Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 708: Swimsuits, Proposal

Isaac simply nodded and decided not to ask anything more. He already knew Gael had come here for some important reason, but it was obvious that he had no intention of explaining himself yet, and Isaac had learned long ago that trying to force an answer out of Gael usually accomplished nothing. For now, he was willing to let the matter rest.

They continued walking until the sound of the waterpark became louder around them, and eventually they reached the meeting place. Isaac immediately spotted his wives waiting nearby, and for a moment he found himself taking a second look at them because all three looked noticeably different from how he usually saw them.

Celia was wearing a black swimsuit that suited her confident personality perfectly, with its simple design emphasizing her figure without looking uncomfortable for a day at the waterpark. Emily, on the other hand, wore a blue swimsuit with more coverage around her body, giving her a cute and modest appearance that matched her shy personality. Alice had chosen something completely different, wearing yellow string swim bottoms while covering her upper body with a loose, full-sleeved jacket that concealed most of her figure.

Despite Alice’s attempt to hide herself, her long, toned legs were still clearly visible, and the dragon tail emerging from behind her jacket made her stand out even more. Isaac found himself reminded once again of just how beautiful his wives were, although this time he did not stand there staring at them like he had forgotten how to breathe. Instead, he walked toward them with a smile.

He was honestly a little jealous that so many people around them could see his wives dressed like this, but he quickly suppressed the feeling because he knew it was simply his dragon side reacting possessively. There was nothing unusual about wearing swimsuits at a waterpark, and Celia in particular looked so excited about being there that Isaac did not want to ruin her mood by acting jealous.

As he got closer, however, Isaac noticed something unexpected. This time, it was his wives who seemed unable to take their eyes off him.

Emily was blushing while repeatedly glancing in his direction before quickly looking away whenever their eyes met. Celia was more direct, looking him up and down with a faint flush on her face, while even Alice had a noticeable blush despite trying to hide it beneath her usual indifferent expression.

"Those are some nice swimsuits. They look good," Isaac said with a smile.

"Mhm, your too," Alice replied with a small nod.

"Sometimes I forget how good-looking you are," Celia said, nodding as though she was genuinely proud of what she was looking at.

"Y-You look good," Emily added, her face becoming so red that Isaac briefly wondered whether she was about to faint.

For a moment, Isaac wondered why they were reacting so strongly when they saw him every day, but then he remembered that he had experienced almost the exact same reaction when he first saw them dressed for the waterpark. Apparently, knowing someone intimately did not completely protect a person from being surprised by a different side of them.

"This is?" Celia asked, finally taking her eyes off Isaac and looking toward the person standing beside him.

"Gael?" Alice suddenly said, her eyes widening ever so slightly.

Gael blinked before breaking into a quiet chuckle. He casually elbowed Isaac in the side and said, "This is how you should be. Learn from her. She recognized me almost immediately."

Isaac rolled his eyes. "How did you recognize him?"

"It was his mana," Alice answered simply.

She did not explain anything else, but she gave Isaac a brief look that only he understood. Isaac immediately realized that her awakened dragon legacy must have allowed her to recognize the difference in Gael’s mana despite his changed appearance.

The conversation did not last much longer because Celia quickly decided that standing around talking was a waste of time. Before long, the entire group was moving from one attraction to another, with Gael following behind them while looking far more relaxed than everyone else.

He eventually found a shaded chair near one of the larger pools and put on a pair of sunglasses, looking more like someone who had come to watch other people have fun than someone who intended to participate. Isaac occasionally glanced toward him, but Gael seemed perfectly content to sit there and observe.

The others, however, went through almost every ride they could find.

The first water slide turned out to be far more chaotic than Isaac expected. Celia laughed loudly as the water carried them down the twisting path, while Emily held onto Isaac’s arm and squeezed her eyes shut whenever the slide suddenly dropped.

Alice claimed that she was only holding onto Isaac because the ride was slippery, but she somehow remained pressed close to him throughout the entire descent. Isaac noticed the way she quietly moved closer whenever the slide turned sharply, although she immediately returned to her usual expression whenever he looked at her.

Later, they went on another ride where Isaac ended up sitting behind the three women as he went with them one by one. He kept one arm securely around each of them as the current carried their group through the course, and the simple closeness made him smile despite the constant splashing water.

Celia seemed determined to make the most of every moment. At one point, after buying a sweet from one of the stalls, she deliberately took a bite and then leaned toward Isaac, leaving a tiny smear of sweetness on his lips before giving him a mischievous wink.

"How does it taste?" she asked.

"Very good," he smiled back, teasing her too.

