"HAVE YOU gone crazy?" Winter scolded his brother and Solenn, then he crossed his arms over his chest. They were locked up in the tea room because of the two's crazy antics. When the adults left, he stood in front of Julian and Solenn because the two were ignoring him. "I get your point but how could you come up with a plan with a lot of loopholes? I expected than from Solenn but not from you, Brother."

"Hey," Solenn complained while glaring at her. "Do you want me to hit you?"

He ignored the little brat princess because his attention was now focused on his brother.

"Winter, if you're going to pick a fight with me, I'm sorry but I'm not in the mood," Julian said in a tired voice. "I'm busy thinking of a way to convince Mother to agree with my plan. We're going to leave the North tomorrow morning. I only have a few hours to give Mother an offer that she couldn't refuse."

His older brother's words hurt him.

So, he doesn't really consider bringing me with them, huh?

"Why don't we just run away?" Solenn said while looking at Julian with sparkling eyes. "You already declared that we'd run away if they don't give us their blessing, Julian."

His brother's face turned red.

To be honest, Winter was cringing deep inside.

Although Julian and Solenn both had adult souls, it was still awkward to see a five year old little girl flirt with a seven year old little boy who also happened to be his brother.

"I will snitch on you if you run away," Winter delcared coldly, causing Julian and Solenn to turn to him at the same time. "And do you think we're not being watched as of this moment? If I can feel the heavy gaze of the Keepers, I'm sure that the two of you feel them as well."

"We can escape if we want to," Solenn still insisted. "They can't hurt as anyway."

"I will try to convince Mother again. I don't want to make her and Father upset," his brother said. "But if they still don't change their mind, I will really leave with Solenn. I have to do this for our family so please try to be understanding, Winter."

He clenched his hands tight until his nails dug deep into the skin of his palms. "Why aren't you asking me to come with you, Brother?" he asked, his voice filled with pain more than he had expected. Wow, so he was this hurt, huh? "Why don't you want to bring me with you? Is Solenn more important to you than your own brother?"

His older brother blinked in surprise.

"Winter, are you jealous of me?" Solenn asked in disbelief. "Wow, that's new."

"Shut up," he snarled at the little brat princess. "You're stealing my brother from me!"

"Winter, that's not true," Julian denied, then he stood up and held his shoulders gently. "I can't bring you with me because it's too dangerous. And one of us has to stay with Mother and Father. It has to be you."

"But why does it have to be me only?"

"You're the Moon Serpent, Winter," his brother reminded him. "You're the one destined to kill Aku Moonchester. Of course, you're the one who's supposed to stay with Mother and Father. Only our parents can protect you."

"How about you, Brother?"

"The Plane is a dangerous place but I really have a feeling that I can find the answers that I'm looking for in there," he insisted. "I admit that the questions you raised a while ago are valid, Winter. Still, we can only know the answers once I get there."

"I think I've been into the Plane, Brother."

His brother looked shocked by his statement.

"Winter, you're not just saying that to convince Julian to bring you with us, are you?" Solenn asked him with a raised brow. "It's not good to lie in this situation."

"I'm not lying, Solenn," Winter insisted, then he looked at his brother straight in the eye. "Brother, I was waiting to be reborn in this lifetime. During those times, I can communicate with Mother even if I was only a fetus. Where do you think my soul was residing back then?"

Julian suddenly looked interested in what he was saying. "Tell me more about it, Winter."

***

"HEY, BLACK Serpent."

Kiho, who was seated on a tree branch, turned to Winchell who was seated on the branch of a tree from across him. He was there to make sure that Julian and Solenn wouldn't try to escape. And he was on duty to guard the area this time. But he had no idea why his brother-in-law (who hated him with a passion) suddenly came to him on his own. "What, Red Phoenix?"

"Is he a good person?" Winchell asked seriously. "That Mikhail Denver."

"Lord Denver is a great person," he said right away. It was a no-brainer since Lord Denver had already proved several times that he was a decent person. He had been loyal to Tilly as well all this time. In his book, everyone who was kind to his wife (without an ulterior motive) was a good person. "Why do you ask?"

"He loves Luna."

Now he regretted asking.

