But even as pride swelled in his chest, Cassius's mind churned with questions he couldn't answer.
Because none of this should have been possible.
When Isabelle had murmured that quiet wish to herself, it had been barely a whisper.
The kind of private longing a person speaks into the world without expecting anyone to hear.
And yet.
A message had blazed through his consciousness, direct and unmistakable.
"Well, well. It seems my sister has taken an interest in your little wife."
The Goddess of Debauchery's voice, typically dripping with playful seduction.
Cassius had seized the connection immediately.
"What do you mean? What's happening?"
"Freya, my dear sister, heard your Isabelle's request. And she's chosen to grant it."
A pause, and then, with something that sounded almost like genuine confusion,
"She's allowing your blessing to flow through the girl. Under certain...conditions."
"Why?" Cassius had demanded. "Why would Freya care about—"
"I honestly don't know."
