A gentle breeze blew softly, sweeping across the expanse of green meadow surrounding the mansion.
Feeling comfortable in the peaceful atmosphere, Alvin, Allen, and Arken slowly dropped themselves onto the ground, laying their bodies on the soft grass parallel to Kazien, and joined him in gazing at the expanse of white clouds drifting slowly in the blue sky.
For a moment, only the sound of the rustling wind could be heard. However, that silence did not last long.
Alvin, who was lying to Kazien's right, slowly turned his head, looking at the side of his fiancé's face with a gaze that was difficult to decipher. There was a mixture of longing, confusion, and impatience in it.
"My Dear..." Alvin called out in a low tone, initiating a conversation that sounded far more serious than usual. "Why are you always so stubborn like this when the conversation comes to intimate relations?"
Kazien did not answer immediately, his eyes still staring straight up at the sky.
"Do you actually not want to marry me while I am in a male form like this?" Alvin continued, his voice sounding slightly tremulous, holding back feelings he had suppressed for a long time.
Hearing that question fraught with doubt, Kazien immediately turned his head. He stared intently at the cute face of the High Elf beside him. What Kazien saw in his fiancé's eyes was not a spoiled whine, but rather a gaze filled with genuine frustration and sincere disappointment.
"I have been with you for a long time, and I have always waited for you." Alvin continued again. "Even though my face and physical body look like this, to be honest, I am already twenty-two years old right now. Shouldn't you already know the fact that the life span and biological maturity between the human race and the Elf race are vastly different?"
Kazien's eyes widened slightly. He was quite surprised to learn the truth about Alvin's actual age. He suddenly felt guilty and regretful for never taking the time to simply ask his own fiancé's age since the very first time they met.
"Please answer me one more time, My Dear." Alvin pressed with a very serious expression, not letting Kazien evade. "Are you truly serious about wanting to marry me?"
"Of course I am very serious!" Kazien answered quickly and without the slightest hesitation, rising to prop himself up on his elbow so he could look at his fiancé's face more clearly. "That is exactly what I have been waiting for the most since we first met!"
"In that case, if you are indeed serious..." Alvin returned the gaze without flinching. "...are you willing to have intimate relations with me and make me bear a child for you after we are officially married?"
That highly straightforward question made Kazien fall silent again. He let out a soft sigh, then laid his body back down and gazed at the blue sky above.
"If I act selfishly and do that to you, then what about Allen and Arken's fate?" Kazien replied quietly, his voice sounding full of consideration. "The three of us, especially Arken, haven't even reached sixteen years of age yet. We are not old enough. It would be a different story if we did it in the next one or two years."
Kazien closed his eyes for a moment.
"To be honest... I decided to go through the trouble of pursuing an education at the academy just to buy time until the right age for our marriage arrived." Kazien began to uncover the plan he had kept tightly under wraps all this time. "My initial plan was that when we all graduated in the next three years, we would immediately get married. But..."
Kazien opened his eyes again, both his hands clenching over his chest. "...just look at what happened now. Because the situation forced it, we were instead graduated by the dean very quickly. The plan that I had arranged so neatly from the start has become a complete mess like this!"
Hearing the honesty and frustration in their fiancé's tone, Alvin, Allen, and Arken exchanged glances. They finally learned the great secret about the real reason behind Kazien's desire to study and stay at the academy all this time. The youth was not seeking knowledge or recognition, but merely using it as a place to stall for time so that his fiancés could grow up safely.
"You said there were no plans whatsoever when you spoke in front of us in the palace courtyard back then!" Allen suddenly chimed in, recalling their conversation from a few months ago. "Why did you choose to lie and hide your true reason from us instead?"
"It's fine." Kazien answered, his voice beginning to soften, realizing there was no point in hiding it anymore. "After we graduated, I felt that this ruined plan of mine was no longer important to discuss."
Kazien shifted his position, now looking at the faces of his three fiancés in turn with a very deep gaze. "Now, it is my turn to ask. Please answer me honestly... do the three of you really want to have intimate relations with me that badly immediately after we get married?"
"Of course!" answered Alvin, Allen, and Arken in unison without wasting any time.
"Isn't that a very natural thing and indeed always done by everyone bound in marriage?" Alvin added, his hand moving slowly to hug Kazien's arm. "We did always say in front of you that we could restrain ourselves. But in truth... we are not that strong in holding back our own passions and feelings if we continue to be near you every day!"
Hearing that honest confession, Kazien let out a long sigh, as if discarding a heavy burden that had been shackling his mind all this time. His protectiveness was indeed great, but he also didn't want to continuously ignore their feelings.
"If I yield and we have intimate relations..." Kazien looked at them with a sharp gaze. "...do the three of you dare to promise me that you will still be able to focus on our adventure and our important mission to save the world in the future?"
That question, which implied their fiancé's consent, successfully made the eyes of Alvin, Allen, and Arken widen. Their faces instantly beamed with happiness.
"I promise!" they answered in unison, their tones of voice sounding very enthusiastic and full of conviction.
"Alright then!" Kazien finally decided, carving a happy smile onto the faces of his three youths. "But, I will only do it eighteen months after our wedding day!"
In that very instant, the enthusiastic smiles on the faces of Alvin, Allen, and Arken faded, replaced by a very clear look of disappointment.
"Why?" asked Allen with a furrowed brow, disbelieving his fiancé's decision that was always full of conditions. "Why must we wait for another eighteen months after we are officially married?"
"Because when those eighteen months arrive, Arken's age will be truly mature and old enough!" Kazien answered firmly, looking at Allen with an undeniable gaze. "I will still hold fast to my principles. I do not want to violate the norms and laws of adulthood that apply in the Garveon Kingdom!"
That very logical and rational explanation made Alvin, Allen, and Arken fall silent for a moment. They realized that Kazien did that purely to protect the honor and well-being of Arken as the youngest among them.
After absorbing the silence for a few moments, Alvin finally broke the atmosphere between them again.
"Okay!" Alvin replied, his eyes radiating a new hope once more. He shifted his body closer. "You promise, right? You promise you will do it eighteen months after we get married?"
"I promise!" Kazien answered with full conviction, a gentle smile finally carving itself onto his lips. "I actually also don't want to make the three of you continuously feel disappointed as a result of holding back for too long. Forgive me for my selfishness all this time."
To his surprise, without giving any warning, Alvin immediately moved to lay his head on Kazien's chest. Allen, not wanting to be outdone, immediately shifted his body and tightly hugged Kazien's left arm, while Arken affectionately hugged Kazien's right arm.
"Thank you, My Dear." Alvin said softly.
"Thank you, My Love." whispered Allen into his left ear.
"Thank you, My Huby." Arken added with a bright smile.
They expressed their gratitude almost in unison, feeling very happy and relieved because in the end, their stubborn fiancé was willing to open his heart and change his mindset a little for the sake of their shared happiness. Under the bright afternoon sky, the four of them enjoyed their time together in peace.