"Add Sophie to the Ultimate Family."
The system remained silent for a moment. Then a new notification appeared before Dan’s eyes.
[To establish a marital bond, both parties must wholeheartedly accept the relationship.]
Dan blinked. "Both parties?"
Another notification appeared almost immediately.
[The Host cannot unilaterally designate a woman as his wife.]
[The prospective wife must personally accept the Host as her husband and agree to trust, support, and build a family with him.]
Dan stared at the words for several seconds. ’That actually makes sense.’
He had half expected the system to simply declare Sophie his wife without asking her. Apparently, even the Ultimate Family System had rules governing how a marital bond could be established.
More importantly, Sophie still had a choice.
Dan’s gaze remained fixed on the floating panel as another notification appeared.
[Sophie Reigns will be asked to become your wife.]
Dan’s eyes widened slightly.
"Sophie Reigns..."
He repeated her full name under his breath, his gaze lingering on the notification for a few seconds.
Dan remained silent for a moment before slowly exhaling.
"Looks like I’ve made my choice."
The thought of Sophie becoming his wife felt strangely surreal.
Yet, despite everything that had happened tonight, the idea didn’t feel wrong.
If anything, it felt surprisingly natural.
...
Meanwhile, in the house beside Dan’s, Sophie sat quietly in her living room.
Lily had already gone to bed, leaving the house unusually peaceful. The television remained on in front of her, continuing its coverage of the strange red rain that had fallen across the city.
Sophie had been watching the news for quite some time, but she still couldn’t make sense of what had happened.
The rain had looked like blood.
It was not merely red-colored water, but something disturbingly similar to actual blood.
And now scientists were reporting that the strange rainfall contained components found in real blood.
Sophie hugged her arms lightly as uneasiness settled deeper in her chest.
"What is happening?"
There was no answer as the television continued playing in the background.
Then, without warning, a translucent panel appeared directly in front of her.
Sophie froze, her eyes widening as she stared at the floating screen suspended in the middle of her living room.
"What...?" She instinctively leaned backward in shock..
The panel didn’t move. It simply remained there, floating silently in the air as though it had always belonged there.
Then a calm, mechanical voice echoed directly inside her mind.
[Daniel Reynolds has requested your hand in marriage.]
Sophie’s breathing stopped. ’Dan...?’
Her heart gave an unexpected jolt. The panel changed.
[Daniel Reynolds wishes for you to become his wife.]
[Do you wholeheartedly accept him as your husband and agree to trust, support, and build a family with him?]
Sophie stared at the words. For several seconds, her mind went completely blank.
A floating panel had appeared inside her home, a strange voice was speaking directly inside her mind. And somehow, it was asking her to marry Dan.
"What is this?"
She slowly stood and reached toward the panel but her fingers passed right through it.
Sophie immediately pulled her hand back, her heart beginning to beat faster.
There were too many questions.
Who was speaking to her? How did they know Dan? How had something like this appeared inside her home? And most importantly, had Dan really asked this?
Her gaze shifted toward the television. The blood rain was still the main subject of the news.
Then she looked back at the mysterious panel.
Her thoughts became increasingly tangled.
Dan had only just returned home earlier that evening. Yet now, his name was appearing before her, asking her to become his wife.
Sophie lowered her gaze, her fingers unconsciously tightening against the fabric of her clothes.
It was sudden, impossible. And yet, somehow, the idea didn’t feel wrong.
She had spent so long keeping certain feelings buried that she had almost convinced herself they would remain that way forever.
But seeing Dan’s name before her made those feelings impossible to ignore.
Sophie slowly looked up again. She still had questions. She didn’t understand what was happening or how any of this was possible.
But there was one thing she understood perfectly; She didn’t want to reject him. A faint warmth spread through her chest at the thought of becoming Dan’s wife.
Perhaps she was being reckless. Perhaps accepting something she didn’t understand would eventually bring consequences she couldn’t foresee.
But when she imagined saying no, her heart refused to accept it.
Sophie stared at the panel for a long moment. "If this really came from Dan..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper as she looked at the panel once again.
[Do you wholeheartedly accept him as your husband and agree to trust, support, and build a family with him?]
Sophie remained silent. Then she slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
There were still so many things she wanted to understand.
But she trusted Dan. And after all these years, she finally allowed herself to stop fighting what she already knew in her heart.
