Chapter 717: Binding Isolde

Elion smiled, his hand resting over hers.

"I know."

Isolde froze, a stupefied look appearing on her face. She simply stared at him, her confession having received the last response she had expected.

"You... know?" she asked.

He nodded, and her brows drew together in confusion.

"B-but... how?"

"I have a few rather useful abilities," he explained. "One of them allows me to see a person’s strength and attributes, as long as the right conditions are met. Your race is one of the things I can see."

Isolde slowly lowered her hand from his cheek. Her gaze fell toward the blanket gathered around her waist, and the expression on her face darkened.

"I’m sorry," she whispered. "I should have told you sooner. I wasn’t trying to deceive you. It’s just..."

"It’s fine, Isolde."

Elion gently caught her hand before she could pull it into her lap, giving her a reassuring smile.

"I understand the need to keep secrets, Isolde. You don’t have to apologize for being cautious about something like that."

"But you told me so much about yourself, and I still..."

"There’s plenty I haven’t told you," he admitted. "Far more than you might think, actually."

She looked up at him again, and he brushed his thumb over her fingers.

"I have secrets too. Some of them are rather difficult to explain, but I intend to tell you about them."

"All of them?"

He nodded, watching the uncertainty in her expression slowly give way to curiosity.

"All of them. Though before that, there’s something I want to ask you."

Isolde straightened slightly. Elion shifted closer, keeping her hand within his as he looked into her eyes.

"Isolde, I want you to become my woman. Mine and mine alone. Do you agree?"

Her lips parted, and for a moment, she seemed unable to answer. After a short moment, she nodded a bit too hurriedly; a bright flush spread across her cheeks.

"Yes," she whispered.

A familiar notification appeared before his eyes.

[Would you like to place a Harem Seal on target Isolde?]

[YES] [NO]

He had wanted to see that prompt for a long time, but there was still something she needed to understand before he accepted.

"There’s an ability I have," he began. "It allows me to form a bond with someone who agrees to become my partner. Mira and Aria already share that bond with me."

Isolde listened quietly.

"It’s called the Harem Seal," he continued. "And it does far more than mark you as someone I love. It binds our souls together."

"Our souls?"

He nodded.

"For all eternity."

Her eyes widened, and Elion gave her a moment to take in his words before continuing. He couldn’t blame her for looking so surprised.

Even after everything he had experienced since obtaining the system, some of its abilities still seemed almost absurd, especially to another person.

"It would make you well and truly mine," he said. "But there is a consequence you need to know about. If you betray the bond by lying with another man, you will die."

Isolde’s eyes widened.

For a few moments, she said nothing, looking between his eyes as though trying to work out whether he was being serious. Elion kept his expression blank, allowing her to see that there was no deceit behind his words.

"Such a thing is possible?"

"It is."

The wind stirred the loose strands of her hair, brushing them across her cheek. Elion gently moved them aside, then let his hand fall, giving her room to consider what he had told her.

"You don’t have to answer immediately," he said. "And you don’t have to accept the seal just because you agreed to be with me. I wanted you to understand what it means first."

Isolde lowered her gaze to their joined hands. She remained quiet for a long moment, her thumb moving hesitantly over his fingers before she finally looked up again.

"I understand."

Elion searched her face.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded.

"I only want you," she said, her voice trembling slightly despite the firmness of her answer. "That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you."

His expression softened considerably, and Isolde found the courage to move closer. Her hand rose to his cheek again, and this time, she didn’t hesitate as she leaned forward.

Elion met her halfway.

Her eyes closed as their lips touched, and she slipped her arms around his neck, drawing herself closer. He held her gently, returning the kiss while her fingers curled into the back of his shirt.

When they finally parted, she remained close enough for their foreheads to touch. A vibrant smile slowly bloomed across her face, and Elion watched it, warmth spreading through his chest.