He was aware of what kind of relationship Winchell and Miss Luna had in the past. And he was also a little aware of Lord Denver's feelings for the witch. But to be honest, he didn't really care that much about other people's affairs.

To be honest, he only cared about Lord Denver's personal life in the past because he thought he was interested in Tilly. When he realized that Lord Denver had romantic feelings for Miss Luna and not for his wife, he left him alone right away.

"Aren't you going to ask me how I feel about that?" Winchell complained when he didn't react at his previous remark. "Black Serpent, you were the one who introduced Luna to me in the past. You were our matchmaker so you have to take responsibility."

"Are you crazy?" he complained back. "I didn't introduce Miss Luna to you as a possible wife. I introduced her to your clan as the Moon Priestess back then." He paused, then he clicked his tongue. "If I knew you wouldn't have the balls to choose her, I would have hidden her away from you."

The Red Phoenix looked hurt by his words.

Now that made him feel bad a little bit.

Winchell has always been sensitive when it comes to Miss Luna.

"Is it that despicable that I chose my duty over her in the past?" the Red Phoenix asked in a soft tone that he almost never used. He only often talk that way when he was speaking with Tilly. His current vulnerability was making Kiho feel awkward. "I had no choice back then, Black Serpent. My sister married a Moonchester that time," he said. Of course, Winchell was referring to him back when he was Kalel Moonchester/Nystrom. "If I chose the Moon Priestess as my wife back then, our clan would have rebelled against us."

"Do you regret the choice that you made in the past?"

His brother-in-law paused before he gave an answer. "No."

"You do," he insisted. "You hesitated."

"I can't change the choice that I made back then," Winchell admitted. "But my greed is acting up, Black Serpent. I'm starting to desire Luna once again."

"Does she want you back?"

"No," he said, his shoulders slumped. "That's why I'm asking you if Mikhail Denver is a good person. I don't want Luna to end up with the wrong man again."

"If Tilly was here, she would have punched you in the face."

"What did I do wrong?"

"Miss Luna doesn't seem interested in Lord Denver. As far as I know, she already rejected him a few years ago," he told his stupid brother-in-law. "That's why it's weird that you're acting like you have to hand her over to Lord Denver. Miss Luna doesn't want either of you, Winchell. She's perfectly happy with her single-blessedness."

Winchell looked flabbergasted with everything that he said.

"Moreover, Miss Luna has too much on her plate already without you adding to her list of concerns," Kiho said to his brother-in-law. "She's focused on reuniting with her sister so don't bother her, Winchell."

***

"LADY NYSTROM, please allow Lord Julian and Lady Solenn to go to the Plane."

Tilly bit her lower lip.

Right now, she was in the balcony with Lord Forrester. She went out to breathe fresh air when the former saint followed her. And now, they were talking while facing the Frozen Woods.

"I know that you asked me to accompany Miss Luna to the Royal Capital," Lord Forrester continued. "But I believe that I will be more of use if I escort Lord Julian and Lady Solenn to the Plane instead."

Tilly took a deep breath to calm herself before she turend to the former saint. "Why do you say so, Lord Forrester?"

"I have a feeling that my father, the Sky God, is trapped in the Plane," the former saint said. "I have lost contact with my father a few years ago. When Lord Julian mentioned the Plane, I suddenly realized that it's the only place that can block my communication link with my father."

Now it was getting hard to deny Julian the permission that he was asking of her.

After all, aside from being a mother, she was also the Supreme Fire Mage.

"I know that you're worried about Lord Julian's safety," Lord Forrester said seriously. "I promise to protect him and Lady Solenn if you allow us to travel to the Plane, Lady Nystrom."

Tilly let out a deep sigh. "Let's go and talk to the children again, Lord Forrester."

***

ELAINE wasn't surprised when the tea in her teacup suddenly turned gold.

Since she was alone in her chamber, she already expected them to contact her. After all, it had been a long time since the last time she talked to them.

"If you have found what you're looking for in the Royal Palace, then it's time for you to return," the voice said to her in a gentle tone. "We will open the gates of the Plane for you but you have to hurry. You know that we can't keep it open for a long time, don't you?"

"I know," Elaine said, then she turned to the outside of her window where she could see the full moon. "But I want to meet my other brother first, Mistress."

***

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