The stir-fried rice he had cooked—his modified version—was nearly gone.
And judging by the pace she’d picked up the moment he noticed her, she clearly didn’t want to share it.
Isaac folded his arms.
“You know I was planning to taste that, right? I wanted to see what worked and what didn’t.”
“I thought you were going to throw it away.”
“You said not to.”
“I meant as in don’t eat it later.”
“I was going to eat it now.”
Selene didn’t answer. She just kept chewing, a little faster now.
When Isaac took a step forward, she shifted slightly, trying to shield the plate with her arm.
“You can’t be serious. Let me taste it.”
She gave an innocent look. “What? You said I could eat it.”
“I said I wasn’t going to stop you. That’s not the same thing.”
Isaac reached for the plate.
Selene pulled it back.
A light struggle began, half-playful and mostly harmless.
Isaac didn’t use force, and Selene didn’t either, but both were equally stubborn.
He tried reaching around her side, and she twisted away with an exaggerated huff.
He reached again, and she lifted the plate higher.
“You’re not even hungry,” he muttered, reaching for the edge of the plate.
“I am now.”
“I just want one bite—”
“You’ll ruin the plating—”
“It’s stir-fried rice, not some five-star presentation—”
In the middle of the exchange, as Selene leaned to dodge his reach, her elbow accidentally nudged the handle of the still-hot pan sitting nearby.
It tipped dangerously before she noticed.
The handle slipped.
A moment later, the edge of the pan brushed against the back of her hand.
“—!”
Selene hissed sharply and recoiled, dropping the plate onto the counter with a loud clatter. It didn’t break, but some of the rice spilled over.
Isaac’s expression shifted immediately. “Selene.”
She winced and pulled her hand back, holding it close to her chest.
“It’s fine,” she said quickly, even before he could say anything else. “It’s just a bit of a burn. I can heal it.”
Isaac moved closer anyway.
“Let me see.”
She hesitated, then reluctantly held out her hand.
The skin was already red along the knuckles and the side of her palm.
It wasn’t too severe, but it definitely wasn’t just a light brush.
A pale blue glow covered her fingers as she activated a healing skill, murmuring under her breath.
The redness faded slightly, and the skin began to smooth out.
But even after she finished, her hand still trembled faintly.
Isaac frowned. “Does it still hurt?”
Selene gave a small smile. “It’s fine. The damage’s healed, but the nerves still remember the pain. It’ll pass.”
He looked at her hand again.
She was trying to stay composed, but the shake wasn’t stopping.
It wasn’t a visible tremor unless someone was paying attention, but Isaac was paying attention.
“Let’s stop here today,” he said quietly.
Selene blinked. “Huh?”
“I mean it. Let’s not push it. We can cook more another time.”
She opened her mouth to argue but then closed it. A second passed. Then she nodded.
“…Okay.”
There was a strange quiet that followed.
It was not awkward, but not comfortable either.
Selene looked down at her hand again, flexing her fingers.
Maybe it was the way the day ended—she hadn’t meant for it to turn out like this. She’d been enjoying herself.
A moment later, she straightened up.
“Then let’s eat before you leave.”
Isaac glanced at her. “Eat?”
“I’ll have the cooks prepare something,” she said. “We’ve been in the kitchen for a while anyway. Might as well sit down and eat properly.”
Isaac didn’t argue.
He figured she felt a little bad too. And since she was the one hurt, he wasn’t going to push back.
They left the kitchen and walked down the corridor toward the dining room.
The Calloway estate was mostly quiet at this hour, with only a few staff moving about.
The lights were not overly bright but still warm, casting soft shadows across the ornate floors.
Once they sat down, Selene leaned her cheek against her good hand and looked at him.
“Oh, right,” she said casually. “I booked you an appointment.”
Isaac turned to her. “Appointment?”
“With Celia Rae.”
He paused. “…You what?”
“She’s performing a live show tomorrow. I pulled a few strings and got you a meeting with her before the performance.”
Isaac blinked, a little caught off-guard.
“You didn’t tell me you were planning that.”
“You didn’t ask.” She smiled playfully.
He didn’t reply immediately. “You sure she’ll even talk to me?”
Selene nodded. “She will. I think she is your fan, honestly. And while she does admire the Governor, she’s not blind. She can notice the things their faction has been doing.”
Isaac leaned back slightly.
He understood what Selene was trying to say.
“Start a conversation, and be honest. She’s not stupid. She can see how things work. If you talk earnestly, she’ll listen. If you can give reliable facts to her, there is a chance she will defect to you.”
“I doubt it will be that easy.”
“It won’t be easy. You are correct,” she said. “But, having Celia on your side will be immensely helpful.”
He nodded slowly, already beginning to think about how to approach that meeting.
They continued talking while the food was being prepared.
