"YOUR MAJESTY, Duke and Duchess Nystrom have returned to the Royal Capital."

Aku was relieved to hear Sir Gregory's report. He just woke up and in fact, he was still in his bed. But since he was eager to hear what happened, he instructed the knight to enter his chamber and give him a full report. And so, Sir Gregory was here while he was sitting on his bed and leaning against the soft headboard. "I'm glad that our plan still worked."

According to the report that Captain Ainsworth forwarded to Sir Gregory, the Golden Tiger wasn't able to kill Captain Denver because a witch appeared and managed to save the captain. But they assured them that the two were heavily injured.

"Where's Lord Huxley?" he asked his old knight.

"The count safely arrived at the Silver Tower," Sir Gregory, who stood in front of him, asked. "He'll stay there until the House Denver decides to push through the noble trial or not."

The 'Silver Tower' that Sir Gregory mentioned was the tower where higher nobles accused of a crime were locked up. Until they were proven guilty, these accused nobles would still be given treatment that befitted their status.

To simply say, being locked up in the Silver Tower was no different from house arrest.

"I'm pretty sure that House Denver got my message clear," he said in amusement. "But I wonder what Lady Nystrom will do."

"What about Lady Nystrom, Your Majesty?"

"I heard that the duchess is attached to the child that Lord Huxley attacked," he explained. "I wonder what she'll do once she heard that Captain Denver was seriously injured while Lord Huxley is being treated like a king in the Silver Tower."

"Does it matter?" the old knight asked as if he was confused by his worry. "It's not like Lady Nystrom can do anything against you or Lord Huxley, Your Majesty."

He laughed at that. "Sir Gregory, you shouldn't underestimate Lady Nystrom. Remember, she managed to burn my beloved to crisp when she got angry."

"I apologize, Your Majesty," Sir Gregory said. "I'll never underestimate an enemy again."

Aku just smiled at that. "I have a feeling that today is going to be a good day," he said, then he stretched his arms. "Now I'm in the mood to attend the banquet tomorrow night."

***

TO SAY that Tilly was heartbroken when she saw Captain Denver and Luna's terrible state would be an understatement.

Captain Denver lost an arm.

Half of Luna's face was disfigured because of the huge claw mark on the left side of her face.

"Tilly," Kiho said, then he wrapped his arms around her from behind. He wasn't just hugging her for comfort. Her husband was also physically restraining her because he knew that she was about to bolt out of the room and wreck havoc. "Please calm down, honey."

Right now, she was in the room where Captain Denver and Luna were resting.

Aside from Kiho, Sentinel and Saint Forrester (now in his normal form) were also there.

As soon as they returned to the Royal Capital, they went straight to the tower. Lord Prescott also came with them. But her father decided to meet up with Marquis Morgan Denver (Captain Denver's father) first.

"Lady Nystrom, please calm down," Luna, who was lying down on the bed, told her. "We'll be fine. I can fix my face once I recovered my Mana. I can also create an artificial arm for Captain Denver once I'm fully-healed."

"Miss Luna is right," Captain Denver said in a weak voice. He was lying on the bed next to the witch. "I just lost an arm, Lady Nystrom. I'll live."

Hearing those assurance from Luna and Captain Denver helped her calm down.

The important thing was they were both alive and they seemed to be positive despite their current state. She didn't want to ruin that.

"I'm glad to hear that," Tilly said, then she gently tapped Kiho's arms around her waist. "I'm okay now, hon."

"I still want to hug you, honey," Kiho said in a sweet voice.

Luna, Captain Denver, Sentinel, and Saint Forrester all groaned in complaint.

She laughed at their reaction.

And she was pretty sure that Kiho said that on purpose to lighten up the mood.

Thank you, hon.

Saint Forrester cleared his throat to get their attention. But the saint focused on Luna and Captain Denver. "Are you sure that it was the Golden Tiger that attacked you both?"

"Yes, Your Holiness," Luna and Captain Denver answered in unison.

"I felt the Golden Tiger's awakening last night," the witch continued. "I had a bad feeling so I decided to follow Captain Denver."

"I couldn't do anything against the Golden Tiger," Captain Denver said in a voice filled with pain and regret. "The Golden Tiger wasn't affected by my flame." The captain turned to the witch. "Miss Luna, I'm really sorry for failing to protect you. Because of my weakness, your face…"

"Don't worry about my face," the witch said. "And you don't have to apologize again and again, Captain Denver. Even I was powerless against the Golden Tiger. We didn't stand a chance against a god from the very beginning. Let's just be grateful that I was still able to grab you in time and use a teleportation spell before we were both killed by the Golden Tiger."

The captain still looked devastated.

