138 Win Some, Lose Some (1/2)
”YOUR MAJESTY, Duke and Duchess Nystrom have returned to the Royal Capital.”
Aku was relieved to hear Sir Gregory's report. He just woke up and in fact, he was still in his bed. But since he was eager to hear what happened, he instructed the knight to enter his chamber and give him a full report. And so, Sir Gregory was here while he was sitting on his bed and leaning against the soft headboard. ”I'm glad that our plan still worked.”
According to the report that Captain Ainsworth forwarded to Sir Gregory, the Golden Tiger wasn't able to kill Captain Denver because a witch appeared and managed to save the captain. But they assured them that the two were heavily injured.
”Where's Lord Huxley?” he asked his old knight.
”The count safely arrived at the Silver Tower,” Sir Gregory, who stood in front of him, asked. ”He'll stay there until the House Denver decides to push through the noble trial or not.”
The 'Silver Tower' that Sir Gregory mentioned was the tower where higher nobles accused of a crime were locked up. Until they were proven guilty, these accused nobles would still be given treatment that befitted their status.
To simply say, being locked up in the Silver Tower was no different from house arrest.
”I'm pretty sure that House Denver got my message clear,” he said in amusement. ”But I wonder what Lady Nystrom will do.”
”What about Lady Nystrom, Your Majesty?”
”I heard that the duchess is attached to the child that Lord Huxley attacked,” he explained. ”I wonder what she'll do once she heard that Captain Denver was seriously injured while Lord Huxley is being treated like a king in the Silver Tower.”
”Does it matter?” the old knight asked as if he was confused by his worry. ”It's not like Lady Nystrom can do anything against you or Lord Huxley, Your Majesty.”
He laughed at that. ”Sir Gregory, you shouldn't underestimate Lady Nystrom. Remember, she managed to burn my beloved to crisp when she got angry.”
”I apologize, Your Majesty,” Sir Gregory said. ”I'll never underestimate an enemy again.”
Aku just smiled at that. ”I have a feeling that today is going to be a good day,” he said, then he stretched his arms. ”Now I'm in the mood to attend the banquet tomorrow night.”
***
TO SAY that Tilly was heartbroken when she saw Captain Denver and Luna's terrible state would be an understatement.
Captain Denver lost an arm.
Half of Luna's face was disfigured because of the huge claw mark on the left side of her face.
”Tilly,” Kiho said, then he wrapped his arms around her from behind. He wasn't just hugging her for comfort. Her husband was also physically restraining her because he knew that she was about to bolt out of the room and wreck havoc. ”Please calm down, honey.”
Right now, she was in the room where Captain Denver and Luna were resting.
As soon as they returned to the Royal Capital, they went straight to the tower. Lord Prescott also came with them. But her father decided to meet up with Marquis Morgan Denver (Captain Denver's father) first.
”Lady Nystrom, please calm down,” Luna, who was lying down on the bed, told her. ”We'll be fine. I can fix my face once I recovered my Mana. I can also create an artificial arm for Captain Denver once I'm fully-healed.”
”Miss Luna is right,” Captain Denver said in a weak voice. He was lying on the bed next to the witch. ”I just lost an arm, Lady Nystrom. I'll live.”
Hearing those assurance from Luna and Captain Denver helped her calm down.
The important thing was they were both alive and they seemed to be positive despite their current state. She didn't want to ruin that.
”I'm glad to hear that,” Tilly said, then she gently tapped Kiho's arms around her waist. ”I'm okay now, hon.”
”I still want to hug you, honey,” Kiho said in a sweet voice.
Luna, Captain Denver, Sentinel, and Saint Forrester all groaned in complaint.
She laughed at their reaction.
And she was pretty sure that Kiho said that on purpose to lighten up the mood.
Thank you, hon.
Saint Forrester cleared his throat to get their attention. But the saint focused on Luna and Captain Denver. ”Are you sure that it was the Golden Tiger that attacked you both?”
”Yes, Your Holiness,” Luna and Captain Denver answered in unison.
”I felt the Golden Tiger's awakening last night,” the witch continued. ”I had a bad feeling so I decided to follow Captain Denver.”
”I couldn't do anything against the Golden Tiger,” Captain Denver said in a voice filled with pain and regret. ”The Golden Tiger wasn't affected by my flame.” The captain turned to the witch. ”Miss Luna, I'm really sorry for failing to protect you. Because of my weakness, your face…”
”Don't worry about my face,” the witch said. ”And you don't have to apologize again and again, Captain Denver. Even I was powerless against the Golden Tiger. We didn't stand a chance against a god from the very beginning. Let's just be grateful that I was still able to grab you in time and use a teleportation spell before we were both killed by the Golden Tiger.”
The captain still looked devastated.
”We'll get back at them, Captain Denver,” Tilly declared, causing everyone in the room to look at her. Still, she was unfazed. ”Your Holiness,” she said, then she turned to the saint. ”You told me that I need to gather the four Ancient Beasts by my side. I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore. Once I get a hold of that Golden Tiger, I'm going to roast it like a pig.”
Everyone looked shocked by what she said.
”Well, I understand where you're coming from,” Saint Forrester said. ”But I hope you know that in a war, you don't have to like the people you're fighting with. Sometimes, your enemy today will be your ally tomorrow. Don't just recklessly burn bridges, Lady Nystrom.”
She knew that the saint was correct, but she was still being overpowered by her wrath. ”I'll find a way to win without the help of the Golden Tiger. Plus, Lord Huxley has to lose an arm and half of his face, too.”
”Tilly,” Kiho said firmly, then he stood in front of her and held her by the shoulders. ”Are you okay?”
”I'm fine, Kiho,” she assured her husband. She was calm now but that didn't mean her anger completely vanished. ”But I'll feel better if we get back at the count. After all, he's the cause of all of this. Are you disappointed in me?”
”No,” he said. ”But I'm worried. We shouldn't make decisions when we're angry, honey.”
She pouted because she knew that he had a point. ”I'm so upset,” she said, then she hugged Kiho and buried her face against his chest. ”I'm really upset that I wasn't able to protect our people, Kiho.”
”Tilly, we can't protect everyone all the time,” Kiho reminded her gently. ”Please don't blame yourself for what happened.”
”His Grace is correct, Lady Nystrom,” Captain Denver said. ”It was my fault for falling for the enemies' trap.”
”And our injuries are our responsibility,” Luna added. ”You're not accountable for our mistakes and miscalculations, Lady Nystrom.”
She wanted to say something but suddenly, she felt a pain in her stomach.
”Lady Nystrom, what happened?” Sentinel asked worriedly. ”Your son's heartbeat suddenly went weak…”
”What?” Kiho asked worriedly. Then, he held her shoulders and leaned down to look at her face. ”Tilly, are you okay? Is our son okay?”
”My stomach hurts a little…” she said, then she placed her hands on her tummy. ”I guess this is because of stress.”
Panic crossed her husband's face. ”We should go home, honey.”
”Lady Nystrom, you should listen to your husband,” Luna said strictly. ”As your doctor, I forbid you from visiting us because you'll only get worried the more you see us in this state. But don't worry, Lady Nystrom. I'll still look after Flint and his younger brother.”
That was a relief to hear.
”I'm sorry but I have to ban you from entering my tower for the meantime,” Captain Denver added. ”We can exchange letters but we can't meet in person until you've rested enough.”
”Just accept your defeat for today,” Saint Forrester said. ”Revenge against sc*mbags isn't worth risking your baby's life for, Lady Nystrom.”
Sentinel nodded. ”Your health is more important than that. As long as you're healthy, your baby will be healthy as well, my lady.”