"THIS IS the last time I'm going to ask you, Mr. Knight," Luna said in a calm but menacing tone, her pink eyes glowing– making her look intimidating at the moment. "Why does Captain Ainsworth want me dead?"

She was still in the dark alley but this time, the knights who blocked the exits were all dead.

The only one she left alive was the guy who seemed to be the leader.

And the leader in question was floating in front of her right now. He had both of his hands wrapped on his neck as if he was trying to get rid of the invisible thing that was currently choking him. But of course, it was all in vain.

"If you want to live, you better open your damn mouth, son," she warned him. "Your foolish loyalty to your captain won't save you."

"C-Captain…"

She snapped her fingers when she was certain that the knight would talk now. As soon as she did, the knight plopped on the ground while catching his breath.

"Now, talk," she said, then she squatted in front of the knight to match his eye level. She also pinched his chin and forced him to face her properly. "You trailed me because I was spreading the prophecy you claim as false. Then, you tried to kill me. What would Captain Ainsworth gain by getting me killed? Wouldn't it benefit his family if that rumor spread in the whole empire since House Ainsworth is the head of the Noble Faction…"

She trailed-off when she realized that she just answered her own question.

If House Ainsworth was still in the Noble Faction, he would have grabbed the opportunity to use the false prophecy against the royal family. But if he ordered to kill her to stop the rumor from spreading, then it could only mean one thing.

House Ainsworth has switched sides!

"The c-child of the p-prophecy belongs to H-His Majesty," the knight said in a trembling voice. She could see the fear in his eyes. The poor guy was probably traumatized after seeing his men get killed in less than a minute. "C-Captain Ainsworth doesn't w-want p-people to think o-otherwise…"

"Thank you for confirming my thoughts," she said with a smile, then she closed her hand tight. "Rest in peace, Mr. Knight."

The knight's eyes widened, then he dropped on the ground…

… dead.

Well, she said that she would let him live if she answered her question. But she answered her own question anyway, so the deal was off. But to be honest, she didn't have the intention to show mercy to the person who tried to kill her.

She wouldn't have lived that long if she was a good person.

Anyway, we have a big problem.

Luna stood up and tapped her earring-slash-communication device twice to contact the duchess. "Lady Nystrom, our plan has failed," she reported right away. "House Ainsworth is now on His Majesty's side."

***

"HOUSE Ainsworth is now on His Majesty's side."

Tilly was shocked to hear that. But since it came from Luna, she didn't doubt it.

In her past life, she remembered Captain Ainsworth opposing Winter's position as His Majesty's heir apparent. The captain even tried to stop Princess Nia's return. Needless to say, House Ainsworth was a thorn to the emperor's neck during her first life.

"Are you okay, Miss Luna?" Tilly asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"A troop of Golden Tiger Knights tried to kill me," Luna said. She was worried but the tone of the witch suggested that she was unharmed. "But I'm fine, Your Grace. No scratch or whatever."

"That's a relief, Miss Luna."

"Thank you for worrying about me, Lady Nystrom," the witch said. "Anyway, the leader of the knights said that the according to Captain Ainsworth, the child of the prophecy belongs to the emperor."

"The hell?" she complained, annoyed that some bastards were treating her son like a mere object that "belonged" to the damned emperor.

"I know, right?" the witch said, obviously sharing her sentiments. "The leader also said that Captain Ainsworth doesn't want people to think otherwise. And so, they tried to kill me."

"I don't understand why Captain Ainsworth suddenly decided to take the emperor's side," she said, frustrated. Then, she leaned against the sink behind her. "In my past life, House Ainsworth hated the royal family."

"Your Grace, do you know why Captain Ainsworth opposed His Majesty in your past life?"

Because of the witch's question, she remembered a rumor that circulated before about the grudge of House Ainsworth towards the royal family.

"I think it has something to do with House Ainsworth's "treasure" that the royal family apparently stole from them," she said to the witch. "Unfortunately, I never found out what that treasure was."

Luna fell silent for a few seconds before she spoke again. "I have a feeling that the treasure stolen from House Ainsworth was the Golden Tiger."

Her eyes widened in shock. "The Golden Tiger? Why do you think so, Miss Luna?"

