KIHO noticed that Emperor Aku's Mana was increasing in an alarming rate. And as it happened, the Blue Dragon and the Golden Tiger in either of his side were also starting to turn back into their original size. Both Ancient Beasts were said to be as big as a mountain.

If the Blue Dragon and the Golden Tiger succeeded in reverting back to their original state, then the whole Castle Vania would definitely crumble. Ah, scratch that. The castle and the entire Forest of Enryu might disappear from the map!

That meant everyone in the area would die. Yes, including him. Unfortunately, sealing the replica of the Red Phoenix had depleted his Mana. He didn't have enough left to protect himself once Emperor Aku went berserk.

"Your Majesty!" Kiho yelled. He didn't mean to disrespect the emperor by raising his voice. He just needed to shout because he bet that the emperor was too angry to listen to anyone or anything around him. "Please don't do this!"

[I really want to hit His Majesty right now.]

He wasn't good at making other people calm because he himself had a nasty temper. But at this situation, he had to if he wanted to live.

"Your Majesty, I understand that you're angry because of what happened to Her Royal Highness," Kiho said. "But blowing up the entire area won't save her."

It didn't work.

In fact, the emperor's Mana just continued growing faster.

He thought of one way to make the emperor come back to his senses. Actually, he didn't want to use this. But he didn't have a choice. Aside from wanting to save everyone, he also wanted to come back to Tilly alive and in one piece.

Kiho took a deep breath, then yelled the following words at the top of his lungs. "Save me, Brother Aku!"

God, he wanted to die from embarrassment.

And well, if the emperor's advisors or ministers heard him call His Majesty by name, he would have been seized and executed.

But he had permission. When Emperor Aku took him under his wing when he was a little boy, he didn't know that he was a crown prince during that time. He thought he was just another mercenary just like him. And, uh, he used to call him "Brother Aku" then.

[Damn it.]

Anyway, when he found out that Emperor Aku was the empire's crown prince during that time, he immediately stopped calling him "Brother Aku." No matter how much His Majesty teased them then, he never called him that casually again.

One day, Emperor Aku told him that if his life was in danger, he could call him "Brother Aku" again and ask him to save him.

[I can't believe I just did that.]

Thankfully, it seemed to work.

Emperor Aku's Mana started to decrease and the Ancient Beasts stopped growing in size as well. A few moments later, the emperor's Mana finally stabilized. Then, the Blue Dragon and the Golden Tiger vanished in thin air.

"Kiho."

Kiho bowed deeply when the emperor turned to him. "My deepest apologies for calling you by your name, Your Majesty."

"Rise," Emperor Aku said. "You don't have to apologize for doing something I've given you permission to do so."

When he looked up at the emperor, he was relieved to see that he was indeed calm now. "Your Majesty, the High Priest might heal Her Royal Highness. I'll take care of everything here so please don't worry."

"No, your Mana has been depleted," the emperor said. "I want you to go to your wife and rest. Let the other captains take over."

"But–"

"You already did well, Kiho," His Majesty said strictly. Then, he looked up at the replica of the Red Phoenix inside the giant ice sphere. "Thank you for catching the replica."

"I couldn't have done it without your Ancient Beasts, Your Majesty."

"You're too modest for you own good, Kiho," the emperor said when he looked at him. "I didn't save you today. You saved me, my little brother."

That was how the emperor used to address him before he became a knight.

Thank goodness no one was around to hear it.

It wasn't that he was embarrassed of his connection with the emperor. He just thought it wasn't proper since he was now the ruler of the empire while he was a mere captain.

"Kiho, promise me that you'll help me catch whoever is behind this tragedy," Emperor Aku said seriously. "I can't forgive them for what they did to Nia."

Ah, so the emperor was thinking something manipulated the replica of the Red Phoenix to attack the princess? Then, it must be investigated thoroughly.

"I'll do everything to be of use to you, Your Majesty," Kiho said. "After all, you're the one who put me in this position."

The emperor just smiled at that.

"Your Majesty!"

