"MOM!"

"Welcome back, Mother."

Tilly smiled when Winter and Julian welcomed them as soon as she and Kiho entered the house. Her youngest, as the little rascal that he was, ran towards her and hugged her waist tight. On the other hand, their formal oldest son, just stood there and smiled at them.

"Ouch," Winter said, then he stepped away from her. "Mom, you're hot."

"You got it right, Winter," Kiho agreed with a nod. "Your mom is really hot."

Okay, that "playful" compliment flamed her cheeks.

Julian, on the other hand, literally face-palmed at his father's flirty comment towards her.

Winter, who was a little more innocent even though he was in his teens when he died in his previous life, blinked several times in confusion.

She gently elbowed Kiho before she squatted down in front of Winter. "I'm sorry, baby," she said to her youngest. "Mommy's temperature is higher than normal because I just swallowed the Black Flame. It seems like it's too hot even for you whose dominant Mana is ice. I'm sorry but I can't give cuddles for now."

"It's okay, Mom. I can wait," Winter said with a smile. "I'm more worried about Dad since he's very clingy to you."

She laughed softly.

"Come here, you little rascal," Kiho playfully said, then he ran towards Winter.

Winter, who was initially shocked when his father started to come at him, began to realize what was happening. Then, he laughed and ran away while Kiho chased him.

And then, there was only her and Julian in the entrance of the house.

"Lucina Morganna is gone, Julian," she told her oldest in a sad voice. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Mother. Lady Morganna had it coming," Julian said in a soft tone. "Can I cry for her though? Despite everything that she had done to you and our family, her death still brings heaviness in my heart."

"I understand, baby," she said, her heart breaking for her son's new suffering. "You're allowed to mourn for her. After all, Lucina Morganna really treated you with kindness and love."

Her oldest became teary-eyed. "Mother, can I hug you?"

She opened her arms, hoping that she wouldn't hurt Julian since his dominant Mana was flame. "Come here, Julian," she said with an encouraging smile. "I will do my best to tame down my flame so I wouldn't accidentally burn you."

Julian nodded, then he ran towards her and hugged her tight, burying his face against her neck.

And then, he cried his heart out.

Tilly gently patted Julian's back to comfort her son.

You did well, Julian.

***

JULIAN noticed that his mother, father, and younger brother were all excitedly waiting for him to crack his first crab's claws with the crab mallet.

Yes, it was the one that he received from his mother.

To be honest, it was adorable how his family completely ignored Aku and Nia Moonchester who was supposed to be their esteemed guests. No one paid attention to the royal twins because as he said a while ago, his parents and sibling had their full attention on him.

"Go ahead, Julian," his mother encouraged her. "Luna made sure that the seafood that our guests brought are safe to eat."

"I'd like to say that I'm insulted but I don't blame you," Aku Moonchester said with a soft laugh. "I, too, wouldn't carelessly consume something that came from you."

"Of course," Kiho deadpanned. "Isn't that the reason why you made your own food even if we offered to cook for you?"

"It's not that I'm afraid of getting poisoned," the emperor, who personally cooked white truffle pasta for him and Nia Moonchester, denied. "I know that the Supreme and the Black Serpent wouldn't resort to such a cheap trick. But you know, Nia is a picky eater. Aside from the royal chef, only I can cook the food that will suit her taste."

Nia Moonchester just rolled her eyes, then she continued eating in silence.

"How sweet," his mother said sarcastically, then she turned to him. "Julian, go ahead."

Julian smiled and nodded. Then, he finally used the crab mallet to break the claw. Since it was lightweight, he was able to crack the claw without crushing it into pieces. The meat inside looked neat and delicious. "Thank you for the food," he said, then he started to eat the meat in the claw.

According to his parents, the claws was the tastiest part of a crab.

"How is it, Brother?" Winter asked curiously. "It's delicious, isn't it?"

Julian, amazed by the taste of the first seafood that he tried without getting an awful allergic reaction, smiled widely. "It's delicious," he said, making his parents and younger sibling smile. "I love it."

***

"I HAD a pleasant dinner even if you practically ignored us the whole dinner."

"It's because you acted important and refused to let our friends join us for dinner," Tilly deadpanned. "But thank god they didn't want to eat with you anyway."

