KIHO was shocked when little ice daggers suddenly materialized above Winter. But he was even more shocked when those daggers started to fly towards Tilly's direction. He knew that the target wasn't his wife though.

Judging by the position of the ice daggers, it seemed like they were aiming for Julian.

"Winter, no!" Tilly screamed, then she pulled Julian closer to her.

Of course, he didn't let the ice daggers hurt anyone.

He stood up protectively in front of his wife, then he created a thick layer of ice barricade to protect Tilly and Julian from the ice daggers. When the sharp objects hit the protection he created, both suddenly melted. Thankfully, Winter didn't somehow create another batch of ice daggers.

"Tilly, are you okay?" Kiho asked without taking his eyes off of Winter. He was making sure that his son's power wouldn't suddenly go out of control again. "Is Julian startled?"

"I'm fine, Kiho," Tilly said. "Thankfully, Julian doesn't seem to be startled. How about our Winter?"

He looked at Winter. His son was still crying but he seemed calmer than a while ago. Still, he was worried because of the strange emotion in the little rascal's eyes.

Was it anger?

But what could make a baby like him that angry?

"Winter, it's okay," Kiho said, trying to calm him down. "Daddy will carry you. Don't be startled." When his son stopped crying, he carefully lifted him and carried him in his arms. Like he expected, his body was very cold than normal. It was cold even for an adult like him who was used to the cold. Worried, he turned around to face his wife. "Tilly, our little rascal is very cold. Can you warm him up with your Mana?"

"Of course," Tilly said, obviously worried. "Please hold Julian for a while."

After that, they "exchanged" babies. He held Julian while Tilly carried their Winter in her arms. But as soon as his wife held their son, the little rascal cried again.

"Winter, what's wrong?" Tilly asked, more worried than before. Then, she pulled their son closer. The glowing red aura around his wife's body told him that "Why are you so cold?"

"I'll call Miss Luna," he said, then he tapped his earring twice. "Miss Luna, we need you here."

After the witch said that she'd be there in a minute, he hanged up and checked on Winter. Thankfully, Julian was quiet. Despite his son's tantrums, the other child remained calm.

Winter, much to their shock, lifted his arm and pointed at Julian why crying loudly.

Kiho and Tilly exchanged confused looks. Both of them obviously didn't know what was happening to their son. Thankfully, Miss Luna finally arrived. After hearing her knock on the door, they immediately let her in.

"Miss Luna, Winter is acting strange," Tilly said right away while the witch was walking towards them. "His Mana just went out of control. And now, he's very cold."

"He also won���t stop crying," he added. "And as you can see, he's pointing at Julian. We don't have any idea why though."

Miss Luna looked at Winter and Julian back and forth as if she was assessing the situation. Then, she held out her arms to him. "Your Grace, may I hold Julian?"

He was confused by he still let the witch hold Julian.

As soon as he did that, Winter stopped crying.

"Kiho, Winter's body temperature is coming back to normal," Tilly told him in a relieved voice. "He seems to be calm now."

He walked closer to his wife and son. Then, he wrapped his arms around Tilly's shoulders, pulling her closer to his body while checking on Winter carefully. "What with our little rascal?" he asked his son gently while touching his face. Winter's body was still cool, but for someone like them, that was considered normal. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Miss Luna, can you check on our baby?" her wife asked in a still worried voice. "I don't think what happened was normal."

"May I know what happened before the young lord acted strange?" Miss Luna asked carefully.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Tilly answered. "We just introduced Julian to Winter as his new big brother."

The witch nodded as if she finally understood what happened. "Duke and Duchess Nystrom, can I be honest?"

"Of course," they answered at the same time.

"I think the young lord wants your full attention," Miss Luna said in a hesitant voice that was rare of her to use. "This is just my speculation but I believe that the young lord felt threatened when you introduced Julian as his new big brother. He must have thought that you'd stop doting on him now that he has a brother. In short, the young lord sees Julian as a rival."

Tilly gasped at that, then she turned to Winter. "Oh, baby…"

"Miss Luna, isn't Winter too young to feel that way?" Kiho asked with furrowed brows. "Does he even know what a rival means?"

The witch just smiled, then she put Julian in his arms.

As soon as he held the other baby, Winter lifted his arm and pointed at Julian while crying.

When Miss Luna gathered Julian in her arms, his son stopped crying.

Woah, it's true?

"The young lord isn't an ordinary child, Duke and Duchess Nystrom," Miss Luna said. "His mind, emotions, and even his body will develop faster than normal. He probably understands the things that are happening around him."

It was very random but Kiho suddenly remembered when Winter suddenly hit him when he was about to kiss Tilly a while ago.

Oh.

When he turned to his wife, he noticed that her face was red. Ah, she must have realized that their son was aware of their intimate moments all this time.

"Duke and Duchess Nystrom, I will look after Julian for the meantime," Luna said. "Please talk to the young lord and assure him that what he fears will never happen."

Kiho and Tilly both nodded. "We will do that, Miss Luna."

***

LUNA let out a deep sigh while watching Julian.

The child was sitting on the windowsill of her room while looking outside the window. Her chamber had the view of the pond. And right now, the Nystrom family was spending time there.

I knew this would happen.

To be honest, she didn't want to let the duke and the duchess know that the young lord would mature faster than average kids. After all, she wanted Lord Winter to have a normal upbringing even for a while.

But I guess it's really impossible for them to have a "normal" life.

