"LORD WINCHELL, we have prepared a banquet to celebrate your return."

Winchell, seated on a throne in a shrine built for him, looked at the young man standing in front of him.

It was Solaris, his one and only son. This was the first time that he saw his child personally. After all, he already ascended to the heavens before he was even born. Now looking at him closely, he could see that his son resembled him.

Solaris just looked neater as he donned the clan's maroon robe with golden embroidery of the Fire Mage symbol: the Red Phoenix, of course.

Anyway…

Standing next to Solaris was the current Sun Priestess– Solenn, her granddaughter. Like Solaris, the young lady wore a robe. But the one she wore was white, and it was decorated with golden embroidery that depicted worshipping the sun.

She looks a little like Soleil. But of course, my little sister is prettier.

Both Solaris and Solenn had already stopped aging.

After all, eternal youth was a reward given to a Beast God's direct descendant.

"Lord Winchell, may we also request your presence for the ceremony tomorrow morning?" Solenn asked with a smile. "Our people would like to be graced with your presence."

"Alright, let's do that," Winchell said. "But make sure that Soleil will get a proper sleep first. I'm sure she's tired from the journey."

"Of course, my lord," Solaris and Solenn said at the same time.

It was quite fascinating to his son and granddaughter treat him like he wasn't personally related to him. The way how formal and stiff the two were around him made him feel like he was talking to mere followers instead of his direct descendants.

Maybe Solaris and Solenn were brought up that way. After all, the fact that he had a son (and now a granddaughter) was a secret of their clan.

"Solaris."

"Yes, my lord?"

"How's your mother?"

"Lady Cyra Amelia, who has been rewarded with eternal youth after giving birth to your child, was hailed as this nation's saintess," Solaris explained. Even though Cyra Amelia was his mother, he talked as if she had nothing to do with him. "Ever since then, Mother has chosen the main temple in the Capital as her residence. Do you wish to see the saintess, my lord?"

"No," he said bluntly. "She has already fulfilled her duty by giving birth to my son. Now that she's a saintess, there's no reason for us to meet again."

He knew that he was being cold.

But he couldn't help it. Even before he became a Beast God, he had always felt detached from everything and everyone except for Soleil. It seemed like he was only capable of loving his little sister. And he was unapologetic over that.

"I think it's time to announce to the world that our clan's Fire Archmage is my son," he declared, obviously surprising Solaris and Solenn. "Now that I have returned, it doesn't matter even if our enemies find out that I have direct descendants. As long as I am here, no one can touch my family."

He said 'family.'

But in his heart, he truly only considered Soleil as his family. But of course, it was his duty to protect Solaris and Solenn since they were his descendants.

"We will not question your decision, Lord Winchell," Solaris said formally. "May I know the reason behind this?"

"Since Soleil became the leader of our clan, there are pests lurking around her thinking that she needs them to give birth to an heir," he said with a scowl. "Only a select few know that you are my son, Solaris. I don't want our people to unnecessarily pressure my sister into producing an heir for this clan. If the whole nation finds out that I already have direct descendants, they will leave Soleil alone."

For some reason, his son and grandchild looked hesitant as if they needed to say something but they couldn't.

"What is it?" he asked the two in an impatient tone. "Speak up."

"My lord, my daughter saw a vision a while ago," Solaris said, then he turned to his daughter. "Solenn, tell him."

Solenn nodded to her father before she turned to him. "Lord Winchell, I saw in my vision that in the near future, Lady Soleil would get married," she said, pissing him off instantly. "According to what I saw, Lady Soleil's marriage would either break or make our clan."

"Who?" Winchell asked in clenched teeth. "Who would dare to take my little sister away from me, huh?"

***

"LORD KALEL?" Soleil asked hesitantly when she poked her head inside the guest room that she lent to Kalel Moonchester. Since he was her guest, she lent him one of the rooms in her residence. Thank goodness her brother had been "taken away" by Solaris and Solenn. If her brother found out that she brought the Black Serpent to her residence, he would definitely make a scene. "I'm here to bring you a set of fresh clothes."

She saw Kalel standing in the middle of the room.

It seemed like that he used his ice Mana to cover his room with a thin layer of ice. As expected, the room became a little too cold. Ordinary people might die or freeze if they stayed in that chamber. But since Kalel was a "son of ice," he'd definitely be fine.

"Sorry for turning this room into this," Kalel said in his usual disinterested voice. "I didn't expect your nation to have this kind of climate. I can usually stand the heat but not here."

Oh, that was one of the longest sentences that she had heard from him.

"It's alright," she said. "May I come in?"

He nodded. "Just be careful."