She opened her eyes. "Yes, I agree."
The moment the word left her lips, the panel changed.
[Confirmation received.]
[Sophie Reigns has wholeheartedly accepted Daniel Reynolds as her husband.]
Sophie stared at the notification. For a moment, she simply stood there.
Then her gaze lowered slightly.
"Daniel..." She whispered his name softly.
She still had many questions about the strange situation unfolding around her. But strangely enough, beneath all that uncertainty was a quiet warmth she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
...
Meanwhile, back inside Dan’s house, he was still standing before the system interface when suddenly...
<Ding!>
A new notification appeared, Dan’s eyes immediately focusing on it.
[Sophie has been added to the Ultimate Family.]
He stared at the words. For a moment, he didn’t react.
Then he slowly exhaled. ’She accepted.’
For some reason, knowing that Sophie had personally agreed made the entire situation feel far more real.
The system hadn’t simply forced a relationship into existence.
It had asked her; and she had chosen him.
Before Dan could fully process that thought, another notification appeared.
[Family registration complete.]
[Sophie Reigns has officially taken the Reynolds surname.]
[Registered name: Sophie Reynolds.]
Dan blinked. "So it’s actually changing her surname too..."
He stared at the notification for a moment before another panel appeared.
[Sophie Reynolds has become the First Wife of Dan’s Ultimate Family.]
Dan’s expression changed slightly.
Then another notification followed.
[Sophie has gained the title: First Wife of the Ultimate Family.]
Dan raised an eyebrow. Immediately afterward, another panel appeared.
[Take note: Most titles possess hidden effects and benefits.]
[The effects of your title, "Head of the Ultimate Family," and your wife’s title, "First Wife of the Ultimate Family," cannot currently be accessed.]
Dan frowned. "Can’t be accessed?"
The system gave no further explanation. Dan stared at the notification for several seconds before another message suddenly appeared.
[Host’s child has been added to the Ultimate Family.]
Dan froze. "My child?"
His eyes widened slightly. The first person who came to his mind was Lily.
But something about the notification bothered him.
’Shouldn’t it say something like Lily has been added to the Ultimate Family and has become my child?’
Dan’s expression gradually became more confused as he read the notification again.
The wording wasn’t saying that a child had become his.
It was referring to the child as his before the family registration had even taken place.
’Why does it sound like she’s already my child?’
A strange feeling settled over him. He frowned deeply. ’How does that even work?’
Dan looked toward the system panel as though expecting it to explain itself.
"System?"
For a moment, there was nothing. Then another notification appeared.
[System is unable to answer that.]
Dan’s eyebrows twitched. "You’re unable to answer?"
Silence descended in the room as he stared at the panel willing the system to respond but the system remained completely unresponsive.
Dan eventually rubbed his forehead. "This system is becoming more confusing by the minute."
Only hours ago, he had been an ordinary construction worker returning home after a terrible day.
Now he had a supernatural system, an approaching apocalypse, a new wife, and a mysterious title whose effects he couldn’t access.
And somehow, the system had just informed him that he already had a child.
His thoughts immediately returned to Lily. A small frown appeared on his face.
’Could the system somehow be referring to her?’
But that didn’t make sense. He had never had a child. At least, not that he knew of.
Dan looked toward the window, his expression becoming increasingly thoughtful.
Somehow, he had a feeling the answer was connected to Sophie.
Unfortunately, he had absolutely no idea how.
...
Far beyond the mortal world, in an unknown divine location separated from Earth by an immeasurable distance, a feminine figure sat upon an ethereal throne.
Divine radiance surrounded her body, making her features difficult to perceive clearly. Yet the faint smile on her lips was unmistakable.
She had been watching everything. When Dan questioned the system about his child, the woman’s smile widened slightly.
"Oops." A soft, amused laugh escaped her lips. "I almost let that secret slip."
Her eyes glimmered with playful interest. "If he learned everything directly from the system, that would be far too boring."
She leaned comfortably against the throne, watching the mortal below. "Some secrets are much more interesting when mortals discover them themselves."
Her smile deepened. "And besides..."
She paused for a moment. "It would be far more interesting if Daniel heard the truth directly from the woman who has been keeping it from him all these years."
A soft laugh echoed through the mysterious divine space.
"Let’s see how long it takes him to figure it out."