66 Test of Loyalty (1/2)
HI. YOU MAY NOW SEND GIFTS. HUHU you can show love to Mommy Villainess by sending gifts if you can. I'll appreciate it. Thank you. T_T
***
TILLY was amazed while looking up at how high the ice cage Kiho created went up to. It was probably as high as the trees in the forest. And the ice cage also looked hard.
[Kiho's Mana is really amazing.]
She gently placed her hands on the ice wall. It was supposed to be freezing cold but thanks to her warm Mana, she didn't feel it that much.
”Kiho,” Tilly whispered. She talked as softly as possible so that the person or people following them wouldn't hear her. ”Be careful.”
”Yes,” Kiho whispered back. ”I'll be back in a jiffy.”
She couldn't see anything because of how thick the ice cage was. But surprisingly, she could hear what was happening around them.
A few moments later, she heard a loud thud followed by her husband's voice.
”Captain Denver?” Kiho asked in a shocked tone. ”What are you doing here?��
”Captain Denver?” Tilly also asked in surprise. ”Is it really Captain Denver?”
Wait, was it Captain Denver who was following her a while ago as well?
”Yes, it's me, Lady Prescott,” Captain Denver said in an anguished voice. Was he hurt by Kiho's attack? ”Damn you, Kiho. You didn't hold back.”
Oh, the other captain was definitely attacked by her husband!
”What are you doing here, Captain Denver?” Kiho hissed. ”Why are you following us?”
”I just want to make sure that Lady Prescott is safe.”
Tilly's forehead knotted in confusion. [Does it mean Captain Denver knows that my life is already in danger?]
”I already warned you several times but you still didn't listen,” Kiho said in a low and angry tone. ”I'll f*cking kill you now, Captain Denver.”
She gasped at what her husband said. [Wait, what's happening?!]
”Kiho!” Captain Denver said desperately. ”Let me explain, dammit!”
”No,” Kiho said in a tone colder than his ice cage.
[He's going to kill Captain Denver!]
”Kiho!” Tilly yelled while thumping her hands against the ice wall. ”Don't kill Captain Denver!”
”Tilly, I understand that you're only protecting Captain Denver out of the goodness of your heart,” Kiho said coldly. She knew that his anger wasn't directed at her. Yet, she shivered at the cold tone he used. ”But your concern for him makes me want to kill him even more.”
”Kiho, no!”
”He likes you, Tilly,” he hissed in a frustrated voice. ”And he's being so persistent about it.”
”It's not like that!” Tilly screamed. She knew that Kiho was being jealous because he loved her. But it was just a big misunderstanding on his part! ”Captain Denver just wants to protect me because we're the same!”
Her desire to protect a fellow Fire Mage gave her a sudden boost of power.
She didn't know exactly what happened but she felt her body burn. The strange warmth flowed down her entire body until it gathered in her hands. All of a sudden, her palms that were pressed against the ice wall started to sizzle.
The next thing she knew, her hands were now engulfed in red flame.
And the ice cage started to melt fast.
A few heartbeats later, she was finally free from the ice cage. But the flame in her hands was still burning bright.
Kiho, as expected, looked shocked.
She instantly felt a lump in her throat.
Her husband was smart. He was the one who told her that unlike Fire Wielders who only used weapons to create fire, the Fire Mages were capable of producing flame within their bodies. There was no way he couldn't identify her real identity now that he saw her powers in flesh.
”It can't be,” Kiho said in disbelief. Beads of sweat started to form in his forehead and it was a rare sight. After all, he didn't really sweat because of his cool temperature. He was probably scared for her and their baby because he knew what it meant to be a Fire Mage. ”Tilly, please tell me what I'm thinking right now is wrong.”
”No,” Tilly whispered, her chest tightening from fear. ”Kiho, I am a Fire Mage.”
Her husband dropped his sword in shock, then he looked at her stomach with a worried look on his face.
”Yes, that means our baby is a Fire Mage as well,” she confirmed, the flame in her hands vanishing. ”If the empire finds out about our lineage, they will kill us.”
”Stop,” Kiho told her. Then, he looked up at her with a stiff expression on his face. ”Not now, Tilly.”
”But Kiho–”
All of a sudden, he was in front of her. He covered her mouth with his hand while looking around them as if he was scared someone else was listening to them. ”Let's move to the cave first, Tilly.”
She nodded her head. When he removed his hand on her mouth, she turned to Captain Denver who was leaning against a tree. The other captain was bleeding a lot. ”Kiho, let's help Captain Denver as well.”
Her husband looked like he didn't want to but in the end, he nodded. ”Alright,” he said, then he held her hand tight. ”Stay close to me, Tilly.”
Tilly was relieved to hear that. Kiho wouldn't leave her. She could feel it by the way he pulled her protectively by his side. ”Thank you, Kiho.”
Kiho's face finally softened up.
He didn't say anything. But the warm gaze he gave her was enough to tell her that he wouldn't abandon her. Especially not their Baby Winter.
[Ah, this is what it feels like to be loved.]
***
TILLY felt a little scared when they were walking inside the dark cave. She was hugging Kiho's arm tightly because she didn't want to be separated from him. Plus, there were snakes around them. She wasn't good with snakes but thankfully, they weren't coming near them.
Also, Kiho brought a floating lighting gem. Every time the snakes were hit by light, they would slither and hide away.
Aside from that, Captain Denver also used the flame in his right armband as a ”lamp.”
”Captain Denver, you're scaring the snakes with your fire,” Kiho said sternly. ”Put it out.”
”I'm using my fire to scare the snakes away,” Captain Denver, who was walking behind them, retorted. ”Why are the snakes giving way to you while they're following me as if they're ready to attack me anytime, huh?”