KIHO couldn't help but smile while looking at Winter and Julian who were both busy drawing a design for the jewelry they plan to make. His sons looked adorable while lying down on their stomach on the floor and chatting endlessly.

He had to leave the mansion and attend the audition that he spearheaded to look for the first advertising model of Fancy Us– the name of their shop that sells cultured pearls and other less expensive but still classy jewelry.

At first, he was hesitating to leave Winter alone. But now that Julian was here to accompany his brother, his worry was suddenly washed over.

"I'll look after the children, Your Grace," Amilo promised him. "You may work without worrying too much about the young lords."

"I trust you, Amilo," Kiho told the jewel maker, then he patted his shoulder. After talking to him, he walked towards his sons. "Gentlemen, your father has to go now."

Winter and Julian both looked up at him at the same time.

���Bye-bye, Dad," Winter said brightly. "Finish your job as soon as possible so you can come home early, `kay?"

"Work hard without worrying about us too much, Father," Julian said politely. "I will look after Winter in your place."

"Hey," Winter complained. "You're only two years older than me. Why are you acting like I'm baby when we're almost the same age anyway?"

"Well, you still throw tantrums," Julian said playfully. "That makes me think that you're still baby."

And just like that, the two children started a friendly bicker.

It warmed his heart to see his two boys interact this way.

To be honest, he was afraid that they would start getting jealous of each other. He often heard stuff like sibling rivalry from people around him. He hoped and prayed that Winter and Julian wouldn't go through that phase.

Please let them always get along this way.

Kiho smiled widely at his sons, then he ruffled Winter and Julian's hair with his hands. "I'll come home as early as possible, my precious boys."

Winter and Julian both turned to him, then they answered in unison (except for the way they addressed him): "We'll be waiting for you, Dad/Father."

***

"THE BLUE Dragon sent red roses to you, Supreme," Roarke informed her when he entered their room. "I found the bouquet with a note outside your door."

"Burn it down," Tilly said without even turning to Roarke. She was too busy admiring herself in the mirror as she sat down in front of the vanity. Luna stood behind her while curling her hair with a magical wand. Today was the day of the audition so they were already up at dawn to prepare. "I'm allergic to flowers if they aren't from Kiho so get rid of those."

"As you wish, my lady," Roarke said, then he burned the bouquet of red roses into ashes. "The note congratulated you, Supreme. According to the Blue Dragon, he knew you'd get picked in the audition because you're the fairest lady in the whole empire."

"Oh, god," she complained. "I feel like throwing up. That's so creepy."

But she wasn't surprised that Elis Ripperton knew where she was staying, or the fact that she was going to the audition today. He wouldn't stalk her for nothing.

Still, she had a feeling that he didn't tell it to the emperor.

"I know, right?" Luna agreed with her. "It's strange because even though I used to say that watching you and Duke Nystrom flirt makes me want to vomit, I don't really feel disgusted. But when it's the Blue Dragon, I seriously want to throw up. So freaking creepy."

"That's the difference between flirting with consent and forcing yourself on someone," she said while shaking her head. "Take note, Roarke. If you're going to court a lover someday, make sure that you will respect their personal space and always ask for their consent."

"Thank you for the advice, Supreme," Roarke said, then he bowed to her. "But the Keepers aren't interested in finding a lover. After all, we all pledged to devote our lives to you."

"You're still allowed to love somebody else aside from me."

The Keeper looked confused as if they weren't physically capable of loving someone aside from her.

Gosh, that's so sad.

"I think we're capable of loving the people that you love, my lady," Roarke said after a while. "Except for the Black Serpent."

She sighed and shook her head again. Kalel Nystrom, just what the hell did you do in the past to make my Keepers hate you this much?

"Forget what I said," she told Roarke, then she looked up Luna to change the subject. "Girl, I want to wear my dress now."

She designed the dress she was going to wear in the audition herself.

After she asked Roarke to burn down the red dress that Elis Ripperton praised, she decided to just design her own outfit. So she bought all the best materials that she could find. With the help of Luna and her literally magical hands, they were able to create the perfect dress.

"I can't wait to see you wear the dress, Tilly," Luna said excitedly. "I'm sure you'd look divine in it now that your makeup and hair are fully-done. And of course…" The witch's smile turned wicked. "I'm excited to see you wear the accessory that you invented that this world hasn't seen yet."

"I know, right?" Tilly said with a satisfied smile. She was so glad that magic existed in this world and Luna was a powerful witch. If not, they wouldn't have created that piece in just the span of five days. "I can't wait to blow everyone away during my comeback stage."

***

KIHO would have fallen asleep if Emperor Aku didn't nudge him discreetly.

Right now, they sat behind a long table position in front of the stage they built in one of the ballrooms of His Majesty's palace. Behind him and the emperor sat his advisors, and the head of the Royal Faction that served as judges along them.

So far, eleven ladies already auditioned to be his brand's advertising model.

All the ladies had to do was to wear their unreleased collection of jewelry (all ladies received the same pieces). Then, they had to sit on the throne that he asked Amilo to design for that event. The ladies just had to pose while wearing the complete set of jewelry.

As of this moment, no one caught his eye yet.

And no lady will ever do unless she's Duchess Tilly Nystrom.

"Lady Huxley is next," Emperor Aku whispered to him. "You better not fall asleep since all eyes are on you now."

As a response, Kiho just covered his mouth with his hands and yawned.

The emperor let out a frustrated sigh. "I shouldn't have made this audition open to public viewing."