Their talk was interrupted when Captain Sherwood came. He looked shocked when he saw what happened. But his gaze instantly fixed on Princess Nia.

"Don't look," Emperor Aku warned Captain Sherwood menacingly, his red eyes glowing in obvious anger towards the captain. "I'll gouge your eyes out if you look at Nia again."

Captain Sherwood bowed his head lowly. "Please forgive my insolence, Your Majesty."

"Carry Lahara and follow me, Captain Sherwood. We're going to the High Priest using my portal," Emperor Aku ordered before turning his back on them. "Kiho, rest for the meantime and leave everything to Captain Denver and Captain Ainsworth. I'll leave a message to them to make sure they'd kick you out if you insist to help. So you better go home and rest, Kiho."

Kiho bowed at Emperor Aku's order. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

***

A FEW moments after Emperor Aku and Captain Sherwood left the castle, Captain Ainsworth arrived at where Kiho was guarding the replica of the now frozen Red Phoenix.

"Captain Kiho, I received His Majesty's order," Captain Ainsworth, the leader of the Golden Tiger Knights, told him. "I'll take over and put the replica of the Red Phoenix back inside the mystery box. You need to leave, Captain Kiho."

"I understand," Kiho said. "How are the civilians, Captain Ainsworth?"

"Everyone has been evacuated safely," he said. For some reason, he was giving him a look of sympathy. "Captain Kiho, you have to know that your wife, Lady Prescott, has been brought to the hospital."

His eyes widened at that. "What? Was Tilly hurt from the attack?"

"According to the report I received, Lady Prescott has left the castle before the attack because she was feeling unwell," Captain Ainsworth explained. "Unfortunately, the carriage she was using lost control and hit a tree. The coachman lost consciousness and was also brought to the hospital."

"How about Tilly?" he asked, impatiently. "How hurt was she?"

"Unfortunately, I haven't received a report about Lady Prescott's current state," the other captain said. "It was Captain Denver who found your wife in the woods, Captain Kiho. He was in the area while looking for Crades corpses to burn when he found Lady Prescott unconscious. After that, he informed your wife's knight of what happened. Then, they brought her to the hospital. The hospital isn't too far from here so you'd get there easily by horse."

"I leave everything to you, Captain Ainsworth," Kiho said in a hurry. "Thank you for informing me about my wife's state."

"Go," Captain Ainsworth encouraged him. "I understand that you're worried but please be careful on your way, Captain Kiho."

***

WHEN Kiho arrived at the hospital, he saw Damian at the entrance as if he was already waiting for him. He got off the horse and ran towards the young knight right away. "Damian, where's Tilly?"

Damian bowed to him as a greeting before he answered. "Captain Kiho, Lady Prescott was admitted in a private room."

He felt like his heart was in his throat so he swallowed hard. "How is she?"

"Lady Prescott was unconscious when she was brought her," Damian said. "But she woke up a while ago."

He was relieved to hear that.

Damian bowed to him deeply and when he spoke again, his voice was shaking. "I-I apologize, Captain Kiho. I d-didn't even know that Lady Prescott left the castle. I was surprised when one of Captain Denver's knights informed me that the madam was brought to the hospital. I'm really sorry for being so incompetent, Captain."

"We'll talk about that later," he said hurriedly. Then, he tapped Damian's shoulder. "For now, I want you to go to the coachman and make sure he's safe. I'll drop by later."

Damian nodded, obviously unhappy with himself. "As you wish, Captain Kiho."

Kiho didn't have time to comfort the young knight even though he wanted to.

He ran inside the hospital and went straight to the floor where the private rooms were located. Tilly was a noble so she was definitely admitted there. That thought of his was confirmed when he saw Captain Denver outside the room at the end of the hallway.

"You're here, Captain Kiho," Captain Denver greeted him. "Lady Prescott just woke up. Unfortunately, the coachman suffered concussion and he's still unconscious. But I guess it's not important right now."

"My people's lives are important to me," he insisted. "But my priority right now is Tilly."

"Acceptable."

Kiho bowed to him. "Thank you for saving my wife, Captain Denver."

