Isolde was nervous. Truthfully, she didn’t want to go. But Julius was adamant about it.
She and her daughter, Anneliese, owed him more than they could ever repay. The clinic, the research grants, the security, everything had been made possible because of him. So even though she wanted to decline, she saw this as a chance to repay, in some small way, the many debts she owed.
With that thought, Isolde steadied her breathing and clasped her hands together, forcing herself to calm down. Whatever waited for her tonight, she had already made her choice.
If she happened to encounter her ex-husband tonight, then so be it. Honestly, a part of her wanted to see how he was doing.
No, if she were being truthful, she wanted to rub it in his face. She wanted him to see the connection she had built with Julius, a man whose name alone couldn’t even begin to compare to any of her ex-husband’s achievements.
It might have seemed like she was using Julius, but she knew he wouldn’t mind. In fact, from the way he spoke and acted, it almost felt like he intended to support her tonight, fully aware of what this appearance would mean.
As they entered the venue, the first to notice them was Gabriel, dressed in an elegant suit and moving with the disciplined posture of a Revenant Knight assigned to security.
"Oh, Miss Isolde. Welcome."
"Ah." Isolde gave a polite nod. "Hello, Mister Dieterich. It’s nice to see you."
Noticing them, Julius frowned. "Are you not going to greet me?"
Gabriel blinked, feigning surprise. "Ah, Young Master. I didn’t notice you there."
"...Bastard."
The next moment, Gabriel leaned in and whispered, "Listen, I knew something was up with you, but to be this blatant about it? You’re bold, I’ll give you that. Let me tell you something, Lady Vergissmeinnicht is here."
"What?"
Gabriel’s words came too fast. So much so that Julius had trouble comprehending it.
"I know your type, Young Master," Gabriel continued. "It was obvious how favorably you treated her compared to me."
Julius gave him a deadpan stare. "...What the hell are you talking about?"
"Whatever’s going on between you and the Doctor, I can only support it," Gabriel said with a smirk. "Anyway, keep your guard up tonight, Lady Vergissmeinnicht is here."
"Aiseline?"
Julius froze. His heart sank at the name. Aiseline was here? Since when?
In the past, she had always attended the event as his plus one. But now that their engagement had been annulled, there was no reason for her to even be invited, much less show up.
"Apparently, her orchestra’s been hired for tonight’s performance," Gabriel said. "You might want to brace yourself."
"Why should I—wait?" Julius frowned. "Between me and Doctor Isolde? Seriously? You’ve been reading too many romance novels. There’s nothing like that going on. I wouldn’t hit on a divorcee with a child, you idiot. She’s here as my business partner, get that through your head."
"Mm, sure. A business partner. That’s a solid excuse. Anyway, just be careful—"
"Hold on," Julius interrupted. "Can you find out who her husband is? I heard he’s an executive at Dream. Last name should be Aschoff."
He had already checked SIBYL’s database, but nothing had shown up. Even when he tried a face search, no match appeared. Then again, that wasn’t too surprising. Most Dream executives operated behind closed systems to ensure anonymity and protection from data leaks or potential targeting.
"Aschoff, huh?" Gabriel tapped his chin, pretending to think it over. "Alright, I’ll look into it. I get it. You want to make sure she doesn’t start catching feelings for her ex again—"
"Listen, man. I’m really trying to be nice here. There are eyes everywhere, but you’re making it really hard for me—"
"Uhm..."
Julius froze mid-sentence. He and Gabriel both turned toward Isolde, who looked unsure whether to interrupt or pretend she hadn’t heard a thing.
For a brief moment, silence reigned in the space between them. Whether Isolde had caught the entire exchange or just the tail end of it was anyone’s guess, but the awkward tension made it clear how inappropriate their bickering looked.
Julius cleared his throat, fixing his posture. "We were just discussing... security arrangements."
Gabriel coughed into his fist, forcing a smile. "Yes, very serious business. You know how it is. Keeping the Young Master safe and all."
"R-Right... Of course."
Julius gave Gabriel a pointed glare, then turned to Isolde.
"Shall we go inside, Doctor?"
"...Yes."
They walked down the carpet together. Before stepping fully into the room, Julius threw one last glance at Gabriel and made a slicing motion across his neck, indicating he would kill him later.
Gabriel only grinned and waved. "Have fun, Young Master."
As soon as the two disappeared inside, Gabriel sighed and tapped the earpiece in his right ear.
"Where are you guys? The party’s about to start."
A burst of static crackled, followed by a male voice.
——The hovercar broke down. It’s getting fixed right now.
"What? Then what about Young Master Leo?"
Leo Roland Deutschmann, the heir of the Deutschmann Family.
——Yeah, he’s throwing a fit. Not our fault he didn’t ride with his father and decided to wander off.
"Can’t you get a spare vehicle?"
——Impossible. Every hovercar’s been booked for the other guests. Give it two minutes, tops.
Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose. "Then have someone else pick him up! The party can’t start without him."
——We tried. He refused, said it’d ruin his ’aura points’ or whatever that means.
"...Of course he did."
Leo hadn’t changed at all. Even as a child, the boy had been unbearable and entitled, and always clinging to Julius just to show off. Technically, the three of them could be called childhood friends, but in truth, Gabriel could barely tolerate him.
Still, the show couldn’t begin without the Deutschmann heir.
"Whatever it is, just hurry up!"
After all, the Deutschmann Family was behind Dream Industries, the hosts of tonight’s event.