Chapter 350: Our Door Is Always Open For You
Chapter 350: Our Door Is Always Open For You
Lily slowly opened her eyes and then looked at the sun that was rising in the East.
She had been keeping vigil the entire night along with her entire family and the rest of her tribe.
One by one, the people on the ground started to stir, as they, too, looked at the sun, whose light had descended to signal the start of a new day.
As she was sitting cross-legged on the peak of the mountain, Lily was able to see her tribesmen who numbered in the thousands.
Although everyone had stayed awake the whole night, none of them felt tired, which was expected of her people.
'I felt it, Ethan,' Lily thought as she stared at the Northeast, where her lover was. 'Thank you for keeping your promise.'
The young lady didn't tell Ethan that their race had a special ability. Regardless of the distance, they could tell where their mate was.
Because Lily was a Witch, this innate ability had mutated, granting her the power to vaguely sense what her beloved was doing.
It wasn't anything too grand, but it allowed her to know simple things like whether Ethan was awake or not.
She could also tell if he wasn't feeling well.
At first she was surprised when she gained this ability. But, after realizing how she was able to pinpoint Ethan's location, and as well as perceive his current condition, Lily was thrilled. She had always been worried that her lover would suddenly disappear, and leave her behind.
Now that she gained the means to track his location, she would be able to follow him even if they were thousands of miles apart.
All throughout the night, she felt that her lover had stayed awake.
This was enough to let her know that he had kept his promise and stood vigil alongside her on the longest night of the year.
Perhaps due to these shared senses, she was able to catch his thoughts, and she was pleasantly surprised to discover that he was thinking about the time they spent together in the Lands of Alastor.
Little did Lily know that Ethan had told their story to Chloe, Luna, Emma, Lilith, and Selene as they all joined him on his vigil.
Taking a long and deep breath, the young lady slowly stood up and did a bit of stretching.
She then turned around to look at her family members, who had also already stood up and were looking at the sunrise with eager expressions on their faces.
A few days ago, she didn't have much peace because her entire family was visibly disappointed that she didn't bring Ethan back to their tribe so that they could meet him.
Her Father, Seff, didn't say anything, but Lily knew that she might have made a mistake in not bringing Ethan back with her.
Knowing her Father, he would definitely come to Brynhildr Academy to visit Ethan himself. The mere thought of it was giving her a headache.
Her mother, Leah, made her displeasure known and even stated that she would make a personal trip to the academy to meet with the one whom her daughter had chosen to be her mate.
As if taking that as a cue, several members of her family consecutively declared that they would be doing the same.
If her entire family were to really appear at Brynhildr Academy together, the only thing she could do was plead for Ethan to flee in order to keep him safe.
'I guess I'll do my best to convince them to not go to the academy,' Lily sighed in her heart. 'At the very least, I need to convince them that not all of them should go.'
One or two members of her family were fine, but more than that would be a pain to deal with. Unfortunately, Lily was at a disadvantage in the negotiation that was about to happen.
Since all of them were looking forward to meeting Ethan, the only thing she could do was to reach a compromise with them.
"Let's go back," Seff stated, and all of his family members nodded in acknowledgment.
Lily followed behind him, with a light spring on her steps.
Although she was a bit anxious about the family meeting that would take place later, she was also looking forward to returning to the academy and meeting her handsome lover once again.
—————————
A few days later, in the Oswald Barony…
"Take care, and I'll see you back at the academy," Luna said before kissing Ethan's right cheek.
"I'll see you there as well," Ethan replied as he kissed her back.
There was only a week left of their vacation, and the young man decided to spend the remaining days with his grandparents.
Chloe also wanted to spend the New Year with her family, so she was going back as well.
As for Emma and Lilith, the two of them would follow Ethan back to his home, since their role was to ensure his safety.
The members of the Oswald Family had gathered to see them off, and the ladies even told Ethan that he could visit them anytime.
Bruce had his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn't even looking at Ethan and seemed to be more interested in the dirt on his boots.
Ethan glanced at his father-in-law, who seemed to be dead set on ignoring him.
"Father, I'll be going now," Ethan said as he walked towards Luna's father with a smile on his face.
Bruce ignored Ethan and continued to stare down at his boots.
Seeing his reaction, Ethan took out a storage ring and handed it over to Luna's father.
"This contains a tenth of the wealth I currently have, Father," Ethan said. "It should be enough to cover the Oswald Family's entire living room with gold coins. This is my dowry for Luna's hand in marriage."
"My boy, I hope that you continue to love and take care of my daughter, Luna," Bruce said with a fatherly smile on his face, as he looked at the young man, who was looking more handsome by the second. "Make sure to bring your grandparents with you next time, so we adults can set the date of your wedding day.
"You wish to marry Luna after she graduates, right? I see no problem with this. Remember, our door is always open for you and your family."
After saying those words, Bruce shamelessly accepted the storage ring that was in Ethan's hand and pocketed it as if it were the most natural thing to do.
Luna blushed and covered her face due to embarrassment, while Rowan, Dennis, and Erik looked at their father in disdain.
Earlier, he was stubbornly ignoring Ethan, but after the latter gave him a bribe, Bruce warmed up to him instantly!
Philip only chuckled when he saw his son's shameless act. However, since he already considered Ethan as his grandson-in-law, he just found this exchange very amusing.
"Chloe and Emma, you can also come and visit us anytime," Irene said. "Having more girls in the house makes it more lively. I look forward to your next visit."
"Thank you, Auntie," Chloe replied. "I also look forward to seeing all of you again."
"Thank you for the hospitality, Lady Irene," Emma said with a smile. "I had a wonderful stay with your family."
After a few more parting words, Ethan, Chloe, and Emma summoned their flying brooms and flew towards the Train Station.
Luna watched as her lover and friends disappeared from view, making her feel a little lonely.
But she knew that this loneliness was just temporary. In less than ten days, she would see them again, and they would all reunite in Brynhildr Academy, and welcome the start of a new year together.