Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 698: Insanity, Dark History

Isaac looked her in the eyes before speaking. "You asked me how I can say please, right? It’s simple. I’m more worried about your safety than I am about my own. Even now, if I stop using the emotion-calming technique, I feel like I might go crazy. Am I doing the right thing by bringing all of you to Florathi? What if something happens and I can’t protect you?

"What if there is a trap waiting for you? What if they are already planning something against us? What if I miss something important and one of you gets hurt because of it? I keep thinking about what I can do to protect my treasures, and sometimes I almost want to keep all of you somewhere the Florathi can never reach.

"Other times, I feel like I should just attack them first before they can do anything, even if it means killing thousands of innocent people. I know that isn’t the right way to think, but the thoughts keep coming back, and I don’t know how to make them stop. I... feel like I’m going crazy—

"It’s okay," Celia said softly, immediately pulling him into a hug, holding him tightly against her. Her hands trembled slightly as she listened to his confession, and although she seemed more worried now than she had been before, her voice remained gentle.

"We are a family, Isaac. We will protect each other, just like you protect us. You don’t have to carry all of these burdens alone, and you don’t have to pretend that everything is fine when it isn’t," she said.

"I know," Isaac said into her neck as he tightened his arms around her. After a moment, he gave a bitter chuckle. "But these dragon instincts don’t seem interested in listening to reason. So, can you please reassure me? Can you take the contract?"

Isaac had expected her to hesitate again. After all, if Celia accepted the contract with the Elemental Spirit of Machines, it would mean that Isaac could no longer take it for himself, and having that contract would undoubtedly make him safer.

Yet Celia did not argue with him this time. After holding him for a few more moments, she quietly answered, "Okay."

She continued caressing his head while he remained in her arms. "But please tell us about these things from now on. I can’t bear the thought of you keeping all of this bottled up inside while the rest of us have no idea what you’re going through."

"Got it," Isaac said. He lightly kissed the nape of her neck, and Celia held him a little tighter in response.

They remained like that for a while, neither of them feeling the need to speak. Eventually, Isaac felt something damp against his shoulder, and when he pulled back, he realized that Celia was crying.

She immediately tried to turn away and hide her face behind her hands. "I—I am not crying."

"I know," Isaac replied with a small smile.

"Something just got into my eye," she added, quickly wiping at her reddened eyes.

Isaac nodded and let her maintain the excuse, because there was no reason to embarrass her by pointing out what they both already knew.

After wiping away the remaining tears, Celia looked at him for several seconds before suddenly leaning forward. Isaac was surprised when she moved in to kiss him, but he did not pull away, and their lips met for a brief moment before Celia gently withdrew.

She stood up and gave him a small smile, although her eyes were still slightly red. "Let’s make the contract."

Making the contract itself was not difficult. Once everything was prepared, Celia completed the process and remained still for a few moments as the connection settled.

Isaac watched her carefully before asking, "How does it feel?"

Celia clenched and unclenched her hands while she considered the sensation. "I feel like I can talk to the Elemental Spirit of Machines now. It’s strange because I can tell that she is there, but I’m not sure how else to describe it."

"That’s good," Isaac said, relieved that everything had gone smoothly. With the contract completed, there was no reason for them to remain in the room any longer.

They left together, and as they walked through the mansion, Celia reached over and grabbed Isaac’s hand. She intertwined her fingers with his before looking up at him.

"So, why are you here with your real body? I thought you were supposed to be at the Sky City," she said.

Isaac froze.

For a brief moment, he had completely forgotten that his wives knew he would never use his clones for certain things, especially anything intimate. That meant his presence here in his real body was difficult to explain without revealing something he had absolutely no intention of discussing.

"Huh?" Celia tilted her head. "The Elemental Spirit of Machines just scoffed when I asked you that question. What does this mean? She knows, doesn’t she? Of course she would know through Selene."

"It’s nothing. I was worried about all of you, so I came here as quickly as I could," Isaac replied. He cursed himself inwardly. He had been using the camouflage skills with Aura to make sure Ceclia’s equipment couldn’t tell that this was his real body, but he had forgotten that he behaved differently with his wives when he was controlling his real body.

Celia stared at him for several seconds without saying anything, as if trying to find out the trust.

Isaac stared back at her, looking in her the eye.

"Did you know that you maintain intense eye contact whenever you’re lying or whenever you’re doing something you feel bad about?" she asked.

Isaac immediately looked away. Damn it. He had not even known he had that habit.

"So why are you here?" Celia asked again.

Isaac decided to pretend he had not heard her. There was no way he was going to let this gremlin discover what he had done, because once she found out, it would become one of the darkest Chapters of his personal history. He could only hope that Selene and Catherine would have enough sense not to tell Celia. Honestly, Isaac did not even want to remember what he had done himself.

Celia, however, had no intention of giving up. She followed him around the mansion, repeatedly asking why he was there while Isaac continued ignoring her as though he could not hear a single word.

Alice shook her head at the two of them, clearly exasperated yet amused by Isaac’s attempt to escape the conversation. Emily only smiled wryly as she watched, but neither of them interfered.

Before Celia could continue her interrogation, Althea arrived and looked toward everyone. "We are here, everyone. We need to get off now."

Celia finally stopped hounding Isaac, although she was clearly not satisfied with his refusal to answer. "Hmph. It would have been better if you told me yourself, but now, if I find out what happened, don’t blame me for what happens afterward."

Isaac felt a chill run through him.

For some reason, he was more worried about what this particular gremlin might do to him than he was about whatever schemes they might encounter in Florathi. For a moment, he wondered if coming clean would be easier, but after imagining Celia’s reaction, he quickly decided against it.

Everyone left the mansion that was positioned on top of the summon. Isaac followed the others as they moved away, his attention shifting toward the surroundings as they continued forward. The surroundings looked like a simple wilderness.

They walked for some time before Isaac suddenly felt something strange. It was as though his body had passed through an invisible barrier, and for a moment.

Then he looked ahead.

What appeared before him was something he knew he would never forget for the rest of his life.