Hearing Emily's refusal again in her own head, Priscilla and Celeste exchanged a glance and then looked at Isaac almost in unison.
There was a quiet hope in their eyes, as if they were waiting for him to say something that would make things easier.
Isaac noticed it immediately.
He gave a small, wry smile and reached out, patting Emily's head in a familiar, gentle way.
"Let them help you. Don't worry about embarrassment. You'll get used to it," he said calmly.
Emily hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Okay," she said. She didn't want to keep refusing Isaac in front of everyone.
That much, at least, she understood clearly.
Since meeting her mother, the Empress of Netherworld, she had begun to grasp certain things she had ignored before.
For a Monarch, appearances mattered, and respect was one of the foundations of rule.
If she continued to refuse Isaac openly, especially in front of subordinates, it would chip away at his authority, even if no one said it aloud.
