~Terros's Place~
Graven was sitting on the wooden bench under the shade of the tree while waiting for Terros to finish dressing up for the dinner party that will take place in South Pond Town.
A few minutes later.
Terros come down the bamboo stairs in his three-piece suit gray attire consisting of jacket, pants, waistcoat, and black leather shoes... looking prim and proper.
Terros smiled brightly and went to Graven's location. "Thank you for your gift, son! How do I look? Do I look like a human now?" he asked grinning broadly. "I'm not used to wearing this kind of fancy suit! I feel like I'm a clown!" he joked.
Graven looked appreciatively at the old man. "I'm glad that the attire that I bought for you is your perfect measurement. Actually, my favorite tailor is the one who chose this suit for you. And you even shaved your beard for this occasion! You look amazing in your attire today, Grandpa!" he enthused.
"Really-?" Terros said.
"Yeah, perfect!" Graven gushes.
"Thank you, son!" Terros said animatedly. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of this suit so that I can wear it again on your wedding day... that if you still want to invite me on that special day," he said.
"Of course, my wedding won't be complete if you're not there to attend it! And I plan to buy another formal suit for you for the wedding day," Graven said.
"No need! This suit is fine, I can wear it the second time around," Terros said shyly.
"It's okay, Grandpa. Money is never a problem to me. Besides, you will be attending lots of occasions in the coming months," Graven said.
"Like what occasions...?" Terros asked with a raised brow.
"The christening of our baby, Rebecca's baby, my baby with Elva, Horace and Calder's wedding, and so on. You need to wear a formal suit on those special occasions," Graven reminded him.
Terros eyes widened in amusement. "Indeed, lots of special occasions to attend in the future!"
"Alright, let's get going, Grandpa! They're already waiting for us in the manor," Graven said.
"Okay dokie!" Terros replied. "By the way, are we going to teleport to your father's mansion or ride in a carriage?" he inquired.
"Let's ride a carriage for a change. A dozen of my men will come with us, guarding our journey for added security," Graven said. "Besides, my sister-in-law and the kids have no idea about us, they will be frightened if we suddenly landed in the living room out of nowhere. Only Cooper and my father knew about my secret, the rest has no idea. So, for this occasion we will travel by carriage," he explained.
"That's good! I haven't ride a carriage for a long time. I welcome the change!" Terros grinned.
"Let's go!" Graven said.
A few seconds later, the men vanished from the place.
They landed in the living room of Graven's manor.
Simon was the only one sitting on the couch, wearing the same three-piece suit in different colors and styles.
Graven looked at Simon. "Where are the girls, father?" he asked.
"You know, women! Still busy fixing their appearances in the mirror upstairs a million times, taking them ages to finish," Simon said rolling his eyes.
Terros laughed in amusement.
"Ah, okay, I'll go upstairs and change into my attire while the women haven't finished dressing up yet," Graven said and left the living room, climbing the stairs in a hurry.
Graven reached the top of the stairs and walked in long stride towards the master's bedroom. When he reached the room, his wife is not in the room, so he grabbed his attire from the closet, stripped his clothes, dumped them in the laundry basket, and donned the three-piece black suit. After combing his hair, he left the room and went to check the ladies in Sofia's room.
He opened the door. The women were still busy fixing their hair in front of the mirror. "Ladies, I'll give you fifteen minutes to finish, okay?" he said with a smile.
"Okay!" the women responded in chorus.
Laura looked at her husband and mouthed, 'We're nearly finished!'
Graven smiled and left the room, heading downstairs to check the carriages.
Half an hour later.
The women finally descended the stairs, wearing their splendid attire.
The men rose to their feet.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to leave!" Graven said and went to Laura's side, holding her hand.
They went outside and boarded the carriage.
Graven and Laura were together in one carriage while the rest boarded the second carriage.
The twelve escorts were hovering in the air in their invisible form.
Graven draped his arms around his wife affectionately. "Wife, are you excited to return to South Pond Town?" he asked.
"Yes, very much!" she replied excitedly.
Graven smiled and planted a kiss on her cheeks. "I love you!" he said lovingly.
"I love you too!" Laura replied sweetly.
The couple embraced each other, enjoying their solitude.
"Tell me if the ride is too fast and it's already uncomfortable for you and the baby, I will instruct the driver to slow down," Graven said.
"Okay," Laura replied.
