127 Golden Stupid Rules (1/2)
TILLY had a soft spot for kids.
She had a maternal instinct like no other. But having said that, she still couldn't understand why the little boy in front of her now, probably aged seven or eight, gave her the creeps.
Short blonde hair. Ash gray eyes. Lazy look on his face...
Everything looked familiar.
”I don't like this boy,” Tilly declared while looking down at the young boy who was sitting across from her. ”You give off the big bully energy.”
Kiho, who sat beside her on the sofa, stifled a laugh.
The little boy scoffed. ”Well, aren't you honest?”
She gasped at the familiar tone that he used. ”It can't be…” She looked at Luna who stood beside the rude child. ”Miss Luna…”
Right.
Luna returned to the mansion a few minutes after she finished dressing up. When the witch came, she immediately asked the servants to bring Luna to the tea room. When she arrived there with Kiho, she was surprised to see the witch with a little boy that was dressed like a young noble from a rich family.
But this boy looks really familiar…
”What you're thinking right now is correct, Lady Nystrom,” Luna, who sat beside the boy, said. Then, she respectfully used her hands to point at the child's direction. ”This is His Holiness in his child form. He changed his appearance to conceal his identity.”
”It wasn't just his appearance,” Kiho commented while picking up his tea cup from the table in front of them. ”His Holiness's divine power is also concealed. Now his holy presence is gone.”
Tilly was too shocked to react on that.
”I don't need my full powers to train a brat,” Saint Forrester said while munching on a cookie, then he looked at her straight in the eye. ”I hope you're ready, little girl. I'm not as kind or as gentle as your husband.”
”I'm ready,” Tilly said bravely. ”I'm not here to joke around.”
The saint stopped munching on his food. ”The look in your eyes changed.”
”I know my responsibility now as the new Supreme,” she said, then she placed her hands on her tummy. ”For a safer future for my son, I'm going all-out now.”
”Uh-huh,” the saint said, obviously uninterested by her determination. ”Good for you.”
”I'll be here to remind you to take it easy, Tilly,” Kiho said with a hint of worry in his voice. ”I like your passion. But please don't overwork yourself.”
She smiled at her husband and was about to say something when a servant came and announced Lord Prescott's arrival.
”Father is here,” Tilly said excitedly. ”Let's go and greet him, Kiho.”
***
TO SAY that Kiho was shocked to see the huge grand carriage in front of their mansion would be an understatement.
It's probably as big as His Majesty's grand carriage.
But the thing that surprised him was the fact that the carriage was midnight blue– and it also had the Nystrom's family crest on it.
”Father, is that a present for our family?” Tilly asked, taking the words out of his mouth. ”Did you buy a carriage for us?”
Lord Prescott– looking as dashing and as dignified as ever– coughed lightly to probably hide his embarrassment. ”Consider it as a late wedding gift for me. The construction of the carriage took longer than usual. I made sure that the couch and pillows inside are made of the best materials. Also, the inside of the carriage is infused with several protective power stones so you don't have to worry about being ambushed.”
Tilly looked touched by her father's thoughtfulness. ”Father, thank you!” she said emotionally, then she hugged Lord Prescott. ”I love the carriage so much!”
Lord Prescott didn't react but his face softened up.
Kiho smiled warmly at the scene. This is my family now.
”Enough of your clinginess, Tilly,” Lord Prescott scolded his daughter lightly. ”Now, go inside the carriage and check if the softness of the couch is to your liking.”
Tilly pulled away from the hug and grinned at her father. ”Yes, Father.”
His wife smiled at him before she entered the carriage.
She didn't invite him so he remained standing by Lord Prescott's side. It seemed like Tilly also noticed that her father wanted to talk to him alone. His wife even closed the door of the carriage to probably give him privacy with his father-in-law.
”Kiho.”
”Yes, Father?”
”Unfortunately, I didn't get that much information regarding the Nystrom clan,” Lord Prescott said, then he turned to him. ”But one of our vassal families discovered a territory covered in snow in the North. Apparently, a small village with people who were used to snow once lived there. It was an empty land now. Nobody wants it because it is not inhabitable.”
”Oh.”
”So I was able to purchase the land easily.”
He almost choked on his own saliva. ”Father, you bought a territory that's not inhabitable? Don't you think it's a waste?”
”I don't know what you mean,” the lord said. ”I have too much money to spare. Buying another territory won't affect my wealth even if I don't profit from that.”
He wished he could say that someday.
Of course, he was confident that his current wealth could provide a luxurious life for Tilly, Winter, and their future children. Still, he couldn't afford to invest on things that he wouldn't gain any profit from.
But maybe it was time for him to seriously study business.
”Why did you buy the territory, Father?” Kiho asked to change the subject. ”Does the land have any connection to the Nystroms?”
”I believe so,” his father-in-law said. ”After our short vacation in Oakes, I'm heading straight to the North to investigate.”
”Father, you don't have to,” he said worriedly. Going into an unknown and mysterious territory was dangerous. He had encountered so many barren lands in the past that turned out to be nest for ancient monsters. He knew that Lord Prescott was strong despite his age. Still, he couldn't let his father-in-law venture alone in a dangerous place. ”I can do that instead since it's related to my origin. It's something that I should be doing.”
”Tilly is pregnant, Kiho,” Lord Prescott reminded him firmly. ”I don't want you to leave my daughter alone. And I can't have you bring her to the North either. That's why I decided to go there instead. You don't have to worry about me. Morgan Denver will join me.”
”Marquis Denver?”
His father-in-law nodded. ”Captain Denver already told us that His Majesty already knows that they are Fire Mages. We decided that it would be best for Morgan to leave the Royal Capital for the meantime. That's why he's coming with me to the North.”
”Will the two of you be alright, Father?”