"AND KIHO, I wasn't the woman you loved in the past."

To say that Kiho was shocked by what Tilly revealed would be an understatement.

I didn't love her in her first life?

To be honest, he was still confused by what Tilly was saying.

But he knew that she wouldn't lie to him. Most of all, the pain and fear in her eyes were very real. It broke his heart to see his strong wife suddenly crumble and become this vulnerable in front of him.

He wanted to hug her and protect her forever.

"I don't know how it happened but after I died in my second life, I woke up in this world again," Tilly said in a cracked voice. "I returned in this lifetime a few days before we met, Kiho. Do you believe me?"

Kiho nodded because even if he still didn't understand what was going on, he knew in his heart that he would always believe her. "Tilly, what were you saying about your first life? Winter and I didn't love you? And I fell in love with another woman?"

He wanted to go back to where Tilly came from and punch himself. And scold Winter as well. How come they didn't love Tilly then?!

"It was my fault, Kiho," she said in a sad voice that broke his heart even more. "I was a bad person in my first life. I was greedy for the throne."

"For the throne?"

She nodded before she explained. "I didn't tell you this but in my first life, Her Royal Highness took medicine that made her infertile."

He was too shocked to hear that.

"In my past life, I found out about the princess's secret," his wife continued. "I exposed that secret to the public. Her Royal Highness was exiled. She was supposed to be executed but I made a deal with His Majesty."

"What kind of deal?"

"During my past life, I was influential to both the Royal and the Noble Faction," she explained. "I told His Majesty that if he made Winter his heir to the throne, I would convince the higher nobles to have the princess exiled instead of executed."

Oh, god.

"I know what you're thinking and you're right," she said with a hint of guilt in her voice. "I was a horrible mother for using Winter that way. I was that obsessed with power that I neglected you and our son. No wonder you fell in love with another woman."

"I'm not sure if I want to know who this woman is."

She smiled bitterly at him. "You've already met her, Kiho."

His eyes widened in shock. "I did?"

"She was the woman with the jet-black hair."

His heart thumped hard and loud against his chest when he remembered that woman.

Is that the reason why I felt that way when I saw the woman with the jet-black hair?

"I know that you said that her hair changed into brown," she continued. "But I'm certain that she just used a spell to conceal her real hair color. When she appeared in my past life, she created fuzz because her hair was darker than mine. People said that she was the true woman in the prophecy and not me."

He frowned at that. "I don't care about that. And if you weren't the woman in the prophecy, how come you got pregnant with my child? Were people in your first life stupid?"

She smiled at that. Then, she gently pinched his cheek. "I'm so glad that you are so different from the Kiho in my past life, hon."

He felt gutted. "Tilly… did I cheat on you?"

"You fell in love with her while we were still married."

He closed his eyes to control his anger. Kiho of Tilly's first life, I want to murder you.

"Do you still want me to continue, Kiho?"

"Yes, please," he said, then he opened his eyes. "I want to hear everything, Tilly."

She nodded before she continued. "After meeting her, you asked for a divorce."

Again, he was gutted. He wanted to cry for Tilly because he could clearly see the pain in her eyes. And most of all, her voice was filled with fear.

My poor wife.

"I agreed on the condition that I would still be acknowledged as Winter's mother, especially once he ascended the throne," she continued sadly. "But Winter eventually grew distant of me. Actually, our son developed a split personality because of how horrible of a mother I was."

His brows furrowed in confusion. "What kind of split personality?"

"He appeared like a perfect noble but in the shadows, he was a merciless killer," she said in a voice filled with guilt. "And he was only a young boy then, Kiho."

He gently pulled her and hugged her tight. "Shh. It's okay, Tilly. It happened in your first life. Not in this lifetime."

"But I'm scared that it might happen again especially when she appeared earlier than expected," she said. "I don't want to die without being loved by my family."

"What do you mean by that, Tilly?"

She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his chest before she spoke again. "After you married her, I was found guilty of the crimes I committed against Her Royal Highness and your new wife. I did many awful things to her because I blamed her for Winter's hatred towards me. And all of that led to my execution."

He felt like his heart stopped beating when he heard that. "You were executed?"

