"What did you say...?" Selene finally asked, as if she was unable to believe what she had just heard. Her eyes remained fixed on Isaac, and she seemed to be waiting for him to repeat himself.
"We need to get wedding gifts for everyone. Keep it a secret from the others, though, because it’s supposed to be a surprise. I’m telling you as I need someone’s help choosing the gifts, and Celia is also an option, but I think everyone will find out about the wedding as soon as she knows," Isaac said with a smile.
Selene blinked several times. It did not look like she had heard anything after the first sentence, because her expression was completely focused on the fact that Isaac had mentioned their wedding.
There were too many emotions on her face at once. Excitement, happiness, faint relief, shock, disbelief, and even some uncertainty appeared one after another, making it obvious that she had not expected Isaac to bring up the matter so casually.
Seeing her reaction made Isaac silently admonish himself. He had been so absorbed in the work and everything else happening around him that he had somehow forgotten to tell the others about the wedding.
Of course, Isaac had no intention of admitting that he had simply forgotten. That would earn him an earful. He would rather say that he had been preparing a surprise for them, which was technically true since he had intended to surprise them with the wedding date.
"Why are you so silent?" Isaac asked after waiting for a moment. He then deliberately looked shocked and added, "Wait, don’t tell me you’re going to refuse the wedding? Were you just planning to play with me, then discard me before marriage?"
Selene opened her mouth, but no words came out. She closed it again and stared at him, looking far too shocked to give him a proper answer, or react to his joke.
Isaac smiled wryly at her reaction. He moved closer and lowered himself onto one knee in front of her while she remained seated, then gently took her hand in his.
"Will you marry me, Selene?" Isaac asked, sincerely, looking directly at her. He had already known her answer, but he still wanted to hear her say it.
"Yes... Yes!" Selene finally replied. Her fingers tightened around his hand, and her voice trembled slightly as she repeated herself.
She looked as though she was about to cry. She probably would have cried if not for the pride that came naturally to her as a dragon, and Isaac could tell that she was putting considerable effort into keeping her emotions under control.
Isaac stood up and pulled her into a hug while she remained sitting. Selene immediately wrapped her arms and tail around him and held him tightly, apparently having no intention of letting go anytime soon.
"Thank you for accepting," Isaac said as he held her.
"I love you," Selene replied. She hugged him for another moment before finally releasing her arms.
Her expression was bright, and she looked so happy that Isaac almost felt as though she was glowing. He even noticed the tiny black dots inside her horns moving around, although he had no idea whether that was simply a dragon trait and something caused by her emotions.
Isaac decided not to ask about it. Selene was clearly happy, and he did not want to interrupt the moment with a question that was not particularly important.
He held her hand and took her toward the Market. It was the same Market Isaac had built only a few days ago, but its value had already increased considerably because it could connect to Markets belonging to different Cities.
As they entered, Selene looked around with renewed interest. Isaac could tell that her mood had improved completely, and although she was still visibly excited about the wedding, she had regained enough composure to focus on the reason they had come.
Their first destination was a jewellery shop in Iloda City Market, a neighboring City to Mistborns. Isaac wanted to purchase gifts for the dragon maids, and since Selene had recommended rare gems, he decided to trust her judgment.
The shopkeeper quickly recognized Isaac after learning his identity. Once it became known that Lord Isaac himself had entered the shop, the merchant immediately brought out some of the better pieces instead of leaving them to browse through the ordinary selection.
"Something with rare gems should be good," Selene said as she examined several pieces. She looked over the selection carefully before pointing toward a few of them. "It doesn’t have to be extremely expensive, though, since the dragon maids will probably care more about the gems themselves."
Isaac nodded. "Then we’ll take these. Let’s make sure everyone gets something different so the gifts don’t feel too ordinary."
They spent some time choosing the jewellery. Isaac selected several pieces with different types of rare gems, making sure that the gifts were valuable enough to show his appreciation without becoming unnecessarily extravagant.
After paying for everything, they continued through the Markets. Isaac occasionally stopped when he noticed something interesting, while Selene was more focused on finding things that might suit the others.
