There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 719: Side Story 4. Endless Journey - 2

Bassena handed the invitation to Zein instead of opening it himself, simply because he understood Senia. And he understood that the bride was the main character in such an event.

"When will it be?" Zein asked while opening the invitation. "August? To match your name?"

"Less rain," Gus shrugged.

"It didn’t rain during our wedding," Zein raised his brow.

Gus scoffed. "That’s because you’re a blessed couple or whatever."

"But what does rain have to do with anything? It’s indoor," Bassena tilted his head when he read the venue.

It was located on the Austin family’s ranch, but the hall was a classic mansion from the Old Age that people often rented for weddings. Naturally, since they owned the building, they would have their wedding there too.

"Do you know what kind of messy business it would be to have rain on a ranch?" Gus rolled his eyes.

"Nope," Bassena replied unapologetically. "But you’re not going this far just to give us this invitation, right? You could easily give it to me in the guild."

"Well..." Gus shrugged, turning his head at the girl beside him.

Senia flinched as the attention shifted to her. It was funny to think how confident she was in the past, flaunting around like a princess. It wasn’t that she became humble, however--she was just nervous.

Gus was right. She was more nervous than anything, especially when she raised her head and met the curious pair of blue eyes.

"I’m not going to ask it," Gus whispered teasingly. "You have to ask yourself."

"I know," Senia hissed and pinched her fiancee, who cheekily smirked at her misery.

"Now I’m curious," Bassena leaned back and crossed his arms with a smirk on his face. It was so annoying that Senia was tempted to just forget about it and return home.

But wait--that would only make her teased by Gus and Bassena, so Senia regained her wit by the power of petty. She opened her mouth fueled by sheer annoyance.

"I’m--"

And then stopped. Once again, as her eyes met the blue gaze, her throat felt dry. She grabbed the glass of sparkling water on the table and gulped it all in one go, prompting the others to raise their brow.

Gus pressed his lips to hold back his laughter and rubbed his girl’s back as a show of support--although he only received a nasty glare back.

"Ahem," Senia cleared her throat and wet her lips before starting again. "Umm...so, Zein--uhh..." she swallowed through her dry throat and felt her voice faltered. "I...I have a request..."

"For me?" Zein tilted his head. "Does it have anything to do with the wedding?"

Senia bit her lips and nodded while lowering her head. Bassena tilted sideways in Zein’s direction and arched his brow. "Curiouser and curiouser."

"It’s..." Senia took a deep breath. "Can you..." she glanced at Zein while her fingers fiddling on her lap. "Would you...walk me down the aisle?"

Both Zein and Bassena blinked in surprise while Gus patted his fiancee’s head, who was getting really flustered and almost hiding behind Gus’s arm.

With a laugh, he finally took over. "Well, you know how it is--she didn’t have anyone to walk her down the aisle. My Dad said he’d do it since I’m the only son anyway, but..." he glanced at the embarrassed Senia and chuckled fondly. "You’re almost like her brother--well, mentor? Ah, you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to--she’s fine with my Dad, just...you know? Figured we’d ask first."

He looked calm, but Bassena and Zein could actually see that the swordsman was nervous, too. Since it was his fiancee’s wish, Gus probably wanted to grant it as long as he could. That being said, none of them could force Zein to do anything, not even Bassena or Radia. That was why they had to show some sincerity and ask him in person.

Zein understood this, but he was also surprised. He had used to being treated respectfully, now that he had become a full-fledged patriarch. But walking someone down the aisle was another level.

Wasn’t it like saying he was like her father or something? Well, brother, probably, but still...

"I...I was just trying to ask," Senia said while holding--crushing--Gus’s hand. "Y-you don’t have to agree..."

Seeing the haughty girl act so shy and nervous was actually rather...cute.

"Hmm..." Zein leaned to the side and propped his chin with his hand. His face was so unreadable that the soon-to-be-wedded couple held each other clammy hands tightly.

Even Bassena waited for the answer with bated breath.

