"I don't know if my children would have suffered my same destiny, but I'm certain that they would have lived a miserable life. Their father's violence would have corrupted them or at least poisoned their minds.
"Whatever life they had, they would have never known the love of their mother and they would have never opened up to others, afraid that strangers would hurt them just like their father did if not worse."
Zinya's words struck a nerve. Lith almost felt as if she was talking about him, making his stomach twist and churn.
"I may have seen horrible things today, Zogar, but if not for you two, I would have seen nothing at all my whole life." Zinya stepped toward Vastor, bending down until their noses almost touched.
"I wouldn't have ever seen my children's faces nor their smile. I wouldn't have ever realized how the pain that my ex-husband inflicted upon me also reflected on my sister. I wouldn't have ever seen what a truly happy couple like Raaz and Elina looks like.
"Most importantly, I would have never seen what a good man looks like nor witnessed to what lengths he's willing to go to protect those he loves." She caressed his wrinkled cheek, making clear that she wasn't talking about Lith.
"I know that I'm just a commoner. A woman with two children from a previous marriage who has nothing to offer to you. I have no money, status, nor any magical talent.
"I'm just a 34 years old widow tormented by such bad luck that my betrothal gift was blown up along with my house when you defended us from those men. Yet I'm going to ask you anyway."
Zinya put her right knee on the ground while taking Vastor's right hand in her own.
"Zogar Vastor, will you marry me?" Her words came out abruptly, making Kamila's and Lith's faces twist in a shocked grimace.
They even took a step back, looking at each other in disbelief.
'That's what Tezka meant by big news!' The Master's mind started to spin out of control as fear, panic, and surprise ravaged his brain, fighting for dominance. 'That bastard knew it all along.
'The problem is, how do I politely turn her down? I don't give a damn about our difference in status, but I can't put Zinya into even more danger than she already is. Sure, if we were to marry, she would start living here and anyone who tries to harm her would have to get past not one, but every one of my Abominations.
'Yet I'm old enough to be her father and on top of that, she has no idea what I'm doing as the Master. The moment the truth is exposed, our relationship would crumble.
'Either the Kingdom brands her as a traitor or she runs away from me, our destinies would be sealed. I would remain alone once again and she would lose any chance of being happy.
'Zinya must be talking out of shock. I need to find the right words to reject her without hurting her feelings.' Vastor thought while never averting his gaze from her sad smile.
Somehow, she seemed to read every single thought that was passing through his head. As if their bond was more than just emotional.
He took a few deep breaths to calm down, clenching his free hand to find the strength to say what he had to. The prolonged silence spoke volumes, making Zinya's hands tremble.
Yet she patiently waited, without saying one more word nor shedding a single tear.
"Yes, I do." Vastor said, his mouth connected to his heart rather than to his brain, refusing to care about anything but the woman in front of him. "But what will your children think about having such an old step-father?"
"They already gave me their blessing, silly!" Zinya started to cry with joy, hugging Vastor before kissing him.
Somewhere far yet near the Vastor's household, in the Master's secret underground lab, the Abomination hybrids spectated at the whole event thanks to Tezka's Spirit tail always watching after the children.
The room erupted into cheers and applause as the Abomination-hybrids started to plan for the marriage. How to participate and disguise themselves among the guests soon became the main topic of conversation.
Meanwhile, Lith and Kamila stared at each other, their eyes speaking akin to a mind link. Yet there was no joy in them, only worry. Unlike Lith, Vastor had a bag full of secrets that he was keeping from Zinya.
It was only a matter of time before one if not all of them turned their fairy tale into a horror story.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make this awkward for you." Zinya stopped kissing Vastor and turned to them, mistaking their concern for embarrassment.
"I would love you to be my maid of honor, Kami."
"What? I mean, sure." She set all of her worries aside and put her best smile on her face, to not ruin the moment to her sister.
"I guess that makes you my best man." Vastor said while watching the two women, hug, cry, and make plans for a private ceremony.
"Why? I mean, sure." Lith replied. "Don't you think that Xenagrosh, Tezka, or any of your children might resent me for it?"
"I prefer not putting my new children under the spotlight." Vastor replied. "As for my children-children, they have long since cut ties with me. I'll invite them, but I'm not going to impose such a burden on them.
"You, instead, are the reason Zinya and I met. Also, it will give you a perfect chance to spend some time with Kamila without making it awkward."
"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Lith asked with a whisper. "My secrets destroyed my past relationships and I don't see why the same shouldn't happen to you as well."
"Right now, I'm not sure of anything." Vastor sighed deeply as his brain and mouth started to talk to each other again. "This might as well be the biggest mistake of my life."
"Then why?" Lith said.
"Because this way, I have still a chance to be happy. Had I answered no, I'm certain that I would have lived the rest of my life regretting it forever."
***
After leaving the Vastor household, Lith went back to Lutia to assess the damage. Half of the members of the Queen's corps he knew were dead and so were several magical beasts.
The three Kings of the Woods were still alive, but their forces would be crippled until the numbers of their followers increased once again.
"I'm really sorry for your loss." Lith said to Reaper the Manticore.
"Thank you for coming." The huge feline said while counting the dead Shyfs.
Now that evolution had increased his intelligence, he didn't know what to do. Beasts didn't bury their own. They would either eat them or leave them for other animals to eat.
Yet some of them had been his friends, others even children he had sired back when he was still a Shyf. The thought of leaving them to rot tore his heart to shreds.
"With this, I consider our debt settled." Lith said.
"Well, I don't.." Reaper replied.
