TILLY was amazed while looking up at how high the ice cage Kiho created went up to. It was probably as high as the trees in the forest. And the ice cage also looked hard.

[Kiho's Mana is really amazing.]

She gently placed her hands on the ice wall. It was supposed to be freezing cold but thanks to her warm Mana, she didn't feel it that much.

"Kiho," Tilly whispered. She talked as softly as possible so that the person or people following them wouldn't hear her. "Be careful."

"Yes," Kiho whispered back. "I'll be back in a jiffy."

She couldn't see anything because of how thick the ice cage was. But surprisingly, she could hear what was happening around them.

A few moments later, she heard a loud thud followed by her husband's voice.

"Captain Denver?" Kiho asked in a shocked tone. "What are you doing here?��

"Captain Denver?" Tilly also asked in surprise. "Is it really Captain Denver?"

Wait, was it Captain Denver who was following her a while ago as well?

"Yes, it's me, Lady Prescott," Captain Denver said in an anguished voice. Was he hurt by Kiho's attack? "Damn you, Kiho. You didn't hold back."

Oh, the other captain was definitely attacked by her husband!

"What are you doing here, Captain Denver?" Kiho hissed. "Why are you following us?"

"I just want to make sure that Lady Prescott is safe."

Tilly's forehead knotted in confusion. [Does it mean Captain Denver knows that my life is already in danger?]

"I already warned you several times but you still didn't listen," Kiho said in a low and angry tone. "I'll f*cking kill you now, Captain Denver."

She gasped at what her husband said. [Wait, what's happening?!]

"Kiho!" Captain Denver said desperately. "Let me explain, dammit!"

"No," Kiho said in a tone colder than his ice cage.

[He's going to kill Captain Denver!]

"Kiho!" Tilly yelled while thumping her hands against the ice wall. "Don't kill Captain Denver!"

"Tilly, I understand that you're only protecting Captain Denver out of the goodness of your heart," Kiho said coldly. She knew that his anger wasn't directed at her. Yet, she shivered at the cold tone he used. "But your concern for him makes me want to kill him even more."

"Kiho, no!"

"He likes you, Tilly," he hissed in a frustrated voice. "And he's being so persistent about it."

"It's not like that!" Tilly screamed. She knew that Kiho was being jealous because he loved her. But it was just a big misunderstanding on his part! "Captain Denver just wants to protect me because we're the same!"

Her desire to protect a fellow Fire Mage gave her a sudden boost of power.

She didn't know exactly what happened but she felt her body burn. The strange warmth flowed down her entire body until it gathered in her hands. All of a sudden, her palms that were pressed against the ice wall started to sizzle.

The next thing she knew, her hands were now engulfed in red flame.

And the ice cage started to melt fast.

A few heartbeats later, she was finally free from the ice cage. But the flame in her hands was still burning bright.

Kiho, as expected, looked shocked.

She instantly felt a lump in her throat.

Her husband was smart. He was the one who told her that unlike Fire Wielders who only used weapons to create fire, the Fire Mages were capable of producing flame within their bodies. There was no way he couldn't identify her real identity now that he saw her powers in flesh.

"It can't be," Kiho said in disbelief. Beads of sweat started to form in his forehead and it was a rare sight. After all, he didn't really sweat because of his cool temperature. He was probably scared for her and their baby because he knew what it meant to be a Fire Mage. "Tilly, please tell me what I'm thinking right now is wrong."

"No," Tilly whispered, her chest tightening from fear. "Kiho, I am a Fire Mage."

Her husband dropped his sword in shock, then he looked at her stomach with a worried look on his face.

"Yes, that means our baby is a Fire Mage as well," she confirmed, the flame in her hands vanishing. "If the empire finds out about our lineage, they will kill us."

"Stop," Kiho told her. Then, he looked up at her with a stiff expression on his face. "Not now, Tilly."

"But Kiho–"

All of a sudden, he was in front of her. He covered her mouth with his hand while looking around them as if he was scared someone else was listening to them. "Let's move to the cave first, Tilly."

She nodded her head. When he removed his hand on her mouth, she turned to Captain Denver who was leaning against a tree. The other captain was bleeding a lot. "Kiho, let's help Captain Denver as well."

Her husband looked like he didn't want to but in the end, he nodded. "Alright," he said, then he held her hand tight. "Stay close to me, Tilly."

Tilly was relieved to hear that. Kiho wouldn't leave her. She could feel it by the way he pulled her protectively by his side. "Thank you, Kiho."

Kiho's face finally softened up.

He didn't say anything. But the warm gaze he gave her was enough to tell her that he wouldn't abandon her. Especially not their Baby Winter.

[Ah, this is what it feels like to be loved.]

***

TILLY felt a little scared when they were walking inside the dark cave. She was hugging Kiho's arm tightly because she didn't want to be separated from him. Plus, there were snakes around them. She wasn't good with snakes but thankfully, they weren't coming near them.

Also, Kiho brought a floating lighting gem. Every time the snakes were hit by light, they would slither and hide away.

Aside from that, Captain Denver also used the flame in his right armband as a "lamp."