"You, your new wife, and Winter watched my execution in my past life," she said softly, her voice filled with pain and sadness. "I don't know if you'll believe me but I saw Lucina Morganna laugh at me when I was beheaded."

That killed him.

"May I know the name of that woman, Tilly?"

"It's 'Lucina Morganna,'" Tilly said, then she raised her head to look at him. "Why?"

"I'm going to kill that woman," Kiho said, anger rising in his chest. "I won't let her hurt you in this lifetime."

***

"I'M GOING to kill that woman," Kiho said, his golden eyes glowing menacingly. "I won't let her hurt you in this lifetime."

Tilly couldn't help but smile at what Kiho said.

She wouldn't lie– it made her happy. Well, she wasn't fond of violence but after she saw how Lucina Morganna laughed at her after she was executed, she felt an ungodly amount of anger for that woman.

I won't let that woman steal everything away from me in this lifetime.

"Calm down, hon," Tilly said, then caressed his face with the back of her hand. "I was manipulated by Her Royal Highness in my first life."

That effectively calmed him down. "You were?"

She nodded eagerly. "Her Royal Highness tried to control me in this lifetime as well. She tried to make me expose her secret to the public. The princess also tried to turn me into a power hungry maniac. Kiho, Her Royal Highness was the reason why I acted that way in my first life. But when I snapped out of her control, it was already too late."

"How did you know that, honey?"

"When I met the Red Phoenix in that mysterious prayer room where you found me, he helped me retrieve a fragment of my past life," she explained. "I saw how Captain Denver and the other Fire Mages tried to save me."

"Captain Denver tried to save you?"

"Apparently, I found out that I was a Fire Mage back then," she explained. "But when I woke up in this lifetime, I don't remember any of it. In the memory that I retrieved thanks to Wixx, Captain Denver said I was drugged by Her Royal Highness for more than ten years. That's probably why my memory of my first life is hazy."

Anger once again crossed his eyes. It looked he wanted to curse or scream but in the end, he just heaved a heavy sigh.

"Kiho, in that memory, I found out that I was the reason why my fellow Fire Mages were caught and killed by Her Royal Highness," she said in a cracked voice. "In the past, I also forced Captain Denver to abandon his allies to follow my final order. And that's the reason why I feel sorry to him in this lifetime." She cupped his face between her hands. "Hon, I hope you understand now why I seem like I'm taking Captain Denver's side."

Shame crossed his eyes. "I understand now, Tilly. I'm sorry for misunderstanding you."

"No, you don't have to apologize," she said while shaking her head. "This is exactly the reason why I finally gathered my courage to tell you about my first life. I don't want a simple misunderstanding to ruin us. And I don't want to keep secrets from you anymore."

"Thank you, honey," he said while touching her face affectionately. "Thank you for sharing everything with me." He kissed her forehead. "And thank you for giving me a chance to love you in this lifetime even though I was a sc*mbag in your first life."

She smiled at the way he condemned himself. "I'd like to believe that you are different from the Kiho in my past life. Plus, I couldn't blame the Kiho and the Winter from back then for abandoning me. I was a horrible person during my first life."

"You were only controlled by Her Royal Highness," he insisted. "Winter and I should have noticed that. I hate our versions in your first life, Tilly. They failed to save you."

She smiled, the pain she felt a while ago finally vanished. Ah, my Kiho is really different from the one in my past life.

"Tilly, I was wondering…"

"Hmm?"

"If you were controlled in your first life, is it possible that I was controlled as well?" Kiho said, a deep knot forming on his forehead. "Because honestly, I can't see myself falling in love with another woman willingly when I already have you– not now, not ever."

She wanted to say that their marriage was a failure in her first life so it was possible for him to fall in love with another woman.

But then, she remembered that she really shouldn't trust her hazy memory.

Plus, she didn't know what happened after she was executed.

"You're right, Kiho. I should work harder to regain the memories of my first life," Tilly agreed while slowly nodding her head. Then, she looked up, tiptoed, and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you for believing me, hon."

"I will only believe in you, honey," Kiho promised her. Then, he gently pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "You're my only truth in this world, Tilly."

***

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