55 The Emperors Selfish Love (1/2)

TILLY was surprised when the door opened and Kiho entered the room. He was out of breath as if he ran to get to her.

[He definitely did.]

”Kiho,” Tilly greeted her husband with a smile. She noticed that he was checking her from head to toe for any physical injury. He looked relieved when he saw that she was physically fine. ”You're here.”

Kiho closed the door behind him and ran towards her. He sat on the edge of the bed and hugged her tight, burying his head against her neck. She smiled and hugged him back. Ah, her husband's masculine scent and cool body made her feel like she was ”home,” at last.

”You're alive,” Kiho whispered in relief. ”Thank you for being alive, Tilly.”

”I'm okay, Kiho,” Tilly assured him while gently patting his back. ”I heard about the attack at the castle. Are you okay? Please tell me you're not hurt.”

”I'm not hurt,” he assured her. Then, he pulled away from the hug to look at her and inspect her once again. ”I heard you got into an accident. Any injury?”

She shook her head before she explained. ”I managed to jump out of the carriage before it hit the tree. Luckily, I landed on soft grass. Plus, as a noble, I am physically stronger than average women. But I guess I was shocked so I lost consciousness.”

She felt guilty that she had to lie to Kiho for now.

When she woke up earlier, Captain Denver told her the memory that he planted in the mind of the still-unconscious coachman. Her statement had to match the coachman's fake memory so she wouldn't appear suspicious.

[This is not yet the time to tell Kiho about my real identity. Once we go home, I'll tell him everything right away.]

”Tilly, you're not riding a carriage without me ever again,” Kiho said as if he was horrified to hear that she jumped out of the carriage to save herself.

She giggled. He couldn't be serious, could he? ”We are fine, Kiho. Don't worry too much.”

[Oopsie… here comes the good news.]

As expected, her captain looked confused. ””We?””

”Me and our baby,” Tilly said with her hands placed carefully on her tummy. She was nervous but her happiness and excitement were greater than it. Thus, she was able to give him the best smile that she could offer while telling her husband the good news. ”Kiho, the doctor who checked on me a while ago said that I'm four weeks pregnant.”

He froze, obviously shocked at the news.

She didn't expect that next thing that happened: Kiho's tears silently fell.

Seeing her husband get emotional made her feel soft as well.

She knew that Kiho was an orphan. In her past life, he told her that he didn't want their son to grow up without parents like he did. That was one of the reasons why he didn't give up on their marriage before he met another woman.

[Let's not think about her for the meantime.]

This time, she would do everything in her power to make sure that their family would be happy together for eternity.

For that, she was willing to risk exposing her identity to her husband. She knew that they would never have a peaceful life if she would keep a huge secret from him. Plus, she needed Kiho's help to make sure that Winter would be born safely in this world.

”Kiho,” Tilly said in a soft voice. Then, she gently caressed his cheek and wiped his tears with her thumb. She didn't want to see him sad anymore. It hurt her heart to see him crying. That only meant that her husband had really become the most important man in her life now. ”Why are you crying?”

”I'm happy,” Kiho whispered, his voice cracking a little. ”Tilly, thank you for making me this happy. I grew up without a family. Honestly, I thought I didn't need one. But when I met you, I knew that I could no longer go back to isolation again.”

”I won't let you become lonely again,” she promised him, tear-eyed now. She knew that their journey together wouldn't be easy, especially once he found out that she was a Fire Mage. Kiho would definitely get torn between her and his loyalty to the throne. But she wanted to believe that he would choose her. But right now, she wanted to make Winter their priority. ”Kiho, let's help each other become the best parents for our baby.”

He nodded as he held her hand that was on his face. Then, he kissed her palm before he gently pulled her hand away from his face. After that, he leaned down and wrapped his arms carefully around her waist. And with utmost care, he buried his face on her stomach. ”Hi, baby. This is Kiho, your father. Are you growing well inside your mommy's womb? We are very excited to meet you, little one. Please come out as soon as possible.”

”We have to wait for a little while, Kiho,” she said between giggles. Then, she gently combed her fingers through his hair. ”But like you, I can't also wait to see our little angel.”

”If the prophecy is right, then we'd have a baby boy,” he said, then he looked up at her beautiful face. ”I hope he looks like you, Tilly.”

”I'm sure our Winter will be beautiful because he's the fruit of our love.”

””Winter?”” he asked, pleasantly surprised. ”You're really okay with the name I chose for our son?”

She smiled and nodded. ”Of course, hon.”

”Then, let's call him Winter,” Kiho agreed.

Then, he sat up and cupped her face in his hands.