"Captain Denver, you're scaring the snakes with your fire," Kiho said sternly. "Put it out."

"I'm using my fire to scare the snakes away," Captain Denver, who was walking behind them, retorted. "Why are the snakes giving way to you while they're following me as if they're ready to attack me anytime, huh?"

Oh, she didn't notice that.

She tried to turn to look at Captain Denver but Kiho gently held her face and made her look straight ahead.

[Gosh, why is he so jealous of Captain Denver?]

"Tilly, the road ahead is uneven," Kiho said. "May I carry you?"

"Yes, please."

Without further ado, her husband carried her in bridal style. Then, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. He seemed like he liked it because he kissed her on the forehead.

"God," Captain Denver complained. "Can you not flirt in front of me?"

"We can't help it," she said. "We're newlyweds, remember?"

"Argh."

Kiho smirked, obviously enjoying Captain Denver's "misery."

[My husband can really be a manchild sometimes.]

Anyway, after a few minutes of walking, they finally reached the end of a cave.

It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Well, maybe it was because of the fact that the cave was prepared in advance.

[Kiho obviously prepared everything to make me comfortable here.]

There was a sofa, a table with two cups and a kettle, a paper bag of snacks, and lots of scented candles. It looked like a place for camping.

[This would have been a perfect date spot if only we weren't here to talk about serious stuff.]

Kiho gently put her down on the sofa and assisted her until she was sitting comfortably. "Wait here, hon. I'll help Captain Denver treat his wounds first before we talk."

She smiled at that. "You're an angel, hon."

"I'm only doing this for you," he confessed. "If it weren't for your plea, I would have still killed him regardless his blood."

"Wow," Captain Denver said sarcastically. "Thank you for your generosity, Captain Kiho."

Before Kiho could turn to the other captain, she cupped his face between her hands. Then, she pulled him down and kissed him on the lips.

That was enough to calm him down.

"Please get along with Captain Denver, hon. He's an ally," Tilly said while giving him puppy dog eyes. Then, she turned to Captain Denver– now sitting on the ground while digging his hand on his bag– to give him a glare. "And please stop provoking my husband, Captain Denver."

Captain Denver raised his hands in surrender. "As you wish, Lady Prescott."

Kiho smirked, obviously pleased that she scolded Captain Denver.

[Gosh, my husband is so adorable.]

Anyway, after Kiho helped Captain Denver treat his wounds, the three of them had a serious talk.

Tilly revealed to Kiho that she had the heart of the Supreme Fire Mage. She also told him that Princess Nia and Emperor Aku were the ones that wanted her heart. And that the princess killed her mother, too. She also confessed that her father knew about it but chose to keep quiet to protect her.

Most of all, she confessed that she was the one who asked the replica of the Red Phoenix to kill Princess Nia.

On the other hand, Captain Denver confessed to Kiho that he and his family were actually Fire Mages. He also emphasized to her husband that the only reason why he was paying attention to her was because he needed to protect her heart– literally.

Much to her shock, Captain Denver also revealed that most of the Fire Wielders in his guild were actually Fire Mages that he took in to hide them from the empire.

[He didn't tell me about it.]

"I returned Flint's memory when we reached the guild," Captain Denver told her. He was on a lotus position in front of her and Kiho. "Right now, he knows that he needs to hide his real identity. I'm training him to use weapons that would conceal his ability to produce fire." He raised his arms as if he was showing his armbands to them. "These armbands are just decorations to conceal my real ability. Even without these weapons, I can still produce fire within my body. Also, these armbands limit that fire that I produce so no one or no spell would detect my flame as something that belongs to a Fire Mage. All the Fire Mages under our protection are using this trick."

Her heart thumped loud against her chest.

[There's a lot of Fire Mages alive.]

For some reason, she felt like they were her responsibility.

[But I'll think about that later.]

She turned to Kiho– who was sitting beside her on the sofa– and realized that he fell in deep thought.

[We need to talk alone.]

"Captain Denver," she called him. "Can you leave me and Kiho alone for the meantime?"

"I can't do that," Captain Denver said. "It's my duty to protect you, Lady Prescott."

"Kiho will not hurt me," she said firmly. "I need to talk to my husband alone."

They had mini staring contest for a few seconds. In the end, the captain of the Red Phoenix Knights let out a sigh and stood up.

"I'll guard outside," Captain Denver said. "I'll make sure no one will find us here."

She nodded. "Thank you, Captain Denver."

He just bowed to her, then he looked at Kiho. After that, he silently left the cave.

[And now…]

"Kiho?" she said carefully. Then, she gently put a hand on his back. "Are you okay?"

Kiho looked at her, then he nodded. "Yes. I'm just a little shocked."

She smiled because she understood his feelings. Then, she got up. As soon as she kneeled down before him, his eyes widened in shock.

"Tilly, stand up," Kiho said, then he got down on his knees as well. "Why are you kneeling in front of me?"

"Kiho, you're a knight and I'm aware that you gave your loyalty to the throne," Tilly said, then she held his hands. "I'm sorry but I have to make you choose between me and the emperor."

***

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