quiet. There was occasional small talk, but no one forced conversation. People ate slowly, savoring the normalcy of the moment.
When the meal was nearly finished, Chairman Lucius cleared his throat.
"I’ve been thinking," he said. "I believe it’s time we start searching for a fiancé for Selene."
The words landed heavily on the table.
"...What?" Selene said, freezing mid-motion.
Even Alice frowned, her expression tightening.
Celia instinctively glanced at Isaac, watching his reaction. For a brief moment, his brows knit together, but the frown disappeared almost as soon as it appeared. He returned to his usual calm, unreadable expression.
"Why so suddenly?" Alice asked, her voice controlled but sharp around the edges.
Lucius leaned back slightly in his chair.
"I realized it yesterday. Life is short, and fragile. We never know what will happen tomorrow. If I die—"
"Dad!" Selene cut in immediately, her voice trembling.
"It’s just hypothetical," Chairman Lucius said, waving a hand dismissively. "As businessmen, we must always be prepared. If you aren’t, your opponents will sweep the rug out from under you before you even realize what happened."
Alice’s fingers tightened around the cutlery placed beside her dessert. The metal bent slightly under her grip.
Lucius noticed and gave her a gentle look before continuing.
"If I die," he said more softly, "I know Selene. She would bury herself in work to escape the grief. That’s how she’s always been. That’s why I want her to have a family. Someone who can support her, and protect her, when I’m no longer around."
"You’re not dying," Selene said, tears already pooling in her eyes. "You’re not."
The memories of the previous day’s battle were still vivid. The sheer scale of destruction, the helplessness they had all felt, had forced a painful realization on both father and daughter.
They were weak.
Compared to the beings who clashed above their city, they were fragile enough to disappear in an instant.
"You’re not dying," Selene repeated. "I—"
Alice interrupted, her voice firm. "I won’t let you die. I can protect you. I’m a Saintess."
She stopped herself just short of saying more. There were things she couldn’t reveal yet. Like her skill.
"I’ll protect both of you," she finished.
Chairman Lucius smiled at her, a genuine, grateful smile.
"I appreciate that, truly. But still, we should search for Selene’s fiancé. She’s of marriageable age. This is something that would have to happen eventually, regardless."
Selene opened her mouth to refuse.
Part of her was reacting to the implication of her father’s death, something she didn’t want to acknowledge. The other part was more personal, more painful.
She stole a glance toward Isaac.
He was watching the exchange quietly, his expression calm, almost distant.
It wasn’t the look she had hoped to see.
Her heart trembled. She bit her lip and looked down at her hands, forcing herself to breathe evenly.
’This is normal,’ she told herself. ’Given what I did in the past, it’s normal he doesn’t feel anything for me.’
Isaac had only forgiven her because Alice had begged him to. That much she understood. Expecting anything more was foolish.
"You never say anything unless you’ve already made some preparations," Alice said, leaning back slightly in her chair and looking straight at Chairman Lucius. "So you must have found some candidates already, right?"
Chairman Lucius cleared his throat and nodded.
"Yes. I have. Here is the list," he replied.
He reached into his spatial ring and took out a thin but thick-looking file, then handed it across the table to Alice.
Alice took it without ceremony and flipped it open.
She looked at the first page for barely two seconds.
"Ugly."
She tore the page cleanly out of the file. Flames burst from her palm the moment the paper left her fingers, reducing it to ash before it even hit the table.
Chairman Lucius blinked.
Alice calmly flipped to the next page.
"I don’t like his name," she said after a brief glance. "Rejected."
Rip. Burn.
She turned another page.
"Why does he list ’competitive bird watching’ as his main hobby?" Alice frowned. "That sounds exhausting. No."
Another page was torn and incinerated.
Selene stared at her, eyes wide, as if she were watching a miracle unfold right in front of her.
Isaac, sitting slightly to the side, resisted the urge to rub his temples.
Alice continued.
"This one smiles too much in his photo. I don’t trust people who smile like that."
Rip.
"This one looks like he’d lecture Selene about quarterly profits during dinner. Absolutely not."
Rip.
She paused at the next page, squinting slightly.
"Wait, why is his favorite food listed as ’protein supplements’?"
