ELIS realized that he hasn't regained his full-strength when he fell down on the ground after a surprise attack.

Thankfully, he was able to land on his feet. As soon as he did, he created a whip of wind that wrapped itself around his assailants' legs. Then, he made a pulled the whip hard until the "guest" fell on the ground face first.

While he was distracted, the Black Serpent used that chance to attack. This time, Nystrom was holding a sword.

Not his stupid ice staff-spear?

Times had really changed, huh?

He tried to increase his Mana but he suddenly felt a painful throb against his chest. It was a clear indication that his body hasn't properly recovered yet. Leaving his shrine after he just woke up was indeed a huge risk.

But it was worth it because he met Lady Rosenberg again after such a long time.

It was a sad reunion but he didn't care.

Thanks to his distraction, Nystrom was able to land a decent hit on him. He actually managed to stab his chest with the blade of his sword. But unfortunately for the Black Serpent, he couldn't pierce it through his heart.

In fact, the blade of his sword broke into two– leaving Nystrom in shock.

Elis's body was already covered by blue scales by then. Of course, his dragon scales were harder than steel. There was no way an ordinary sword could pierce through his "skin." "Why are you shocked that you can't win against me– the Blue Dragon– the strongest Beast God?" he asked Nystrom while his body was starting to fade. "Have you realized the gap between our abilities now, Nystrom?"

"For an extra large snake, you're too arrogant," Nystrom deadpanned. "The next time we meet, I will break your stupid scales like how I crack the shells of King Crabs before I devour them, Blue Dragon."

***

"FOR SOMEONE who lost to my ancestor, you're too arrogant, Duke Nystrom."

Kiho turned to glare at Captain Sherwood who just stood up while wiping his bloody nose with a handkerchief. "I didn't lose," he insisted. "It was a tie."

"Sure," Captain Sherwood said, obviously not convinced with what he said. The captain even changed the subject right away. "Anyway, I'm glad that I finished my long mission just in time to be of help to you, Your Grace. Now that I'm back, I won't leave your side anymore."

He just gave the captain a blank stare. "Now I know why I feel irritated whenever I see you. You're the extra large snake's descendant."

For some reason, he already developed a bad blood with that stupid Blue Dragon.

He summons an ungodly amount of rage in my chest.

"Don't be mean, Duke Nystrom," the captain complained. "I'm not a direct descendant anyway."

He just rolled his eyes. "Go home."

"Duke Nystrom, the Blue Dragon is awake now," the captain reminded him. "I heard that House Ainsworth has already switched sides to acquire the Golden Tiger."

He wouldn't say that he was surprised to know that Captain Sherwood knew what was happening even though he was away for a mission. After all, House Sherwood was the "Bookkeepers" of the empire. They had their ways of gathering information.

"Duke Nystrom, House Sherwood is on your side. To serve you properly, I swear on my life that I will protect Lady Nystrom and your newly born son forever," Captain Sherwood said seriously. Then, he got down on one knee, put a hand on his chest, and bowed to him. "Please accept my pledge of loyalty, my lord."

He was in a tight spot.

As a husband and a father, he didn't want Captain Sherwood near Tilly and Winter because he still didn't trust the captain fully.

But as a knight, he knew that they needed all the support that they could get. House Sherwood was sketchy, yes. But on the other hand, House Sherwood was an old family with more than enough wealth and power to be a useful ally.

We should compromise.

"I will only accept you on our side if you pledge your loyalty to Tilly and Winter," Kiho said firmly, his golden eyes glowing menacingly. "Moreover, I want the kind of pledge that will instantly kill you if you break your promise."

***

TILLY didn't have to wait for Luna's verbal response.

The witch's eyes clearly confirmed her thoughts.

Kiho is indeed the reincarnation of the Black Serpent.

If she was the Supreme that she saw in her "dream," she could only think of one person who could be the Black Serpent that she loved.

She knew in her heart that it could only be Kiho.

Now I know why the prophecy chose us to be the parents of the Moon Serpent.

"How dare you keep this a secret to us?" Tilly asked her bitterly, tears of anger forming at the corner of her eyes. She was so mad that she wanted to scream. But she reminded herself that Winter and Julian were sleeping peacefully on the bed. She couldn't lose herself and hurt the innocent children. "Miss Luna, my father went to the North to dig my husband's past. If you told us who Kiho is from the start, my father and Lord Denver wouldn't have gone to the North. They wouldn't have died."

Luna, with an emotional look on her face that she hadn't seen before, stood up and walked towards her. Then, she kneeled and bowed her head low until her forehead almost hit the floor. "Please forgive me, Lady Nystrom."

She was about to say something but all of a sudden, she felt a tug in her heart.

The next thing she knew, Sentinel already came out. As soon as he did, he kneeled and bowed his head the same way the witch did.

"I beg your forgiveness, Lady Nystrom," Sentinel said in a voice filled with regret. "We failed to protect the people around you."

She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Give me one solid reason why I should forgive you."

The two fell silent for a few moments.

"You and Duke Nystrom can't retrieve your memories at the same time, my lady," Sentinel said without raising his head. "If you fully awakened as the Supreme and Duke Nystrom finally remembered that he's the Black Serpent, both of you will try to kill each other."

She gasped when she heard that. "Kiho and I will kill each other if we remember our past lives?"

"Yes, my lady," Luna and Sentinel said at the same time.