Her brother, the Golden Tiger, Lord Forrester, Lord Denver, and Luna all refused to eat with the royal twins.

Tilly and her family couldn't really let their guests alone so they were the "sacrifice."

After their dinner, she and Kiho brought Aku and Nia Moonchester in the tea room. Right now, the four of them were sharing a round table while having tea.

"Let's forget about that," Aku Moonchester said, then he pulled a small vial from the inside pocket of his jacket. Then, he put the glass with a red liquid inside it. "This is my blood, one of the things you need to enter the land that drinks blood." He turned to her. "Now, you only need Lord Forrester and your own blood, Lady Nystrom."

She remained pokerfaced even if the emperor just implied that he knew she lied before.

A while ago, she told Aku Moonchester that she also needed her husband's blood to make the key. She liked back then because she wanted to protect Kiho.

"I already have Lord Forrester's blood," she said. Getting a vial of the former saint's blood was one of the things that she took care of a while ago. "But to ensure that they key won't get stolen while we're travelling, we will only create it once we reach our destination."

"That's fine with me," the emperor said, then he sipped his tea before he continued speaking. "Who will you bring with you? Nia is going alone so I need to know who's going with her in this journey."

"It will only be my family and my brother Wixx."

The emperor looked surprised by that. "What?"

"You heard my wife right," Kiho said. "Only us, our children, and Winchell will go to the land that drinks blood with Nia Moonchester."

"I suppose that's fine," Aku Moonchester said while nodding his head. "You'll do as Nia's bodyguards." When her Mana made the room hot while Kiho's froze the tea in the tea cups, the emperor laughed. "It was just a joke. Don't be mad."

"Aku, please stop talking like I need the Supreme and the Black Serpent to protect me," Nia Moonchester said in an obviously pissed tone. "I can take care of myself."

"Of course," His Majesty said. "I know that, Nia. But you can't stop me from worrying about you–"

The emperor stopped talking when the ground shook hard.

Then, it was followed by the release of two familiar Mana.

Kiho clicked his tongue. "Elis Ripperton, the extra large snake."

"He's a dragon, Kiho," Aku Moonchester said with a laugh. "Anyway, Lord Ripperton isn't here to bother you. He's here to fetch me."

"Elis Ripperton is bothering Ainsworth," Tilly said, then she turned to her husband. "Hon, can you check on the little tiger?"

Kiho turned to her and nodded. "Okay, hon."

"Aku, you should go and check on Lord Ripperton as well," Nia Moonchester said, then she sipped her tea. "It gets rowdy when the Beast Gods gather so keep an eye on them."

"I'd say that I'm not a babysitter but since it's a request from you, then I have no choice but to obey," Aku Moonchester said, then he turned to Kiho. "Let's go and meet your little buddies, Kiho."

***

"HERE'S the potion that Luna made," Tilly said, then she put the vial with a purple liquid on the table. Now that her and Nia were alone in the room after Kiho and Aku Moonchester left, they were free to talk about that. "If you drink that, you will see the past memories that I have– the one that I mentioned before. I know that you said that you'd take it after Aku Moonchester leaves. But I thought you asked your brother to leave for that."

Nia silently took the vial and hid it in the pocket of her skirt. "Aku was already done inspecting my things. He's going to leave now so this is the perfect time to get the potion from you." She sipped her tea before she continued talking. Ah, they were having a newly brewed tea after Kiho froze the one that they had a while ago. "And I want to see the memories of your past life as soon as I can."

"Whatever floats your boat," she said, then she sipped her tea.

"There's another reason why I wanted to talk to you in private," the royal princess said. "Lady Nystrom, I'd like to let you know in advance that I'm bringing my collection with me. Even with a binding vow, I still need my protection."

It seemed like the protection that Nia Moonchester didn't want was the one that Aku Moonchester would offer. She understood though. The royal princess definitely knew that her brother's people would also serve as her surveillance.

"I don't mind if you bring your "collection" with you," she said. "Is there anything else that you want to tell me?"

"How was Lucina Morganna's final moments?"

"Lucina Morganna said her only goal was to be a wife and a mother," she said, then she sipped her tea. "I will admit that I feel bad for her. But the means that she used to try and get what she wanted was wrong. So in the end, I still had to punish her." She put the teacup down on the saucer. "For that reason, I will not also let you off the hook for the crimes that you committed, Nia Moonchester. After the binding vow is over, we will return to what we really are: enemies."

