KALEL thought he was going insane after he saw the memories that he "borrowed" from Soleil using his water technique.

Before he knew it, he was already on the ground.

​​

He clutched his chest tight while catching his breath.

Auro… Mother… have you been controlling me all this time?

Well, to be honest, the memories that Soleil shared with him were the conversations that his wife had with the Sun and Moon Priestess.

But he also saw the part where Luna revealed to Soleil that she saw his mother bit his neck. He didn't remember that happening. What bothered him the most was the fact that Luna was right– his mother's bite was poisonous.

The fact that I don't remember being bitten by my mother is suspicious enough. But can I really trust Luna?

"Lord Kalel…" Soleil called him worriedly, then she got down on one knee and held his shoulder. "Are you alright? Well, I know that you're not alright. Do you want to rest inside and talk?"

Kalel raised his head and faced his wife. "Soleil, do you trust the Sun and the Moon Priestess?"

His wife turned serious, then she nodded firmly. "I do," she said. "I trust them with my life."

"I'm sorry but I can't trust them right away," he said. "We're talking about my family here, Soleil. I hope you understand how I feel right now."

She nodded thoughtfully. "If you tell me right now that my family wants to kill my baby, I won't easily believe you as well." She paused, then her purple eyes glowered. "But that doesn't mean that I will completely invalidate your claim. If I were you, I'd do my own investigation." This time, she cupped his face between her hands. "Lord Kalel, if you can't fully trust me and my comrades yet, then find the truth yourself."

Soleil's clear and honest eyes already told him that she wasn't lying.

In the first place, he didn't doubt her.

He just couldn't accept the painful truth about his mother and brother. He needed a solid piece of evidence to finally accept it.

"Soleil, it's not that I don't trust you," he said, then he put a hand on top of hers. "But I can't just accept the information that you got from the Sun and Moon Priestess. That's why I need to find the truth myself."

She nodded in agreement. "But Lord Kalel, promise me that you won't tell Auro Moonchester that we already know who he truly is," she said, her eyes begging. "And don't even think about telling him that I'm pregnant. Although we already have a hunch that he already knows about my pregnancy, I still don't want you to confirm it for him."

His jaw clenched, then he nodded.

He couldn't believe that Auro was the Aku Moonchester that he and Soleil saved in the past. He thought that his father only granted the name 'Moonchester' to the first king of the kingdom because in the old language of the gods, 'Moonchester' simply meant 'child of the moon.'

If Auro Moonchester remembers his past life, why didn't he say anything to me?

Soleil's revelation only made more sense now.

"Soleil, I need to go," Kalel said, then he gently pulled Soleil's hands away from his face. "I won't tell Auro what I know."

"I understand why you need to leave," Soleil said seriously, then she became teary-eyed. "But Lord Kalel, please promise me that you'll return to me."

***

"BROTHER, why are you so late?"

Kalel looked at Auro seriously.

Right now, he was in his brother's chamber.

It was already midnight when he arrived at the palace so he had no choice but to sneak into his brother's room. Fortunately, Auro was still up. And it looked like he was waiting for him. After all, there were two glasses of wine on his table.

"I had to return to my territory," Kalel said, then he sat on the chair opposite his brother's. "Soleil was attacked by Elis Ripperton."

Auro stopped drinking his wine midway, then he turned to him with a surprised look on his face. "The Blue Dragon did that? This is a surprise. I didn't even know that he has returned."

He didn't know if his brother was acting or not.

But it seemed like he was really surprised by the news.

"Is Lady Soleil alright, Brother?" Auro asked and he seemed worried. "You shouldn't have left your wife."

That was true.

Had Soleil not revealed what she knew about his family, he wouldn't have left her side.

But had to leave as soon as his wife assured him that she and their baby were both safe. After all, he would never be at peace until he finds out the truth.

"Soleil is fine," he said, purposely keeping the fact that his wife was pregnant.

After all, Auro and his mother apparently wanted to kill his child.

"I'm here for the Holy Bracelet, Auro," he said as an excuse. "Maybe we can use it to track Elis Ripperton. That bastard needs to pay for what he did to my wife."

That wasn't exactly a lie.

He arrived that late at the Royal Capital because he visited the Blue Dragon's old "nest" and the other places that he would frequently visit. He was serious about killing Elis Ripperton for what he did to his pregnant wife. Unfortunately, he didn't find the bastard.

"I already prepared the Holy Bracelet for you, Brother," Auro said, then he stood up. "Let me get it for a second."

He just nodded as a response.

As soon as Auro turned his back on him, he silently tapped his foot on the floor.

Then, without his brother knowing, the young king was already frozen along with the whole room. Of course, he made sure that none of his knights would feel his "attack."

