Thad felt a tightness in his chest, listening in silence.
"Tonight, if my proposal goes well, first thing tomorrow morning, we''ll go register our marriage."
Cassius was always a man of depth and stability, but now his voice was carried by a wave of happiness, each word trembling slightly as if he was struggling to contain his joy. "Here in Bastan, same-sex marriage is legal. There''s no better opportunity than now."
"Congrattions." Thad''s voice was deep, tinged with a hint of envy.
"I''ve been carrying this thought for a long time. Didn''t know who to share it with, even Evadne didn''t seem quite right."
Cassius couldn''t help but chuckle, "After much thought, you''re the only one I could talk to."
"Being the first to hear the good news from you is an honor."
Thad''s lips curled into a genuine smile, offering his blessings from the bottom of his heart, "Cassius, you and Chasel have to be happy. I truly wish you both the best."
"Thank you, we will be. And you and Evadne too."
Cassius urged softly, "Even Jareth is settling down, when are you bringing my sister home, Thad?"
Thad tucked the jewelry box into his coat, his heart fluttering as he made his way to Emeric''s room.
"This is wonderful. Nydia, it''s just wonderful!"
He halted in his steps, quickly hiding behind a potted nt.
The bright moonlight streamed through the window, casting a beautiful silhouette on the embracing couple.
Jason wrapped his arms around Nydia''s slender waist, kissing her tenderly from her forehead down to her flushed lips with such tenderness and care, as if wishing to merge her into his being.
Nydia, already deeply in love with him, couldn''t resist his passionate advances, quickly bing pliant in his arms, her voice soft and broken.
"Jason." The girl''s eyes were rimmed with red, her visage pitiful yet captivating. "I''m going to be a dad, Nydia. I, Jason, am going to be a dad!"
Jason''s voice trembled with excitement as he held her even closer, "Nydia, don''t be afraid, I''ll protect you and our child. I''ll do everything to ensure we have a good life!
It''s toote tonight, but first thing tomorrow, I''ll meet with your father to formally ask for your hand in marriage!"
"There''s no rush."
Nydia lifted her slightly pale face, "My mom and my sister are discussing this with dad in their room, to keep him from getting too excited and affecting his health. They''ll smooth things over and calm him down."
"No matter what, even if your father disagrees, I''m determined to marry you."
Jason''s heart pounded fiercely, his eyes reddening, "Otherwise, my life would have no meaning."
"After all we''ve been through, dad knows how I feel about you. Even if I''ve severed ties with the Dempsey family and your parents can''te to speak to him personally, he probably won''t hold it against us."
Nydia lightly bit her lip, her eyes filled with worry as she gently touched her belly, "It''s just we''re not married yet, and I''m not ready to be a mother. I''m afraid I won''t do well, afraid I won''t be able to take care of you or our child."
"Don''t worry, I will."
Jason, realizing he had been too preupied to even prepare a proposal, felt a surge of guilt, his voice growing hoarse, "I''ll take care of you, take care of our child."
"How could you? You''re so busy."
"It''s fine, you''ve got me, all capable and strong!"
Jason''s face was sincere, without a hint of deceit, "If you don''t want to breastfeed, we''ll use form. Whether it''s changing diapers or making bottles, or putting the baby to sleep, I''ll take care of it all. You won''t have to lift a finger! And when the baby gets bigger, we''ll hire a nanny. The nanny looks after the baby, and you keep an eye on the nanny. How easy is that?"
"But how can that be?" Nydia shook her head.
"I''ve heard my mom say that giving birth is like walking through the gates of death, and once you be a mother, youpletely lose yourself."
Jason tenderly stroked her dark hair, "From the moment you carry this baby until you give birth, you''ll have a tough journey ahead. The thought of not being able to share your burden makes me so sad. So once the baby is here, I''ll make it up to you for all the hardships you''ve endured. Please bear with this one tough year, my dear wife, and for the rest of our lives, I''ll take care of you and our little one."
His words of deep affection finally eased all of Nydia''s fears.
Her eyes shone like two bright pearls, filled with hope for a happy future.
Thad''s lips curled into a satisfied smile, not wanting to disturb them, he quietly left.
As he reached the door to his room, he bumped into Myraing out, surprised to see him:
"Thaddeus? What brings you here?"
"Myra, is Evadne inside?" Thad''s voice was deep.
"She''s talking to her father. Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing much, just checking in and wanted to see how Mr. Ashbourne is doing."
His voice trembled slightly with nervousness.
"Then you should go in, Emeric''s about to go to sleep."
Myra found Thad''s appearance tonight quite different, taking a closer look, she smiled, "Wow, you''re dressed so finely, it''s been a while since I''ve seen such craftsmanship."
"Evadne made it for me, it''s my favorite." Thad stood tall, clearly proud.
"Ha, that exins it. Evadne''s craftsmanship is unmatched."
Myra sighed softly, speaking warmly, "I''ve made clothes for Emeric before, it''s quite the task, very draining. Evadne hasn''t even made anything for her brothers, that shows she really loves you, putting in all her effort."
"Yes." His voice was thick with emotion, a lump forming in his throat.
After Myra left, the door opened a crack, and he slowly pushed it open.
Muffled voices of father and daughter came from inside.
Thad approached the door, about to knock, when Emeric''s gentle voice floated through:
"Evadne, Mari is married now, and your little sister has Jason''s child on the way, we need to start nning for them too. What about you? When are you and Thad nning to?"
Thad''s heartbeat thundered in his ears, he held his breath.
After a brief silence, Evadne softly replied, her voice tender yet determined:
"Dad, right now, I don''t want to get married yet."