Eventually, a pair of estate staff came in and set the plates on the long table.
Steamed fish with mana-grain rice, roasted beastroot, and a side of spicy pickled greens.
It was a clean, balanced meal. Likely something from the Calloway family menu.
Selene reached out with her right hand instinctively, then paused.
She glanced down. Her fingers curled slightly, but the faint tremble hadn’t stopped.
Isaac noticed.
She tried to ignore it and reached again.
He placed his hand gently over hers. “Let me.”
Selene blinked, surprised. “It’s fine. I can eat.”
“You can. But it’s going to hurt.”
“I said—”
“I know what you said,” Isaac interrupted softly. “Just let me feed you. It’s not a big deal.”
She hesitated.
Then slowly pulled her hand back.
“…Fine.”
He served the fish onto her plate, then picked up a bit of it with a fork and passed it to her.
She opened her mouth slightly and took the bite, chewing slowly. Her expression was unreadable for a few moments.
She looked…. happy?
Isaac couldn’t be sure of it, since her control over her own expression was quite good.
They continued like that for a while. He didn’t make a fuss about it, and she didn’t say anything more about her hand.
But the tension that had briefly formed after the burn had faded away. It felt normal again.
Almost like it hadn’t happened at all.
Isaac looked up, expecting Chairman Lucius to finally return.
Instead—
“Isaac?”
He froze at the sound of the voice.
It was familiar, just slightly surprised but not sharp.
Alice stepped into the room, her gaze landing directly on him, and more specifically, on the fork in his hand, which he was still holding up halfway to Selene.
“Alice—”
He was about to explain, but she walked over with a casual pace and took the seat beside him.
“You’re here? You could’ve told me,” she said. “I could’ve come to eat with you both earlier.”
Isaac stared for a moment. She wasn’t angry, or even annoyed.
That surprised him more than anything else.
He glanced at her, then back at Selene, who simply continued eating like nothing had happened.
He waited for the inevitable question.
But instead, Alice leaned slightly toward the table and looked at the plate.
“Is that the fish from the back kitchen? I smelled something good earlier.”
Isaac hesitated, still trying to understand, why Alice wasn’t bothered.
’Now that I think about it, she’s never gotten jealous when it came to Selene.’
She never commented on them spending time alone, not once had she shown any discomfort.
In fact, she encouraged them to spend time together.
It was probably to have them have a good relation, given the fact they had almost been at each other’s neck not long ago.
Selene, perhaps noticing the way Isaac was looking at Alice, finally spoke up.
“My hand’s a bit injured,” she said, lifting it slightly to show the faint redness. “He was just helping.”
“Injured?”
“We were cooking earlier. I bumped into the pan.”
Alice’s brows lifted.
“You were cooking with her?”
Isaac nodded. “We’ve decided to have a few cooking sessions together each week.”
Alice didn’t look upset. If anything, she tilted her head, thoughtful.
“That’s a good idea. Both of you can help each other improve.”
Dinner continued without much incident.
The conversation remained light.
Alice picked at a few pieces on Selene’s plate and made a face at the lack of spice, and Selene made a dry comment about her inability to appreciate balanced flavors.
Isaac just listened.
Chairman Lucius didn’t return that night.
One of the servants mentioned he’d been caught up in an urgent negotiation and wouldn’t be back until morning.
Isaac didn’t return home either.
After a brief message exchange with Emily, he told her he’d be staying late at the Calloway estate.
He asked her to eat with Professor Catherine and get some rest early, knowing she must’ve been exhausted after the ruin exploration earlier.
He messaged Professor Catherine as well, making sure she would double-check that Emily had eaten and gone to sleep.
With both of them informed, he no longer felt any pressure to rush back.
Originally, he had planned to return with Alice after dinner. But since she and Selene both suggested he stay the night, he didn’t push back.
And so, a while later, he found himself in Alice’s room.
It was his first time inside.
The room wasn’t as lavish as he expected, not overly ornate or filled with delicate things.
It was neat, and clean.
A few books were stacked near the bedside.
A mana crystal lamp was suspended above her desk.
On one side, a small display shelf had some keepsakes—photos, small tokens, a folded ribbon encased in glass.
Alice was by the window, opening it slightly to let in the night breeze. The scent of flowers drifted in from the courtyard garden below.
“Come sit,” she said, glancing back at him. “We have something to talk about.”
Isaac nodded and moved to the nearby couch.
“So? What did you want to talk about?”
“The future business plans, and….” Her gaze became serious. “I found a few things related to my ancestor and dragon bloodline in the library.”
Isaac raised a brow, surprised.
He hadn’t expected her to find everything so quickly.
“Would the things you found help you control your dragon instincts?”
“They will, but…”
A faint blush appeared on Alice’s face.