"DUKE NYSTROM got you there, Your Majesty."

"It wasn't Kiho," Aku said in a flat tone. He was still in the throne room but this time, the guests had left. Only Sir Gregory stood beside him now. "I'm pretty certain that this is all Lady Nystrom's plan. I'm not saying that Kiho isn't capable of devising such plan. I just know for a fact that it's the duchess who wants to leave the Royal Capital."

"Really?" Sir Gregory asked. "It seems to me that the duke also wants to stay away from you just as much, Your Majesty."

He just laughed it off.

The old knight was allowed to be that honest and blunt because he had been by his side since he was a little boy. He knew that Sir Gregory would be loyal to him until his last breath. Allowing him to speak his mind around him was only one of the ways to show his gratitude to the old knight.

"I can't let Lady Nystrom influence Kiho more than she already has," Aku said. "I will take care of the duchess on my own."

"Are you going to kill the duchess yourself, Your Majesty?"

"I have to," he said. "Nia is already awake. She doesn't know that I know why she wants the heart and I won't wait for her to find out. I need to crush the heart before she gets a hold of it. And the only way to get rid of it is to kill Lady Nystrom."

"It's not going to be easy, is it?"

"If the heart has already awakened, it would be almost impossible for me to kill Lady Nystrom at my current state," he admitted. "But since she's still weak, I can easily rip her heart out of her chest."

"Duke Nystrom would know it's you."

"Once Lady Nystrom is gone, Kiho will return to my side," he said confidently. "Now that his son is born, I'm one step closer to my goal. It's time to get rid of the hurdles."

And of course, the number one in his list was Lady Nystrom.

"Can I do anything to help, Your Majesty?"

He turned to the old knight, then he shook his head. "A mere and old mortal like you would just die easily, Sir Gregory."

Sir Gregory looked quite offended. "I can still fight, Your Majesty."

He laughed heartily. "I know that," he said. "But the upcoming war isn't meant for mere mortals like you to participate in."

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the upcoming war would be a battle of gods.

After all, he considered himself a god as well.

"Anyway, there's one more thing that I need to do before I take care of Lady Nystrom," he said, then he stood up and stretched his arms. "I need to bring Nia back to the palace before the war begins. The safest place for her is beside me. And to make sure that she won't try to escape again, we should get married soon."

"Are you going to push through the wedding now, Your Majesty?" the old knight asked. "Do you think it's the right time to get married now even though it's not yet time to do so?"

"The wedding preparations have long been done," he said. Even though Nia was unconscious for the past months, he still continued with the wedding preparations. "All Nia needs is to show up."

"Will the temple allow you to marry Her Royal Highness even though it's a few months earlier than what the High Priest announced?" Sir Gregory asked worriedly. "And the saint just woke up a few months ago. Will it be wise to not follow them?"

"It's time for the royal family to weaken the church's power over the people. Especially the saint's influence," Aku said, then he turned to the old night with a smile. "We don't need a "messenger" of god when real gods have already descended back to earth."

***

TILLY wasn't worried about going all-out because as soon as she released her flame, the servants behind her all lost consciousness.

But it wasn't due to her. It was thanks to Sentinel. Before she left the mansion, the spirit guardian promised her that he would support her even though he stayed in the room. He told her that he would protect her secret from their servants.

And that was why she confidently released fire from her body.

"Come at me if you dare," Tilly challenged the Golden Tiger. "You oversized cat."

Despite her provocation, the Golden Tiger remained standing while looking bored.

"Supreme, didn't I tell you to make me kneel?" Ainsworth asked in a bored tone. "Come on, do it."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you saying?"

"Tell me to kneel," he said in a tone that sounded like he was ordering her. "If you can make me kneel in just saying one word, I'll risk everything for you."

"You are so weird," she said, still confused.

He let out a frustrated sigh, then he started to move his head from side-to-side. "`Looks like you really want me to visit your dear son, Supreme."