"I'm sorry, Auro," Kalel said when he stood in front of his now frozen brother. Then, he gently put a finger on his forehead. "Let me take a peek at your memories."

***

"BROTHER, are you leaving already?" Auro asked Kalel after his brother said that he was leaving as soon as he handed him the Holy Bracelet. "You didn't even take a sip of the wine I prepared for you. It's your favorite."

"Auro, don't forget that my wife needs me by her side," Kalel said while freezing the treasure box where the Holy Bracelet was with his ice Mana. Then, it melted and "disappeared." That was one of his brother's unique ways of using his powers to store things. "I need to go now," he said when he raised his head. Then, he put a hand on his shoulder. "Auro, be careful of Elis Ripperton. And if he shows up, let me know."

He smiled and nodded. "Yes, Brother. I will capture Elis Ripperton for you."

To be honest, he was nervous when Kalel arrived at his palace at that hour.

He knew what that stupid Elis Ripperton had done to Soleil Rosenberg. And he was scared to death that his brother might have already discovered his ties with the Blue Dragon. Thankfully, it seemed like Kalel was still clueless.

But I wonder why my brother didn't share the news about his wife's pregnancy. I wanted to know if the baby survived or not.

Well, judging by how Kalel was still calm, the Moon Serpent definitely survived.

If the baby died because of Elis Ripperton's attack, then my brother would have already hunted him down.

"I really need to go now," his brother said, then his whole body began to be covered with his ice. Ah, his brother was really about to leave now. "Auro…"

"Yes, Brother?"

"Yes, we are brothers," Kalel said, then he began to disappear. "Don't ever forget that, Auro."

And just like that, his brother was gone.

What does he mean by that?

His thoughts were distracted when he felt a sharp pang in his head.

That was when he realized that there was a gap in his memory.

He remembered that he got up from his seat to get the Holy Bracelet for his brother. But the next thing he knew, he was already handing it to Kalel.

Did my brother use his ability on me?

"He did, you weak child."

He flinched when he heard Kyro's voice.

The fact that he could only hear the Moon God and not see him only meant that he was in his Spirit form. He also probably hid his presence to hide from Kalel.

"What did Brother Kalel did to me, Lord Kyro?"

"He took a peek at your memories."

He wouldn't say that he was surprised to hear that.

After all, as soon as they realized that someone was feeding Soleil Rosenberg information about their plan, they already anticipated that his "sister-in-law" would try to bring Kalel to her side by exposing his plan to his brother.

"It's a good thing that you protected some of my memories in advance, Lord Kyro. We can't let my brother know the full scale of our plan," he said, amused that the Moon God knew exactly how his son would react once Soleil Rosenberg speaks. "Did you show that "part" to my brother?"

"Of course," Kyro said with a huff. "That's the only reason why my adorable son didn't kill you, Auro Moonchester."

Auro smiled, satisfied that their plan worked. "As long as my life force is tied with Soleil Rosenberg, then my poor brother can't kill me."

After all, if he died, the Supreme Fire Mage would die as well.

***

SOLEIL locked herself up in her chamber, and she made it hot enough that not even Wong could enter. After all, she had always known that her flame and her Mana were stronger than her brother. But since her brother was the Red Phoenix, she didn't want to overshine him and thus, she would often hide her real power.

And by "real power," she meant the Black Flame. It was still stubborn. But with the help of Lucina who just came back to her, she was able to use it now.

At this rate, only Kalel could enter her chamber.

After all, her husband's ice would protect him from the heat that she created in the room.

"Master, are you certain that Lord Kalel will return?" Lucina Morganna asked in her mind. "What if he returns as an enemy?"

"That won't happen," Soleil, seated on the sofa, said firmly. Then, she put her hands over her tummy. "I believe in Lord Kalel."

"Master…"

"Lucina, don't worry about my affair with my husband," she said strictly. "We have something more important to discuss. After I deal with Lord Kalel, you'll tell me where you went earlier. I almost lost my baby because I wasn't able to summon the Black Flame without you undoing the seal that my brother made."

Lucina fell silent before she spoke again. "I understand, Master."

She was distracted from scolding her spirit guardian when the temperature in the room suddenly dropped. Then, a thin layer of ice began to cover the floor and the walls.

Lord Kalel…

When she stood up, she was surprised when her husband suddenly appeared right in front of her.

"Lord Kalel…"

As soon as she saw the crestfallen look on Kalel's face, she already felt her heart break.

"I'm sorry, Soleil," Kalel said softly, his voice filled with guilt. Then, he hugged her tight. "I'm sorry but even though everything you told me about Auro is right, I still can't kill him."

Soleil closed her eyes, her arms subconsciously wrapped around her tummy in a protective manner. "Lord Kalel, please don't say that," she said in a cracked voice. "Don't let our baby hear you say that you're choosing your brother over us."

***

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