"I have never once felt guilty for the things that I did to get where I am right now," Nia Moonchester said, then she looked at her straight in the eye. "That includes killing the former Lady Marianne Prescott– your mother."

That almost made her lost it.

But remembering the sacrifices that her mother made for her calmed her down. Yes, she hated Nia Moonchester for killing her mother. But killing the royal princess wasn't the only way to punish her for her crimes.

"Nia Moonchester, I'll still punish you even if you don't provoke me," Tilly said, then she put her teacup down on the saucer. "It seems like we can never really become friends in this lifetime, huh?"

***

"WHAT DID you do to Faline?"

Elis Ripperton smirked at Ainsworth's reaction. The little tiger got worked up as soon as he stepped in his room. "How did you know that I have your spirit guardian?"

"I can sense Faline's energy in you," Ainsworth growled at him. "Did you absorb her?"

"If you want to know what happened to that little cat of yours, come with me."

The little tiger was just about to open his mouth to talk when all of a sudden, the temperature in the room turned hot.

Before Elis could react, he felt his body frozen on the spot.

And then, a strong arm put his neck on a tight armlock.

"It's been a while, Elis Ripperton," Winchell greeted him with a smirk. "You're still an asshole, I see."

Elis turned to Winchell and smiled at him. "It's been a while, brother-in-law."

***

"I KNEW it was here," Elaine said as the emperor's throne moved to the side to reveal a hidden door underneath. All she had to do was "feed" the throne with a piece of her soul– the one that would prove that she was a Moonchester. Opening the door was easy. As soon as she touched it, the lid opened up automatically. It was probably because of her aura as a Moonchester. "Thank god Elis Ripperton finally left the palace."

When the door was completely opened, she went down the staircase. She noticed that the torches attached to the wall began to light up on their own. Thanks to that, she didn't have to worry about seeing in the dark.

After she reached the last step, the door closed on its own. She also heard the throne move above her. It probably returned to its original position.

She wasn't afraid to be "locked" inside the basement. For some reason, the fact that she was a Moonchester made her feel safe in any part of the palace.

"There you are," she said, relieved to see the symbol of the Black Serpent on the whole floor of the empty basement. Aside from the pillars, nothing else was inside. Not even murals. "So, this is where the monstrous and the most dangerous Crades are sleeping, huh?"

The Crades were the flesh-eating humans that terrorized the whole continent many years ago.

In the past, Kalel Nystrom single-handedly put the Crades clan to a deep slumber. She didn't know why but as far as she knew, it was Auro Moonchester who stopped their brother from killing the Crades.

Knowing Brother Auro, he probably intended to wake up these monsters for his convenience.

There were still Crades in the empire up to this day, but they were so weak that even average Mana-users can kill them. But the sleeping Crades buried under the Royal Palace had the power that could rival that of a minor god's. If these monsters awakened now, who knew what would happen to the empire and its people?

After all, the Crades will definitely wake up starving.

Elaine smiled at that thought. "Brothers, can your poor little sister have these Crades as her new toy?"

***

Note: *grovels, forehead hits the ground* I am terribly sorry for the sudden break. I suddenly "disappeared" because of the following reasons:

1. I had to change my eyeglasses because my eye prescription changed. My eyesight has gotten worse that the ophthalmologist advised me to get a lasik eye surgery. Scary. So please take care of your eyes and don't end up like me.

2. I received a job offer that I wasn't able to refuse. So my workload has been full once again. But since this is only a side job, it's temporary. It will be done by the end of the month.

3. I got sick. But it's just a cold. I still have runny nose (eww) but I think I'm getting better. My immune system sucks these days.

Anyway, thank you for waiting. I will post updates again and I will join the Win-Win event on March. That means daily update again and hopefully, I get to finish the event next month. Since the last arc will now begin, I think the updates on March will be action-packed. Stay tuned~

Ah, about my other story {Royal Secret: I'm a Princess!), I was only able to keep posting an update for it for the last few days because I have a stockpile (not anymore tho, the last one was posted last night). I had a stockpile because I was supposed to add a tier to my privilege but my dumbass forgot to edit the priv.

I'll be writing an update for both stories now.

Thank you.

***

PS: You may send gifts if you can. Thank you~

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