When she stepped on the ice-covered floor, the part that her shoes had graced melted instantly. "Sorry," she said, embarrassed. "My body temperature is quite warmer than ordinary people."

"It's okay," he said. "I can fix it later."

She just smiled and nodded, then she carefully put the neatly folded clothes on top of his bed. Thankfully, the bed was the only thing in the room not covered with ice. "Your room has its own bathroom so you don't have to use the communal bath," she explained. "I'll bring you your dinner after you take a bath, Lord Kalel."

She wanted to invite him to join her for dinner.

But she didn't want her brother to make a fuss out of it. Moreover, she had this selfish desire in her heart to hide Kalel from other people– especially from the young maidens of the nation.

They will surely fall in love with Lord Kalel at first sight!

Well, she was completely aware that Kalel wasn't hers (yet). And even if they got into a relationship, it wouldn't automatically mean that she could monopolize him.

"Oh no," she said, then she held her burning cheeks with her hands. "My imagination is running wild."

"Hmm?"

"Because you said we are seducing each other, I'm beginning to see you as my l-lover," she said. Although she was straightforward, she still felt a little shy inside. But still, she liked expressing her feelings especially since she wasn't hurting anybody else by doing so. "Did you just say that to soothe your mother, Lord Kalel?"

"No," he said bluntly. Oh, it looked like someone was a bold as hers, huh? "I wouldn't go to a foreign land with a woman that I only see as a friend, Soleil."

She bit her lower lip to stop herself from squealing from giddiness.

"Although I have to let you know that my mother is quite overprotective," he said while scratching his cheek. "If we pursue this, she might be a hindrance…"

"It's okay, Lord Kalel," she said, a little too eagerly. To be honest, she was curious as to how Yumi, the White Snake, had turned into his spirit guardian. But she could ask about that later. For now, one thing was more important. "I will do my best to win your mother over."

Kalel's mouth moved as if he was about to smile. But then, all of a sudden, he became serious as he turned to the window of the room. The moon was shining bright, but it seemed like he was seeing someone or something else. "A child of the moon has arrived."

Soleil's brows furrowed in confusion. "A child of the moon…?"

***

KALEL went outside and followed the trace of the child of the moon that he felt a while ago.

His feet brought her to the entrance of Solarium where a huge steel gate was built. Seated on top of the gate was a hooded figured. It seemed like it was a woman. At least, it was what he felt when the person talked.

"Kalel Moonchester, let me ask you a question," the child of the moon asked. "Who is more important: your brother or your lover?"

Kalel's brows furrowed in surprise when he recognized the child of the moon. "Moon Priestess?"

To be honest, he didn't know how he actually recognized her.

It wasn't like he had met the Moon Priestess personally in the past. But since he was the Moon God's son, he could tell if a person was a "child of the moon" or not. Being called a child of the moon was only a metaphor and not to be taken literally.

The term only meant that a person was blessed with a power related to the moon.

And the most special "child of the moon" was none other than the Moon Priestess. That was probably the reason why he recognized her right away.

"I'm glad that you recognized me. Traveling here didn't go to waste," the Moon Priestess said, then she took off her hood to reveal a luscious amount of red hair. The color of her eyes was a shade deeper than camellia flowers. "After all, we're practically siblings, aren't we?"

"No, we're not."

The Moon Priestess just laughed it off. Then, she suddenly fell silent. Much to his shock, she fell from the gate as if she went unconscious.

He cursed under his breath before he moved to catch her.

Thankfully, the Moon Priestess fell in his arms in time.

"Oh, thank you," the Moon Priestess said in a sleepy voice. She didn't fall unconscious. She just probably fell asleep for a second. How reckless! As if that wasn't disgraceful enough, her stomach had to growl loudly after. "Brother, feed me."

Kalel coldly dropped the Moon Priestess on the ground, earning him an earful. But he just ignored her and turned his back on her. "I'm not your brother, brat."

"Hey, you can't leave me," she said. "You need me."

He continued walking away from her.

"Aren't you interested in knowing what I saw in the near future?"

He walked faster. That was one of the things that he hated: the ability to know one's future. After all, he believed in making his own destiny rather than leaving it to fate.

"You're going to get married soon."

Oh, that was enough to make him stop on his tracks. But he had to clench his hands to stop himself from turning back.

"I would like to congratulate you but your wedding wouldn't exactly going to be a joyous event," the Moon Priestess said in a lazy voice. It seemed like she was really sleepy. And hungry, because he could still hear his stomach grumble. "Well, not unless you chose her over your brother."

Kalel turned to the Moon Priestess, his red eyes glowing menacingly. He wanted to ignore the thing about his wedding. But he couldn't help but get curious as to why the Moon Priestess kept on bringing up his brother. "What does Auro has to do with it?"

***

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