The couple spent their time looking at the picturesque scenery outside the window. The breathtaking view of the countryside is a feast to the eyes of travelers, young or old alike.
"The weather is good today," Graven observed.
"Yeah, perfect for traveling," Laura agreed.
One hour later.
The couple stopover in an inn to use the toilet and relieve the call of nature, afterwards, they proceed with their journey.
Another hour passed, they were now approaching the border of South Pond Town.
Half an hour later.
The two carriages are now approaching the vast property of Sir Nicholas Redding.
The invisible men landed behind the trees that were scattered nearby and made themselves visible, walking beside the carriages.
When the vehicles were already in front of the gate, Graven peered outside the window and motioned the guard to open the gate.
The guard smiled and opened the gate.
The carriages entered the property, after the last of the escort's entered the gate, the guard closed the gate again.
Graven's entourage exited their carriages, excited to see the outside world again after a long time of being holed up in the manor.
Rosa smiled brightly. "The entire journey is amazing! I truly enjoyed it!" she gushes happily.
"Yeah, after staying in the manor for a long time, we were able to see the world again! It's a wonderful feeling!" Simon agreed with his wife's statement.
Sofia's eyes sparkled. "Wow, brother-in-law's house is big! So beautiful and grand! I can't wait to get inside!" she raved.
Terros already have been in this place a few times in the past in his invisible form together with Graven. The place is still the same, not much has changed on the front.
Graven addressed his entourage. "Let's go inside!" he said.
Sarah and the kids were already waiting at the porch together with the smiling Nicholas and Cooper.
"Everyone, welcome to my humble abode! I'm very happy to see you again!" Nicholas said brightly, welcoming the guest pleasantly.
Nicholas and Simon engaged in a quick hug.
"It's nice to see you again after a long time, Amigo!" Simon spoke.
Nicholas smiled. "Yeah, it's nice to see you again, this time with your family. Finally, our children are getting married for real!" he said excitedly.
"Yes! Finally!" Simon responded in glee.
"Let's go inside the house so that you can have a comfortable rest on the sofa," Nicholas said.
They all settled in the living room for lively chitchat.
The women introduced each other and chatted merrily on the other side of the couch, discussing the wedding preparation. While the men were also busy catching up with each other's lives.
"I'll help with the wedding preparation!" Sarah volunteered cheerfully.
"Thank you!" Laura said, smiling pleasantly at Cooper's lovely wife.
Half an hour later.
At 6:00 in the evening.
The maid came to the living room and announced, "My lord, dinner is ready!"
Nicholas stood up and addressed everyone. "Alright, let's eat dinner and continue discussing the wedding preparation after we're done eating. I would like to suggest to all to sleep here for the night and go home in the morning after eating breakfast so that you won't be getting tired with your back-to-back journey. The servants already prepared the guest room," he offered.
Graven looked at his companions. "Good thing we brought extra clothes, right?"
The visitors nodded their heads in agreement.
"Father, we'll sleep here for the night," Graven said.
"Fantastic!" Nicholas exclaimed and smiled brightly. "Let's proceed now to the dining room!" he said.
They went to the dining room and gathered around the long table.
The dining table was laden with delicious dishes in different varieties, so appetizing to look at.
Beaming, Nicholas looked at his extended family and said, "Enjoy the food, ladies and gentlemen!"
A few minutes later, they were already busy munching on their food with great appetite.
A pleasant discussion would occur around the table from time to time.
One hour later.
They finished eating and retired to the living room.
Another lively round of discussion ensued between the group of men and women.
At 9:00 in the evening, Sarah excuses herself and left the living room, going upstairs to put the kids to sleep, assisted by the servant.
After putting the kids to sleep, she instructed the servant to look after the kids and went back downstairs to rejoin the women's conversation again.
At 10:00 in the evening.
The women were now yawning excessively.
Laura stood up and covered her mouth with her hands when another yawn was about to leave her mouth. "I'm going to sleep," she said.
"Me too!" Rosa and Sofia seconded.
Sarah smiled. "Follow me girls, I'll bring you to your room upstairs," she said.
Laura looked at the men. "Good night everyone!" she said.
"Goodnight!" the men replied in chorus and resumed their lively discussion.
The men continue their conversation while drinking wine.
At 11:30, they finally decided to retire for the night.
That night, everyone sleeps peacefully in their respective bedrooms.