"No, it’s okay. I just need a little time to adjust. I’ll be fine by the time we leave," she replied.
Isaac wasn’t entirely convinced. Emily’s soul was clearly unusually powerful because of her bloodline, and now that powerful soul had undergone another evolution. The resulting changes were naturally far greater than what he or Alice had experienced.
Even so, he knew Emily well enough to realize she wouldn’t skip tonight’s gathering.
Selene’s advancement celebration wasn’t just another dinner. It was an important milestone for a family member, and there was almost no chance she would willingly miss it because she felt tired.
After helping Emily steady herself, Isaac slowly led her toward the bathroom. She still couldn’t stand comfortably, so he carried her in a princess carry.
Inside the bathroom, Isaac helped Emily wash away the sweat left behind by the breakthrough, and bathe. It wasn’t anything elaborate, but simply helping her clean up while making sure she didn’t overexert herself was enough. Emily gradually relaxed, and before long the tired smile on her face had become much brighter.
"Thank you," Emily said.
"You are welcome." Isaac smiled back at her before speaking to Alice, who was in Mirror Dimension. "Do you want me to help you bathe too? You didn’t sweat during the breakthrough itself, but you fought quite a bit afterward."
Alice froze.
Instead of giving her usual immediate answer, she remained strangely silent. Isaac had expected her either to refuse outright to bathe with Emily or to ask him to help after he finished taking care of Emily. Her complete silence wasn’t the response he had anticipated.
After several long seconds, Alice answered.
"...I’ll do it myself."
Isaac blinked in confusion.
Her ears had turned noticeably red, and even her tail gave a tiny twitch before becoming completely still. She looked more embarrassed than upset, leaving Isaac completely puzzled about what had caused such a reaction.
For a brief moment, he considered checking her status with Inspect.
The thought disappeared almost as quickly as it came.
It wasn’t a serious issue, and Isaac had never wanted to rely on Inspect every time one of his wives acted differently than usual. If something was bothering Alice, he would rather talk to her directly when she was ready instead of peeking into thoughts she clearly wanted to keep private.
He definitely didn’t use Inspect because Alice had already begun learning Catherine’s Parallel Thoughts technique.
The technique allowed someone to separate their thoughts and hide parts of them from abilities like his Inspect.
After everyone had finished cleaning up, they returned to their main bedroom to get ready for the evening.
Since tonight’s gathering only involved family members, neither Emily nor Alice asked the dragon maids for help with makeup or choosing elaborate outfits. They simply selected clothes they liked and prepared at their own pace without making the occasion feel overly formal.
As Isaac waited downstairs, he found himself thinking about how much Selene had changed.
Tonight was technically a celebration for someone who had reached Apex Rank, something that normally would have attracted influential awakeners, and powerful business figures from across the City. The Selene from a year ago would never have let such an opportunity pass without organizing the grandest celebration possible.
Back then, she would have invited every important person she could think of.
She would have treated the event as both a celebration and an opportunity to strengthen the Calloway family’s reputation while building new connections. That had simply been the way she viewed the world before everything changed.
Now, she wanted none of that.
After the kidnapping, and especially after everything she had experienced inside her Trial, Selene no longer found joy in extravagant displays. Spending an evening surrounded only by the people she loved mattered far more to her than impressing strangers.
Isaac was genuinely happy about that change.
At the same time, the thought left him with mixed feelings.
He knew those painful experiences had shaped the person Selene had become. Without them, she might never have changed in the same way. Even so, now that he had fallen in love with her, he couldn’t help wishing she had never suffered through those events at all.
The assassins responsible were already dead.
A part of Isaac found himself regretting that fact.
If they were somehow still alive today, he would have gladly made sure they experienced consequences far worse than death before allowing them to disappear from the world.
Shaking those thoughts away, Isaac settled onto one of the sofas in the living room.
Punpun had already been sent back into the Soulbind Pendant so he could rest peacefully. Before leaving, Alice had all but told Isaac to get out from the room, saying that someone who knew absolutely nothing about makeup would only get in the way.
Isaac still wasn’t sure whether that was fair.
Since he had nothing else to do while waiting, he opened his communication device and began chatting with Selene.
A smile naturally appeared on his face as their conversation continued.
Selene complained that ever since news of her advancement had spread, countless people had started approaching her. Some genuinely wanted to congratulate her, while others were obviously hoping to build a relationship with her, or with Isaac through her.
Despite how irritated she felt, she still greeted everyone with the same professional smile expected from the daughter of the Calloway family.
A little later, another complaint arrived.
Apparently, her best friend Marien had been insisting that Selene organize a massive celebration for reaching Apex Rank. According to Marien, it would greatly improve Selene’s prestige, strengthen the Calloway family’s public image, and publicly demonstrate their close relationship with Isaac.
Selene told Isaac she had no interest in doing any of that.
Isaac understood how she felt, but he also found himself agreeing with Marien to some extent. There was value in holding a public celebration, especially now that so many eyes were focused on Selene and the Calloway family.
He quickly sent his reply.
Instead of replacing tonight’s gathering, he suggested holding two separate celebrations. Tonight could remain a quiet dinner with family, while another event could be organized later for business partners, allies, and everyone else who wished to congratulate her.
As soon as the message was sent, Isaac leaned back against the sofa with an amused smile, already wondering how Selene would react to his suggestion. He expected her to complain a little before reluctantly agreeing. Instead, her reply appeared almost immediately, making him raise an eyebrow.
Selene asked whether he could be her partner for the larger party if they held one later. Since she would be the host, she wanted him standing beside her throughout the event.
Doing that would be same as declaring Isaac and Selene were in a relationship.
It was only after reading the message a second time that Isaac realized she had carefully guided the conversation toward asking that single question.
He couldn’t help laughing to himself. Selene really was a shrewd businesswoman, and just because she became shy whenever romance was involved didn’t mean she suddenly forgot how to lead people by the nose. She had simply led him around until he made the exact suggestion she wanted.