A few moments ago, hidden in the shadows, Isis observed Sol as he meditated, curiosity evident in her eyes.
During those few short days, Sheherazade had been pestering her so much about how dreamy and whatever he was like. She seemed more like a fangirl than anything else. What’s more, her mother had been insisting that she should at least meet him and make her decision after getting to know him better.
Since she had nothing to lose, she had decided that she could at least grace him the chance of a meeting before she rejected him.
Now that she saw him, she had to admit that Sheherazade was indeed right. He was indeed pretty handsome.
But what really sparked her curiosity wasn't just his appearance.
All her life, she had lived in the underworld dimension of her father, and sometimes visited the heaven realm.
Few people were more intimate with death than her and she understood one truth, no matter how you looked like when you were alive, when you died, all that would be left would be a rotting body and a soul.
The physical body was nothing more than a temporary residence that housed the eternal soul that could or would eventually be discarded in the long river of time.
As such, what she paid attention to the most was---his soul.
'So he is a reincarnator, like father.'
When she looked at Sol, what she saw wasn't only his physical appearance, but also a soul shining with golden light. It was a light so bright she felt as if she was facing the sun.
Soul Sight.
An Innate skill very few beings possess, even among demi-gods.
But all those who did were also innately talented either in matters of the mind or the soul.
When her father discovered she had inherited this skill from him, he had been ecstatic. At the same time, he had shown a rare serious side of himself as he gave her a piece of advice.
She remembered quite clearly what he had told her on that day,
[If you see anyone with a soul that is different from everyone else, then be extremely wary of them. You never know what kind of people they might have been in their previous life.]
"So, how long are you going to spy on me?"
'Oh?'
She was quite startled at being called out but did not let it get to her as she calmly walked out of her hiding place.
Her pace was slow, almost regal. The moment their eyes met, Isis could already imagine the gear turning in his brain as he tried to discover who she was.
Chuckling a little, she gave a curtsy and introduced herself, "My name is Sheherazade, like you, I am a guest in this palace. How should I address you?"
She lied smoothly without missing a beat. Even though she had already decided to reject him, since she had relented against her mother's assault, she decided that she should at least try to get to know him better.
When she mentioned her name, Sol frowned a little before nodding with a refreshing smile,
"I do not know why you are trying to hide your identity, but I am not interested in discovering it either."
Giving a salute he also introduced himself, "My name is Sol. Nice to meet you."
Isis raised an eyebrow at this,
'First when I was hiding and now this. He really is more perceptive than I thought.'
Her train of thought did not disturb her words however, and she answered quite calmly.
"Oh? What could you mean? I believe that I have been perfectly honest with you."
Answering to his smile with one of her own, a feeling of tension seemed to slowly fill the roof of the palace.
On one side stood a man with golden hair and blue eyes, meanwhile, on the other side stood one with lustrous black hair and beautiful scarlet pupilles.
“By the way, you are really lacking, you know?”
Currently watching the scene from afar with Nephthys sitting close to her, Gabriel couldn't help but show a worried expression,
"Will this really work?"
Nephthys showed a bitter smile.
Isis was a strong willed girl used to people bending backwards to fulfill her slightest desire.
It didn't help that since she was a necromancer, she basically never had anyone who could go against her.
Meanwhile, from what she knew about Sol, he was no pushover either and behind his gentle smile was a bone deep pride.
Two strong willed people working with each other meant that either one of the two would have to lower themselves or it wouldn't work.
"Well, it is worrying, but there's nothing we can do about it. A contract cannot be made if one of the two parties does not wish for it. It's the rule the goddesses placed themselves. Everything will depend on Sol."
Nephthys nodded before standing up.
"Where are you going?"
"Even though Sol has tried to be polite, it is clear that he is in a hurry. I decided to create a small list of Phoenixes that could be suitable and who would be interested in forming a contract with him."
Gabriel placed a finger under her chin before acquiescing.
"This is the best way."
Giving a look at the departing figure of her daughter, Gabriel let out a sigh.
She did not tell her daughter, but this situation was far more serious than either of them could see.
Her goddess did not urge her, but it was clear that whatever machinations Lady Luxuria had, Isis was an important component in it.
She wouldn't be surprised if Luxuria broke some of the rules of the game just to make sure that Isis made that contract, even if she had to pay some price.
'I really hope that it does not come to this.'
Back to Sol and Isis, Sol had to give his all to not let his growing irritation show on his face.
He was calmly meditating when some weird girl began to spy on him.
He did not know nor did he wish to know why she lied about her name as it had absolutely nothing to do with him.
But now that crazy girl insulted him?
The only reason he did not explode was that he was a guest in a foreign territory. He did not wish to make a fuss if it was not necessary.
Taking a deep breath, he let it out and spoke calmly,
“Could you elaborate please?”
Sol believed in self improvement more than anything. Since she had something to say about him, he was willing to listen.
He could accept any harsh criticism as long as it was reasonable.
Isis gave a bright smile as she answered,
“I could, but—Why should I?”
“...”
“...”
A tense silence fell between the two.
Sol, whose smile vanished for a few moment, smiled once again as he nodded,
“You are right.”
He then proceeded to ignore her while he sat back once again and began to meditate.
Isis meanwhile showed a surprised expression, she had provoked him like this because she wished to push him to attack her. Once it happened, her mother would have no ground to force them to form a contract.
“Hmph! Coward!”
“Better be a coward than a crazy bitch.”
“You!”
“Me what? or should I say that you are an inconsiderate spoiled girl?”
“You have done it. If you beg me, I will tell you what is wrong with you.”
Sol sneered, “Not only are you crazy, you are also stupid. Hahaha, I mean, if I am lacking something, I simply have to ask the phoenixes here, if that doesn’t work I can ask the dragons, either way, those people will be much stronger than you.”
It was rare for Sol to explode like this.
If the women such as Milia or Lilith were there to see this scene, they would have not believed their eyes.
Even Sol could not really explain why. Though, he had an inkling.
All his life in this world, he always had to act like a prim and proper prince.
Even in front of his women, he had to act like a mature man because most of them were emotionally wounded and what they needed was someone who could understand them. Not a brat.
Because of those responsibilities, Sol always watched how he spoke and acted in front of the others.
He did not find it to be a burden. He did not think of it as bad.
But it seemed that now that he was far away from all responsibilities, he could act as willfully as he wished.
Here, he wasn't the prince of Lustburg. No one even cared about him being a future king.
There was also no one he had an emotional attachment to nor did he need to force himself to look good.
For the first time in his life, he could really act however he wished and he had to admit that it felt pretty great.
Isis was left speechless at Sol's rebuttal. After all, he was right. She might have an edge thanks to her soul sight, but as long as he asked the help of a demigod or even a king, it would be enough.
Her eyes rolled around a little, before she came with an idea,
"Let's make a bet, if you win-"
"I refuse."
"Wait! Listen to me. It will be very advantageous for you."
"And I said, I refuse."
"Argh!! Will you listen!?"
"I could, but—Why should I?"
(AN: Welp. Haha. The first meeting did not really go that well. Let's hope they become better. Isis' personality is a little based on a mix between Rin and Luvia from Fate. Of course, just a little. Basically imagine a tsundere but without everything that makes tsundere and a spoiled rich princess who isn't naive. In book 1 we have seen Sol slowly grow to become ready to take responsibility as a King. I want book 2 to be more about Sol finding his own way, his own truth. Also for the first time, Sol will have to form relationships without having the support of years of getting to know each other. Let's see how he and Isis slowly get closer.)
