The trio gathered around the dining table minus Graven.
Elva looked at her guest. "Eat a lot, guys!" she said cheerfully.
"Thank you for your grace, goddess!" Terros replied.
"Call me by my name, Elva. Stop calling me goddess from now on," she requested.
"Okay, as you say so," Terros spoke. He wanted badly to ask the deity why Graven didn't join them on the table, but he prevented himself from doing so. They are here to ask for the deity's help, they should obey her rules and allow her to proceed whatever her plan is. If Graven agreed to the deity's condition then he should just shut his mouth and ask questions later after he and Graven returned home.
The trio ate their delicious dinner in silence.
Elva knew what's going on in the minds of Terros and Veronica right now, she found it amusing. A giggle escaped her mouth.
Terros and Veronica looked at each other in confusion.
Elva asked them, "Guys, do you want to see Graven?"
The two nodded their heads right away. "Yes!" they replied in chorus.
"Okay, after dinner is over, I will let you in my bedroom to see Graven's sleeping body," Elva said.
Terros cleared his throat. "Um... Elva... it's already dinner time. Should Graven be eating with us right now?" he finally asked.
"Later, after I wake him up," Elva said and looked at them. "I'll inform you later when you can see Graven," she said.
They resumed eating in comfortable silence.
The deity finished eating, left the dining table, and went back to her room.
Veronica and Terros remained at the table talking to each other.
"It's a good thing that the deity will allow us to see Graven!" Terros blurted.
Veronica smiled. "Why are you getting worried about Graven? Do you think the deity will harm the father of her child?" she asked.
Terros released a deep sigh and spoke, "You can't blame me. Graven skips his meal! He should be eating with us right now," he insisted.
Veronica laughed. "Stop being too protective of Graven. He's a grown-up adult already! Missing one meal won't kill him, and besides, the deity told us that she will wake him up later. That will be the time for Graven to eat his dinner," she assured him.
Terros nods his head. "Okay."
Done eating, Terros helped Veronica in cleaning the table and washing the dishes.
After they finished the chores in the kitchen, they returned to the terrace and watched the splendid display of stars shining in the sky above.
"What a beautiful night this is!" Terros gushes.
"Indeed! The night is lovely today even with the absence of the full moon," Veronica agreed.
One hour later.
Elva appeared on the terrace and addressed the two. "Guys, do you still want to see Graven?" she asked them.
"Yes!" the two replied in chorus and rose to their feet quickly.
"Follow me!" Elva said and moved towards the door.
Veronica and Terros followed the deity back to her room.
In the bedroom.
They found Graven in an adjacent bed, sleeping soundly with his clothes intact.
Terros and Veronica looked at each other in amusement.
"When he's going to wake up?" Terros asked.
"In about half an hour, he will be hungry by then," Elva replied.
"Okay, thanks for showing us Graven's condition. We will leave your room now," Veronica said and grabbed Grandpa's arm, guiding him out of the bedroom.
They walked towards the terrace to continue enjoying the scenery.
Veronica giggled. "What are you thinking, Grandpa?" she asked curiously.
"The same with what's in your mind," he replied.
Veronica laughed. "We're just too dirty-minded! I felt a little bit ashamed of myself," she admitted.
Terros grinned. "Me too!"
They enjoyed the gentle breeze of the night.
Half an hour later.
"Let me know if you're already feeling sleepy. I'll bring you to the guest room," Veronica spoke.
"Okay," Terros replied.
A moment later.
Graven exited the door and walked into the terrace. "Guys! I'm awake now! And I feel fully refreshed! I went through a deep sleep inside Elva's room. I felt extremely good after I wake up!" he raved.
"That's good!" Terros smiled in relief. "Eat your dinner, son! I'll accompany you to the kitchen," he said.
Graven nodded his head and said, "Okay."
Veronica accompanied the men to the kitchen and served Graven the food in the serving dish. After she finished with her task, she left the two men talking to each other and returned to the terrace.
She found the deity staring at the bubble.
Elva looked at her. "Is Graven already eating his meal?" she asked.
