BXBX NOVEL Chapter 270 - Welcome Home!
He sat on the couch facing them.
"How it\'s going in there, son? How\'s the family reunion?" his father Roman asked.
His mother Carmen interjected, "Was it a tearful and happy reunion for the family?"
"Yes!" Zero replied. "Everyone was crying and smiling at the same time. It was an emotional reunion."
Roman smiled. "I\'m happy for the couple. So, about the rewards. We know that you did it mainly for prestige and the chance to make a big contribution to the clan. What rewards have they given you?"
Zero breathed deeply. "They will reward me with gold coins, and I didn\'t ask how much because that would be inappropriate give that they are the leader of our clan," he replied.
"That\'s good etiquette, son. Did you refused the rewards?" Carmen inquired.
"Yes, I did. But Lord Tony still insisted on it. And they give me another reward..." he said.
Zero\'s parents looked at each other, their eyes sparkled in excitement.
"What is the other reward? It must be awesome!" Ramon grinned.
Carmen smiled. "Son, tell us about the other rewards! Come on! We\'re dying to know about it!"
Zero took a deep breath. "They want me to be their son-in-law by marrying Nini to me!" he dropped the bomb.
Ramon and Carmen\'s happiness shoot to the roof. To be able to be associated and accepted as part of the family of Helix Vanguard Clan is a great pride and prestige to anyone.
Everyone is willing to marry any member of the leader of their clan. When the leaders choose a husband for their daughters, and one is chosen, it\'s considered a good blessing.
Carmen noticed the problematic expression on Zero\'s face. "You look like you\'re not happy about marrying Nini, son? Is she ugly? Is she hard to love?" she bombarded him with questions.
"I also noticed that you\'re not happy with the wonderful news. What\'s bothering your mind, son? Can you tell us about it?" Ramon asked.
Zero breathed deeply. "There are two prophecies about Nini that I haven\'t told you yet..." he said.
Ramon\'s brows furrowed. "You mentioned the prophecy claimed by the soothsayer in your letter. But you never told us what\'s the prophecy is all about? Can you tell us about it now?" he asked.
"Yeah, about the prophecy? Was it bad, son?" Carmen said.
Zero looked at his parents, wearing a serious expression on his face. "Marrying Nini is not a good thing if I will start believing the prophecy. The soothsayer told me that Nini is going to slaughter her whole family, including her relatives sometimes in the future," he narrated.
The couple\'s face broke into worry and shock.
Carmen looked at her husband. "Should we believe the prophecy?"
Ramon took a deep breath and looked at his son. "It depends if the soothsayer is fake or real. Was she fake, son?"
Zero shook his head. "Before Nini and I come here to the capital, Granny Mendelia told me about the massacre that\'s going to happen in the future. And the second prophecy is that the moment Nini returned to the capital, her family will marry her to the deserving candidates chosen by her parents, and I\'m the one they have chosen as her husband," he explained.
The couple looked at each other, speechless They were astounded by their son\'s revelation.
"Oh, no! One of the prophecies already happened!" Carmen looked at her son worriedly.
"Yeah, it did! That\'s why I\'m fully convinced that the other prophecy is about to happen soon. The only question is... when it\'s going to happen? When is the exact time Nini will massacre her family?" Zero said and glanced at his father.
Ramon looked at his son and asked, "Did you already told Nini\'s parents about the two prophecies?"
"Yes, I did! But they dismissed the prophecy as a hoax. They don\'t believe the soothsayer\'s outrageous claim. And there\'s nothing I can do convince them," Zero said.
Carmen sighed and looked at her son. "To decline the offer of marriage is like an insult to our leader\'s order, and we can\'t afford to offend them. But agreeing to the marriage must be pretty hard for you. It\'s difficult having a wife who can go berserk anytime. You have to put your guard all the time. That\'s not the kind of marriage that I wanted for you, son," she said sadly.
"Your life is in constant danger if you marry the girl!" Ramon agreed.
Zero nodded his head. "Yeah, that\'s what I\'ve been thinking after they have chosen me to be their son-in-law," he said. "But refusing their offer is something that we can\'t afford to do..."
The trio was speechless, pondering on how to get out of the situation that they found themselves in.