"Hmm...since someone kept refusing to give me a daughter..."

Bassena coughed and choked on his saliva while Gus arched his brow high.

"Might as well," Zein shrugged.

Ignoring the choking guildmaster, Senia perked up. Her shyness evaporated now that she was no longer nervous, and her back straightened. "Really? You promise?"

"The twins are old enough, so I’m sure this guy can take care of them alone," Zein said nonchalantly, pointing at his breathless husband with his thumb.

"This guy--pfft..." Gus covered his mouth but did not bother to cover his laughter. "Ahem--anyway, thank you, Zein."

"No problem," Zein nodded. "Anyway...August, huh? I don’t think Shin can come then."

"Yeah, he told me," Gus chuckled. "It’s a son, isn’t it?"

Apparently, Shin and Reina were getting busy the moment Shin came out of the Tower--and Joon got healed--because they suddenly announced last month that Nari would have a younger brother when they all had a dinner to commemorate Han Joon’s full recovery.

Coincidentally, the expected due date was in the same week as Gus and Senia’s wedding, and the couple were going to stay in Althrea for the whole of August. Zein and Bassena themselves were probably going to head to Althrea right after the wedding.

There was no way the twins would pass on visiting the little princess’s younger brother.

"Yeah," Zein leaned back and tapped on his armrest, muttering in a melancholic tone. "How nice, getting both a daughter and a son..."

Gus laughed and patted his Commander, who seemed to get an acute sore throat because he couldn’t stop choking at nothing. How fortunate that he hadn’t taken a sip at all, or they all might be under a spraying local rain at this point.

After busy catching up and playing with the twins for a bit until they got familiar with Senia again, the engaged couple left Ishtera Hill. The twins finally fell asleep after turning the living room into a battleground, and Bassena felt rather awkward while returning them to the nursery--which had been turned into a children’s bedroom.

"Umm..." he scratched his neck awkwardly while observing his husband. "Are you upset?"

Zein chuckled and turned toward his worried husband after covering the twins with thin blankets. How adorable. This was why Zein couldn’t help but keep teasing the man, even after years in a relationship.

That being said...

"I’m not upset," Zein patted the esper’s cheek. "But I do hope you change your mind."

Bassena pressed his lips and leaned his head on the guide’s shoulder, hugging his husband’s waist. "I’m trying," he sighed. "Can you give me more time?"

Zein wanted to laugh. It was usually the one giving birth who felt reluctant, not the one giving a seed. But even though Zein had the twins through c-section, and Han Shin easily healed him afterward, Bassena was still haunted by the thought that Zein had to experience having his stomach cut open.

He probably wouldn’t be that reluctant if he could be the one bearing the child instead.

Of course, Zein knew this, which was why he couldn’t get upset even if he wanted to. Still...

"Alright, but don’t take too long," he patted the platinum hair. "I’m not getting any younger."

"Ugh..." Bassena raised his head and asked cautiously. "Do you want to have another child, or it has to be a daughter?"

Zein suppressed his laughter so the twins wouldn’t wake up. "Don’t worry; I have a feeling the next one will be a daughter."

"How?"

"Just," Zein shrugged. "But I do want a daughter. I had taken care of two sets of male twins, so...I really want a girl this time."

Phew--Bassena exhaled slowly. Did he ever think that Zein would be so eager to have a big family? Honestly, no. And honestly? Bassena found that he didn’t mind it either.

His initial fear about raising children had passed after experiencing it himself. The children did not break. He did not harm his children. He could never bear to. The Vaski’s blood wasn’t that prominent in him, it seemed. And it was fun. Even the exhausting part felt like a blessing.

Thinking about adding more member to their family was not the part he was averse to.

"Then...give me time a bit more," he whispered. "I think I’ll be able to prepare my heart in a year or two."

"A year or two, huh?" Zein raised his brow, before leaning closer and sealed the words with a kiss. "Alright. In a year or two. I’ll remember that."

"Ugh..."