MARIANNE wasn't going to lie– the royal princess scared her.

She couldn't believe that she would hear a child like her say scary things such as killing other people. Especially killing a baby!

It must be true when people said the royal children aren't normal.

Still, she put up a brave face and confronted Princess Nia.

So right now, she was in the royal princess's tea room. She didn't dare to pick up her cup because her body was still shaking a little.

And you're not supposed to drink first before the person with a higher rank.

"Don't be scared, Lady Prescott," Princess Nia said, then she sipped her tea before she talked. "I didn't poison your drink."

"I'm not thinking that you poisoned my drink, Your Royal Highness," Marianne said. "I'm just trying to hide my shaking hands from you."

The royal princess looked shocked by that, then she laughed softly. "You're too honest for your own good, Lady Prescott."

She let out a sigh. "My husband says that a lot about me, too."

"I think I can trust you," the royal princess suddenly declared. "If you promise to help me summon the sky beast for my wish, I will spare you and your child."

She swallowed hard.

To be honest, she tended to trust people easily. But this time, she had to be really careful. Her baby's life was on the line.

"I only need a heart that can summon the sky beast," Princess Nia said. "If you or your child can summon it, then I don't need to kill you anymore."

Okay, that made sense.

Maybe she could work with the princess. If that was the only way that she could protect her child, she'd do it.

"You don't have to give me an answer now, Lady Prescott," the royal princess said. "But I'm curious. How did you find out that you're a Fire Mage? Did somebody tell you?"

She was a bad liar but if she had to lie to protect other people, she could do it properly.

"I found out that I'm a Fire Mage when I accidentally created a small fire at my fingertip," she lied with a straight face. Okay, that lie was lame but that was all she could come up with at the moment. "I haven't told anyone about it, not even my husband. After all, I know that Fire Mages are banned in the empire. I don't want House Prescott to fall just because of me." She clutched her stomach. "And I want to protect my baby."

"Understandable," the royal princess said. "Don't worry, Lady Prescott. Your secret is safe with me."

"Your Royal Highness, if we summoned the sky beast and you got your wish from it, will you let me and my child live a peaceful life after that?" she asked bravely. "Will you leave us alone once you get what you want?"

Princess Nia smiled and nodded. "Yes, Lady Prescott," she said. "If I get what I want from the sky beast, I don't care about anything else anymore."

The sparkle in the royal princess's eyes told her that she was being honest.

"Let's work together, Your Royal Highness," Marianne declared seriously. "I will do my best to summon the sky beast and help you get your wish."

***

"YOU SEEM to be fond of Lady Prescott, Princess Nia."

"Lady Prescott seems like an honest person," Nia said while combing her hair. She sat in front of the mirror in her room while Lahara was preparing tea in the tea table set in the lounge area. "I like her."

"That's rare to hear from you," Lahara commented. "You mercilessly ripped the heart of the other Fire Mages that we found before."

"They don't feel special," she said with a shrug. "But Lady Prescott and her baby feel different. I can tell that one of them has the Supreme's heart."

"And you're not going to crush it."

"I decided to work with Lady Prescott instead," she said firmly. "I want people like her to be by my side. It will be a shame to kill her."

"Well, I like your idea," the mage said. "If Lady Prescott or her child really has the Supreme's heart, it will be advantageous for you to keep them by your side. If you have to, you can fight His Majesty with them."

She nodded in agreement. "Exactly."

Lahara snapped her fingers as if she remembered something. "Princess Nia, have you heard of the Colorless Coven?"

"It was the coven of the witches with pink eyes," she said. "I heard that their pink eyes were precious because apparently, they can create strong protections and barriers. And for that reason, their coven was hunted down."

"Uh-huh," the mage said while nodding her head. "But I heard that they are survivors from that coven."

"Are they going to be useful?"

"I won't bring them up if they won't be useful to you, Princess Nia," Lahara said with a laugh. "Apparently, the two daughters of the coven's leader survived the purge. According to my research, the two children specialize in pregnancy and anything related to a woman's body."

She gasped when she realized what the mage was trying to say. "You think they can create a strong medicine to make me infertile?"

She tried finding different medicines to make a woman infertile.

But it was hard for her to move freely when the doctors and healers all over the empire had their eyes on her. Even Lahara's movement was being restricted. Even Aku didn't like the mage that much.

But if Lahara brings other people in to help me, then I might find what I'm looking for.

"Yes, Your Royal Highness," Lahara said seriously. "I believe that they are capable of making that kind of medicine."

"Fine the witches and bring them to me," Nia ordered the mage. "They need to make me infertile as soon as possible."

***

WHENEVER Marianne was anxious, she would always go to the temple to pray.

Usually, she would just use the common room where devotees like her would offer their prayer to the gods and guardians of the empire. But this time, after knowing that she was a Fire Mage, she particularly looked for the prayer room of the four Ancient Beasts.

Fortunately, her position as a duchess was high enough for her to be allowed in that prayer room. Nobles with a lower rank weren't allowed to do so.

She hated the hierarchy but this time, she was a little grateful.

After all, she had the prayer room all to herself right now.

Anyway…

"Red Phoenix, the sky beast, please hear me out," Marianne prayed hard with her eyes closed and her hands clasped together. She stood in front of the statue of the Red Phoenix and prayed that it could hear her. "Apparently, I'm one of your descendants. Can you help me protect my child? Can you tell me how I can summon you?"

She heard about people that could hear god's voice.

Unfortunately, she wasn't one of those people. Still, she believed in her luck. And she prayed really hard for that luck to help her again this time.

"Help me just this once," she pleaded. "I swear I will devote myself to you from now on."

She didn't know how long she waited but when she got tired, she let out a deep sigh.

I think my luck has run out when I married Maverick and have a lovely child with him.

She opened her eyes, ready to leave the prayer room, when all of a sudden, the chamber started to spin. To prevent falling down, she held onto the statue really hard.

Am I just dizzy or what?

She closed her eyes, thinking that she just got dizzy because she was tired.

"You're the one who called me, aren't you?"

She gasped when she heard an unfamiliar voice.

When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by a handsome man with red hair.

She never met a god in her life once. But the "pure" aura around the stranger was making her want to kneel and bow before him. That was enough to tell her that the strange man in front of her was a real god.

And she was hoping he was the Red Phoenix.

Well, he has red hair and the phoenix has red feathers so…

"A-Are you a god?" she asked nervously, then she swallowed hard. Out of instinct, she put her arms protectively around her stomach. It was her own way of protecting the little one in her tummy. "Please tell me I'm right."

"No."

Okay, that made her heart sink.

The strange man pointed at her stomach. "I'm just the big brother of that foolish little child."

"My baby isn't foolish," she snarled.

She was usually calm but she would never let a stranger insult her daughter. Even if it was her big brother!

Wait– my baby's what?!

"B-Big Brother?" she asked in disbelief. "How did you become my baby's big brother?"

"It's a long story," the stranger said. "Ah, to make it clear, I'm a god to other people. My name is Wixx and I'm the Red Phoenix."

That was a huge relief.

Thank goodness she met the right god.

"Lord Wixx, I'm begging you," she pleaded. "Please help me protect my daughter."

"Let me ask you a question first."

She nodded eagerly. "What is it, my lord?"

Wixx smiled but his eyes turned cold. "Will you give up your life if it means giving birth to the reincarnation of the Supreme Fire Mage?"

Hearing that made her freeze.

Her baby wasn't an ordinary Fire Mage?

Marianne, scared for her daughter's future, clutched her stomach tight. "My daughter is the reincarnation of the Supreme?"

And she had to die for her baby to be born?

***

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