"MARIANNE, where have you been?"

Marianne smiled and sat beside Maverick on the sofa in their room. Then, she hugged his arm and laid her head on the shoulder. "I just visited the Fire Tree in the garden. It looks so beautiful to me."

To be honest, she went to the fire tree to leave her message to her daughter. She was able to do that using the magic spell that Lord Wixx taught her. She had to memorize the incantation that he told her again and again until she finally got it right. The language that she used was very foreign to her so she was praying that she didn't fail.

Anyway, she chose that fire tree because that was the resting place that she decided on. When she dies, she wanted to be buried here in Oakes instead of the Royal Capital.

"Maverick?"

"Hmm?"

"When I die, I want to be buried under the Fire Tree in your garden."

"Marianne, you know that I don't like talking about things like that."

"I'm just saying it," she said with a pout. "All humans will die anyway. I just want to be prepared once that happens."

"I don't want to imagine the day where I'd lose you," Maverick said while shaking his head. Then, he turned to her. "But you're right– we will all die in the end so it's better if we prepare as early as now. Especially now that we have a child."

She nodded in agreement. "Like I said, I want to be buried under the oldest Fire Tree in the garden here. How about you?"

"Well, House Prescott has a private burial ground for all the heads of the family," he said, then he paused for a second before he continued. "But if you want to be buried here, then I'd like to be buried next to you."

That got her instantly emotional. "You'll break your family tradition for me?"

"Always."

That was true.

Marrying her, a "fake" noblewoman, was already very unlikely for the head of House Prescott. And now, he was hiding her identity as a Fire Mage even though it was considered treason for a pro-royal family household like theirs.

But maybe House Prescott has already stopped being a part of the Royal Faction now.

"When I'm gone, I'll divide all my wealth and properties to you and our daughter," Maverick continued. "I'll work harder to make sure that you and our daughter will have a luxurious life even when I'm no longer around."

"You're already that wealthy, Maverick," Marianne said with a soft laugh. Then, she realized that they were yet to name their baby. "What should we call our daughter?"

To be honest, the Red Phoenix had a "suggestion…"

***

"CALL HER Soleil Rosenberg," Lord Wixx told her before they parted ways the last time they met. "That was the name of the Supreme in her previous lives. Since her soul is special, she's going to be reborn as a Supreme again and again."

"How did the Supreme's life end during those two lifetimes?"

The Red Phoenix didn't have to answer her question. The bitterness and anger that she saw in his eyes were enough to tell her that during those two lifetimes, the Supreme suffered and perhaps, her life ended tragically twice.

"I won't name my baby Soleil Rosenberg," she declared.

The god obviously didn't like her decision because he glared at her. "You insolent child–"

"I don't care about my baby's past lives," she said firmly, then she put her hands on her stomach carefully. "Our baby is our baby– she's not your "foolish little sister" anymore. Her blood might say that she's the Supreme Fire Mage, but I'd still like to think that she's different from your precious Soleil Rosenberg." She gave the Red Phoenix an apologetic smile because the next things she was about to say would definitely sound insensitive. "I don't want my daughter to be miserable like your sister, my lord. And I don't want her to live the way the Supreme lived in the past. That would be unfair to my daughter. She is her own person and I don't want her to be defined by the past that she might not even remember. Is it wrong for me to give my daughter the chance to live as if it's her first life?"

"To live as if it's her first life…" Lord Wixx whispered to himself. "I never considered that before but I like the way it sounds," he said while nodding. "Do what you want then."

Marianne bowed to him. "Thank you, Lord Wixx."

***

"MATILDA," Marianne muttered to herself while hugging her favorite children's book close to her chest. "Maverick, what do you think about naming our daughter 'Matilda?'"

Every night, she would read the story 'Matilda's Temperament' to her baby.

It was an old story about a little girl that would always get in trouble because of her nasty temper. Although the story was funny, it had an underlying message that she didn't miss: it was okay for girls to be angry without being called "crazy" or "hysterical." In their society where women were expected to be always "calm" and "mature," the book was a breath of fresh air.