"Yup! I left him talking to Grandpa in the kitchen," Veronica replied.
"What's Luke's story?" Elva asked curiously.
"He's just the other brother who fell in love with Laura. The twins both fall in love with the same woman, but Graven ultimately married Laura, and she was now carrying his child. And Luke was desperate to find Laura's whereabouts to take her back," Veronica explained.
"Really? Interesting! So the brothers are not in a good relationship right now?"
"Yup!"
Elva asked, "Graven still wants to help his brother despite their feud over a woman?"
"Yeah, because Graven loves his brother so much. Regardless of what happened between them, he didn't cultivate hatred for his brother in his heart. He only has love and affection for him," Veronica replied.
"I see..." Elva spoke. "Graven is indeed a good brother to Luke. His attitude is admirable!" she commented.
Veronica went to the deity's side and whispered. "You still have no plan to inform Graven that he is the father of your unborn baby?"
Elva shook her head. "No. But I'm not saying I will never do it. Just not today or in the coming days. Graven has a lot of things to worry about, and telling him that he is the father of my child will only complicate things further," she answered.
"Ah, okay. I understand your decision. Anyways, where Graven will sleep tonight? In your room or the guest room together with Grandpa Terros?" Veronica inquired.
"He will sleep with Terros in the guest room," Elva replied and turned around. "I'm going to rest now in my room. Take care of the guest and make their stay comfortable," Elva said and walked towards the door.
She went inside the house and went to the dining room area. "Guys, I'm going to sleep now. Good night, see you all tomorrow!" she said.
"Goodnight, Elva!" the men replied in chorus.
Elva smiled, left the men, and walked in the hallway going to her room.
Back in the table.
Terros looked at Graven. "Aren't you going to sleep in the goddess's room tonight?" he asked.
Graven's brows knitted together. "Huh? What kind of question is that, Grandpa? Why would I sleep in Elva's room tonight?"
Terros smiled. "Ah, forget my question. I'm just joking!" he said.
Graven continues giving the old man a quizzical look. "Oh, do you think that the goddess will have a thing for me? Forget it, she knows that I'm already a married man and she is pregnant. That would be awkward!" he said, trying to clear the air of doubts and suspicion he saw on the old man's face.
Terros smiled brightly. "I'm not thinking about that malicious thing. I'm just teasing you. Anyways, what the two of you had done inside her bedroom?" he asked curiously.
"Elva gave me an elixir to drink and told me that it will help me purify my body and help me relax. Then she told me after drinking the elixir that I would undergo a deep sleep. Then I found myself falling into a deep slumber. When I opened my eyes, it's already evening," Graven explains.
"I see... nothing happens, that's good," Terros murmured.
Graven smiled. "Eh? What are you thinking? Do you think something would happen inside the room with Elva and me?"
"Not really... forget my statement. It's just a figment of my imagination, nothing serious," Terros grinned. "So, you and the goddess already discuss her plan on how to help you?" he asked.
"Not yet. She told me that we will discuss her plan with me tomorrow before we will leave this place," Graven replied.
"That's great! I'm excited to know about her plan! It better be good!" Terros said excitedly.
"I hope it is! Because if it's not good, then I have to resort to my original plan..." he said gloomily.
"Ah, let's not talk about that word, son. Honestly, I don't like you doing that suicide thing. I'm just humoring you way back at my place, but I don't like it," Terros said, shaking his head vigorously. "If the deity's plan won't work, then I will volunteer to meet the king, and you can pulverize the whole castle inside and out. At least, if I'm the one who will die, I have no family that will cry and misses me. But you... you can't die! Many people are depending on you!"
Graven shook his head. "You can't die, Grandpa! I won't allow it! Period! And you are right, let's stop talking about that thing for now. Let's trust the deity's plan, and maybe we can improve it after we hear her plan tomorrow. So, let's sleep early tonight," he said. He gathered the dirty dishes and utensils and put them in the sink, and began washing them.
Veronica entered the kitchen. "Guys, stop washing the dishes! Let me do it instead!" she said.
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