A thick wall of silence enveloped them for a few minutes.
Carmen broke the silence with a question. "The situation is not that hopeless. Is there no other way to combat the prophecy? So that the girl won\'t kill anyone in the future?"
Ramon smiled. "That\'s it! Let\'s find someone powerful seer to counter the prophecy!" he agreed with his wife\'s suggestion. "Let\'s invite all the well-known seer in this country to see the girl and reward them handsomely if they can find a solution to the girl\'s bad fortune!" he said animatedly.
"Brilliant idea, Father! I will suggest it to the Lord tonight in the welcome dinner party," Zero said.
Carmen looked at her son. "You can rest in your room for a while. I will send the servant to inform you if lunch is ready," she said.
"Okay," Zero spoke and rose to his feet.
He left the living room, walked to the grand staircase, and climb the stairs going to his room for a much-needed rest.
Hours went by.
The evening finally comes.
Zero\'s family gathered inside the carriage. They\'re heading to the venue of the dinner party.
Half an hour passed, they finally reached the large state of the Helix Vanguard Cla. And together with the other guest, families, and relatives, they were ushered into the function hall that can accommodate two hundred guests.
The magnificent chandeliers were shining brightly, hanging in the ceiling, and the tables were adorned with crystals utensils fit for the royals.
Everyone took their seats and before the dinner formally started.
Tony and his entire family entered the hall, including Nini who is looking beautiful, wearing a lovely gown walking beside her look-alike mother.
Tony uttered a short speech addressing everyone. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you all for attending this intimate dinner. It\'s a happy celebration because our long-lost daughter has finally been found! Nini was finally reunited with our family after twenty years of absence! Please join us in this happy celebration!" he said happily.
He raised his wine glass, and everyone did the same. "Cheers!"
"Cheers!" the crows chanted in unison.
"Alright, let\'s enjoy the delicious feast! And then afterward, we\'ll enjoy some music in the ballroom!" Tony said. He and his family gathered around the table and started eating.
The guests shifted their attention to the delicious feast in front of them.
One hour and thirty minutes later, they finished eating dinner.
Tony and the guests left the dining hall and proceed to the ballroom where a piece of live music has just started.
Everyone was having a good time, drinking wine, and chatting with each other.
Tony seeks Zero\'s presence and talks to him in private. "Son, next week, we will have another party to announce to everyone your upcoming wedding to my daughter," he said.
"Thank you for your blessing, my lord!" Zero replied. "By the way, I have some suggestions for you regarding Nini. May I?" he asked permission first.
"Sure. What is it?" Tony said.
"I believe in the prophecy..." Zero spoke.
"Me too, and my whole family believe in the prophecy since we didn\'t tell anyone about marrying our daughter to you unless that soothsayer overheard my wife and me discussing the marriage inside our bedroom. But since something like that is impossible to happen, we are beginning to believe that the old woman\'s prophecy indeed had some truth to it," Tony said.
Zero felt relieved. \'"Did Nini already know about the prophecy?" he asked.
"No. We keep it a secret from her. But we already told her about the wedding," Tony said.
"Okay," Zero spoke.
"So, to be on the safe side, I would like to trouble you in inviting that old woman to come to our residence. We would like to ask her if there\'s something or anything that she can do to prevent the catastrophe from happening. We would pay her services and her time in coming here, and she will get more monetary rewards if she can help us find a way to counter the prophecy," Tony concluded.
Zero was elated. "That\'s a good idea, my lord!" he enthused.
"Ah, regarding your suggestion. Let me hear about it," Tony said.
"My Lord, I was also thinking of the same thing. I was about to suggest to you that we will gather the well-known psychics all over the land to come here and see Nini. Maybe they can help us counter the calamity that will happen in the future," Zero said.
"That\'s a good suggestion also. I will instruct my men to contact and invite all the famous soothsayers in the land to come and visit my home to see Nini. We\'re hoping to find someone who can counter the prophecy. Let\'s see who among them can prevent Nini\'s bad luck," Tony agreed to the suggestion.
"Thank you, my lord," Zero spoke.
"Alright, let\'s go back to the party and enjoy the rest of the night with our friends and relatives!" Tony said.
The two men went back to the party.