System's POV

Chapter 795  I Don’t Want To Have Any Regrets In This Lifetime

Thirteen and Erica greeted the guests who had come to attend their engagement party.

Although Gerald’s official announcement about their union would be done a little later, it was already a done deal in the eyes of the Leventis Family.

Various representatives from the most influential families all over the world were invited to this special event, which made the place quite lively.

Half an hour later, Rhia dragged Zion to the dance floor and tried to dance with him.

But in the end, the little girl was simply too short, so Thirteen carried her in his arms and swirled and twirled around the dance floor, eliciting laughs and giggles from those amused by his antics.

Clueless as she was young, Rhia was single-mindedly glad to be “dancing” with her brother despite the fact that she was simply being carried by him.

Afterward, Shasha and Remi also danced with Zion.

Erica wasn’t idle either. She allowed Mikhail, Clark, and Derek to dance with her while Zion was dancing with his family members.

When the Weaver Family returned to the hall, Arthur and Gerald glanced at Allan, who gave them both a thumbs up.

This was the signal that their backup plan was good to go, which made the two gentlemen catch everyone’s attention.

“We are gathered here today to celebrate something special,” Arthur said. “Today, we officially declare that Erica Reeves and my grandson, Zion Leventis, are now engaged with each other.”

Thirteen and Erica got into the small platform while holding each other’s hand. They then glanced at the people who had come to their engagement ceremony with smiles on their faces.

Thirteen then looked in Sherry’s direction and extended his hand in her direction, as if asking her to come up the small stage as well.

“Go,” Allan said, lightly pushing his sister on the back, giving her just enough courage to take the step toward something she wished to be part of.

Step by step, the young lady approached the stage.

Her heart was beating wildly inside her chest, but Zion’s gaze filled with encouragement gave her the strength to continue walking forward.

Vincent, who saw this, smirked because it was very obvious what was going to happen next.

Derek, on the other hand, exclaimed something along the lines of “as expected of Master,” making Mildred and Diana stare at him, signaling that he shut his trap. There was another young lady looking at this scene with a conflicted look in her gaze.

She couldn’t understand why she was feeling anxious, as if she was missing out on something very important.

‘What is wrong with me?’ Shana thought. ‘Am I sick?’

This was the only reason she could think of why she was suddenly feeling a sense of pain and discomfort in her chest.

She watched as Sherry finally stepped onto the stage, standing on Zion’s empty side, his left.

Her gaze focused as Zion held Erica’s, and Sherry’s hands, intertwining his own hands with theirs. The people at the scene weren’t naive and already understood what was happening. “Today, we have a second announcement to make,” Gerald said with a smile. “Sherry Weaver will also become engaged with my son. Let’s all give them a round of applause!”

The sound of clapping reverberated inside the venue, making Erica’s and Sherry’s parents look at their daughters with smiles on their faces.

Luke, who heard from Allan that Zion also planned to declare his engagement with Sherry today, almost backed out due to how sudden it was.

However, after careful consideration, he thought that this was also a good thing because this allowed his daughter to get engaged to Zion on the same day as Erica.

This meant that both of them had equal standing, which made him feel a bit better.

Originally, he thought that his daughter was going to get bullied by Erica since the latter was going to be Zion’s first wife.

It didn’t take long for him to learn that the Sorceress and his daughter were actually on good terms, reducing the anxiety he initially felt. In the end, he finally gave his blessings for this announcement.

Also, Luke wanted his daughter to be officially engaged sooner rather than later.

One of the major reasons was that a few individuals had reached out to him earlier, playing matchmaker between his daughter and the children of the families they belonged to.

While he still hadn’t known Zion for a long time, he still felt that Sherry was much safer by the latter’s side, compared to that of strangers his daughter had never even met before.

Also, betrothal with the most influential member of the Leventis Family added a layer of protection from those who were targeting his daughter and his family.

Zion was the Supreme Commander of the Alliance, with the Leventis Family and the Central Government backing him up.

He was also friendly with the Dvalinn Federation and was also rumored to be chummy with the families from the Cygni Continent.

With such connections and powerful backing, Luke believed that Zion was the most ideal son-in-law.

