"ARE YOU saying that Julian is the reincarnation of the "second child" that the Supreme and the Black Serpent had in the past?" Luna asked in disbelief. "Is that true?"

"I haven't met the baby yet so I can't answer that question with certainty," Saint Forrester said casually. "And to be honest, it was never confirmed if the second child was really the Supreme's son. A lot of people back then said that the Black Serpent only claimed that the child's mother was the Supreme for his son to be accepted by the Fire Mages."

"Did they accept the child?"

"They didn't," he said. "The Red Phoenix, Guardian of the Fire Mages, refused to accept the child. He claimed that the boy wasn't the Supreme's son. He also said that it was impossible for the Supreme to conceive another child because her reproductive organs were destroyed when her first child was killed inside her womb. And during that time, the Black Serpent already left the Supreme as per the Moonchesters' orders."

"So, what's the truth?" she asked with furrowed brows. "You were there when that happened. Who do you believe more?"

"Well, I agree with the Red Phoenix," the saint said. "When the Black Serpent announced that his second child with the Supreme was growing inside another woman's womb, the Supreme was already dead. Also, when the Supreme died, the Red Phoenix burned her body to ashes. I'm pretty sure that the Black Serpent was nowhere near the Supreme during her dying moments. In short, there was no way for him to get a piece of her that could help him conceive a second child with her."

"Then, where did you think the second child come from?"

"His affair with the other woman, of course," he said bluntly. "The Black Serpent declared his second child as the Nystrom heir. The Moonchesters accepted the child and rebuilt their relationship with the Nystroms after they stole the Supreme's heart. If the second child had the Supreme's blood, do you think the Moonchesters would accept the boy as the Nystrom heir?"

"That's so awful," she said with a frown. "The Moonchesters ordered the Black Serpent to marry the Supreme and literally steal her heart?"

The saint shrugged. "That was what I saw as a mere spectator."

"Lady Nystrom shouldn't find out Julian's possible identity," she said in frustration. "She's not yet good at controlling her emotions. If she gets too stressed, she loses it. Not only that. Hearing the past might also trigger the Black Serpent. I hate keeping secrets from the duchess but this isn't yet the right time for her to know about her past as the first Supreme."

"Once we find the Red Phoenix's physical body, we can tell them the truth," the saint said casually. "Even if the Black Serpent awakens by then, we can easily subdue him with the help of the Red Phoenix."

That would definitely be messy.

But it's inevitable.

"What happened to the Nystroms, Your Holiness?" she asked curiously. "The second child was able to continue their clan even after the first child died. But they still disappeared."

"I was killed after the second child was declared as the Nystrom heir so I have no idea what happened to their clan," the saint said. "When I was reborn, they already vanished and the history books never talked about them. I tried to ask the sky god but my father was too busy conceiving more children to answer my prayers."

Hearing that pissed her off.

"Your father is incompetent as a god," she said in an irritated voice. "If he really wanted to punish the Moonchesters, then why not do it himself?"

"If he could, he would have already eliminated the Moonchesters," the saint said. "But you know, my father made a huge mistake that he could never correct. When he gave the last moon its human form, he blessed it– he blessed the first Moonchester with immunity from the gods. Meaning, no god can kill a Moonchester."

"That's a relief," she said. "Lady Nystrom isn't a god."

The saint looked at her with disbelief written all over his face. "Are you saying that you believe that Lady Nystrom is the one who's going to end the Moonchesters?"

"The prophecy said that the Moon Serpent is the one destined to kill His Majesty," she said. "But I want Lady Nystrom to end the royal family herself. Whether it is the past or the present, the Moonchesters are hell-bent on ruining the duchess's life. That's why I want Lady Nystrom to get the justice she deserves with her own hands."

"Don't get too attached with the duchess, Luna," he warned her lightly. "We're just mere spectators here. People who know the truth can't change the future."

"I refuse to be a mere spectator," she said stubbornly. "I will support the duchess as much as I can. She already won me over and not even a warning from a holy being can stop me from serving Her Grace."

"Loyalty. Devotion. Faith," the saint said. "Those are the three biggest things that I don't understand."

"Your devotees will be heartbroken if they hear you say that you don't understand faith," Luna said with a soft laugh. "Anyway, are you sure that your followers won't find out that you escaped the temple?"

"Howard will definitely know," Saint Forrester said. "But I'm sure he'll cover up for me."

***

THIS ONE is definitely a clone.

That was the first thought that entered Howard's mind when he saw "Saint Forrester" signing paper works in his table quietly.

If it was the real saint, he would have been whining about working by now.

He hated to say this but the saint, albeit having the strongest divine power in the whole empire, was a little…

Calling His Holiness lazy would be rude.

But he couldn't think of a better word to describe him so he just gave up on that.

He wouldn't escape the temple without a valid reason, Howard said to himself. I'll keep this a secret from everyone else so please return safely, Your Holiness.

***

Frequently asked question: Is Mommy Villainess going to have a happy ending?

My answer: YES! :) I don't even know why most of you think that this is going to end tragically. :D I'm a fighter of happy endings. I can't even watch or read a story with a sad/tragic ending. It's not my cup of tea. I like writing fluff (aka cute romance). I can't imagine writing 200+ chapters only for the main couple to not end up together. The "sad arc" won't even last long. That's how much I want Kiho, Tilly, Winter (and the future Nystrom babies) to have a happy ending. Just please trust me~

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Note for the readers who are asking for mass release:

Thank you so much for the interest you're showing for my story. I appreciate it, really. And I feel bad that I can't do mass release for now. :(

To be honest, I don't want to say this because I don't like drama. But I want to give a proper explanation so you won't think that I'm ignoring your request. :((

Those who have visited my Ko-fi account might already know that my mother is sick and she needs surgery soon. I'm working hard at my day job to save up for the upcoming surgery. As much as I want to give you more chapters, my physical body can't keep up with my willpower. I hope you understand. T_T

I'm considering having privilege chapters though so I might do that soon. Don't worry, I won't overprice and I will make sure that each chapter is going to be worth it. :'(

Anyway, I'm doing my best to update daily because I love how you love MV. Thank you so much for the support. Please know that I appreciate each one of you even if I can't reply to all the comments.

Please stay safe, everyone!

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

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