After all the times she had hesitated, all the words she had swallowed before they could leave her mouth, she had finally said what she wanted. Better yet, he had accepted her.

She was going to be his.

"Then I agree," she whispered. "I want to share that bond with you."

Elion smiled and brushed his lips against hers once more before turning his attention to the waiting notification.

’Yes.’

[Placing Harem Seal on Isolde...]

Isolde drew in a small breath, her fingers tightening against his back as a gentle glow briefly illuminated the space between them.

’Well... That’s new?’

[Successful]

Isolde remained close to him even after the glow faded, her fingers resting against his chest as though she were still trying to understand the unfamiliar connection between them.

Elion brushed her hair behind one pointed ear, smiling when she looked up at him.

"There’s something else," she said quietly.

"Oh?" He raised a brow. "More secrets?" She nodded, though his teasing smile seemed to make it a little easier for her to continue.

"Being a High Elf isn’t really the most important part."

Elion waited, watching her expression grow more serious. She lowered her gaze briefly before looking back at him, gathering the courage to explain.

"Most High Elves belong to high-ranking noble families, or the royal family itself. It isn’t something I could reveal without people asking questions about my background."

"And which one are you...?"

"Part of the royal family," she admitted. "I’m directly related to the ruling family."

Elion stared at her for a moment. Of all the things he had expected her to tell him, that had certainly not been among them.

"You’re royalty?"

Isolde nodded, her shoulders drawing inward slightly beneath the blanket. Elion looked at her again, finding it rather difficult to reconcile the shy elf sitting in his arms with the revelation she had just given him.

’I would never have guessed.’

He had known that she was hiding something about her background, but he hadn’t imagined it would be quite so significant.

Thinking back to the way she usually carried herself, however, there were perhaps a few things he should have noticed.

"Then why Grimholt?" he asked. "Wouldn’t your own academy have been a better place for you?"

The elven academy was widely regarded as the best institute for mages to study magic, the only problem being that they accepted only elves.

Grimholt was open to everyone, mages, scholars, and warriors alike, and it was far more diverse as a result.

"For an elven mage, it probably would have been," she replied. "But I didn’t leave because I wanted a better place to study. I just... I couldn’t stay home anymore."

He waited while she took a moment to calm herself. Below them, the wind stirred a little dust against the shelter’s walls, the quiet sound filling the pause before she continued.

"There’s a rivalry for the throne between my siblings. There has been for a long time. Everyone has their own supporters, and even things that shouldn’t matter somehow become part of it."

"And you were involved?"

"I didn’t want to be." She shook her head quickly. "I never wanted the throne. I told them that, but it didn’t seem to matter."

Elion frowned.

"To some of them, my very existence was a threat," she continued. "It didn’t matter whether I wanted to compete. As long as I was there, there was always a chance that someone would support me, or that something might change."

Her voice grew quieter as she spoke, and Elion could feel her gradually tensing in his arms.

"For most of my life, I was ostracized. They didn’t want me around, and whenever I thought I’d finally become close to someone..." She stopped, pressing her lips together before shaking her head. "Eventually, I just wanted to leave."

’Ah...’

Understanding slowly dawned on him. No wonder she had been so reluctant to reveal that she was a High Elf.

Once people began looking into her family, it might not have taken them long to discover that she was actually elven royalty.

At Grimholt, she could simply be Isolde, an elf studying magic alongside everyone else. Elion could understand why she would want to hold on to that.

He noticed the effort she was making to keep her composure and gently drew her closer, resting a hand against her back.

"I understand," he said.

She looked up at him, her eyes already beginning to glisten.

"Seeing as you went as far as leaving your home, you don’t ever have to go back if you don’t want to." He brushed his thumb along her cheek, giving her a reassuring smile. "You have me now."

Her eyes filled with tears again, and she began to nod. Halfway through the movement, however, she stopped, her expression turning troubled before she slowly shook her head instead.

"I will have to go back someday," she whispered. "My mother is there, after all..."