Of course, the main reason for his agreement was Sherry’s own decision to be with him. Luke even felt that his daughter had truly grown up, making him a bit sad and lonely at the same time.

Still, as long as she would be happy, he was willing to give his support to his daughter.

Three hours later, the guests started to excuse themselves as the party slowly came to an end.

As the last guest had finally left, Arthur gathered Zion’s, Erica’s, and Sherry’s families so that they could have a private talk with each other.

After their talks, Erica’s and Sherry’s families agreed to relocate their homes within the territory of the Leventis Family, granting them added support and protection.

Erica lived in the Aldebaran Continent to begin with, so it was not a big deal.

However, Sherry’s family lived in the Cygni Continent, and they would take part in defending it. As a compromise, it was decided that their relocation would wait until the Jinn Invasion was over.

They had already promised their friends and acquaintances that their Mercenary Group would fight alongside them and defend their homeland.

Arthur had no qualms about this and promised the Weaver Family the full support of the Leventis Family during the Jinn invasion.

After dinner, Sherry decided to stay with her family because it had been two years since all four of them had gathered together.

Erica, on the other hand, retired with Zion to his family’s residence.

For some reason, Gerald and Alessia, alongside their children, decided to stay in the Main Residence of the Leventis Family, giving the two teenagers some privacy.

“Can you help me take off this dress?” Erica asked as she turned her back to Zion, moving her hair to the side to show the zipper at the back of her dress.

“Sure,” Thirteen replied and pulled the zipper down.

A moment later, Erica’s dress fell down beside her feet, revealing her youthful and seductive back.

The young lady then turned around to help loosen the necktie on Zion’s suit before helping him unbutton it.

A minute later, the two walked toward the bathroom to take a bath together.

This was the first time the two of them had done something like this because Sherry was always with them.

But just as Erica expected, the teenage boy didn’t react too much as he helped him shampoo her hair.

“What you did earlier made me and Sherry very happy,” Erica said right after Thirteen finished washing her hair with water. “I didn’t expect you would also announce your engagement with her.”

“I didn’t want to leave her out,” Thirteen said. “Also, it’s better to do it now than do it later. I don’t want to have any regrets in this lifetime.”

“In this lifetime?” Erica asked because Zion’s words seemed to imply something else.

“Yes,” Thirteen replied, as he washed the rest of Erica’s body without batting an eye. “Having regrets is something that I don’t want to experience this time around.”

“You sound like an old man, Zion,” Erica said before making the young man sit, so she could wash his body for him. “In a way, I am indeed very old,” Thirteen replied, allowing Erica to wash his chest, and arms. “Way older than you can imagine.”

“If you’re so old, then why do you seem ignorant of many things?” Erica arched an eyebrow. “You don’t seem experienced with women.”

“Are you talking about romantic relationships with women?” Thirteen asked as Erica opened the shower to let the water rinse off the soap on his body. “Yes.”

“Let’s just say I was incapable of such things back then.”

“How about now?” Erica asked with great curiosity as she pulled Zion’s head to her chest, letting his face rest directly on her naked body.

“… I feel at ease in this position,” Thirteen replied as he wrapped his arms around Erica’s body and held her in place. “It’s very calming for me.”

“You big baby,” Erica giggled. “Okay, we can cuddle on the bed. Let’s dry each other first.”

Taking a bath towel, she wiped Zion’s head before leaving him to his devices.

Although the teenage boy was starting to be a bit more responsive to her initiative, there was still a long way to go before he reached the standard of a normal teenager.

As the two laid down on the bed together, Erica cuddled Zion in her embrace.

“Zion, make sure to grow up big and strong,” Erica said softly, planting a kiss on his head. “Right now, you are the emotional support of many people, including me, so don’t do anything reckless.”

“…”

“Why are you not talking?”

“Zzz.”

Erica giggled at the teenage boy’s antics of pretending to be asleep, and she decided to drop the topic for now.

However, just as she was about to close her eyes to sleep, she felt Zion hug her tighter.

“Don’t worry, Erica,” Thirteen said. “I have no intention of dying anytime soon.”

“Good.” Erica allowed herself to be held by the young man as he whispered a promise in her ear.

Under the blankets, the two shared a kiss or two before going to sleep in each other’s arms.