"SO, THE North King and his ice puppets are on their way here?" Tilly asked Ainsworth for confirmation. Right now, they (she, Kiho, Luna, and the little tiger) were standing in front of the house while listening to the Golden Tiger's report. "Why didn't you tell us right away instead of waiting outside? You're not a dog, little tiger."

After she and Kiho literally kissed and made up, they made their way back to the house. That was where they found Ainsworth waiting by the door. Miss Luna was there too because the witch created a protectice barrier while she and her husband while fighting a while ago.

"I didn't want to face your wrath if I interrupted you then," Ainsworth snapped at her. But when she glared at him, he suddenly turned into the little tiger that she raised. "Sister Soleil…"

"Call me 'Tilly' from now on," she told him. "Anyway, what's the situation there? How long will it take them to reach us?"

"Winchell said he'll delay the enemies' arrival," Ainsworth said. "He also told me that he will not touch the ice puppets. Instead, he will await for your instructions on how to deal with your descendants."

She raised a brow at that.

That's strange. I thought Brother decided to greet the enemies to finish them off. Why would he hate for my instructions this time?

"Tilly, I think the king is headed here to save his son," Luna informed her. "Thaddeus Nystrom, the son of the North King, was captured by Lord Winchell a while ago. The prince is currently locked up in the basement. I enchanced the protection by creating a barrier that an ice puppet like him couldn't touch."

"Ah, yes," she said while nodding. "I heard it from Lord Denver's report a while ago."

"Tilly, I have something else to report to you," the witch said seriously. "Thaddeus Nystrom is the one who killed Lord Prescott and the rest of his company a few years ago."

She was instantly swallowed up by her anger that the snow that covered the ground they stood on suddenly melted and turned into lava.

Luna and Ainsworth both jumped away from her to avoid the lava.

"Honey, please calm down," Kiho said gently, then he stomped on the lava. He didn't get hurt because the lava instantly froze. Thanks to her husband's quick action, it didn't spread and accidentally hurt anyone. "I think you should rest first," he said, then he gently caressed her face with the back of his hand. "Winchell is there to give us time to prepare. Resting for a bit won't hurt."

"His Grace is correct, Tilly," Luna, still standing a few meters away from her, said with a firm nod. "You and the rest of your family needs to rest. It's time for the other Beast Gods to work anyway." She paused, then her brows furrowed. "Where are Lord Forrester and Lady Solenn? I should look for them."

"I will gather our men and assign them their stations for our defense," Ainsworth said, then he looked at her. "Leave this to us and rest, Tilly."

She raised a brow at him.

The little tiger avoided her gaze and whispered: "Sister Tilly."

"I will get some rest and quickly join you later," Tilly said. As long as Winchell was in the frontline, she knew that the enemies wouldn't be able to reach them. If her brother wanted to, he could melt their descendants. "I'll send a message to my brother to delay the army's arrival."

***

"BROTHER, give me two hours," Tilly said while sitting on the bed and "talking" to a flaming black feather in front of her face. "Delay the enemies for two hours. Don't do anything to them unless I say so."

After giving her message, the black feather burned itself to ashes.

I'm tired.

Now that she already sent her message to Wixx, she allowed herself to plop on the bed. Then, she closed her eyes. She had a good, warm bath a while ago so she felt relaxed now.

Not entirely relaxed though.

After all, she just found out that her father's killer was in the vicinity. Yet, she knew that she couldn't simply kill him because of the binding vow. And honestly? She didn't know if killing her descendants was actually the best way to get her revenge.

Or if revenge was necessary at that moment.

But I still need to punish them for all their wrongdoings while proudly tarnishing the name Nystrom...

She didn't know how long she was "napping" (while thinking) when she felt her children enter the room quietly. She didn't have the energy to open her eyes and greet them, which made her very sad. But when her sons started to move, she realized that they weren't expecting her to wake up for them.

Even without opening her eyes, she knew that it was Winter who gently lifted her head to put a pillow under. And it was Julian who carefully put a blanket over her body. She could tell by simply following her children's Mana.

After all, Julian had the same Mana as her while Winter inherited his father's.

"You've worked hard, Mommy," Winter said, then he gently kissed her on the cheek. "Rest well."

