78 "Brothers" (2/2)
She shook her head. ”Thank you for worrying about me, hon. But as a duchess, I have social responsibilities. Plus, I have rested enough.”
”Are you sure?”
”Uh-huh,” she assured him. ”How about you? Are you ready for the dinner?”
”Yes. Father is guiding me accordingly,” he said. ”And you're here, Tilly. As long as you're by my side, I can get through everything.”
Tilly smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then, she pulled him closer to her and rubbed her nose against his nose. ”Let's get this dinner over and done with so we could go home and… you know?”
”Oh,” Kiho said, then something akin to exhilaration glinted gold in his warm gaze. ”I'll have you for dessert, Tilly.”
Gosh.
My husband is so sexy!
***
THANKFULLY, the dinner went smoothly.
The guests, all high-ranking nobles, seemed to enjoy the variety of sumptuous dinner that Kiho and Tilly prepared for them.
After the short ceremony where Emperor Aku officially appointed Kiho and Tilly as the new Duke and Duchess of Oakes, the nobles took turns in congratulating them. After that, the emperor asked everyone to go home because according to him, Tilly was pregnant and had to rest early.
Each guest that attended the party took home a gift set from Tilly's jewelry shop. That would help House Nystrom show off their wealth despite being a newly established house.
After that night, every noble in the empire wouldn't dare to look down on House Nystrom anymore.
***
AFTER the formal dinner, Kiho was summoned by the emperor in the royal parlor room.
Begrudgingly, he had to send Tilly home first because he didn't want her to get tired of waiting. He knew that he could trust his wife's safety to Lord Prescott and Miss Luna. He was just hoping that His Majesty would send him home early.
Anyway…
When he got inside the parlor, the emperor invited him for tea. Seeing that only the two of them were in the room, he knew that they would talk about something important.
”Kiho, congratulations on being a duke,” Emperor Aku greeted him with a smile. ”You don't have any idea how proud I am of who you have become.”
Kiho bowed politely. ”Thank you, Your Majesty.”
”I'm genuinely happy for you,” the emperor continued. ”I know I always say this but I really see you as a younger brother.”
In the past, he would feel warm whenever His Majesty said those words to him.
But right now, all he felt was pain.
”Your Majesty, if you really see me as a younger brother, then shouldn't you treat my family as your own as well?”
The emperor was supposed to drink tea but his hand stopped mid-way. He looked shocked by his question. After looking at him long and hard, understanding finally crossed the emperor's eyes. Then, he gently put the tea cup down on the table. ”You and your son will always be family to me, Kiho.”
Kiho felt gutted when he heard that.
His Majesty doesn't consider Tilly as family.
To be honest, a part of him still regretted the fact that he had betrayed the emperor for his wife. But after hearing what His Majesty just said about his family, the part of him that still saw His Majesty as a brother finally vanished.
He told Tilly that in a war, she shouldn't get attached to anyone.
It's time for me to walk the talk.
”Your Majesty, I won't consider anyone who doesn't treat Tilly kindly as a part of my family,” Kiho declared coldly. ”And I will consider anyone who would try to harm my wife as an enemy. No matter who they are, or how their status in the society is.”
The emperor obviously didn't feel threatened by his words. ”Oh, Kiho. How many times do I have to tell you that you should be careful of what you say to me? I will not always tolerate your rudeness, you know? My patience and generosity have limits as well.”
”I have my limits, too, Your Majesty,” he said firmly. ”I won't stay still if someone comes at my family.”
”It seems like I have spoiled you too much, Kiho,” Emperor Aku said coldly, his red eyes glowing menacingly. ”How dare you say to my face that you're going to betray me just because of a woman?”
”Tilly is not just any woman, Your Majesty,” he said, his own yellowish eyes glowing in golden light now. ”She's my life.”
The emperor seemed to be affected by his words because he suddenly calmed down.
”How can I hate you when I see myself in you?” Emperor Aku asked with a bitter smile. ”I knew you'd choose Lady Nystrom because if I were in your situation, I would choose Nia as well no matter what. I understand you, Kiho. And for that reason, I wouldn't hold this against you. After all, just like me, you're only a victim of love.”
”We're different, Your Majesty,” he said while shaking his head. ”Yes, I am in love with Tilly. But I'm not blinded by love. If Tilly was the kind of woman who would hurt other people just to get what she wanted, then I wouldn't turn a blind eye. I wouldn't tolerate her no matter how much I loved her. But thankfully, my Tilly is different from the one you love.”
”Take. It. Back,” the emperor said in an eerily calm but intimidating voice. ”You can insult me all you want, Kiho. But I won't forgive you if you talk that way about Nia.”
”Your Majesty, I genuinely see you as a brother.”
Again, his words seemed to have a calming effect on the emperor.
But this time, he knew that it wasn't just his words that forced him to calm down. The shocked look on the emperor's face was enough to tell him that his feelings reached him.
”You're an older brother and a father figure to me so let me say this,” Kiho said in a broken voice, tears now forming at the corner of his eyes. ”An emperor shouldn't sacrifice the life of his subjects just to protect his own interest. As a younger brother, I have to stop you from becoming a rotten ruler.” He couldn't hold it back now. He stood up and bowed to the emperor. When he raised his head, his tears silently rolled down his cheeks while looking at the man that he used to respect the most. ”Thank you for everything, Brother Aku.”
Aku, just like him, got emotional. His head hanged low while he was gently pressing the bridge between his eyes as if he was trying hard not to cry. ”I can't believe that would be the last time I'd hear you call me that, Kiho.”
And that was how their brotherhood ended.
***
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi. I apologize. I was supposed to post 2 chapters today but my file got corrupted. I couldn't recover the stuff that I had written so far so I had to rewrite it again. I could only finish one chapter tonight because I spent the day crying and getting angry at myself for not having a backup file. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you soon. :'(
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