She hoped that her daughter would get to live her life freely like Matilda in the story.

Break all the rules that you deem unnecessary, my daughter.

"I like it," Maverick, who sat beside her on the bed, said. "I like the main character of that book, too."

She smiled and nodded in agreement. "Let's call her 'Tilly' as a pet name. I heard that children these days don't like names that sound too old for them. 'Tilly' sounds adorable, isn't it?"

"You can make anything sound adorable, Marianne," he said. "Your voice is always music to my ears."

She giggled at that.

But hearing those sweet words also made her sad.

To be honest, she wanted to tell Maverick that she had already given up her own life to protect their daughter. But she couldn't gather the courage to confess to her husband. That was why she was just trying to make the most of their remaining time together.

Maverick, please forgive me.

She prayed and hoped that unlike her, her daughter would grow up as a very honest person. That if one day their little Tilly gets married, she'd always have the courage to open up to her husband. For that to happen, she wished that their baby would find a decent man to marry.

Please don't be a coward like me, my beautiful Tilly.

"Maverick, take care of our Tilly, okay?"

Her husband gave her a confused look. "We will take care of our Tilly, Marianne."

She smiled and nodded, then she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Of course."

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. "You seem down."

"I'm just tired."

"Do you want me to make some milk for you?"

She smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Maverick, I love you."

As expected, her dear husband blushed. "What has gotten into you?"

"Come on, say that you love me."

"You already know that I do."

"But I want to hear it again," she complained lightly. "The first and last time that you said you love me was when you proposed to me."

Maverick wasn't really vocal about his feelings.

But she never doubted his love for her because as they say, "actions speak louder than words." Still, she wanted words of affirmation from time to time. Especially now that their time together was already limited.

Tilly, please don't inherit this from your father– I hope you become expressive to your future significant other like me instead.

Her thoughts were cut-off when all of a sudden, her husband kissed her on the lips.

Then, Maverick laid down and hid under the thick blanket. "Good night, my love."

That was probably the closest thing to 'I love you��� that she would get from her shy husband.

Marianne laughed softly, then she laid beside Maverick and hugged her husband from behind. "I love you, Maverick," she said again. Much to her delight, Maverick turned around and hugged her. Then, he kissed her forehead. She smiled and closed her eyes. "I will love you and our little Tilly forever."

***

"WHY didn't Mother want to show me the last moments of her life?" Tilly asked softly. Even without turning around, she could tell that Wong was standing quietly behind her. "Isn't that the most crucial part?"

Whenever she would visit her mother's resting place in Solarium, some of the memories of her mommy's life would play in her mind.

Solaris told her that it was her mother's gift for her.

"You already know what happened then," Wong said. "When House Denver decided to come forward to openly support your mother, Lady Marianne Prescott discovered that the evil princess plans to betray them in the end. And so, before her final moments, she told Morgan Denver to not reveal their identities. Then, the marquis erased your father's memories to protect him."

"I already heard that from my father," she said, then she turned to the Keeper. "But before that, what happened when my mother gave birth to me? I heard that Nia Moonchester has some pieces of my heart. Is that true?"

He scoffed at that. "What the foolish princess thinks she has are only pieces of the "shell" of your heart. Breaking them can only give you a little chest pain," he said, then he explained further. "When a Sun Priestess gives birth to a powerful Fire Mage, she becomes weak because her Mana automatically becomes the protective shell of her child's heart. The shell that I'm talking about is the gem-like protection around your heart that also seals your Mana. That's why in the past, people think that your Mana is very weak."

"My mother did a lot of things for me," she said with a sad smile. "I heard that it was you who took my mother's soul and brought it here in Solarium, Wong."

He nodded before telling her the story. Well, she already heard the full story but she wanted to hear it again now that her memories as Tilly Prescott-Nystrom had returned. "When the evil princess ripped out Lady Marianne Prescott's heart, the spell that Lord Wixx cast on her soul activated. I woke up, and I was immediately sent by that spell to where your mother was. Thanks to her sacrifice, the other Keepers were able to wake up too." He paused for a moment before he continued. "Supreme, Lady Marianne Prescott left a piece of her soul to me. You can talk to her soul for a few moments. If you wish, I'll bring it to you."