She looked up. "Is Selene marrying a human or a walking supplement bottle?"
She didn’t wait for an answer.
Rip. Burn.
Chairman Lucius’s mouth opened slightly, then closed again. His expression slowly shifted from confidence to disbelief.
Alice flipped another page.
"This one’s salary is impressive, but his handwriting is terrible. I don’t like messy people."
Rip.
The next page earned a thoughtful hum.
"He’s left-handed. I don’t have anything against left-handed people, but I just don’t feel it."
Rip.
By the time Alice reached the middle of the file, the pile of ashes on the table had grown noticeably larger.
Chairman Lucius finally found his voice.
"Alice," he said carefully, "perhaps we could be a little more... considerate?"
She looked up at him, expression perfectly calm.
"I am being considerate," she replied. "I’m considering Selene."
Selene’s eyes shimmered. She looked at Alice as if she were looking at her savior descending from the heavens.
Celia, seated nearby, watched the entire scene with mild amusement, her lips curved in a small smile.
Isaac let out a quiet sigh inwardly.
’Alice bought me some time. I knew I could depend on her,’ he thought.
He wasn’t clear on his own feelings toward Selene. That uncertainty bothered him more than he liked to admit.
When Chairman Lucius had spoken about marrying Selene off, Isaac had felt something stir inside him. A sharp, unpleasant surge of emotion. Possessiveness. Irritation. Discomfort.
Did he love her?
’I don’t know,’ he admitted to himself. ’Maybe it’s just my dragon instincts acting up. Maybe I don’t like the idea of someone under my command being taken away.’
But even as he tried to rationalize it, the feeling didn’t fully fade.
What he did know was that Selene loved him.
Her affection value had already crossed one hundred and was still climbing. It was nearing one hundred and ten, a number that left little room for doubt. That kind of devotion wasn’t something anyone could easily ignore.
There was no one who wouldn’t feel something knowing another person loved them with their entire being.
But Isaac had just gotten together with Celia and Catherine. It hadn’t even been two weeks since he had taken two more wives. No matter how shameless he could be at times, he couldn’t bring himself to brazenly ask Selene to join him so soon.
Not only would it make him look terrible, it would hurt the people already by his side.
He didn’t want Emile, Alice, Celia or Catherine to think they were just trophies. Something he collected one after another without care.
That was why he needed time.
Time to sort out his own feelings.
Time to think clearly.
Alice finally reached the end of the file and snapped it shut.
"No. None of these are good enough," she said decisively.
Chairman Lucius exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his forehead.
"I see," he said with a wry smile. "Then it seems I’ll have to continue searching."
Alice nodded. "Find someone perfect. Then we’ll talk."
Selene bit her lip, emotion swelling in her chest. She didn’t say anything, afraid her voice would break if she did.
After a few more exchanged words, the meeting came to an end. Chairman Lucius stood up, still wearing that strained smile, and excused himself.
As he left, it was clear he had realized something important. To get Alice’s approval, he would have to find a fiancé so flawless that there would be no excuse left to reject him.
Celia watched him go, her smile deepening slightly.
’Alice probably doesn’t want to let go of Selene because she thinks of her as her treasure,’ she thought.
Her gaze shifted briefly toward Isaac.
’And Isaac likes Selene. That much is clear.’
A soft, mischievous chuckle escaped her lips.
’Hehehe. Should I lend him a hand?’
Her devil’s tail flicked lightly behind her, unnoticed by most.
Isaac, completely unaware of Celia’s thoughts, made his way toward the library.
For now, it had become his temporary office. It was quiet, spacious enough, and filled with books he didn’t have time to read.
As soon as he opened the door, he stopped.
Catherine was sitting in his chair.
She had a bright and warm smile, one that almost looked to be glowing.
Isaac raised an eyebrow.
"You look happy," he said.
"I am happy," Catherine replied easily. She stretched slightly, then looked at him again. "But that’s not why I’m here."
"Oh?" Isaac asked, closing the door behind him.
"I wanted to ask about your progress. How much percentage did you get?" she asked.
"...?" Isaac looked genuinely confused.
Catherine tilted her head, studying his expression.
"Don’t tell me you didn’t check. Sleeping with my bloodline gives you benefits. You did check what changed when you woke up, right?"