Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 712: Secret Relationship Behind Others’ Back, Buff

She had already returned to her usual cold expression, but anyone who knew her well could immediately tell that she was in an unusually good mood. The slight smile that kept appearing whenever she glanced at Isaac made it even more obvious.

Alice was already dressed again when she turned toward Isaac, who was sitting nearby and massaging his sore muscles. She watched him for a moment before speaking in a calm voice.

"Don’t worry about it."

"What?" Isaac asked, looking at her in confusion.

"I know you’re worried about why I was upset the whole day," Alice said. She paused for a moment before looking directly at him. "I will tell you soon, Isaac. I will share everything with you, so you don’t have to worry about me keeping secrets from you."

Isaac’s expression became serious when he heard that. He stopped massaging his sore muscles and looked at her properly, because he understood that she was finally talking about the reason she had been acting strangely throughout the day.

"I’m not worried about you keeping secrets I’m just worried that you won’t share your worries with me and will try to carry everything by yourself," Isaac said.

Alice remained silent for a moment. She looked down at her newly ringed hand, slowly turning it as the gemstone caught the light, before finally looking back at Isaac.

"I know," Alice replied, a faint smile appearing on her face. She leaned toward Isaac, kissed him lightly, and then added, "Thank you for always looking out for me."

With that, the two of them returned to the castle of the Seventh Queen. Alice’s face was practically glowing despite her usual cold expression, while Isaac walked beside her with a smile that did little to hide how completely exhausted he was.

Only after returning did Isaac begin to properly realize what he had actually done. It was almost as if the effects of the alcohol had finally disappeared and the full weight of his decisions had arrived at once, leaving him wondering whether he had really been so carried away that he had used his Spatial Domain for something like that.

He had to admit that it was a rather unusual use of the ability. Most people would probably use such a dimension for traveling, escaping danger, hiding from enemies, or perhaps storing important things, while he had somehow found another purpose for it, and he might be the first person to do that.

Isaac covered his face with one hand.

’Am I really that depraved?’

The question bothered him because this was not even the first time something like this had happened. What he had done with Alice reminded him of what had happened with Selene in Sky City, where the Elemental Spirit of Machine had been so annoyed with him that she had called him a scum for corrupting an innocent girl like Selene before throwing him back toward Charlotta’s giant tortoise summon.

Back then, Isaac had wanted to argue with her. He had wanted to explain that he was not some shameless scumbag who went around corrupting innocent girls, and at the time, he had genuinely believed that he had been unfairly judged.

Now, however, he was beginning to wonder if perhaps there was some truth to the accusation.

Was he really a depraved person who enjoyed doing things like this?

Isaac thought about it seriously for several seconds before immediately shaking his head. No, he was still an innocent person, and he had proof of it. There was the Saintess living in his city, after all, and despite having plenty of opportunities, he had always treated her properly.

As for why he had hidden her presence from his wives and had not told them about her, that was simply a safety precaution. It was a safety precaution for himself and the Saintess, because Isaac had absolutely no idea what Alice and Selene would do if they discovered that Sarah had been staying with him in his city.

Really.

That was all there was to it.

He certainly was not enjoying the secret relationship he had somehow created behind his wives’ backs.

Isaac suddenly stopped walking.

The moment he thought about having a secret relationship behind his wives’ backs, his entire face became serious. Almost all the lingering effects of the alcohol seemed to disappear immediately, and he finally realized how strange his own thoughts had sounded.

Had he really been unconsciously treating Sarah’s situation as though he were already having a relationship with her?

Isaac sighed.

He did not like thinking about it that way. His wives trusted him, and the last thing he wanted was to do something that would eventually damage that trust, so he decided that Sarah should be given another place to live instead of continuing to stay inside his mansion.

Starting tomorrow, he would arrange another residence for her and have her move out of the mansion.

That would solve the problem before it became something more complicated.

By the time dinner began, Isaac had mostly settled his thoughts. He sat with Alice, Celia, Emily, and the others at the dining table, although he occasionally found himself glancing at Alice and remembering what had happened earlier.

Alice, meanwhile, seemed perfectly content.

"Why are you sighing so much?" Celia asked while eating.

"Nothing," Isaac replied quickly. He picked up his food before changing the subject. "Anyway, do you know where Master is? Did she return?"

Celia shrugged. "I have no idea. I haven’t seen her since earlier."

"The Sword Empress disappeared a few hours ago, just like you did," Seventh Queen Jasmine added from across the table. This time, an automaton was accompanying them, and although it looked remarkably similar to Jasmine’s real body, Isaac knew the truth because his Inspect skill had been unable to work on it.

Emily looked slightly concerned. "Will she be alright?"

"Of course. Master is strong, so there’s no need to worry about her," Isaac answered. He had confidence in Eleanor’s strength, and after seeing how happy she had been when she reunited with Gael, he suspected that she was probably still talking with him somewhere.

Jasmine nodded before turning her attention back toward Isaac. "Then, Isaac, where did you and Alice disappear to earlier? I apologize for asking such a personal question, but since I am responsible for your safety while you are staying here, I need to know if there was some kind of problem."

"Oh, you don’t need to worry about it," Celia casually said from the side while continuing to eat. "He was probably just giving Alice the buff."

Isaac nearly spat out his food.

He immediately started choking, and Emily quickly passed him a glass of water. Alice continued eating as though nothing unusual had been said, although the slight redness of her ears suggested that she was also embarrassed.

"Buff?" Althea asked.

Isaac slowly lowered the glass.

Celia finally looked toward him with a confused expression, acting as if she was unaware that she had just thrown him into an incredibly awkward situation. "What? Isn’t that what you two were doing?"

Isaac stared at her.

Alice quietly continued eating.

Jasmine looked between them, apparently trying to understand what exactly Celia meant, while Emily’s face gradually became red.

"Well," Isaac began carefully, searching for the safest possible explanation, "it’s a complicated buff."

"What kind of buff is it?" Althea asked.