She smiled and shook her head. "I can't face my mother yet," she said. "I will not talk to her soul until I bury my father's remains next to hers."

Wong just nodded as a response.

Tilly then turned around to face her mother's portrait again. "Mother, it's time for me to go," she said softly. "The next time I come here, I will bring my husband and my son with me." She fondly touched the frame of the portrait. "Goodbye for now, Mother."

***

"WONG, do you know that this isn't actually my first time living as Tilly Prescott-Nystrom?" Tilly asked the Keeper while they were in the carriage. After visiting her mother's resting place in Solarium, she decided to go home. After all, she had a job for her little cinnamon roll. "I was reborn into this lifetime."

Wong nodded before he answered. "Lady Luna told us about it before."

"In my first life as Tilly Prescott, I didn't meet my brother," she said. "And because of that, I didn't get to meet you in that timeline."

He nodded as confirmation. "It's a shame that even though Lady Marianne Prescott was a Sun Priestess, she didn't have anyone to tell her how important her existence was to the Fire Mages. If only she was guided accordingly, you would have met us earlier– both in your past and current lifetime."

"It doesn't matter to me, to be honest," she said bluntly. "Like I told you before, I'd like to separate myself from Soleil Rosenberg."

The Keeper didn't say anything but protest was evident in his eyes.

"I won't end up like Soleil Rosenberg," she said firmly. "I'm Tilly Prescott-Nystrom– the most selfish person you'll ever meet. Unlike Soleil Rosenberg, I won't choose between love and duty." She raised her hands. "I have two hands to hold both."

"I can see that you're really different from Lady Rosenberg."

"No offense to my past self but she was really passive. I can't believe I was that submissive in my past life," she said while shaking her head. But in Soleil Rosenberg's defense, it must be because of how the society treated women in the past. She was lucky that she got to experience living in a modern world. Thanks to that experience, she was able to improve her mindset. And she preferred her current personality. "Anyway, my point is you failed to save me in the past. I know that you weren't able to do anything back then because I failed to meet my brother. But still, don't you think you need to make it up to me? Plus, let's not forget that you almost hurt my son." She clutched her chest in an exaggerated manner. "I was really hurt, Wong."

Wong obviously didn't like where the topic was heading to. "Get to the point, Supreme."

"Convince Solaris and the rest of the Keepers to send you to rescue my brother instead of me," Tilly said with a "business smile." "I want you to leave with your team as soon as possible, Wong."

***

TILLY cleared her throat after she knocked on Winter's room.

He told her to come in a very "pouty" voice, if there was such a thing. When she entered his room, she found her son sulking in the bed.

"You're upset, aren't you?" Tilly asked, then she sat beside her little cinnamon roll. "Did I hurt you, Winter?"

Winter nodded with a pout. "Mommy, I feel like I've been punished wrongly. It wasn't my fault that Solenn was eavesdropping. And what's wrong with telling you that daddy might be getting married soon? You deserve to know that."

"I know, right?"

"Hmm?"

She smiled while patting her son's head. "I had to be illogically mad at you in front of the Keepers to put up a show."

His eyes widened in shock. "Mommy, are you planning something?"

"Of course," she said. "I'm strict, you know that. But this time, I'm pretty aware that you did nothing wrong."

"Then, why did you scold me, Mommy?"

"Because you need a "reason" to run away, Winter."

He still looked confused.

"My cute little cinnamon roll, I want you to "run away" from home," Tilly said with a bright smile. "And after you run away, you know where to go, right?"

Winter finally got what she was trying to say. He smiled and nodded. "I'm going to "run away" and go to Daddy," he said cheerfully, then he laughed as if he was relieved that she didn't scold him just because she thought he did something wrong. When he finally realized her plan, her baby's "sly smile" mirrored hers. "Bye-bye, Mommy."

***

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