"What do you think Celia will like?" Isaac eventually asked.
"Just let her record a video. That will make her happier than any gift," Selene answered immediately.
Isaac stopped walking. He slowly turned his head toward Selene and stared at her with a completely deadpan expression.
Selene covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed, seeing his expression.
She finally shook her head and said, "I’m joking. We should get some clothes for her and some music recordings from different cultures, since she likes collecting things like that."
"That sounds more reasonable," Isaac said. He paused before asking, "What about her actual wedding gift?"
"As for that, let’s look around first. It needs to be something special, so we shouldn’t just choose something on the go because we happen to find it in the Market," Selene replied.
Isaac nodded. "Alright, we’ll take our time with that one."
Selene immediately linked her hand with his and began leading him farther into the Market. Isaac allowed her to guide him.
They visited several shops after that, looking through clothes, accessories, books, music recordings, and various items brought in from other Cities. Selene was particularly interested in products from cultures she had never encountered before, and she would occasionally stop to examine something while asking Isaac what he thought about it.
The merchants treated them exceptionally well once they learned Isaac’s identity. Some offered discounts, while others brought out products that were normally kept for important customers, clearly hoping to leave a good impression on him.
Isaac did not take advantage of their goodwill too much, but he also did not refuse every offer. The Markets were an important part of the region’s economy, and maintaining a good relationship with its merchants would benefit him in the future.
As they continued shopping, Isaac gradually accumulated several gifts. They were not all for the wedding, since some were simply things Selene thought the others might enjoy, but Isaac was satisfied with the progress.
At some point, Selene tightened her grip around his hand and looked toward another shop. "Let’s check that one next. They might have something suitable for the wedding gifts."
Isaac followed her without complaint. He still had a considerable amount of work waiting for him, but for the moment, he was willing to put it aside.
The wedding had once been something that existed only as a future plan. Now, as he walked through the Market with Selene while searching for gifts for the people closest to him, it was finally starting to feel real.
Isaac smiled slightly as he looked at Selene. She was still visibly happy.
They entered a clothing store next.
The clothing store was considerably larger than the jewellery shop they had visited earlier. Clothes from different Cities were arranged throughout the spacious interior, with formal outfits displayed near the entrance while casual clothing, traditional garments, and more unusual designs occupied the deeper sections of the store.
Isaac followed Selene as she moved between the displays. She picked out several pieces and held them against herself while considering how they might look, occasionally asking Isaac for his opinion before deciding whether to keep them.
"This one should suit Emily. The material is good, and the design isn’t too complicated, so she should be comfortable wearing it," Selene said as she held up another outfit.
Isaac nodded. "Then let’s take it. We can always buy a few different styles so she has some choices."
Selene smiled and continued looking through the clothes. After a while, she selected several outfits for herself and decided to try them on before buying them, so she handed the clothes to the attendant and walked toward the changing area.
Isaac waited outside while she changed. He looked around the store in the meantime, listening to the merchants and customers going about their business while occasionally checking the items displayed nearby.
He suddenly felt someone wrap their arms around him from behind.
Isaac paused for a moment. He could not see the person behind him, but he did not need to turn around to know who it was.
Something soft and bushy wrapped around his waist, and Isaac immediately recognized the sensation. At the same time, he felt a light kiss against the side of his neck.
Isaac chuckled.
The woman behind him did not say anything. Instead, her arms tightened around him while another soft tail curled around him, making it clear that she had no intention of letting go anytime soon.
Isaac smiled and gently placed one hand over hers. "Are you that happy about the news?"
Catherine finally gave a quiet laugh behind him. She remained close for another moment before loosening her embrace slightly, though her tails were still wrapped comfortably around him.
"You finally remembered to tell us. I was starting to wonder how long you planned to keep something this important a secret," she said, sounding amused rather than upset.
Isaac’s smile faltered, but he quickly regained his calm.
"What do you mean remembered? I was planning to keep it a secret, but I decided to your and Selene’s help then," he said.