Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 702: Guaranteed God Domain?, Empress

Isaac continued reading until he reached the final item on the list, and his eyes stopped immediately.

Isaac Hargraves.

For a moment, Isaac genuinely did not understand why his name was there. He had never met Jasmine before, so there was no obvious reason for her to dislike him, and she wanted to be his ally, but when he looked at the first status again, the answer became painfully clear.

’Let me guess, she thinks I have some kind of incubus ability that I use to control women,’ he thought.

Isaac glanced toward Althea, who was standing nearby and looking somewhat uncomfortable ever since the Second Priest’s arrival. His expression twitched slightly as he connected the rest of the information.

’And because of that, she’s worried that I might go after Althea and then eventually come after her as well?’ he questioned.

The thought made Isaac almost roll his eyes. Althea was one thing, but the Seventh Queen was an entirely different matter, and Isaac would rather fulfill three wishes for Celia than willingly become involved with Jasmine in a close relationship.

The political consequences alone would be enough to make him regret the decision. If he somehow became involved with the Seventh Queen, half of Florathi Kingdom would probably descend into chaos, while the other half would spend years trying to understand how such a situation had even happened.

Isaac silently shook his head as he imagined the consequences.

’No. Absolutely not.’

There was also another reason he refused to even consider the possibility. If he became involved with the Seventh Queen, then he would have to accept that he would truly gain the God Domain of NTR, and Isaac was absolutely unwilling to accept such a ridiculous conclusion.

He had already rejected that possibility countless times, and he was not about to change his mind now. Even if Jasmine somehow approached him herself and begged him to become involved with her, Isaac was fairly certain that he would still refuse. Some things simply were not worth the trouble, especially when the person involved was a queen who could potentially guarantee the Domain of NTR to him.

Isaac kept his expression calm as he stood before the throne with his wives. Althea remained slightly behind him with Alice, Celia, and Emily, while Eloy stood to the side with the polite smile he had maintained ever since bringing them into the palace.

For a moment, nobody said anything. Jasmine simply looked at them from her throne, her expression calm and difficult to read, before finally turning her attention toward Eloy.

"Greetings, your Majesty. This old man is happy to see you have grown so much. Today, I’ve come to bring Isaac Hargraves to the capital so we can begin discussing the matters concerning the Third Priest and the World Tree," Eloy said while giving a respectful bow.

Jasmine gave a small nod. "That will be fine, but there is no need to leave today. Isaac Hargraves and his companions can rest first, and you can take them away when everyone has recovered from the journey’s fatigue."

"Your Majest—"

"Am I clear?" she asked, cutting the Second Priest off.

"...Yes."

She paused briefly before looking at Isaac. "You are also free to do whatever you want while you are here, provided that you maintain basic etiquette and do not cause unnecessary trouble for the people living in the city. I trust that will not be difficult for you."

Isaac nodded politely. "Of course, Your Majesty. We appreciate your hospitality, and we will make sure that we do not cause any problems while we are staying here."

Celia looked around the throne room with obvious curiosity, while Alice quietly observed the surrounding automatons. Emily stayed close to Isaac, and Althea remained somewhat tense despite appearing more comfortable now that she was back in the city she had grown up in.

Isaac noticed something else, however. The moment Jasmine dismissed the matter and effectively gave them permission to leave, the corner of Eloy’s lips twitched slightly, and although the expression disappeared almost immediately, Isaac had no trouble noticing it.

It seemed that the Second Priest had expected a little more respect.

Eloy quickly recovered and continued speaking with the same polite smile. "There are still some important matters concerning Isaac Hargraves that should probably be handled before he spends too much time resting, Your Majesty. The problems caused by the Third Priest and the World Tree cannot simply be left unresolved, and I believe Isaac should eventually come to the capital so that those matters can be properly addressed."

He then added, "The Emperor has also expressed an interest in meeting him, so it would probably be better if Isaac went to the capital sooner rather than later."

Isaac’s expression did not change, although he surprised to hear the Emperor wanted to meet him, especially since the Emperor had retreated from the political scene and cut off most contact.

Jasmine looked at Eloy for several seconds without saying anything. Her expression remained completely calm, but something about her gaze caused the Second Priest’s smile to gradually disappear.

"Did I ask?"

The question was delivered without anger or any raised voice, yet the coldness behind it immediately silenced the room. Isaac, Althea, Alice, Celia, and Emily all froze slightly, while even Eloy remained completely still for a moment.

It was difficult to believe that Jasmine was merely the Seventh Queen when she spoke like that. The authority in her voice made it sound as though she were the Empress giving an order rather than a queen correcting someone beneath her.

Eloy’s lips closed, and he lowered his head slightly. He did not argue with her, nor did he attempt to explain himself again, which told Isaac that the Second Priest understood perfectly well that continuing the conversation would only make things worse.

Jasmine turned her attention back toward Isaac as if nothing unusual had happened. "I will send Isaac Hargraves when the work here is finished and when he wants to leave, so there is no need to rush him."

She then looked toward Eloy again and continued, "Isaac Hargraves has come here as my guest, and I will not tolerate anything that can annoy or harm him while he remains under my protection. If the Emperor wants to meet him, then he can wait until Isaac is ready."