OF COURSE, Winter didn't report it to his father yet because he hadn't gathered enough evidence to say that they were being brainwashed by his stepmother using Moonflowers.

So he installed a spying device on his room that he covered with his ice to hide its presence. One of his birth mother's major businesses was to create device from unique spirit stones that could only be found in Mount Solace– the mountain owned by the Prescotts.

The kind of device that he used was the spirit stone that could record voices. That was the most advanced spying device that their family possessed.

And so, he recorded his stepmother's voice for the past two weeks.

That was when he realized that his stepmother talked about nothing else but how awful his birth mother was.

"She wants me to hate my birth Mother," Winter said after he listened to all the recordings that the spirit stone had collected for the past two weeks. Of course, he was alone in his study room when he played the recordings. To make sure that no one else would hear it, he put a protective spell inside the room. He used another spirit stone for that. "Did she also made Father fall in love with her using this horrible trick?"

That made his heart feel heavy.

He was aware that his birth mother wasn't perfect. But despite that, he knew that she genuinely loved him. And he loved her too even though he couldn't show it freely. Now, he understood where his hesitation to stand up for his birth mother came from.

I was controlled all this time.

"My stepmother wants me to disown my own mother during the upcoming banquet for His Majesty's birthday," he whispered to himself. "I have to tell Father what I know before I was forced to do that horrible thing to Mommy."

Yes, he decided to call his birth mother 'Mommy' to differentiate her from his awful stepmother.

It was casual and it wasn't traditionally used by noble children to address their mother. But he felt like he would get closer to his mother if he began to call her 'Mommy.' It was a small step towards closing the gap between them, it was still a step away from where he stood now.

"I'm sorry, Mommy," he said in a cracked voice. "I'm sorry for abandoning you… for failing to protect you…"

If he was mind controlled, it was highly possible that his stepmother was the one who worsened his mommy's mental health condition.

He also remembered that Her Royal Highness and Captain Sherwood would also bring Moonflowers to his mother's mansion. After he realized the effect of those cursed flowers, he couldn't shrug it off as a co-incidence now.

The royal princess and the captain were definitely connected to his stepmother.

I have to find out what their connection is.

His thoughts were cut-off when he heard a strange hiss. When he turned to the window, he thought he saw a tail of a white snake. But there was no way a snake would enter their estate without getting caught by the patrolling knights.

It must just be exhaustion taking a toll on his health.

"I have to rest," Winter said to himself. It was weird to talk to himself but it wasn't like he could trust anyone else now aside from his father. Wait, he suddenly realized that maybe he could trust the people that his stepmother was wary about. And only person entered his mind then. "Captain Denver."

***

"YOUNG MASTER, are you mad at me?" Captain Denver asked him with a grumpy look on his face. "If I offended you in any way, please allow me to apologize to you instead of punishing me this way. I will kneel down in front of you if I need to."

"What are you saying, Captain Denver?" Winter asked the captain "innocently." "I just asked you to burn my internal organs. I asked you because I heard that you're the best Fire Wielder in the empire. What made you conclude that I'm punishing you?"

The captain let out a deep sigh before he spoke again. "Young Master, do you want me to die? If I burned your internal organs, I'd either die by the claws of His Majesty's Ancient Beasts or get murdered by your lunatic– I mean overprotective father."

They were free to talk that way because he made an official visit to the tower that Captain Denver owned. To be precise, they were currently in his private training room. At his request, no servants were around the area.

Anyway, he figured that setting an official appointment with Captain Denver would be less suspicious than meeting him in secret. After all, he heard from his stepmother that the captain was also under surveillance for "conniving" with his mommy.

"Captain Denver, this is a safe place, isn't it?" he asked even though he already knew the answer. Before he opened his mouth, he already checked the premise three times to make sure that it was safe to talk in that room. "I heard that you're currently under surveillance."

The captain turned serious. "They cannot enter the tower unless they force their entry," he said, probably referring to the people who were keeping an eye on his movements recently. Ah, as expected, the captain was already aware of it. "This room is safe, Young Master. I'd know if they put spying devices in here. Which they can't."