Emily smiled, watching them while Alice ate the ice cream quietly. It was vanilla, her favorite flavor. Although ice creams were a recent invention by Isaac, and everyone was surprised to see them already being sold in Florathi, Alice just seem satisfied to have vanilla. Isaac would normally tease her that she liked a ’bland’ flavor, to which she would respond that there was nothing wrong with liking a ’simple’ flavor. She immediately looked away afterward as though she didn’t want to look too excited eating the ice cream. Isaac smiled.

By the time the afternoon began to fade, Isaac realized that they had spent hours moving from one attraction to another.

By the time they finally left the waterpark, everyone seemed to be in a much better mood than when they had arrived. Celia was still talking about some of the rides they had gone on, while Emily occasionally laughed at her stories, and even Alice seemed more relaxed than usual as they walked together toward the exit.

Isaac, however, was giving Alice a disappointed look.

She had spent almost the entire day wearing the jacket over her swimsuit, refusing to let him see what she was wearing underneath. Isaac had tried several times to convince her, but Alice had remained completely unmoved, acting as though she could not even understand what he was asking for.

Eventually, Alice noticed his expression from the corner of her eye. She clicked her tongue quietly and continued walking as if nothing had happened, but a moment later, Isaac heard her voice inside his mind.

’Fine. Tonight.’

Isaac’s expression immediately brightened, and he gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

Alice rolled her eyes at his reaction, although the slight curve at the corner of her lips showed that she was not actually annoyed. Isaac lowered his hand and continued walking with considerably more satisfaction than before.

Once they stepped outside, however, their relaxed mood was interrupted by the sight of someone standing nearby.

Gael suddenly stopped.

Isaac noticed the change immediately and followed his gaze. A short distance away stood Eleanor, and she had also noticed Gael, leaving the two of them staring at each other without saying anything.

For several seconds, neither moved.

Then Gael’s expression softened into a genuine smile.

"Long time no see, Master."

Eleanor seemed unable to answer immediately. She simply looked at him, and although she tried to maintain her usual composure, the happiness, sadness and countless more emotions in her eyes was impossible to hide.

Isaac had heard enough stories about Eleanor to understand why. She had clearly become deeply attached to her later disciples like Gael, Alice, Isaac, and Catherine, in a way that seemed quite different from the relationship she had shared with her first few disciples.

"Alright, I will go talk with Master," Gael said after a moment, waving his hand casually before jogging toward Eleanor.

Eleanor finally smiled as he approached, and the two quickly began talking. Isaac could not hear what they were saying from where he stood, but he had a feeling their conversation would probably last quite some time.

"Master looked happy," Alice said quietly.

Isaac nodded. "She did."

He looked toward them for another moment before turning back toward his wives. There was something comforting about seeing Eleanor like that, especially because Isaac knew how complicated her life had been and how rarely she allowed herself to show such emotions.

They continued walking through the area while giving Gael and Eleanor some privacy. As evening approached, the sky slowly changed, and the setting sun appeared beyond the distant buildings, filling the area with a warm glow.

Isaac looked toward the view and quietly smiled.

This was exactly what he had been waiting for.

The location was one of the more beautiful private areas around the city, overlooking the surrounding scenery and giving them a clear view of the evening sky. Isaac had secretly arranged everything earlier, using his clones to make sure the entire venue was prepared without attracting attention from his wives.

He had also made arrangements to send Emily and Celia away for a while without making them suspicious. They had been given separate things to do, and Isaac had made certain that neither of them would return until he was done.

The preparations had taken more work than he expected.

He had arranged the food, prepared the private area, made sure the surroundings were quiet, and even checked several times that nobody would accidentally interrupt them. His clones had handled most of the work, allowing him to spend the day normally with his wives while everything else was prepared behind the scenes.

Alice eventually noticed that something was different.

"What are you doing?"

Isaac touched the the small box in his pocket secretly.

He had been fiddling with it for several minutes without even realizing it, repeatedly turning it over in his fingers whenever he became nervous. Now that the moment was approaching, however, pretending to be calm had become increasingly difficult.

There was a simple reason for all of this.

Isaac had already decided that once they returned to his city, he would marry his wives. He did not want to simply announce that decision and treat it as something that was already understood between them.

He wanted to propose properly.

He knew what their answers would be. There was almost no doubt in his mind that all of them would say yes, and yet knowing that somehow did nothing to calm his nerves.

Isaac looked at the box again before taking a slow breath.

He had faced powerful enemies, dangerous trials, ancient beings, and situations where a single mistake could have cost him his life.

Yet somehow, this was making him nervous.

"Isaac?"

Alice’s voice brought him back to reality.

He looked at her and smiled awkwardly, still holding the box in his hand.

"Nothing," he said, although even he knew that answer was not convincing.

Alice narrowed her eyes at him, clearly realizing that he was hiding something.