"The name of the Golden Tiger is Ainsworth," the witch explained. "The first descendant of the Golden Tiger used his first name as their family name in honor of him. Long story short, the Ainsworths of this generation are descendants of the Golden Tiger. But many years ago, the royal family somehow got a hold of the Ancient Beasts. That could be the reason why House Ainsworth had a grudge against the royal family."

She paused for a while when she fell into a deep thinking.

And then, it finally clicked.

"If House Ainsworth switched to the emperor's side, then it could only mean one thing: their grudge against the royal family is now gone," she concluded. "And if I were Captain Ainsworth, I would only forgive His Majesty if he returned the Golden Tiger to my family."

"Exactly, Your Grace," Luna said. "Now it makes sense as to why the Golden Tiger himself appeared the day Captain Denver and I were attacked. The previous emperors never released the Golden Tiger in his human form. Just like Lord Wixx's physical body, the other gods were locked up in a place that only the emperors know about. So if the current emperor released the Golden Tiger's physical body in this era, that could only mean that His Majesty has indeed returned the god to House Ainsworth."

She scoffed. For some reason, she felt bitter after hearing that. "They're supposed to be gods. Why do they blindly follow a mere human like His Majesty?"

She heard the witch laugh softly on the other line. "I don't know about the other gods but I assure you that at least, the Red Phoenix wouldn't follow the emperor."

"I'll literally roast the fossil if he obeys His Majesty."

Luna laughed loudly this time. "He'd rather kill himself than to obey the emperor, Your Grace."

She was about to say something when David, the head butler, knocked and said something urgent came up. When she let the head butler enter the kitchen, she immediately got worried when she saw the worried look on his face. "What's wrong, David?"

"Your Grace, a strange man who claims himself as a messenger from House Ainsworth came and asked to meet you," David said. "I don't know why but I feel like he's dangerous. I tried to ask him to leave but he refused. The knights couldn't even stand in his presence."

Okay, that made her worry.

"Your Grace," Luna said, still on the other line. The witch definitely heard what the head butler said. "Can you ask Mr. David to describe the man?"

"David, can you describe the guest?" she said, just like what the witch asked her to do.

"The guest has a striking golden hair and a nasty scar on his face," the head butler said. "He has tanned skin and a huge built."

Luna gasped from the other line. "That's the Golden Tiger, Your Grace."

"I'll face him," she said. "Miss Luna, I'll talk to you later. Be careful on your way home."

Before the witch could respond, she already hanged up on her.

"David, please tell the guest to wait in the garden," she said. "Treat him properly."

"Are you sure, my lady?" the head butler asked worriedly. "Duke Nystrom isn't here…"

She was quite offended.

But she had to remind herself that in this world, people still think that women couldn't protect themselves without their spouses. Plus, she wanted to think that David was just worried about her because she just gave birth to Winter.

"David, I'll be fine," she said with a smile, but firmly. "I'm the mother of House Nystrom."

David looked surprised by her declaration. But he also looked proud of her. "I understand, my lady," he said, then he bowed politely. "I will attend to the guest the best as I can."

She just smiled, and then she went out of the kitchen to return to her chamber.

Sentinel was still there, standing beside Winter's crib protectively. By the look of worry on his face, it was obvious that he felt the presence of their special guest. "Lady Nystrom, do you want me to accompany you?"

"No. I'll be fine on my own," she said. "I want you to stay with Winter and never leave his side. The guest might be after my son."

"But Lady Nystrom…"

She just smiled at him. "Please leave the room for a moment, Sentinel," she said. "I need to change clothes before I greet the guest."

Sentinel still looked worried but it was obvious that he couldn't disobey her. In the end, he just bowed politely before disappearing in a red light.

When she was alone in the room, she walked towards the crib.

Winter, their little cinnamon roll, was still asleep.

"Your daddy is right– you're indeed a sleepyhead," Tilly said with a soft smile. "Wait for mommy, little Winter," she whispered, then she kissed his forehead. "If we're lucky, we'll have a roasted tiger for dinner later."

***

KIHO was satisfied that he had successfully completed the task that Tilly had given him.

He was able to force His Majesty to hand over the entire Black Serpent Knights to House Nystrom. The emperor also allowed them to stay at Oakes while the investigation was still on-going. But before His Majesty agreed to his requests, he asked for one thing.

His Majesty wants to throw a banquet for Winter as soon as possible.

He knew that it was dangerous for Winter to be exposed to the public early, but he wasn't in the position to refuse.

