All of a sudden, Isaac found himself wondering—had he become too arrogant?
Just look at the women in front of him.
Helmut, once hailed as the Kingdom's greatest sword, even called a deterrent to war.
Caldias, now the most renowned Margrave of the North, her fame towering throughout the Kingdom.
Even a royal princess, an unknown master of the blade, and others…
To think he was the one choosing among them—it felt like he was being treated far too generously.
But when he saw their reactions after declaring he would reveal his heart, he felt incredibly embarrassed for ever worrying about it.
"Al-already?!"
The confusion began with Silverna's exclamation.
And it quickly spread to the other women.
"Wait a second! I haven't even done anything yet! My plan was just getting started!"
Clarice flailed, panicked, begging him not to make a hasty decision.
"..."
The Grandmaster silently drained her glass, staring at Isaac with pursed lips.
"Oh! Is it me? It's me, right? It was me all along!"
Sharen grinned like a fool and threw both arms in the air, overjoyed.
"…Sharen, quiet."
Isaac drew a clear line with a sigh, and Sharen pouted her lips.
"Just wait! Give me three more years! I'll become amazing! Then you'll come crying to me, begging for a chance—and I'll maybe accept you!"
"..."
Isaac chuckled dryly at her bold declaration.
Yes, the Sharen he'd seen through the ring in the future had a certain mysterious grace, something far beyond a mere girl.
But that version of her had been forged through tragedy upon tragedy. Much like Silverna, who had once abandoned her own name in a past life.
'She probably won't become that version of Sharen.'
He hoped she would grow into someone a bit brighter—someone whose smile suited her more.
Liana briefly closed her eyes.
Then, after a deep breath, she nodded.
It was sooner than expected, and sudden too, but still—her response showed she was prepared.
No matter what he chose, she would respect it.
But if she could remain by his side, that would be enough.
So Liana waited, in calm and patient silence.
Seeing their reactions, Isaac realized he couldn't afford to drag this out.
In a way, what he was about to say was both the answer they most wanted—and the cruelest rejection at the same time.
"I cannot return anyone's feelings."
"How cliché."
The Grandmaster replied blandly, resting her chin on her hand. Even though Isaac had agonized over that decision for a long time.
Ironically, the women looked somewhat relieved by his answer.
"Oh, right? That's a relief."
"I was wondering what you were going to say. Alright, got it."
To say he wouldn't choose anyone—meant that no one had won yet.
And people's hearts are ever-changing.
Hadn't even Isaac and Liana, who once loved each other like they'd be together forever, drifted apart?
Time would offer another chance.
That's what they believed. And in the meantime, they simply had to win Isaac over.
Isaac was a little flustered by their reactions, but he didn't back down.
"There's a reason."
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Isaac drew their attention again.
He had prepared a well-thought-out explanation—knowing that saying "I just can't accept you" might stir backlash.
But the women were already laughing it off, acting like it was no big deal.
Not at all the reaction or atmosphere he expected—Isaac was clearly caught off guard.
Then Clarice, taking advantage of the moment, spoke up boldly.
"Isaac, you're going to be a Count now, aren't you? It's really not that strange to have multiple wives at that level."
He was well aware.
"In fact, a Count can even marry into royalty—barely. And on top of that, Isaac has the highest reputation in the Kingdom right now."
"Princess, why would you say that out loud?"
Silverna looked exasperated, but Clarice responded boldly.
"Because he might not know. This isn't some unreachable love where we only long for each other in dreams."
"That only applies if Isaac joins the royal family."
"Ugh."
Liana struck right at the heart of the matter. That would mean Isaac abandoning the Logan name again—and joining the royal family.
"And that's assuming he's a normal Count. But Isaac is also Helmut's son-in-law—"
A pounding headache set in.
Isaac shut his eyes tightly with a sigh, realizing he needed to bring some order to this chaos.
***
That night.
The place Isaac's group ended up using was, surprisingly, the former estate of the Baron of Volten.
There were too many people to comfortably stay at the Viscount Vincequins' mansion, and giving everyone their own room was difficult.
So they ended up using the Baron's mansion in Volten—vacant but still maintained.