"We're lucky that I was on patrol around the area where the accident happened," Captain Denver said. Then, he tapped his shoulder. "Go, Captain Kiho. Lady Prescott has been looking for you ever since she opened her eyes."

Hearing that made him feel warm.

[Tilly is looking for me...]

Kiho bowed at Captain Denver again before he walked past him and entered the room. He forgot to knock because he was in a hurry. And to be honest, he didn't regret it.

Seeing Tilly alive and well gave him life.

[God, what did I do to deserve such a beautiful and amazing woman?]

"Kiho," Tilly greeted him with a smile. She was sitting comfortably on the bed while leaning against the pillow behind her back. Overall, she looked like she didn't have any physical injury. "You're here."

Kiho closed the door behind him and ran towards her. He sat on the edge of the bed and hugged her tight, burying his head against her neck. Her sweet and delicate smell, the warmth of her body, and the stable beat of her heart instantly calmed him. "You're alive," he whispered in relief. "Thank you for being alive, Tilly."

"I'm okay, Kiho," she assured him while gently patting his back. "I heard about the attack at the castle. Are you okay? Please tell me you're not hurt."

"I'm not hurt," he assured him. Then, he pulled away from the hug to look at her and inspect her once again. "I heard you got into an accident. Any injury?"

She shook her head. "I managed to jump out of the carriage before it hit the tree. Luckily, I landed on soft grass. Plus, as a noble, I am physically stronger than average women. But I guess I was shocked so I lost consciousness."

He was horrified to hear what she had gone through. God, his wife jumped out of a moving carriage? He would have passed out in fear if he had witnessed that. "Tilly, you're not riding a carriage without me ever again."

She giggled as if she thought he was joking. "We are fine, Kiho. Don't worry too much."

""We?""

Did she mean the coachman?

"Me and our baby," Tilly said with her hands placed carefully on her tummy. The smile on her face was the warmest and the happiest one he had seen yet. "Kiho, the doctor who checked on me a while ago said that I'm four weeks pregnant."

He froze, shocked at the news.

When it finally sank in, he suddenly felt emotional.

He was an orphan and even though he became a knight, he never thought that he was going to have his own family. To be honest, he didn't know if he was going to be a good father because he grew up without one.

But looking at Tilly's beautiful and kind face gave him confidence. She always brought out the best in him. With her by his side, he knew that she would be there to guide him.

"Kiho," Tilly said in a soft voice. Then, she gently caressed his cheek and wiped his tears with her thumb. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm happy," Kiho whispered, his voice cracking from the overwhelming feelings in his chest. "Tilly, thank you for making me this happy. I grew up without a family. Honestly, I thought I didn't need one. But when I met you, I knew that I could no longer go back to isolation again."

"I won't let you become lonely again," she promised him. This time, she was already teary-eyed as well. "Kiho, let's help each other become the best parents for our baby."

He nodded as he held her hand that was on his face. Then, he kissed her palm before he gently pulled her hand away from his face. After that, he leaned down and wrapped his arms carefully around her waist. And with utmost care, he buried his face on her stomach. "Hi, baby. This is Kiho, your father. Are you growing well inside your mommy's womb? We are very excited to meet you, little one. Please come out as soon as possible."

"We have to wait for a little while, Kiho," she said between giggles. Then, she gently combed her fingers through his hair. "But like you, I can't also wait to see our little angel."

"If the prophecy is right, then we'd have a baby boy," he said, then he looked up at her beautiful face. "I hope he looks like you, Tilly."

"I'm sure our Winter will be beautiful because he's the fruit of our love."

""Winter?"" he asked, pleasantly surprised. "You're really okay with the name I chose for our son?"

She smiled and nodded. "Of course, hon."

"Then, let's call him Winter," Kiho agreed. Then, he sat up and cupped her face in his hands. When she smiled and closed her eyes, he also closed his eyes before leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Then, he gently pressed his forehead against his. "Tilly, I'll protect you and our Winter forever."

"I trust you, Kiho," Tilly said in a warm voice. "I know that you will protect me and our baby at all cost."

******