TILLY watched as Nia Moonchester's face turn from calm into confused.

"Why aren't the people around you moving?" Nia Moonchester asked in confusion. "Did you stop the time or something?"

"I did," Tilly said proudly. "But it won't last long so let's make this quick."

Sadly, she could only stop time in a room for five minutes.

That was one of the things that never failed to make her feel frustrated.

According to Solaris, Soleil Rosenberg (in her peak) was 100x better and stronger than her. God, and she really let Aku Moonchester take everything away from her. Now, she– the inferior "version" of her former glorious self– had to clean up Soleil Rosenberg's mess.

Nia Moonchester sipped her tea before she asked. "What do you want with me?"

It kind of irked her that the princess didn't look shock seeing her after five years. Plus, she hated that Nia Moonchester actually looked like she found peace after leaving the palace. Like she was already contented being separated from Aku Moonchester.

Is this the reason why she got herself exiled in the past? For peace of mind?

She found it hard to believe until she realized what kind of a psycho Aku Moonchester was.

I'd probably give up everything too just to get away from him.

"Make a binding vow with me," Tilly said when she forced herself to focus on her current mission instead of pondering about Nia Moonchester's "peaceful" look. "I'm making a deal with your beloved twin brother-slash-lover."

As expected, the princess scowled in disgust.

"In exchange of working with me to get to the land that drinks blood, I offered him the cure to fix your infertility."

Nia Moonchester glared at her. "Are you crazy? Do you think I will let you fix my infertility after I went through a lot just to destroy my reproductive system?"

"I will free your soul if you let us fix your body."

That immediately calmed the princess down. But she still looked skeptical. "You were the one who cursed me in the past. But only the Red Phoenix's flame can burn down the string that you tied me and Aku with. And as far as I know, the Red Phoenix is missing. I'm sure that not even my brother knows where exactly your brother is."

"My people have already found my brother," she informed her. "I assure you– I can make the Red Phoenix free you from the curse that I cast on you many years ago. Once your soul is freed, you can get rid of your physical body without dying since you were originally a spirit. Don't you want to become a free Guardian again?"

She wasn't really sure if that was Nia Moonchester's goal all along.

But she was certain that for her, becoming a Guardian might be better than getting tied with Aku Moonchester's soul for all eternities.

My fault, but they deserved it.

Anyway, her thoughts were cut-off when she saw Nia Moonchester's reaction.

The princess gulped, obviously tempted by her offer.

"I need to make a binding vow with you to make sure that we won't stab each other in the back while working together," Tilly continued. "I will make you the collateral by making the medicine work only after the binding vow is completed."

Nia Moonchester's brows furrowed in confusion. "You made the medicine work that way?"

"I'm lucky to have an excellent witch by my side," she said proudly. "Anyway, think about my offer carefully, Nia Moonchester. I will not tell Aku Moonchester that I will free your soul once the binding vow is over. That will give you the chance to run away from him. So even if your body is fixed, you can finally return to where you want to be."

"Do you think you can fool Aku?" she asked with furrowed brows. "If he knows that you will free my soul, he'll never let us do a binding vow."

"It will be our little nasty secret," she said confidently. "You don't have to trust me, Nia Moonchester. You just have to trust my hunger to bring down Aku Moonchester. Plus, your goal doesn't align with his." She pointed at herself. "Your goal is aligned with mine. If you didn't hate my past self so much, you could have worked properly with my mother before. Am I wrong?"

Nia Moonchester avoided her gaze. "Let me think about it, Lady Nystrom."

"Of course, Princess Nia," Tilly said, saying her title sarcastically. "I'll be waiting for your positive response."

***

LADY NYSTROM definitely did something.

Aku wasn't sure what it was but he felt strange ever since Nia showed up at the screen. Every fiber of his being was screaming that something was wrong. He just couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was.

