Soren glanced back toward the bedroom door. His first instinct was to walk back in and ask her, but his face burned hot at the thought. Putting her on the spot would only make things humiliating for her. And as for assisting her with something so personal himself... neither of them would survive that level of mortification. Furthermore, their current relationship was simply not there yet.
Without wasting another second, Soren pulled his phone from his pocket and hurriedly dialed Aunt Clara.
He held the phone to his ear, pacing a few steps further down the hall to keep his voice out of Ethea’s earshot. The line clicked open after the third ring.
"Soren? Is everything alright?" Aunt Clara’s voice came through, a touch of concern in her tone.
"Ah... Aunt Clara, I am really sorry to disturb you this late," Soren began, rubbing the back of his neck as heat crept up his face again. "Are you... free right now? Could you possibly come over here?"
There was a short beat of silence on the other end, followed by a sigh that was light with amusement.
"...Does Ethea need help?"
"...Yes," Soren muttered, his voice dropping an octave in sheer awkwardness as he stared at the floorboards.
"I thought as much," Clara chuckled softly, not missing the embarrassment in his voice. "I already anticipated this would happen, so I’m already prepared. Just send me the address, and I will head there right away."
A massive wave of relief washed over him, taking a bit of the heat from his face. "Thank you, Aunt Clara. I really owe you one."
"Don’t be silly. Tending to her is my job, and aren’t we like a family by now anyway? Just send the location, and I will be on my way," she replied warmly before hanging up.
"Yes, thank you!"
After hanging up, he immediately sent over the location. Once the message was marked as delivered, he tucked his phone back into his pocket, took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and turned back toward the bedroom.
Returning to the bedroom, he saw her staring quietly up at the ceiling.
"...Everything is going to be fine," Soren offered her a reassuring nod as he approached the side of the bed. "Just stay relaxed for a little while, alright?"
Ethea blinked, a small flicker of confusion crossing her face. "...Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing is wrong," Soren replied, pulling out his phone and tapping the screen while casting a worried glance toward her to gauge how she was holding up. "I... called Aunt Clara. She will be here soon, so please wait until then."
Ethea opened her mouth to speak, but paused as the reason behind his call suddenly clicked. Warmth rushed to her face, and she quickly fell silent, lowering her eyes.
About twenty minutes passed in an awkward silence, with Soren repeatedly checking the time and shooting concerned looks her way, before his phone finally buzzed.
Soren checked the notification, saw Clara’s text confirming she was outside, and met Ethea’s eyes.
"I’ll be back real quick."
"Ok..."
Soren soon returned to the room with Aunt Clara, then stepped back outside to give them privacy.
"Tap... Tap..."
He paced back and forth, his arms crossed over his chest. His mind, which had been racing for the past half hour, slowly began to settle and look at the bigger picture.
A cold realization settled in his chest.
’...’
Deep down, he knew Aunt Clara could not accompany them on their journey moving forward. She had her own life here, her own family, and this city was her home. Dragging her along into the unknown, effectively putting her in constant danger just to make their lives easier, felt wrong.
And once Aunt Clara was no longer by their side, only he would be left to care for Ethea.
They could try to hire a new caretaker or nurse to travel with them, but the moment that thought surfaced, his stomach turned. His trust in strangers had hit rock bottom after learning that enemies might actively be tracking them down. What if an assassin or a spy disguised themselves as a caregiver just to get close to them and acted when their guard was down? The mere possibility made his throat go dry.
He did have his Advanced Appraisal ability, which could read mental states and expose hidden motives, but relying solely on it was a dangerous gamble. What if the enemy possessed an artifact, a concealment spell, or a mental shroud specifically designed to bypass inspection? Just like his father-in-law Darius.
If that happened, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"..."
Soren stopped pacing.
He stared down at his own hands, his mind tracing the harsh reality of their situation. He could not keep depending on outside help to handle the basic necessities of their life. Ethea was his wife. If they ended up traveling alone or eventually entered the tower, there would be no Aunt Clara, and no third party to step in. He would be the only person she could rely on.
"I... I will have to do it myself." He clenched his fists tightly.
If this boundary had to be crossed eventually, it was far better to start now, while someone as experienced and trustworthy as Aunt Clara was still here to guide them through it.
He needed to toss aside his hesitation and step up to be a real husband for her. Nodding to himself, he felt a genuine calm settle over his nerves.
’Mm... Wait...’
A sudden realization hit him, making his posture stiffen: he had been acting as if this entire place was his home this whole time.
’...Gulp.’
A spike of self-consciousness hit him as he wondered what the Emperor would think of him now. ’...’
Trying to look natural, he moved to a chair, sat down, and closed his eyes. He spent the next ten minutes sitting there in complete silence, pretending to be deep in meditation.
He only opened his eyes when his phone vibrated with a message from Aunt Clara, telling him he could come back in.
’Finally.’
He stood up and stretched a little before walking back inside.
"Aunt Clara, is everything—"
The words died in his throat. Soren stopped dead at the threshold, his eyes widening as his mind completely blanked at the sight of Ethea.
’...Beautiful.’