173 Planted Seeds of Today (1/2)

”I'm not asking for your permission, Sentinel,” Tilly said with a laugh. ”Also, I'd appreciate it if you stop comparing Kiho with the Black Serpent. Even though they're the same person, I'd still like to believe that my Kiho is different from the Supreme's Nystrom.”

”My lady…”

”Don't worry too much, Sentinel,” she assured him. ”I have no intention of dying.”

”Facing the emperor alone is equal to suicide, my lady.”

”The emperor won't stop chasing me anyway,” she reasoned. ”I'd rather face him in my awakened state than face him in my current weak state. Don't you agree, Sentinel?”

The spirit guardian didn't answer but she could see it in his eyes that he agreed with her.

”Do you know how I can awaken on my own?” she asked. ”Being angry works but it kind of makes me lose myself. This time, I want to awaken because of my own will and not because of wrath.”

”Only Lord Wixx could unseal your memories safely, Lady Nystrom,” Sentinel said. ”But as far as I know, you can undo the seal on your own by uttering the secret code that you came up with, my lady. I don't think you remember the code though.”

A code, huh?

”I'll figure it out,” Tilly said. ”Sentinel, how can I make Kiho sleep later?”

***

”WINTER, your mommy is really working hard right now.”

”I know, Dad,” Winter said while shaking his tiny head. To be honest, he was trying his best not to fall asleep. But his father was standing beside the window of their room while rocking him in his arms. They were waiting for someone but at this rate, he might fall asleep even before their guest arrived. ”And I don't even know what's going on.”

He just knew that they were in danger.

But there was nothing new with that. Even in his first life, they had been hunted down by different forces who wanted their family's power. Too bad they fell into the trap before.

It won't happen this time, I swear.

”I love your mommy's bravery and wits. Still, I'm worried about her. Sometimes, she can be reckless. I can't stop her though,” his father continued. Then, in a whisper, he added: ”Your mom is so sexy when she's scheming on something.”

Winter raised his tiny hand and lightly slapped his father's cheek. Stop being a cringe, Dad.

Well, maybe it was rude of him to ”slap” his dad. But his father's thoughts were inappropriate! He already knew that his dad was crazy in love with his mom. That was a good thing, but his dad didn't have to show his affection to his mom every freaking minute.

”Sorry, little rascal,” his father said, his cheeks red from embarrassment. ”That was too much, wasn't it?”

He eagerly nodded his tiny head.

He just rolled his eyes at that.

”We'll be moving to a far away land, Winter,” his father said in a serious tone this time. ”If we have a choice, I wouldn't want to raise you in a different place. I can't say this to your mommy but I have a weird attachment to the Royal Capital even though I wasn't born here.”

He suddenly felt sympathetic towards his father.

To be honest, he didn't find out anything about his dad's origin in his past life. Unfortunately, after he discovered the truth about his mother, he was killed. The only thing that he found strange back then was the fact that His Majesty was fond of his father. And that his dad was oddly loyal to the emperor despite everything.

”I'm sorry, Dad,” Winter said, then he gently patted his father's cheek. ”I will take care of you this time.”

His father smiled, then he got serious when he turned to the window. He also noticed that his dad pulled him closer to his body. If he was being that overprotective, that only meant that their guest had arrived. ”Winter, I'll introduce you to Captain Sherwood,” he said, then he looked at him. ”He'll be our ally for now but don't trust him completely, okay?”

***

LUNA clicked her tongue when she found herself still inside the premise of the temple.

She managed to escape the prayer room with Saint Forrester but unfortunately, someone put a strong barrier around the temple. Breaking the barrier in the prayer room and forcing their way out had already consumed half of her energy.

The barrier around the temple didn't seem like something she could break easily.

How can we escape from here?

Luckily, they seemed to be far from the prayer room.

Right now, they were in a garden with a pavilion in the middle. She wasn't sure where exactly they were. All she knew was it wouldn't be easy to get out of there because there were two of them. If she was alone, she just needed to crack the barrier a bit and she'd be able to escape. But of course, she couldn't leave the temple alone.

She turned to Saint Forrester who was now in his ”child” form. This time, he didn't change his appearance on purpose. He reverted to his child form because his Mana was almost depleted. But thanks to that, she was able to carry him easier.

”Your Holiness, please hang in there,” Luna whispered. ”I'll find a way out.”