Members of the high society were present.

The higher nobles were scattered around the ballroom while watching the audition. At first, their attention was on the stage. But now that Lady Huxley was about to take the stage, everyone had their eyes on him to watch his reaction.

It's probably because of the stupid rumor between me and Lady Huxley.

"Did you drunk last night?" Emperor Aku confronted him in a low voice. "You seem to have hang-over. Who told you to drink when today is a big day for your business?"

"Stop scolding me, Your Majesty," he complained lightly. He didn't really get drunk last night. It was the lack of sleep that was making him feel tired. After staying up to watch Winter sleep, he had to wake up early to join his son for breakfast. Of course, he brought Julian with him. "My head is already killing me."

The emperor was about to complain but thankfully, the spotlights highlighting the stage opened once again.

Everyone fell silent as Lady Huxley started to walk on the stage toward the throne.

As a judge, he had no choice but to watch the lady objectively.

First, he would admit that Lady Huxley looked pretty (but not as much as Tilly) and her hair was tied in an elegant bun suit her outfit.

After all, she wore a flair long sleeves red dress that had an all high neck style with a low back. It was very classy and conservative. But he thought that the dress was too fabulous that it had overshadowed the pieces of jewelry that she was supposed to present to the audience.

And I'm not being biased.

He studied fashion a while ago because he intended to enter the industry. And for that matter, he invited Miss Charlotte Hamilton, the dressmaker from Pillas Islands, today. The famous designer sat in the front seat with other VIP guests.

Anyway, back to the current contender…

Lady Huxley now sat on the throne with a million-dollar smile.

The lady wore the complete set of the pearl jewelry that the other contestants wore as well. But just like the other ladies, Lady Huxley failed to showcase the layered pearl necklace that was supposed to be the star of that event.

It's the dress, he said to himself. They all wore the kind of dress that overwhelmed the necklace.

"Isn't Lady Huxley the loveliest among the ladies who auditioned so far?" Emperor Aku told him with a smile. "Doesn't she look like a painting?"

"Yes," Kiho agreed. "She looks stiff and lifeless like a painting."

The emperor let out a frustrated sigh. "Kiho–"

His Majesty stopped midway of his scolding when the lights suddenly turned off.

Kiho thought he heard Lady Huxley's muffled scream. For a second, he thought they were under attack. He was about to stand up when all of a sudden, the lights returned.

Oh.

The people who panicked for a minute all fell silent as soon as they realized, just like him, had taken over the stage.

Of course, his heart recognized her right away.

Duchess Tilly Nystrom.

The lady on the stage now had long curly jet-black hair adorned with a flower hair pin. She wore a light beige dress that he didn't think was capable of being that attractive, considering that the color was pretty bland.

But she carried it well.

The beige dress's had an upper chest cut with the sleeves hanging loosely around her frail arms, a beautiful cape, and sexy slit.

Wait– what?

He froze when he realized that her creamy, shapely legs were getting exposed in each step she took because of the slit in her dress. But he couldn't complain because her legs looked divine, and the shoes with a pair of metallic gold pumps suited her outfit very well.

But what is that eyewear?

She wore a pair of oversized glasses with dark tint. It was the first time that he saw eyeglasses with black frame and oversized lenses.

Still, it suits her small face.

God, even the way she walked was so graceful that he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Everyone in the room, even Emperor Aku, looked very stunned.

He loved that his wife was getting the attention and reaction that her grand entrance deserved. But at the same time, he wanted to keep her all to himself.

Stop, he condemned himself. This isn't the right time to be selfish.

His thoughts were cut-off when his wife sat on the throne, then she removed her eyewear as she crossed her legs.

He almost had a heart attack when she exposed her leg like that.

God, she's so f*cking hot.

And it wasn't just because of her body.

Her confidence was what made her sexy.

Is she the goddess of pearl or something?

Finally, someone managed to make the layered pearl necklace shine.

Again, I'm not being biased.

His wife's beautiful face and elegant dress were attractive, of course. But they didn't hog all the attention. In fact, the pieces of pearl jewelry that she wore stood out thanks to her dress.

And damn, my wife is so beautiful.

He could confidently say that he wasn't the only one who thought so.

For a few seconds, he took his eyes off of his wife to turn around and watch the reaction of everyone around him. All the ladies and the gentlemen in the room were obviously charmed by the duchess's blinding beauty.

Even Aku Moonchester was rendered speechless by his wife's beauty.

Kiho knew that he was supposed to pretend that he didn't care about his wife anymore.

But when his eyes met Tilly's, his body moved on its own. Before he knew it, he was already walking toward his wife who looked surprised by his action. That seemed to snap everyone out of their daze because all of a sudden, he was hearing a loud buzz behind him.

Everyone was whispering behind his back, literally.

He didn't give a f*ck though.

Kiho got down on one knee while asking for consent from Tilly with his eyes. When she offered her hand to her, giving him the permission that he asked for, he gently took it. He almost cried when he finally held her warm, small, and soft hand in his. "Welcome back, my duchess," he whispered in a volume that only her would hear him, then he kissed the back of his wife's hand before he looked up at her with warm gaze. "Thank you for returning safely, Tilly."

Tilly smiled sweetly at him, but the look in her beautiful purple eyes seemed distant. "Are you, perhaps, the famed Duke Kiho Nystrom?"

Ah.

The reminder that his wife hadn't remembered him the way he remembered her crushed his poor heart cruelly.

***

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