TO SAY that Nia Moonchester was surprised when she woke up in an almost empty house would be an exaggeration.

Aside from the Supreme, the Black Serpent, and the children, everyone was gone. The Red Phoenix, the Golden Tiger, the former saint, and the former Black Serpent and Red Phoenix Knights had all vanished.

They probably left the North last night.

And she didn't even feel or hear anything. She fell asleep early and had a good night sleep. But that was the strangest thing. Whenever she was in the Royal Palace, or the temple where she was "locked up," she would always wake up even with the softest thud. She was pretty certain that her food didn't have any "sleeping potion" on them though.

Is it my room? Did they put a calming spell in my room so I wouldn't wake up?

"Good morning, Nia Moonchester," Lady Nystrom greeted her. She was preparing the table and Kiho was helping her. Winter and Julian, who both greeted her politely, were already seated. There was also a strange little girl between the two boys but she completely ignored her. "We only have pancakes for breakfast since our food stock is empty now. Will that be alright with you?"

"I don't mind," Nia said, then she sat down on the empty chair from across Winter. "And Lady Nystrom, you can call me by my first name. Calling me by my full name every time hurts my ears."

"Alright, Nia," the Supreme said. "Then, you can call me by my name first as well. It's not because I'm being friendly to you. I just don't want to appear rude if I call you by your name while you still address me politely."

"I understand, Tilly," she said, then she turned to Kiho who quietly poured tea in her teacup. "You can also call me by my first name, Kiho. We're practically siblings after all."

"I can call you by your first name, Nia," Kiho said, then he looked down at her coldly. "But don't act familiar with me. You were never my sister. You were just Elaine's replacement."

She smiled faintly at the Black Serpent's coldness. "Ah, it has been a while since I last heard that name," she said, then she sipped her tea before she spoke again. "It's funny how you're acting protective of Elaine now, Kiho. After all, you didn't care about her in the past. If you truly did, you would have rescued her the moment that you heard that Aku locked her up in the tower."

It looked like she hit a nerve because Kiho's golden eyes glowed dangerously.

"If you don't want to have burnt pancakes for breakfast, don't you dare pester my husband," Tilly warned her. "We already have a binding vow so don't provoke us."

"I'm just having a conversation with my ex-brother."

"You mean brother-in-law," Kiho said in a calm yet snarky manner. "You were Aku's wife back then. And will still be even in this lifetime."

This time, the Black Serpent hit a sensitive nerve of hers.

It didn't help that Winter and Julian both stifled a laughter. On the other hand, the little girl between the two young gentlemen didn't hold back and laughed aloud.

Children don't have manners these days.

"I knew I didn't have to defend you, hon," the Supreme said delightfully. "Nia, this is our last breakfast in this house. Let's eat in peace, shall we?"

She just rolled her eyes at that. "Where are the others?"

"They already left," Tilly said, then she smiled sweetly at her. "I'm sorry but I won't tell you where they are."

"I'm not that interested to know," Nia said casually. "Do we have honey for the pancakes?"

***

"JULIAN, SOLENN, take care of yourselves," Tilly said while kneeling in front of the two kids. Behind Julian and Solenn, a warp in the form of a ring of fire was open. The Keepers from the other side of the portal was keeping it open with the help of Solenn's flame. "I'm glad that you decided to drop by at our mansion in the Royal Capital first."

Yes, that was the plan.

Julian and Solenn would take a detour first before when Wong called last night, he told them that they got an information regarding Elaine Moonchester and the Plane. For that matter, Lord Forrester went ahead to hear the details from the Keeper.

"Julian, Flint is at our home," she said. It was one of the reasons why she was glad that Julian and Solenn would go to their mansion first. Flint was there, and she knew how much Julian wanted to be reunited with his other brother. "Please send our regards to Flint."

"And please tell Flint to wait for us," Kiho said, then he got down on one knee and held their oldest son's shoulder gently. "He'll always be my little rival anyway."

Julian smiled and nodded. "I'm sure Brother Flint will be glad to hear that, Mother, Father. Thank you for worrying about him."

Both her and Kiho smiled at that.

"Brother, don't forget me while you're hanging out with Brother Flint," Winter, who was a bit too clingy, said to his brother. "Promise me that I will always be your favorite brother."

"Of course, Winter," Julian said with a kind smile. "Would you like a farewell hug?"

Instead of verbally responding, Winter just hugged Julian tightly.

Their oldest son gently patted their youngest son's back as if he was comforting him.

I'm so happy that their bond is this strong now.

She didn't want to cry so she turned to Solenn instead.

Although she knew that Julian didn't mean "elope" when he said he'd run awany with the young princess a while ago, she still couldn't help but get a little wary of her own niece. She knew that it was pathetic but her protectiveness as a mother couldn't be hidden.

"Julian is mine," she declared. "Don't steal my baby away from me."

Solenn looked at her as if she had grown two heads, then she laughed softly. "Don't worry, Aunt Tilly. I'm patient," she said playfully. "I will wait for Julian until he's of legal age."

Gosh, the little brat princess was a tough opponent, huh?

And the redness in Julian's cheeks wasn't a good sign either.

"Julian, you're still a baby," Tilly said with a pout, then she hugged both Julian and Winter. To be honest, she was trying not to cry. But now that the reality of their separation hit her, she could no longer hold back her tears. "Let's hurry up with our missions and reunite as soon as possible, hmm?"

Winter and Julian both smiled and nodded.

"Of course, Mom."

"Yes, Mother."

"We're just one call away, Julian," Kiho said, then he joined their big family hug. "Please return to us safely."

***

"HAVE you calmed down, honey?" Kiho asked while he and Tilly were walking deep into the woods. "Your eyes and nose are both so red."

After Julian and Solenn left, they walked Winter back to the house.

Although Nia was still there, they were certain that she wouldn't try to hurt her son. But of course, they couldn't completely trust the royal princess. So, his wife put a spell on Winter's room. If Nia got near it, the room would burn.

But Winter wouldn't get hurt because as soon as Tilly's flame engulfed their son's room, he would be sent to wherever he and his wife was.

If they didn't have to, they wouldn't leave Winter alone in the house.

But we need to find Garnet Nystrom to make North our own territory completely. We had to leave Winter alone in the house to keep an eye on Nia.

"I'm fine now, hon," Tilly said between sobs. "I'm just sad that we can't bring Julian with us. I'm also worried about him and Solenn. But I know that even if he's a child, he still has duties as our oldest son."

He gently wrapped his arms around his wife's shoulders. "During times like this, I can't help but remember the world that you talk about before. I want to live in a peaceful world with you and our children."

"It's impossible to leave this world for now so we have no choice but to make this empire safe for our children."

He nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, let's hurry and find Garnet Nystrom first," his wife said. "I don't want to leave Winter alone for so long."

Again, he nodded in agreement.

Then, he went rigid when he heard something.

"What's wrong, hon?" his wife asked worriedly. "Is there a threat nearby?"

"No," he assured her, then he turned to her while hoping that his eyes weren't glowing from excitement. "I just hear a river nearby."

"Oh."

"Tilly?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we do it later?" Kiho asked, his cheeks probably red from his boldness. "I mean, can we take a bath after our mission?"

He knew that it was not the right moment for that.

But sometimes, he couldn't control the urges that he felt. Although if Tilly said no, he would respect her decision. He was just trying to test his luck.

It's been so long since we last did it so...

Tilly blinked several times as if she was trying to check if she heard him right. Then, after staring at his red face for a few moments, she laughed softly. "Of course," she said, then she gently pinched his cheeks. "And we can also do something else, you naughty boy."

***

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