"Julian, are you okay?" Luna asked worriedly. "Do you know why the young lord suddenly attacked you? You didn't do or say something to anger him, did you?"

Julian was already twenty-one months old now. He was a toddler now and yet, he still couldn't talk. More like he didn't want to. To be honest, the people in the tower were wondering if Julian was deaf and mute. After all, the child would usually ignore people he didn't feel like talking to.

"I didn't say or do anything to the young lord," Julian said, speaking in her mind again. "I guess it was wired in every fiber of his being to hate me."

"Do you think the young lord is aware of who and what you are?"

"I don't think so," the child said. "This is the first time that we've met."

"Are you saying that the young lord already hates you even though this is the first time that you've met, huh?"

"Maybe this is our destiny."

She laughed while shaking her head. "Now I know why you don't talk to other people. You can't act like a normal child, can you?"

"I decided to live quietly in this lifetime," Julian said. "If I have to literally seal my lips to never attract attention from other people, I'll do it."

She was now conflicted.

At the bottom of her heart, she knew that Julian could pose a threat to the Nystroms. If the duke and duchess didn't decide to adopt Julian and Flint, she would have advised them to stay away from the children. But she knew that Lord and Lady Nystrom had already made a connection to the kids that she could no longer cut.

So right now, all she could was to keep an eye on Julian. He already said that the Supreme wasn't his mother. But she still felt uneasy.

Although she had to admit that Julian's tiny back looked very pitiful at the moment.

I shouldn't get attached to this child, Luna reminded herself. But it's not his fault that he was born in this world, is it?

***

JULIAN knew that he shouldn't watch the Nystroms enjoy their family time.

But he couldn't help it.

Lady Nystrom looked happy while Lord Winter sat on her lap. The two were watching Lord Nystrom make a portable fish tank with his ability to control the water. Anyone could see how happy the three were as a family.

A family that he could and should never be a part of.

This is enough, Julian reminded himself. The three of them deserve to be happy this time.

***

TILLY was relieved to see that Winter was happy while watching Kiho control the water in the pond and make the koi fish "float" in front of them.

Right now, they were having afternoon tea by the pond. She knew that they still had a lot of word to do. But taking a break with her family wouldn't hurt. Especially now that they knew how Winter was feeling right now.

"Hon, come and sit with us," Tilly said, then she tapped the space next to her while carrying Winter in one arm. "You look tired."

"I'm fine, honey," Kiho assured her. Then, he carefully returned the koi fish in the pond. Then, he sat on the bench next to her. He kissed her on the cheek before he leaned down to kiss Winter on the forehead. "Did you like my performance, little rascal?"

Winter smiled as a response.

Ah, he can really understand us.

"Winter, please listen to mommy and daddy," she started carefully. When Winter looked up at her, she smiled before she continued. "Mommy and Daddy have adopted Julian and his older brother. They are now your daddy's younger brothers. We did that to protect them. But even if they are your daddy's brothers in legal papers, we still wish that you'd treat him like your own siblings."

Winter started to get teary-eyed.

"Please don't cry," Kiho said firmly. "Even though Julian and Flint are now a part of our family, our love for you will never change. You might not understand this yet but a parent's love and attention don't get divided– they get multiplied."

"Your daddy is right," she said, proud of what Kiho had said. "You are our little cinnamon roll– always has been and always will be. Please don't treat Julian and Flint as your rivals. We want you to get along well with them. And we promise that we will still dote on you."

"Winter, you are our son," Kiho added in a gentle tone. "You are irreplaceable."

"Our little cinnamon roll is smart, right?" Tilly said with a smile. "You understand what mommy and daddy are saying, don't you?"

Much to their relief, Winter smiled and nodded his tiny head.

Aww, our baby isn't just smart– he's also very kind.

***

I STILL don't like this Julian guy.

Winter also hated the fact that it wasn't only him– even his older brother was adopted by his parents. He was a little relieved that they were only adopted as his father's younger brothers. And that was only to protect them.

So technically, Julian and that Flint were going to be his "uncles." His mother probably introduced Julian as his "big brother" because of their close age. He panicked because of that, but he was still unhappy that those two would be a part of their family.

For some reason, his blood boils whenever he sees Julian.

But now he knew that acting like a brat would only make his parents sad so he decided to change his behavior.

"Winter, Big Brother Julian wants to play with you," his mother, who was now holding Julian in her arms again, said with a nervous smile.

He was in lying on the crib so he had no choice but to look up at them.

Anyway, he noticed that his father who stood beside his mother was on guard. It was as if his daddy was watching him to see if he was going to attack Julian.

Not wanting to disappoint his parents again, he smiled and lifted his arms towards Julian.

His mommy and daddy looked relieved. When they looked at each other, they smiled as if they were glad that he wasn't throwing tantrums this time.

A few moments later, his mother put Julian on the crib– next to him.

Julian smiled and reached for his little hand.

Because his parents were watching, he smiled and held onto Julian's hands. He hated it but when his mommy squealed in happiness and his daddy said that he was proud of him, he endured and continued acting like a good little brother.

I'm sorry but I still don't like you, Winter said in his mind while looking coldly at Julian. Yes, his smile didn't reach his eyes. Can't you just leave my family alone, Julian?

Julian smiled and then, much to his shock, he spoke in his mind. I'm sorry but I need the duke and the duchess to protect my big brother, Lord Winter.

To say that Winter was shocked would be an understatement.

We can speak to each other in our minds?!

***

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

***

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