Chapter 400 - 392. Blossoming Confetti
This was the first time Zein stood before the house’s front door, funnily enough.
All this time, they had been going round the side of the house, straight toward the backyard where the lake was. But for the first time, Zein would spend his night inside the house instead of camping outside, so it was appropriate to finally use the front door.
The interior work had been completed since last week, and Senan had put the keys in Zein’s hand immediately. Another set of keys was kept by Senan, as the Iron Shield’s representative. Supposedly, a guard, a housekeeper, and a gardener would be stationed here starting this week, but Zein had asked the estate to be emptied for his vacation.
"Hmm..." he hesitated after entering the key.
"Why?"
"I’m kind of nervous," Zein confessed.
Bassena laughed at the unexpected reaction and put his hand over Zein’s, turning the key until a crisp clicking sound could be heard. Bassena grabbed the door handle and pushed it open.
Perhaps because there was still someone staying here until two days ago, they weren’t greeted by an uncomfortable sensation of stagnant air. A nice foyer welcomed them, with a bowl of flowers from the garden on top of a drawer.
Bassena nudged the guide inside before closing the door behind them and walking further in. The walls of the corridor, like the rest of the house, were painted in white. A line of portraits, bearing the faces of Ishtera’s past patriarchs lined the short corridor, including that of Alteroan, looking upon a nice drawing room with a blue couch and curtains of the same colors.
But Zein ignored that room now. He walked further inside, to a large open hall where the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen seemed to merge into one. The view was unperturbed from where Zein stood, all the way to the patio leading to the garden and the path to the lake.
He had asked Senan to keep the house as they were in the past, and it was easy to imagine the wide, open room being used as a clan gathering, where the Ishteras and the Kovacs filled the long sofas and many chairs around the room. The dining table was enough to host a feast, and Bassena had put his grill here to add to the brand-new kitchen.