"Thank you for working hard, Mother," Julian whispered, then he gently kissed her on the other cheek. "We will protect our territory so please rest well for now."

Tilly couldn't help but smile at her children's thoughtfulness.

Thank you, my little cinnamon rolls.

***

"DAD, why are you resting here?"

Kiho stopped drying his hair with the towel when Winter and Julian entered the room that he was currently using. He just finished taking a cold bath when his children paid him a visit. "Well, I made your mommy upset so as punishment, I'm not allowed to sleep in the same room as her until she says so," he explained, then he sat on the edge of the bed while his sons stood in front of him. Tilly's room was just next door, and her Keepers were guarding her so it was okay with him to rest in another room. "Did you tuck your mother in sleep?"

It sucks that he was forbidden by Tilly to share a room with him.

After their fight a while ago, he wanted to some intimate time with her. But he knew that he f*cked up so he deserved the punishment. He was lucky that Tilly forgave him.

My wife is really kind but it's about time that I stop abusing her kindness.

"Yes, Dad."

"Yes, Father."

"You should rest with Tilly," he told his sons. "There's going to be a huge battle later. We need to sleep to have the energy to fight."

"Are you not going to rest, Father?" Julian asked. "You just took a bath but instead of wearing sleepwear, you changed into your normal clothes. It makes me think that you don't have any intention to sleep."

"I can't sleep when Tilly is taking a rest, not when the enemies are approaching," he explained. "But don't worry. I took a ten-minute nap while I was in the tub a while ago. That's enough for me."

Julian and Winter turned to each other while exchanging knowing looks.

"What is it?" he asked curiously. "I know that the two of you are talking in your heard, brats."

Both his children turned to him with gleaming eyes.

"Dad, if you're not going to rest, do you mind spending time with me and Brother Julian?" Winter asked in an excited voice. "We want to learn how to use illusions with water."

He was surprised to hear that. To be honest, he barely used his water technique so he didn't expect his sons to be interested in it. "I can do that," he said. He hated using the water technique because it was his father's signature move. But who was he to deprive his children the chance to enhance the abilities that they were born with? "Why the sudden interest though?"

"Brother Julian was able to use illusion with his own water technique, Dad," his youngest said excitedly, surprising him because he didn't know that Julian could use water technique since his dominant Mana was fire. "It was so cool!"

"I'm impressed, Julian," he said proudly, then he ruffled his oldest son's hair affectionately. "Your dominant Mana is fire so the fact that you were able to create illusions using water is a feat. You make me proud, son."

Julian's face turned red, then he smiled shyly. "I just copied what you used to do in the past, Father," he said in a shy voice. "My technique can't be compared to yours though."

"It's still amazing, Brother," Winter insisted, then he gave his older brother a gentle pat on the back. "I can't create illusions even though my dominant Mana is ice, and ice is made of water."

"Both of you can master the water technique because you two are my sons," Kiho said while patting both of his children's head. "Shall I teach you now while your mother is resting?"

"Yes, Dad!"

"Thank you, Father."

***

"ARE YOU done yet?" Solenn asked Lord Forrester who was sitting on the floor in a meditating position. "If the Sky God isn't answering your call, that only means he's avoiding you. He probably doesn't want to explain about the Holy Scepter in Julian's body."

After that shocking revelation, the former saint locked himself up in the room. Ever since then, he had been trying to communicate with the Sky God.

"Shut up. I can't hear my father if your voice is too loud," Lord Forrester, who had his hands clasped together, scolded her. "Why are you here anyway?"

"You need a guard since whenever you concentrate too much, you tend to lose yourself," she explained.

"I'm fine," he said. "My concentration has been broken a while ago. It seems like my father doesn't really want to talk to me." He opened his eyes and turned to him. "I heard you were talking to the Keepers in the Royal Capital. What's happening there?"

"Trouble just keeps coming our way," Solenn said while shaking her head. While Lord Forrester while trying to contact his father, she talked to Wong and Kelsi who were left in the Royal Capital with Julian's adoptive brother in this lifetime. "I need to report to Lady Nystrom that Aku Moonchester has apparently left the Royal Capital with his beloved royal princess."

"They're probably on their way here," Lord Forrester said seriously. "It seems like the North King asked for Aku Moonchester's help."

***

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