Her eyes widened when all of a sudden, the Golden Tiger went past her. If her hair didn't dance with the sharp wind that the god created due to his fast movement, she wouldn't have realized what happened.

He's so fast!

She turned around and lifted her iron crab mallet. Then, she used all her strength to hit the Golden Tiger at the back of his head. But she was surprised when all of a sudden, he stopped and turned around with a huge grin.

The Golden Tiger's hands moved as if he was going to claw her face.

And he was so close.

That made her panic a bit.

Her body didn't move the way she wanted to. It was as if she forgot how to use her iron crab mallet. But it seemed like a strange barrier around her was suddenly activated. The next thing she knew, her body was already literally on fire.

It seemed like the Golden Tiger was burnt because he growled and jumped backwards– away from her, obviously.

But he still didn't seem to take her seriously.

Ainsworth stood properly and grinned again. Then, he pointed the mansion with his thumb. "Supreme, you've gone weak. At this rate, if His Majesty asked me to tear your son's limb one by one, I might just do it."

She knew that what the Golden Tiger said was just rhetorical. But knowing the emperor's evilness, she knew that he was really capable of killing even a newborn son.

Just the thought of her little cinnamon roll's limbs getting tore off one by one was enough to make her blood boil. She wasn't surprised when the red flame around her grew bigger. That was how angry she was at the moment.

"Don't you dare threaten my son again," she warned him, her grip around the handle of the iron crab mallet getting tighter.

"Or else what?" the Golden Tiger asked mockingly. "What can you do to protect your son when your stupid stinky husband isn't around?"

"My Kiho isn't stinky, asshole," she said angrily. "For a cat, you're very uncute. Before you insult my husband, try to look at yourself in the mirror first."

��Sassy," he said with a loud laughter. "But can your sharp words protect your son?" He motioned his hands as if he was clawing into something. Also, his face turned grim when he spoke again. "Do I need to maul your son in front of you before you wake up, Supreme?"

That brought an ungodly amount of rage in her chest.

This time, even the ring of fire that she created around them grew bigger. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that if one walked in one them, they would think that they were in hell or something.

"I already warned you to not threaten my son again," she said in an eerily calm manner. Despite the hot flame around her, the voice that she used was colder than Kiho's ice. She was that angry. "You're acting up because you want me to make you kneel, right? If you want to kneel that much, then do it while begging for my forgiveness."

To be honest, she didn't know what was happening to her that moment. It was as if something had taken over her. She would also admit that she lost it when the ugly oversized cat threatened her son twice.

Needless to say, she wasn't herself right now.

But at the same time, she also felt like her real self had awakened.

She couldn't explain it though.

Only one thing was clear: she wanted to break Ainsworth's kneecaps so bad.

Tilly raised her left hand and pointed a slender finger at the Golden Tiger. "Kneel."

***

AINSWORTH was surprised when he felt a heavy feeling on his shoulders when the Supreme uttered the word "kneel" with conviction. The pressure he felt was forcing him to kneel down. He would admit that his knees buckle.

But at the same time, he was disappointed.

In the past, whenever the Supreme would utter the same word, all of the Beast Gods would be forced to kneel in front of her. That was how much power she had over them.

And that power was enough to oppose the influence the bracelet has on us.

"You're still weak, Supreme," Ainsworth whispered to himself with his clenched fists. "You won't be able to save the Black Serpent if you can't even make the weakest of the Beast Gods kneel before you."

***

AKU stopped walking and held his right arm when his shoulder suddenly felt heavy. He was forced to stop from signing a paper work. But he was glad that it happened while he was alone in the office. He didn't want his people to think that he was injured or something.

Out of instinct, he touched the bracelet that was covered by the sleeve of his top. Well, it was only the "spirit" of the bracelet. He hid the physical version of it somewhere that he only knew.

Anyway, if the bracelet suddenly felt this heavy on him, it could only mean one thing.

"Lady Nystrom, are you trying to reclaim everything that was stolen from you?" Aku whispered to himself with a smirk. "You're really making me want to kill you."

***

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