"But why this proximity?" Varian tried to ask in a polite tone.
In response, Isadora tightened her grip on his waist. This was no longer a loving hug, it's that tight grip used by wrestlers before they lift you into the air and slam you onto the stage.
"Synergy's efficiency increases with intimacy. This is the most I can tolerate." Isadora said in a harsh tone, her voice much more subdued than normal, as if she was on the verge of yelling.
"And just so you know, I don't have any feelings for you either. I am only tolerating you for my sisters. If you were some other man, I'd have killed you a thousand times already."
"Ouch," Varian grimaced.
He didn't know if she got pissed at his rejection or was genuinely sharing her feelings. Perhaps both?
But he spoke his truth. It's not like he disliked Isadora. Of course, he hated the way she behaved at first.
He had to maintain a working relationship with her so that his relationship with Sia and Enigma wouldn't suffer.
Gradually though, he did discover that she wasn't as cruel and hateful as he imagined.
This was a good woman, hurt by a betrayal she did not expect. She was kind too.
She's very distrustful of any 'relationship' due to her experience. So, even to this day, she remained skeptical of her sisters' bond with their husband despite feeling that it might not be so bad after all.
Her words weren't coming out of malice. She was genuinely concerned that they would be left heartbroken one day.
And that's precisely why Varian didn't want to lie to her about these things.
He liked teasing her about being his fourth wife. But he never tried to cross any lines. Neither physically nor emotionally.
Truthfully speaking, his approach towards her wasn't a genuine one in the beginning.
Most of his initial interactions with her were motivated to build a working relationship and erase hostility.
Be it deliberately going against her or teasing her or challenging her, he had used multiple tools for this and some of them worked.
Perhaps Isadora might've thought she was slowing building a bond with him, but a lot of it was done deliberately.
Once the ice thawed, he didn't act as transactionally anymore. Yet, that component was what kick started this relationship.
Today, the bond had changed a lot.
Isadora was no longer a 'person I have to have manage for the sake of my wives' but a 'good friend who should not have suffered so much and deserves to be happy'.
And yet, Varian was hesitant if he was just lying to himself.
If he really tried to build an intimate bond with her, it might be to make things easier between him and his wives.
In that case, bonding with her was just a convenient act for the benefit of him and his wives. It'd be treating her as a tool for his goal.
Trying to make her fall for him was the most obvious choice he could make for solving this problem for once and all.
But that's dishonest and honestly, disgusting.
Varian didn't mind being cruel whenever necessary. But he didn't want to treat Isadora as a tool for some greater goal.
His feelings toward her were positive, no doubt. But there was no such thing as the obsessive and intense love that sprung for Sia, Enigma and Sarah.
So, he said the truth, even though it seemed to have caused some troubles.
"Start already!" Isadora's cold voice rang, jolting him out of his thoughts.
Varian took a breath and sensed the battle in the sky was getting a lot more intense. While on the ground, the holy squad was losing. If they didn't intervene in time, they might die.
'We have only a few minutes. Every second counts.'
"Isadora, this hug might not work so well. Hug me properly or I can hug you?" He proposed.
Isadora tightened her grip so much that his bones cracked but then she eventually freed him.
Turning her back to him, she stood silently.
"Alright. Just a normal hug. And then we'll hold hands and start."
He gently wrapped his arms over her flat abdomen and kept her in a protective embrace.
Isadora lowered her head and grabbed his hands, her nails nearly digging into his palm due to the rashness of her movements.
Neverthless, Synergy began.
The bright world turned dark.
Varian and Isadora found themselves in the inner worlds.
His was a world of black sky and white ground, blending at the horizon, giving birth to a multitude of colors.
Isadora's world was a mix of primary colors, with a touch of darkness everywhere.
A bridge was built between their souls and their worlds began to connect.
The experiences of Isadora and Varian in their paths started being exchanged.
The insights of Varian in multiple paths was only helpful as a reference for Isadora until now.
But when he reached rank 8, his insights were helpful even for the princess.
It's difficult for anyone to study any other person's knowledge about divine paths so intimately. And it's impossible to study one person's knowledge on seven paths.
For the first time, Isadora too had begun to benefit almost equally from Synergy.
And Varian, like always, drew more benefits due to the disparity in their ranks.
Unlike before when he needed Sarah as a bridge to help him understand the more complex insights of Isadora, he was able to understand her insights with relative ease.
His paths which had just went an upgrade picked up once again and started racing forward.
But while this happened, something the two of them neglected occured.
The exchange of feelings.
After all, Synergy wasn't just about power but also emotions.
Varian's feelings and thoughts regarding their bond was conveyed to Isadora.
The princess' body which was stiff in his embrace relaxed and fell into his arms gently.
And feeling her emotions—a sense of disappointment and sadness—Varian hugged her tighter in the real world, hoping to calm her turbulent heart.