"The medicine will only work once the binding vow is over and we get what we need in the land that drinks blood," Lady Nystrom explained to Nia, then she turned to him once again. "You know how binding vow works, don't you? If the medicine is fake, the vow will kill me right away. It's an ancient magic that even gods don't mess around with."

"I know that," Aku said, then he sipped his tea before he continued. "And I also know that you won't show up with a fake medicine. You're not that kind of person."

"Good," the Supreme said, then she turned to his beloved again. "If Aku Moonchester breaks the terms of the binding vow, you will die. But you don't have to worry about that, right? After all, you of all people know that Aku won't let you die."

He knew that it was the purpose of the binding vow.

Still, something was making him feel uncomfortable.

"I have no reason to help you, Lady Nystrom," Nia said in her usual arrogant tone. "But getting locked up in this temple for so long is starting to get boring. Maybe going out for a while wouldn't be so bad," she said, then she put her teacup down on the table. "Let me think about your offer."

Now, that was suspicious.

Why does Nia sound like she has already accepted the deal?

"Nia, I'll give you until tomorrow night to decide," Aku said to his beloved sternly, then he turned to Lady Nystrom. "If ever Nia decides to make a binding vow with you, you better believe that I will oversee it, Lady Nystrom."

"Of course," Tilly said with a confident smile. "You do you, Aku Moonchester."

I hate that triumphant smile.

***

"AKU MOONCHESTER is suspicious of me," Tilly said while she was in the carriage with Luna and Roarke. "It can't be helped. He knows Nia Moonchester so well that he finds it strange that the princess is even considering my offer."

"We already expected that, didn't we?" Luna asked. "That's why we're making a move before you make the binding vow with Nia Moonchester in front of Aku Moonchester."

"Yeah," she said while nodding her head. "I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at how sharp and smart Aku Moonchester is. No matter how much I hate him, I will never underestimate his slyness. He would have never lived this long if he was easy to kill." She let out a frustrated sigh. "And you know, a person's survival skills don't depend on strength or Mana alone. You also have to be cunning and smart. Look at what happened to Soleil Rosenberg. She was overpowered but she still lost to Aku Moonchester."

"It's because you were too soft-hearted in the past, Supreme," Roarke said. "But I don't have to worry about that anymore. Your cunning side will give Lord Wixx a heart attack once he returns."

"I already gave him a glimpse of the new me in the past," she said, then her brows furrowed. "Wait. I thought the two of you have something important to report to me?"

Luna and Roarke turned to each other first before they faced her again.

"It is important but your reunion with your family is more important, Tilly," Luna said with a smile. "We can wait."

"And we still have a mission. After we dropped you off at the mansion, we have to get the White Snake and bring her to you," Roarke added. "We will give you our report by then."

"Okay, if you say so," Tilly said, then she looked at the two back and forth. "You know, you two have good rapport as mother-and-son duo."

Luna's face turned red immediately. "Tilly!"

On the other hand, Roarke blushed too and hanged his head low from embarrassment.

Tilly just laughed at their reaction.

It's so fun to tease them.

***

I'M SORRY, Father and Winter, Julian said as he looked at the huge mansion one last time. He left the mansion wearing a cloak. Since he had to move fast, he only brought a bag. Inside it were some clothes and bags of coins that he would need to survive. Now that the Supreme is back, I have no place in your family anymore.

He didn't have the courage to face the Supreme while he fully knew what his mother did to her in the past. And it didn't end there.

Even in this lifetime, his mother was still tormenting the Supreme and her family.

This was embarrassing to admit but he didn't have the heart to stop his mother. The memories of his past life made him see her as a pitiful person. He was afraid that he might let his mother use him to hurt the Nystroms if he stayed with them.

To protect them, he had to disappear.

"Goodbye," Julian whispered in a cracked voice. "Please be happy now that I'm gone."

"How can we be happy if you're not with us, Julian?"

He gasped and turned around.

Wow.

