144 End of a Long Nigh (1/2)
KIHO was just about to leave when the ground shook hard.
An earthquake…?
He immediately turned to Tilly who was now embracing the ice incubator protectively. It seemed like she noticed him hesitating because she gave him an encouraging smile.
”Go,” Tilly told him in a calm voice. ”I'll protect our Winter. But I'm worried about our servants.”
”Leave them to us,” Saint Forrester said. ”I can feel Miss Luna's aura around the house. She probably created a barrier to protect the mansion and the servants. You know how powerful the barriers that the witch makes, don't you?”
He and his wife both nodded as a response.
”Then, I'm really going this time,” Kiho said, then he turned to Tilly again. ”I'll be back quickly, honey.”
Tilly smiled and nodded. ”Winter and I will be waiting for you, hon.”
***
”WELCOME, Your Majesty.”
Aku ignored the High Priest's greeting and walked past him.
He didn't need to ask where Nia was because first, he knew where her room was. Second, he could feel his beloved's presence. He didn't waste any time so even though running was disgraceful for an emperor like him, he still did.
”Nia,” Aku said as soon as he entered Nia's room.
Nia, who sat on the bed in her night gown, smiled weakly at him. ”Brother.”
He immediately sat on the edge of the bed and hugged her, his face buried against her neck. ”I've missed you, Nia. Are you okay? Do you need anything?”
”I only need you, Brother.”
That made him smile.
Now, he was calm.
He looked up at Nia and touched her face. ”I've really missed you.”
His advisors prevented him from visiting Nia in the temple for the past months because the empire had important visitors from various neighboring kingdoms.
Remembering what happened these past few months made him feel quite annoyed.
After all, the ”visitors” that he had to entertain were princesses and higher noblewomen from their allied kingdoms. His advisors invited several high-ranking ladies from all over the empire as candidates to be his Royal Noble Consorts.
In their law, an emperor could have up to three Royal Noble Consorts and each one would be given the title of 'Queen.'
But of course, the empress would always have the highest authority. In fact, their law also stated that the empress was the one in-charge of the Royal Noble Consorts. That meant that the empress had the power to strip a concubine off her title.
Though his advisors might be crazy if they thought he would take a Royal Noble Consort when he wasn't married to Nia yet.
Not that he had plans to get one.
Nia is the only one for me.
”I've missed you, too, Brother,” Nia said with a smile.
”I'm happy to hear but please call me by my name,” he said. ”We're going to get married soon, Nia.”
He nodded. ”I can't wait to get to you. I used the portal connecting my palace to the temple. But still, it felt like an eternity.” He let out a sigh of relief. ”I'm so glad that you're finally awake. I've been waiting for this news for so long.”
”I'm sorry for making you wait, Aku,” she said in an apologetic tone. ”But now that I'm back. I'm not going anywhere.”
”I will protect you better this time, Nia.”
She suddenly fell silent. And when she spoke again, her voice was filled with sadness. ”Aku, it has already been months since I fell into a comatose state, right? Do you know who burnt me to crisp?”
He clenched his hands tight before he answered. ”It was the Red Phoenix.”
”That's not what I want to hear.”
He let out another deep sigh. ”I already know that Lady Nystrom is the owner of the heart.”
”'Nystrom?'”
”Lady Nystrom is the former Lady Prescott that you know,” he explained. ”'Nystrom' is the family name that Kiho chose when he inherited Lord Prescott's title.”
”So, you already know that it was Lady Nystrom who almost killed me.”
”Yes.”
”And what did you do to punish her?”
”Nothing,” he confessed. ”I didn't punish Lady Nystrom.”
As expected, she looked upset. ”Why didn't you punish her?”
”Because I have no evidence that she asked the Red Phoenix to attack you,” he said. ”And I know what you need from her, Nia.”
She looked shocked by that.
”I know that you need the heart but I don't know what for,” he said firmly. ”But whatever it is, I cannot let you steal Lady Nystrom's heart. At least, not now.” He cupped her face in his hands. ”Nia, I want you to ask your men to pull out from the mission you gave them.”
Her eyes widened in shock. ”Aku…”
”I know you,” he said. ”While you were in a comatose state, your ”collection” has arrived in the Royal Capital. I have confirmed that none of them visited you in the temple. But they kept moving around. That gave me the idea that you might have given them some sort of instructions just in case something bad happened to you. Based on that, I can tell that you also asked them to steal Lady Nystrom's heart once she gives birth to his son.”
She didn't deny it.
”One of your people had already messed up,” he continued. ”I don't want that to happen again, Nia. Stop them now before they attack Lady Nystrom.”
Hurt crossed in her eyes and she didn't move an inch.
Ah, so stubborn.
”Nia, I'm saying this for your own good,” he told her calmly. ”Kiho will just kill your people. Worse, they might capture them alive and use them against us.”
”I know that Kiho Nystrom is strong,” she argued. ”But so are my people.”
He shook his head. ”Those people aren't on Kiho's level. Moreover, right now, the saint is on their side. Even without his Holy Scepter and complete divine power, you know that His Holiness is capable of eliminating your entire collection, don't you?”