"I like your confidence, Captain Denver."

"Thank you," he said stiffly. "Young Master, are you here to confront me about the malicious rumor going around about me and Lady Prescott?"

Ah, yes.

There was a stupid rumor going around about the alleged romantic relationship between his mommy and the captain of the Red Phoenix Knights. Worse, the rumors implied that the relationship had been going on for a while. In short, people were saying that his mommy cheated on her father. And thus, the duke divorced her.

Technically speaking, it was Father who "cheated" on my mommy.

"I don't believe in that stupid rumor, Captain Denver,��� he said firmly, his golden eyes glowing threateningly. "Are you looking down on me?"

"Of course not, Young Master," the captain denied bluntly. "I just can't think of another reason why you came to me on your own volition. I don't believe that you're only here to see what I can teach you if you came to my squad early."

"I can't tell you because I can't completely trust you yet," he said firmly. "But if you do what I tell you to do right now, I want you to know that it's going to be a huge help. If you trust me, please don't ask questions, Captain Denver."

"Alright."

"Huh?"

"I trust you, Young Master," Captain Denver said without even blinking. Despite how grumpy he looked, his face softened up when he said that he trusted him. "I trust you because I trust Lady Prescott. And she told me to protect you. If doing what you ordered me to do so will help you, then I shall do it despite the risk."

"Argh," he complained. "But you didn't want to do it a while ago."

"Ah, I thought it was because your father's new wife ordered you to do it," he said. "I apologize for that, Young Master."

"Captain Denver."

"Yes, Young Master?"

"Do you know about the Moonflowers?" he asked. But when the captain was about to answer, he raised his hand to stop him. "My house isn't safe. I'm afraid that I might be controlled and be forced to say what I know so please don't say anything to me yet."

"I understand, Young Master. That's also the reason why we couldn't help you yet," the captain said, then he changed the topic. "I will not burn your internal organs but I can give you an injury that will be enough for Captain Kiho to come running here."

"You know that I'm doing this to summon my father without being suspected of knowing anything?"

"I heard from Lady Prescott before that whenever you feel a burning sensation in your chest when you were a toddler, only Captain Kiho's ice Mana could take away the pain."

Ah, come to think of it, that really happened.

But what is that burning sensation?

"Are you ready, Young Master?" Captain Denver asked, distracting him from his thoughts. "My flame will hurt you. Is that okay?"

Winter nodded firmly. "Please do it, Captain Denver."

***

WINTER DIDN'T want to regret it but it really hurt.

He didn't know what Captain Denver poked his chest with his warm finger, he felt a painful burning sensation in his chest. He dropped to the floor while clutching his chest tight. Worse, he couldn't tell how long he had been in that position.

All he knew was it hurt so much he thought he was going to die anytime soon.

Mommy… Father…

"Winter!"

Winter opened his eyes and when he did, he was greeted by his father's worried face. "Father, it hurts," he said in a weak voice. "My chest feels hot."

��I'll kill Captain Denver later," his father said under his breath. Then, he put a cold hand on his chest. "I will cool you down, Winter. But tell me if it becomes too cold."

He could only nod his head as a response.

Thankfully, after a few moments, the burning sensation in his chest began to disappear. He let out a sigh of relief when it was over.

"I feel better now, Father," he said, then he got up. But since his body still felt heavy, he had to lean against his father's chest. "Thank you."

"Captain Denver called my office and said that he accidentally hit you with his flame during your sparring," his father said. "But it wasn't true, was it? I know that even a captain like him wouldn't easily hurt you, Winter."

He bit his lip, then he decided to tell his father the truth. "Father, I overheard you and Mother talking a while ago. You said that you only married her because of a deal."

His father's golden eyes widened in shock. "Winter��"

"Mother is a bad person, Father," he said firmly. "She's using Moonflowers to brainwash us. Don't you know that?"

"I freeze the Moonflowers every night so it won't affect you that much," his father said with a pained look on his face. "I'm sorry, Winter. That's the only thing I can do while I'm trying to save Tilly. But how did you know about the Moonflowers?"