"We were working hard to make sure that your memories remain sealed," the witch said. "But the Blue Dragon's "visit" tonight was unexpected. I have a feeling that he was the one who made you dream of the past, Lady Nystrom."

She needed time to absorb that.

Kiho and I will have to kill each other…?

"In my dream, the Supreme and the Black Serpent promised each other that they will meet again," she said in a confused voice. "What happened when they got reunited? What happened to the Supreme and the Black Serpent before Kiho and I were reincarnated as Tilly Prescott and Captain Kiho?"

"We cannot speak of that, Lady Nystrom," Sentinel said firmly. "But all I can say is it ended tragically."

She felt a squeeze in her heart when she heard that. "Did the Supreme and the Black Serpent love each other?"

"The Supreme loved the Black Serpent with all her heart," Sentinel said. "She loved him enough to marry him despite everything."

Oh, they were married. But that wasn't the answer that she wanted to hear. "How about the Black Serpent then? They were married, yes. But did he love her?"

Luna and Sentinel fell silent.

She clutched her chest tight. The two's silence was deafening and heartbreaking. But to be honest, she didn't know if she could handle it if they gave her a verbal response.

He didn't love her.

At that moment, she suddenly remembered her conversation with the Supreme before.

"Who fell in love first? Was it you or your husband?"

Tears fell down her cheeks now that she fully understood why the Supreme had to ask that.

She wanted to ask more questions but she refrained from doing so. If she sought more answers, she might suddenly remember her past.

"It's going to be fine as long as we don't remember our past lives, right?" she asked hopefully.

Luna and Sentinel raised their head and gave her a confused look.

"I'd like to think that the Supreme and the Black Serpent were completely different people from us," she said in desperation. She knew that she was still in-denial. But what could she do? She couldn't lose Kiho now. And she didn't want their present to be ruined just because of the past. "I don't want to know what happened between them. I want to continue living as Tilly and I want Kiho to remain as Kiho."

Luna and Sentinel both gave her a look of pity.

"Please look after Winter and Julian for a while," she said, then she stood up and bolted out of the room.

To be honest, she still had questions about the "descendants" of the Black Serpent.

If Kiho was the Black Serpent, then that only meant that it was his descendants who killed her father and Lord Denver. But if they were really his descendants, then that meant they were her descendants as well. The Supreme and the Black Serpent were married then, right?

Did her father discover that? Was that why her father asked her to believe in Kiho only? Then, if that was the case, she would trust her father.

No matter how trustworthy Luna and Sentinel were, she would only believe in Kiho.

God, she felt like she was going crazy.

There's a storm in my head.

"Tilly?"

She was on the top of the staircase when Kiho called her. When she saw him on the bottom of the staircase, she jumped and yelled. "Catch me, Kiho!"

Kiho's eye widened when she jumped from the staircase. But of course, he moved fast to catch her. When he did, he hugged her tight while scolding her. "Honey, that was dangerous."

"I know that you will catch me no matter what," she reasoned while clinging to his neck like a monkey. Then, she wrapped her legs around his waist and buried her face against his neck. "Kiho, do you love me?"

"I do," he answered softly, not missing a beat. Then, he hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Tilly."

She was happy to hear him say that he loved her. But she burst out crying out of frustration. Why couldn't she find her voice to tell him that she loved him, too?

"Honey, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly. "Are you crying?"

"Don't leave me, Kiho," she begged him. "Don't hate me. Don't forget that you love me no matter what happens."

"I will never leave you, Tilly," Kiho promised her gently without even asking why she was acting that way. "I will never hate you. And I will never forget that I love you no matter what happens."

His words laced with sincerity calmed her down.

She also loved how he would always ask her if she was alright, but wouldn't force her to share what was on her mind unless she was ready to do so. He always let her set the pace of their relationship. And despite everything, he never looked tired of waiting for her to open up to him.

Kiho was just always there by her side. He was very supportive, thoughtful, and kind to her. He was the husband that she prayed for.

She didn't know what happened between the Supreme and the Black Serpent, and she didn't have any intention to know if it meant losing what she had with Kiho now. One thing was for certain though: she wouldn't let history repeat itself.

This time, they would make it work.

Tilly closed her eyes and kissed the side of his neck, and then she whispered: "Let's figure this out together, Kiho."

***

NOTE: Hi. Have you seen the "new" cover? It's the same image but the texts are different. I'm thinking about changing the story's title from MOMMY VILLAINESS to MOMMY VILLAINESS: THE LADY WITH THE CRAB MALLET.

I already talked to my editor and she said I can still change the book title.

What do you think? I have considered 'The Beast Priestess' and 'The Heart of the Red Phoenix,' but I thought the crab mallet thingy fits the story more. And I think it's kind of unique? I think most of us have a soft spot for Tilly's crab mallet. Hehe!

I don't want to get rid of the 'Mommy Villainess' since I think it's what captured the attention of some of you. Also, Tilly as a "mommy villainess" will be relevant again in the upcoming arc.

Anyway, I didn't expect that the story will turn out this way. When I started writing Mommy Villainess, I just wanted a heroine with a past as a "villainess" that will eventually become the best mommy ever. And thus, the simple title. Joke's on me, the story suddenly became complex. Haha! :D

Anyway, please comment down and let me know what you think. Thank you~

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PS: You may send gifts if you can. Thank you~

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[NOTE: Please ADD my story in your LIBRARY so you can be notified when I post an update. Thank you! :>]