"We'll get back at them, Captain Denver," Tilly declared, causing everyone in the room to look at her. Still, she was unfazed. "Your Holiness," she said, then she turned to the saint. "You told me that I need to gather the four Ancient Beasts by my side. I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore. Once I get a hold of that Golden Tiger, I'm going to roast it like a pig."

Everyone looked shocked by what she said.

"Well, I understand where you're coming from," Saint Forrester said. "But I hope you know that in a war, you don't have to like the people you're fighting with. Sometimes, your enemy today will be your ally tomorrow. Don't just recklessly burn bridges, Lady Nystrom."

She knew that the saint was correct, but she was still being overpowered by her wrath. "I'll find a way to win without the help of the Golden Tiger. Plus, Lord Huxley has to lose an arm and half of his face, too."

"Tilly," Kiho said firmly, then he stood in front of her and held her by the shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Kiho," she assured her husband. She was calm now but that didn't mean her anger completely vanished. "But I'll feel better if we get back at the count. After all, he's the cause of all of this. Are you disappointed in me?"

"No," he said. "But I'm worried. We shouldn't make decisions when we're angry, honey."

She pouted because she knew that he had a point. "I'm so upset," she said, then she hugged Kiho and buried her face against his chest. "I'm really upset that I wasn't able to protect our people, Kiho."

"Tilly, we can't protect everyone all the time," Kiho reminded her gently. "Please don't blame yourself for what happened."

"His Grace is correct, Lady Nystrom," Captain Denver said. "It was my fault for falling for the enemies' trap."

"And our injuries are our responsibility," Luna added. "You're not accountable for our mistakes and miscalculations, Lady Nystrom."

She wanted to say something but suddenly, she felt a pain in her stomach.

"Lady Nystrom, what happened?" Sentinel asked worriedly. "Your son's heartbeat suddenly went weak…"

"What?" Kiho asked worriedly. Then, he held her shoulders and leaned down to look at her face. "Tilly, are you okay? Is our son okay?"

"My stomach hurts a little…" she said, then she placed her hands on her tummy. "I guess this is because of stress."

Panic crossed her husband's face. "We should go home, honey."

"Lady Nystrom, you should listen to your husband," Luna said strictly. "As your doctor, I forbid you from visiting us because you'll only get worried the more you see us in this state. But don't worry, Lady Nystrom. I'll still look after Flint and his younger brother."

That was a relief to hear.

"I'm sorry but I have to ban you from entering my tower for the meantime," Captain Denver added. "We can exchange letters but we can't meet in person until you've rested enough."

"Just accept your defeat for today," Saint Forrester said. "Revenge against sc*mbags isn't worth risking your baby's life for, Lady Nystrom."

Sentinel nodded. "Your health is more important than that. As long as you're healthy, your baby will be healthy as well, my lady."

"You've heard them, honey," Kiho said. "You need to rest. Please do it for you and our son."

Tilly nodded. Despite her anger, her baby's safety would always be her top priority. "Alright. Let's go home, Kiho," she said. When her husband just nodded, she turned to Luna and Captain Denver. "I'll pray for your fast recovery, Miss Luna and Captain Denver."

***

KIHO let Sentinel escort Tilly to their carriage.

He purposely stayed behind (with Saint Forrester who insisted to stay as well) because he needed to talk to Miss Luna and Captain Denver. It wasn't like he wanted to keep his wife in the dark. He just didn't want Tilly to get more stressed than she already was.

But of course, he'd talk to her later about the thing that he would discuss with the witch and the captain.

"Captain Denver, where did you get the information about Lord Huxley's supposed transfer to the Royal Palace?" Kiho asked seriously. "I think that the enemy purposely leaked that information to get you."

Captain Denver let out a frustrated sigh. "I got the information from Captain Sherwood. I didn't trust him completely, thus I decided to go alone. But still, I let my emotions take over. Because of my desire to get back at Lord Huxley, I risked my life."

"Do you think Captain Sherwood knew that it was a trap?"

"I don't trust Captain Sherwood but I don't think he knew that it was a trap," the captain said. "Apparently, he planted a spy on Sir Gregory's squad. That was how Captain Sherwood got a hold of the information regarding Lord Huxley's transfer."

"We can assume that Sir Gregory already knows about Captain Sherwood's spy, and they purposely leaked that information," Kiho said. "His Majesty knows that Captain Sherwood pledged his loyalty to me. Even though I didn't acknowledge it, the emperor definitely knew that the captain will still relay the leaked information to my allies."

Captain Denver nodded in agreement. "That's also my conclusion."

"The thing I'm worried about is the Golden Tiger's awakening," Miss Luna said. "It was the real thing. Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Ever since His Majesty was a crown prince, he has been using the Golden Tiger and the Blue Dragon as his weapons."

