After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Gaius handed Isabelle’s grandmother his visiting gift, which was wrapped up so smoothly that the glossy surface reflected his face better than a mirror. He couldn’t help but feel a bit proud at his marksmanship, and the feeling only intensified when he saw her take a long, inquiring gaze at it.

Chuckling, she passed it to the tiny Jusis, who was sitting on a toddler’s chair, smiled at the excited squeal the baby let out, and turned to Gaius. “Thank you for the gift, little Gaius. I had expected this when I last saw you, but to think that you took four long years to actually get together. Is my granddaughter that lacking in charm?”

“No,” Gaius hastily replied. “I’m just a blockhead, that’s all.”

He couldn’t quite tell her that he had been in a coma for three years in a row, since that would just lead to another round of really awkward questions and everything.

“Blockhead?” The old woman steepled her fingers. “Hmm. I don’t get that feeling from you at all. No.”

Suppressing a nervous quiver, Gaius gently nudged Isabelle’s thigh with his right knee.

Isabelle nudged back, but the movement had not gone unnoticed by her grandmother, who was sitting to Isabelle’s right. Her wrinkled lips curled up slightly, before she let out another chuckle. “Ah. Youngsters. Always having their own secrets to keep. It’s always the same. The young couples always hide secrets from everyone else.”

“Um, I guess it enhances the relationship?” Isabelle ventured a guess. “A secret only between him and me. Things like that.”

“So romantic. Yes…my son thought like that too.” A shadow flickered through her eyes. “He always kept secrets from me. Emily was always quite the mysterious girl too, like Gaius.”

“Emily?” Gaius asked, curious.

“That’s my mother,” Isabelle replied. “She fled to territories controlled by the beastfolk after she killed some noble who was trying to make advances on her. Or she was kidnapped by some beastfolk. I’m not too sure which is correct.”

“Your father just wanted an excuse to kill some beastfolk,” Isabelle’s grandmother replied. “Don’t believe his words.”

“In that case, where is she now?” Isabelle asked. “The Republic’s been created. The Assembly took a lot of damage after the Second Extermination. Mother should have known that it’s safe for her to return to us once more.”

Isabelle’s grandmother didn’t speak, but it was enough of a reply for Gaius to make a few guesses at what she was thinking. This nuance wasn’t lost on Isabelle either, and her spirited side began to wilt away.

Gaius reached out and placed his arms around her shoulders. It was clear that she had already been harbouring suspicions and worries about her mother’s passing, but none of that had been corroborated thus far.

Until today.

“I’m sorry to place a damper on your honeymoon.” Isabelle’s grandmother poured out a cup of tea, and then sipped from it. “But it is time that you and Lia found some closure. Which brings me to you, little Gaius.”

The two of them looked at her. “Please take care of her from now on. I have little doubt that she will follow you, no matter where are you.”

“O-of course.” Gaius bobbed his head up and down rapidly. “I’ll never, ever let her down.”

“Excellent. Right. On a scale of one is to ten, how cute do you think my grand-daughter is? How many children do you want to have with her?”

“Grandmother?!”

“Off the charts,” Gaius replied. “As for children—gah!”

“Gaius?!” Two arms clamped down on his shoulder, and Gaius let out a few odd sounds as Isabelle shook him back and forth. “Stop talking!”

His vision turned into a blur as Isabelle took on the role of a roller-coaster, and whatever words he wanted to say caught in his throat. After fifty or so back-and-forth movements, Gaius flopped onto her lap, his stomach churning. Privately, Gaius found the fact that Isabelle was able to disable the one who slew the Human God, some familiar spirits, and a whole bunch of other experts incredibly impressive, and he decided to mope by enjoying his impromptu lap pillow.

“Gaius?” Isabelle’s fingers touched his face. “Did I knock him out with all that shaking?”

“Seems like you did, Isa. And from those practiced movements…have you been engaging in domestic abuse?” Isabelle’s grandmother asked. “I didn’t know you had that side.”

“I don’t, Grandmother! More importantly, don’t make him say all these embarrassing things out loud!” Isabelle pulled on his ears a few more times. “Gaius, I know that you’re awake. If you don’t sit up—”

“Don’t wanna.” Gaius turned his body and buried his face into her tummy, before faking a sniff or two.

“He’s acting his age again…”

“Isa, normally one would say ‘Please act your age’, not ‘He’s acting his age’.” She let out another chuckle. “Have you been spoiling him?”

“I wish I knew the answer to that question,” Isabelle replied. “But if you ask me, I think we’re spoiling each other…something that he’s never going to admit to.”

Gaius raised a thumbs-up.

It didn’t take long for the grandparent-grandchild pair to realise that Gaius wasn’t going to get up for the next few minutes, so they decided to talk about the Lorenze family instead. Once in a while, Isabelle would play with his hair and rub his scalp, a feeling that Gaius liked.

After spending a few minutes to recharge his stock of Isabellium, he finally sat up properly, letting out a languid sigh. “Alright. I’m recharged.”

“Recharged?” Isabelle’s grandmother snickered. “Interesting.”

“Don’t think too hard about it.” Gaius, now feeling at ease with the whole world, leaned his head onto Isabelle’s shoulder and held her left hand with his right one.

“Right, what are your plans here?”

Gaius glanced at Isabelle. “Are we going to stay here while we’re in the South? I don’t really have anything much to do here, and besides…I want to see how living with a family is like.”

“Can we?” Isabelle asked. Gaius didn’t know who that question was addressed to, and he nodded along with her grandmother, who let out yet another chuckle.”

“It seems that we’ll get along well, husband of my darling Isa.” She held out a hand. “Welcome to the family.”