Though its owner was gone, the caretaker had been diligently cleaning it, so it was ready to be used immediately.
Isaac even seriously considered using this mansion as his residence once he officially became the lord of Volten.
At any rate, the exterior was splendid, and there was no need to tire himself out searching for another mansion.
'Still, the fact that I'm using the bedroom of the man I killed… it's an unpleasant feeling.'
The only real discomfort was that the furniture remained untouched.
Traces of the former Baron of Volten lingered everywhere, and that pricked at Isaac's conscience.
Knock knock.
Just then, someone knocked on the bedroom door.
"Come in."
Isaac, who hadn't been able to sleep and was simply watching over Volten from the window, allowed the visitor in.
It was Silverna.
Arms crossed, she approached with a complicated expression.
"I was going to use drinking as an excuse to talk, but I already drank earlier, so I don't have one."
"Heh, that's awfully honest of you."
"What can I say? That's how we northerners are."
Silverna silently came to stand beside him.
Even in the middle of the night, Volten's streets remained bright and noisy.
Still, it wasn't enough to disturb sleep.
"Ah, maybe I should've had another drink. Thanks to someone's words, all my buzz vanished."
"…"
"Haa."
A short sigh.
Glancing at him, Silverna spoke plainly, as was the northern way.
"I want to argue, to be angry, to cry out that it's unfair… and I want to kiss you."
"…"
"But what you said wasn't wrong. In the end, we're all carrying too much. There's too much we can't throw away."
That was exactly the reason Isaac had rejected them.
If any of the women chose him, there would be too many things they'd have to give up.
Liana would have to abandon her position as the head of House Helmut.
Silverna would run into major issues as the heir to Caldias.
Clarice, as a princess, couldn't simply marry a count. Even if he was Helmut's son-in-law, it was still an odd match.
"When I used to talk with Lia about our marriage…"
Recalling that time, Isaac spoke with a faint, almost bitter voice.
"She told me that she should've chosen—either her family or me. One of the two had to be given up."
"…"
"She said that because she wanted to hold onto both, she ended up losing them both."
He agreed with that sentiment.
But at the same time, Isaac knew how cruel that choice was.
Silverna, too, imagined her situation. If she were to choose Isaac, she'd have to abandon her parents and her comrades in the North.
It wasn't hard to Imagine how deeply that would scar her.
"…It would be difficult."
When Silverna admitted it honestly, Isaac gave a bitter smile.
"If you were to choose me, I'd give it everything I had. I'd do my best so that you wouldn't feel any emptiness or regret."
Every morning, he'd hold their hand when they woke up.
They'd eat together, talk about what they wanted to do that day.
They'd share short workouts and training sessions, worry over what to have for lunch.
He'd make their lives fulfilling with simple leisure: reading, gardening, and other easy hobbies.
And every night, they would fall asleep together.
Isaac would keep trying, day after day.
But even then, there were things that couldn't be filled.
"There's a reason we say we're consumed by longing. Because eventually, that longing slips in through the cracks in our daily lives."
No matter how close you are, no matter how much time you spend together, there will be fleeting moments of emptiness and yearning that cannot be avoided.
"If choosing me means you have to sever something important…"
Then he would let go first.
He said it calmly.
"Isaac…"
With sad eyes, Silverna looked at him.
Letting go wasn't something that only applied to Liana.
After all, relationships are built by both people.
Isaac, too, had failed to let go of Liana—thus leading to all of this.
"But—"
And yet, Silverna reached out her hand.
Grasping his, she asked like a child with a dream.
"What if… what if we could come to you without losing anything?"
"…"
"What if we didn't have to give anything up, and could still be by your side? Then… would you accept us?"
For a moment, as if imagining that day, Isaac gently closed his eyes.
Then, with a faint smile—
"I'll be right here."
As the Count of Volten.
Rebuilding this city, giving hope to the people, and making sure no more tragedies occur.
So—
"You can come find me anytime."
Isaac looked into her eyes once again.
"I'll be waiting."
For the day they came to him.
For the women who had waited for him until now—
Now, it was Isaac's turn to wait.