"WHAT we thought the heart of the Moon Serpent was turned out to be a lump of Mana, Lady Soleil," Solenn reported to her. "The Moon Serpent's Mana is alive so it's 'breathing.'"

"Does it make sense that the Moon Serpent's Mana is alive and he isn't?" Soleil asked weakly. She had been bedridden since last night. After finding out that the 'baby' in her womb was nothing but a shell that protects a lump of Mana, she couldn't find the courage to leave the bed. Worse, Kalel hadn't returned yet since he left a few weeks ago. "How did we not detect it until now?"

The Sun Priestess bowed to her. "My deepest apologies, Lady Soleil."

"You don't have to apologize to me, Solenn," she said. "It's not your fault."

"Lady Soleil…"

She smiled sadly at the Sun Priestess. "Solenn, I want to rest. I'm tired."

Solenn nodded, then she bowed to her politely. "Rest well, Lady Soleil."

After that, the Sun Priestess left the room quietly.

She wanted to rest because it wasn't being dramatic when she said she was tired. But her mind couldn't stop working. Moreover, for the first time in her life, her heart was filled with rage. And the desire for revenge.

Aku Moonchester, I should have killed you when I had the chance.

"Wong," she said, then she got up and turned to the open window to her side.

Just like she expected, Wong entered the room through the window. Then, he silently walked towards her and got down on one knee when he reached the side of the bed.

"I am here, Lady Soleil," Wong said when he held her hand and kissed her knuckles. Then, he looked up at her with glimmering eyes. "What can I do for you, Master?"

"Have the other eggs hatched?"

When her brother Winchell returned a few weeks ago, he came back alone and didn't talk about Luna. The Moon Priestess disappeared just like that. The hurt look on her brother's face made her unable to ask about what happened to him and Luna at the Plane.

Moreover, her brother returned without a piece of information regarding the Sky God or the Sun God.

Instead, Winchell went to the mountains to isolate himself. He sent her letters though. And in those letters, he told her that he created four more 'eggs' to serve as her 'Keepers.' And the last letter that she received from him, he said that he was currently investigating Auro Moonchester's suspicious movements.

"Yes, Master. The other eggs have already hatched," Wong said politely. "The second egg that hatched produced a female and Lord Winchell calls her Kelsi. The third egg produced a pair of male twins. They are called Maddox and Braxton. And finally…" He hesitated before he continued. "The last egg seemed to be a spoiled egg because it produced a distasteful male fellow. Lord Winchell named him Jameson Crawford."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Distasteful? And why is he the only one with a surname?"

The surname sounded familiar to her though.

"Apparently, Jameson Crawford reminds Lord Winchell of a certain Mr. Leo Crawford."

She blinked several times, then she laughed while shaking her head. "Ah, I remember Mr. Leo Crawford. He was my brother's butler in our previous lives. Mr. Crawford would curse like a sailor when he was still alive." She paused, then she laughed again. "Don't tell me, the newborn baby curses a lot?"

"Jameson Crawford was born with a filthy mouth indeed," Wong confirmed with a nod. "Lady Soleil, it's good to see you smiling again."

"Is that so?" she asked with a faint smile. "I think I'm done sulking. Self-pitying won't bring my baby back anyway."

"My lady…"

She smiled at the Keeper, then she turned serious. "Wong, I have a mission for you."

He immediately bowed and put a hand on his chest. "I am listening, my lady."

"Train your siblings."

"The other Keepers aren't my siblings, Master."

"Well, they are now because I said so."

He didn't dare to talk back, thankfully.

"I acknowledge your ability, Wong," she said seriously. "I've seen how you've hunted down the Crades that threatened to invade our small country. That's why I want you to lead the group of 'Keepers' that my brother created to protect me. I want you to make them the strongest fighters on the whole continent. And I want it done as soon as possible."

He fell silent for a while before he had the courage to look up at her with sad eyes. "Does it mean I need to leave your side, my lady?"

"You can return to my side as soon as you're done training your siblings," she consoled him, then she touched his face that made him blush for some reason. "Wong, I need your strength."

"I will give my all to you, my lady," he said without missing a beat. "But I'm hesitant to leave your side at this crucial moment…"

"I'm not weak, Wong," she reminded him sternly. "You don't have to worry about me."

He bowed to her. "I apologize if my words offended you, Master."

"Raise your head, Wong."

And he did.

"Prepare to leave tomorrow morning," Soleil instructed the Keeper strictly. "Once you return with your siblings, we will declare war on Aku Moonchester."

Wong looked surprised by her declaration, then his eyes glimmered in excitement. "I will return as soon as possible, Lady Soleil."

***

"THE FIRST thing that I heard since I returned was the fact that you want to declare war on the empire."

Soleil, who was seated on her table while studying the map of the empire, raised her head to find Winchell sitting on the edge of her working table. Seeing that he came out of nowhere, she could assume that he used a transportation spell. In a normal situation, she'd get upset. But right now, she appreciated it. After all, she had isolated herself in her study because she wasn't in the mood to talk to her people. "Welcome back, brother."

"I'm surprised to find that you're still here at Solarium," Winchell said with a raised brow. "I thought you've already returned to the North."

"I left our territory to the capable hands of my aides. And I send Wong to the North from time to time to check on my people," she said. Wong had begun training his siblings in the mountain. But the Keeper would still visit her from time to time. "Anyway, what have you been doing for the past few months, Brother Wixx?"

"A lot of things," he said with a grin, then he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "And I happen to get a hold of the very thing that you need right now, Soleil."

"Is it Lord Kalel?"

He rolled her eyes at her. "No, but I can give you a reason to declare war on the empire and gain the support of other countries who have a grudge against Aku Moonchester."

Oh.

She was disappointed that her brother didn't bring any news about Kalel. But she was still interested in what he said.

"Soleil, I found out that Auro Moonchester has been experimenting with humanoid Crades," Winchell said seriously. "Apparently, his royal knights have been abducting outstanding and beautiful ladies all over the continent." His eyes darkened, a sign that he was enraged. "My informant told me that the foolish kid emperor is forcing the ladies of this continent to mate with humanoid Crades."

Soleil clenched her hands tight until her nails dug deep into the skin of her palms, disgusted at what Auro Moonchester had allegedly been doing to the ladies of the continent. "That bastard really deserves to die."

***

NOTE: Hi. There's an unexpected incident that affects my entry for today's mass release. I already informed my editor and I want to share it with you as well. A strong rain hit our area and as a result, flood entered the first floor of our house and there was a power interruption. Our electricity just came back.

The saved files for my mass release today weren't saved in the drafts yet. Thus, I'm just about to post it. Since our internet modem/router broke because of the flood, I will only be using my phone data. Please bear with me.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

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

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[NOTE: Please ADD my story to your LIBRARY so you can be notified when I post an update. Thank you! :>]