"It doesn't matter, Father. I can protect myself now," he said because he knew that they couldn't talk for long. "But I want to know the deal between you and my stepmother. I also want to protect Mommy."

"'Mommy?'"

He blushed when his father repeated that word. "I-I don't want to call Mommy the same way I call your new wife."

His father's face softened up. "Then, you should change the way you call me too. It sounds too stiff."

His blush deepened even more. "If you insist, Dad."

For the first time in a while, he saw his father smile. It was a faint one, barely noticeable. But he didn't miss it."

"You've matured, Winter," his father said. "I can rely on you now. I'm sorry if I neglected you all this time."

He shook his head. "It's for Mommy, I understand."

His father ruffled his hair, then his hand rested on top of his head. "Winter, I will share my memories with you so you'll understand our situation better."

Winter firmly nodded. "Please, Dad."

***

[KIHO'S MEMORY]

"If I don't cure Lady Prescott's poor state of mind, what will you do to me?"

Instead of answering verbally, Kiho just raised his hand at Princess Nia's direction.

Despite his oozing bloodlust, the royal princess remained calm while drinking her tea on the sofa. She didn't even flinch even when the lower part of her body was frozen by his ice Mana.

"Kill my brother, Captain Kiho."

He was so shocked by Princess Nia's order that he accidentally closed his fist. Thus, his ice stopped freezing her. Unfortunately, the layer of ice covering the royal princess only reached her waist. Still, average people would already panic by then.

Princess Nia is still a Moonchester after all.

"If you kill my brother, the emperor, I will help Lady Prescott get better," Princess Nia said, then she carefully put the teacup down on the table. That was when she finally looked up at him properly. "Will you kill His Majesty for your beloved wife?"

"I wouldn't have painstakingly pay you a visit tonight if I'm not ready to risk everything for Tilly," he said as he dropped his arm to his side. "I will kill anyone and everyone if it means saving my wife."

She laughed softly at his remark. "My brother will get heartbroken once he finds out that his beloved "little brother" would betray him for a woman."

"I stopped seeing His Majesty as a "brother" the moment I found out that he tried to kill my wife. He betrayed me first," he snarled at the royal princess. "Even if you didn't ask him, I intend to kill him anyway."

After all, if he killed Princess Nia tonight, the emperor would hunt him down anyway.

"Then, let's make a deal," the royal princess said. "I need collateral to make sure that you wouldn't betray me the way you betrayed my brother."

His brows furrowed in confusion.

"Captain Kiho, I want you to divorce Lady Prescott and marry my trusted ally."

"You've gone mad if you think I will marry another woman aside from Tilly."

The royal princess just smiled at him. "Lucina Morganna, come out."

He was startled when a woman stepped out of the dark, then she stood behind Princess Nia.

'Lucina Morganna' was a woman with a hair darker than Tilly's. But other than that, none of her features stood out to him.

"I will only work with you if you accept my terms, Captain Kiho," Princess Nia said firmly. "Lucina Morganna has a strange circumstance. She needs a physical bind to stay "outside" longer. That physical bind has to be a contract of some sort. In order to fulfill that condition for her to stay here without me, she needs to be bind with you through a marriage contract." She smiled "sweetly" at him. "Captain Kiho, I'm not asking you to marry Lucina Morganna for real. You just need to bind her with you through a marriage contract." She sipped her tea first before she continued. "You said you'll do anything to save Lady Prescott, didn't you?"

He clenched his fists but he couldn't refute what the royal princess said.

If hurting Tilly for a while would save her life, then he'd do it even though it would also cause him great pain.

"Don't worry, Captain Kiho," the black-haired woman whose name he had already forgotten said with a sickeningly smile. "I will only act as your wife in front of an audience."

"You better know your place," Kiho said, his heart heavy with his decision. He clenched his fists so tight that his nails dug in the palm of his hands. God, if he could hurt himself more, he would. "I will only marry you to save my one and only wife, lady."

***

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