Duke Alastair and Count Dasovich witnessed the emperor's "generosity."

He would have been accused of being ungrateful had he refused His Majesty's request. In the past, he had no discretion about his image. He never cared about his reputation.

But now that he had a family, he wanted to protect his name for them.

And also, I don't want to taint the title that Father generously passed down to me.

His thoughts were only cut-off when his communication device vibrated. He tapped the earring twice to accept the call.

"Your Grace, please come home right away," Miss Luna said in an urgent voice on the other line. "The Golden Tiger has come to the mansion to meet Lady Nystrom!"

He suddenly felt gutted upon hearing that.

Of course, he was very worried for his wife and son. But he reminded himself to trust Tilly. He saw how hard she trained when she was still pregnant a few months ago. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that his wife was now stronger than most knights he knew.

Tilly could protect herself and the little rascal– along with the whole mansion– until he came home.

"Do you eat tiger meat, Miss Luna?" Kiho asked. It seemed like the witch was taken aback of his question so she wasn't able to respond. He still continued though. "I think we'll have a roasted tiger for dinner later."

***

TILLY wasn't happy to see the knights and other servants of their mansion on their knees when she reached the garden.

She could feel the heavy pressure in the air caused by the Golden Tiger's mere presence.

A few meters away from her, she could see a huge guy with golden hair and tanned skin. He wore a white cloak that covered his whole body. But it couldn't hide how huge his built was.

And damn, his aura was seriously different from other people.

Had she not trained for the past months to master her Mana, she bet she would have dropped on the ground as well.

She had a feeling that her meeting with the Golden Tiger wouldn't end with just a mere talk.

That was exactly why she tied her hair in a high ponytail and changed her clothes.

Right now, she wore a dark blue linen shirt, black trousers, and black boots. That was her usual attire whenever she was on training. She was glad that her clothes still fit her even though she wasn't as fit as she used to be before she got pregnant.

"Greetings to the sun that shines brightly in the blue sky," the Golden Tiger greeted her in a deep voice, completed with an arrogant smirk.

Tilly's brows furrowed in confusion at his weird greeting. The template was similar to how a person would greet the emperor. It wasn't usually used to greet a noble– not even a higher noble like her. "Good day, Lord Ainsworth."

The knights and servants of House Nystrom were far enough to not hear their conversation. But she still greeted the Golden Tiger properly despite her hatred for him because it was in her blood to do so. After all, every noble in the empire was brought up to be "polite."

"Oh," the Golden Tiger said, obviously surprised that she knew his name. "So, you already know who I am."

���Yes, I know you," she smiled sweetly at him. Now, the pleasantries were over. It was time to wear her "rude pants" again. "You were the douchebag who ripped off Captain Denver's arm and gave a dear friend of mine a nasty scar."

The arrogant smirk on his face was instantly wiped off. But only for a few moments. Much to her surprise, he suddenly laughed heartily. "What a nasty temper you got there, Supreme."

"State the reason for your unannounced visit, Lord Ainsworth."

"I just want to see your face."

She rolled her eyes at that. "Now that you've seen my face, you may leave now."

He just laughed again. "Ah, I know why you're being that hot-tempered," he said, then he looked up at the mansion behind her. "I heard mothers get really overprotective of their newly-born son." He turned to her again with a frenzied look on his face this time. "`Mind if I see your son's face for a moment, Supreme?"

She responded by creating a huge ring of red fire around her and the Golden Tiger.

It was a technique that she secretly learned from Captain Denver. She was glad that she was able to master it before this moment.

"You don't deserve to even see a glimpse of my son," she said menacingly. Then, she tapped the tattoo around her wrist. A few heartbeats later, the iron crab mallet manifested in front of her. She grabbed the handle and held it tight. "If you take a single step out of this ring, I will make a roasted tiger out of you and have your meat for dinner."

The Golden Tiger tilted his head back as he laughed loudly. Then, when he turned to face her again, she saw a glint of mischievousness in his eyes. "Let's play a game, Supreme."

Her brows once again furrowed in confusion. "I'm serious, Lord Ainsworth."

"And so am I," Lord Ainsworth said with a snarl. "Supreme, if you can make me kneel before you, I will gladly abandon the emperor and become your slave."

"Slavery is illegal, duh," Tilly said, then she grasped the iron crab mallet tighter. "Come at me if you dare, you oversized cat."

***

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