He was stunned at the Supreme's beautiful face. Not only that, her red flaming wings also looked divine. But most of all, he was amazed at how she was able to sneak up on him without him noticing her presence until she spoke.

I thought I have sharp senses, but I guess they are useless against powerful beings.

"Greetings, Supreme," Julian greeted her politely with a bow. "I'm happy that you have returned. Lord Winter and Lord Nystrom will be very delighted to welcome you home."

"Why are you referring to your family that way, Julian?"

"I'm honored that you see me as family, Supreme," he said, his voice cracking once again. "But I don't deserve to be a part of House Nystrom. After all, my mother is–"

"Me," the Supreme said. When he looked up at her, she smiled warmly. "I'm your mother, Julian."

He was happy to hear that, but his conscience kicked in. "It was a lie that my mother spread in the past, Supreme," he confessed. "She told me that she lied about being a replacement mother. The truth was I was conceived when she seduced my father–"

"That's b*llshit, Julian."

Okay, he was surprised to hear the Supreme cuss.

"Kiho– Kalel, rather, might have been a little too attached to his "brother duties." But he was not the type of man who'd cheat on his wife. Plus, Lucina Morganna– then or now– doesn't have the charm to seduce my husband." She patted her chest confidently. "Only I can do that, Julian."

He didn't know why he was impressed by the Supreme even though she just insulted his mother.

"Julian, you were stolen from my womb when you were still a fetus," the Supreme explained gently, then she squatted in front of him to match his eye level. Then, she carefully put her warm hands on his shoulders. Right at that moment, her beautiful flaming red wings disappear in a faint, red light. "Why do you still believe that Lucina Morganna is your mother even though I heard from Winter that he told you that you two are real brothers?"

"Because it's hard for me to believe that," he said between sobs. He couldn't control his emotions, especially now that they were talking about the past. "Father never loved me in the past. Only Lucina Morganna cared about me. Even the Red Phoenix and the Fire Mages clan treated me like I was an enemy." He took a deep breath before he continued. "Will you believe me if I say that the people who first hunted down the Nystroms were the Fire Mages led by your brother, Supreme?"

The Supreme looked shocked by his revelation.

And then, tears rolled down her face.

Seeing the Supreme cry made him cry harder.

"It's hard but I believe you, Julian. Just because I lead the Fire Mages clan doesn't mean that I will always side with them," she said in a cracked voice. Her hands slid down his arms until she reached his hands. "But we don't know what exactly happened in the past. We can't ignore the possibility that someone or something deliberately made the Fire Mages and the Nystroms kill each other. And that's the reason why I'm seeking the Great Fire Tree. But even though I don't know the truth yet, I will never invalidate your claim." She let go of his hands to cup his face gently. "So, shall we figure out the truth together, son?"

Hearing the Supreme call her "son" in a clear, warm voice instantly erased all the doubts in his heart.

A few people had already told him that he was the real son of the Supreme, but his heart never believed any of them. But now that the Supreme herself was telling him and making him feel that he was her real son, he couldn't doubt it anymore.

And if he would be honest, he'd say that even back in his past life, no matter how good Lucina Morganna was to him, he still secretly wished that he was the Supreme's real son.

That wish finally came true.

"A-Are you really my mother, Supreme?"

"100%, Julian," she said with a soft laugh. "Where do you think you got your pretty genes from? Only Kiho and I can create masterpieces like you and Winter."

He had always known that the Supreme was vain and a little arrogant.

But at that moment, her playful tone told him that she was only making a joke to lighten up his mood. And it worked.

He smiled, the heaviness in his chest finally disappeared. "C-Can I call you 'Mother?'"

"Of course, baby," his mother said in a warm voice, then she pulled him for a tight hug that felt like home. "I'm your mother so you have all the right to call me that."

"M-Mother," Julian whispered as he wrapped his arms around his mother. Yes, his real mother. When he called her again, his voice was clearer and more confident now. "Mother."

***

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