"That means that the real bodies of the Golden Tiger and the Blue Dragon have always been hidden in the Royal Capital," Saint Forrester added. "Out of the four Beast Gods, the Golden Tiger and the Blue Dragon are the easiest to control for the Moonchesters. It's a different story for the Red Phoenix and the Black Serpent though."

"I admit that this is our defeat today," Kiho said. "But this isn't the end yet," he promised them. "I don't care if His Majesty has gods on his side– we will still get back at them soon."

***

"HON, do you still remember the baroness that spread a nasty rumor between me and Captain Denver before?" Tilly asked Kiho who sat beside her. There were only the two of them in the carriage right now because Sentinel already returned inside her heart. "What's here name again?"

"Baroness Alphonse," Kiho said. "She's from the town of Blanca. Why do you ask, honey?"

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Of course," he said right away. "As long as it is within my power, I'll do anything and everything for you, Tilly."

She smiled and gave her husband a peck on the cheek before she continued. "Kiho, I want to announce that we're going to adopt Flint and Julian as your brothers. Is that okay with you?"

He looked surprised by her decision. "That's fine with me. But do you think it will be wise to announce it after Flint was attacked by Lord Huxley?"

"That's exactly the reason why I want to make it public," she said. "I want everyone in the empire to know that Lord Huxley attacked Flint because we wanted to adopt him and his brother. And we'll make Baroness Alphonse spread that rumor."

Kiho's furrowed brows made it obvious that he was confused. "You want us to make Baroness Alphonse lie?"

"A rumor," she corrected him. "A rumor is based on exaggerated truth anyway. Plus, it's true that Lord Huxley attacked Flint. But we will alter his reasons for almost killing a child."

"What are you planning, Tilly?"

"We will make it look like it was a hate crime," she said. ""Lord Huxley tried to kill a commoner child that the Nystroms plan to adopt because he can't accept the fact that more and more commoners are getting noble titles easily. After all, the count believes that nobility runs in the blood, and not bought by money or gained through adoption." That's the rumor that I want everyone in the empire to hear."

He fell silent for a few seconds as if he was thinking hard. "Tilly, are you planning to divide the vieux riche and the nouveau riche?"

"Yes," she said firmly. "His Majesty plans to gain the favor of the upstart nobles because he can see that these new rich people are running a huge part of the economy now compared to the past. Plus, the emperor probably feels sick of the old families who keep on questioning his authority and his devotion to Her Royal Highness. I know that he wants a new support system."

"That's true."

"His Majesty will only get more powerful if he gets the favor of the nouveau riche," she continued. "I can't let that happen. That's why I need to make a conflict between the nouveau and vieux riche. Plus, when that happens, the emperor can no longer stand for Lord Huxley. Everyone knows that House Huxley belongs to the Royal Faction. If he doesn't punish the count, the upstart nobles will think that His Majesty supports Lord Huxley's hate for the nouveau riche. He'll lose their support then."

Kiho blinked several times, his face filled with astonishment. "Honey, you're cunning," he said, then he clutched his chest tight. "I think I just fell in love with you harder."

Tilly smiled, the stress she felt a while ago finally vanished. "You're so sweet, Kiho."

***

TILLY couldn't help but giggle while walking with her eyes covered by Kiho's big and cold hand.

For some reason, when they stepped out of the carriage, he politely asked her to close her eyes. When she kept on peeking with one eyes, he asked for her permission to cover her eyes with his hand. So right now, she was walking while being guided by her husband.

He probably prepared a surprise for me.

"Kiho, are we there yet?" Tilly asked teasingly. "Did you prepare this surprise while we were in Oakes?"

"Uh-huh. Actually, way before that," Kiho said, then he gently asked her to stop walking. He remained standing behind her with one hand covering her eyes. "Are you ready, honey?"

"Yes, my handsome hot captain," she said excitedly.

He laughed softly, then he kissed the top of her head before he slowly removed his hand from her eyes. "You may now open your eyes, my beautiful sexy goddess of crabs."

She laughed heartily before she finally opened her eyes.

Oh, wow.

She gasped because she was genuinely surprise and amazed by his surprise.

"Kiho…" she said, her voice already cracking. Then, she turned to her husband with teary eyes. "You built a huge koi pond in your garden for me?"

Yes, that was Kiho's surprise for her.

He smiled sheepishly and nodded as confirmation. "The koi fish in the pond are the same fish back at Father's mansion. I asked his permission to bring them over for the pond that I built for you. Fortunately, Father agreed."

Okay, her heart melted.

I'm lucky to have a loving husband and a supportive father.

She couldn't help but jump and cling to Kiho while sobbing.

"Honey, please be careful," he said while wrapping his arms around her.

"Kiho," Tilly whispered, then she kissed his neck before she looked deeply into his beautiful golden eyes. "You're the love of my life."

Kiho was surprised, and then his eyes glowed even more as he smiled. "You're also the one and only love of my life, Tilly."

***

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