200 Mommy Villainess V2.0 (1/2)
Winter smiled and nodded. ”Yes, Daddy,” he said. ”I still have the crab mallet that you gave me when I was a baby.”
You're still a baby.
”But I already outgrew it so I kept it in my room as a display,” his son continued.
”I gave you a crab mallet?”
”Yes, Dad.”
The fact that he forgot that made him feel down.
”It's okay if you don't remember it, Dad,” Winter consoled him. ”We only had a few weeks together before we got separated. But now that we're reunited, we can make new memories. Especially once Mom returns.”
”How can you be so understanding at that age?” he asked, amused.
”Mommy always tells me that I shouldn't blame you for what happened, Dad,” his son said. ”According to Mommy, the only people to blame for our separation are the ”nasty royal twins.”” He paused for a while. ”And the ”useless gods” up in the sky.”
He bit his lower lip to stop himself from laughing. ”Your mom is a wonderful woman, isn't she?”
”She is,” Winter said with full admiration. ”If it's not for Mommy's quick thinking, I bet we wouldn't have gotten back on our feet right away.”
He nodded in agreement. To be honest, sometimes he still couldn't believe how his wife managed to prepare everything in such a short period of time. And considering how loyal her people were, he could only conclude that the duchess was indeed amazing. ”On the other hand, I've done nothing to protect our family,” he said while shaking his head. ”All I did for the past five years was to follow your mommy's instructions.”
”Dad, it's not a competition of who contributes more to the family,” his son scolded him. ”The important thing is all of us are doing something to keep our family together. If you didn't trust mommy, you wouldn't have followed her instructions. And if you had let yourself become a puppet for the royal family, then Mommy's plan wouldn't have worked. Do you get what I'm saying, Dad? Everything worked out properly because we all did our job well.”
”Your mother raised you well,” he said proudly, then he wiped off the melted butter at the corner of his mouth with his hand. ”Thank you for growing up like that, Winter. Even though we only got reunited, I'm already very proud of you.”
His son smiled, his cheeks red from embarrassment. But his golden eyes were glowing. Since they had the same eyes, he could tell that the little rascal was happy.
So was he.
”Dad?”
”Hmm?”
Hearing that from his son made his chest tighten painfully.
”Winter, you're my son,” he said gently. ”You are irreplaceable in my life.”
”But you'll get in trouble if they find out that I'm with you, right?”
He opened his arms. ”Come here, little rascal.”
His son got off the chair and walked towards him. Then, he picked him up and put the little rascal on his lap.
”Winter, I won't let you get separated from me again,” he assured his son. ”I will bring you back to your rightful place. And you don't have to worry about anything.” He ruffled his son's hair. ”Daddy will protect you.”
Winter got teary-eyed. Then, he wrapped his tiny arms around his neck. ”Thank you, Daddy,” he whispered in a cracked voice. ”I love you.”
He felt a lump in his throat. Then, he hugged his son tight, afraid that this might all be a dream again.
For the past years, he could no longer count how many days and nights had he dreamt of being reunited with his wife and son again. Every time that he would wake up from that dream, his heart would sink once the reality that he was still alone kicked in.
But now, despite Winter's cold body just like his, he felt warm because of his lovely words.
”I love you, Winter,” Kiho said while hugging his son tighter. Then, he kissed the top of Winter's head. ”You and your mommy.”
***
AKU couldn't believe that Sir Gregory was killed in front of him in just a few seconds.
He tried to help his loyal knight but then, he realized that his entire chamber was controlled by Lady Nystrom's Mana. That meant he couldn't use his own Mana because her power was overwhelming his.
Sir Gregory, I'm sorry.
He was devastated. Sir Gregory was the most loyal and trusted knight that he ever had. He was irreplaceable and yet, he couldn't save him. Heck, he couldn't even grieve for the poor old knight because he knew that he couldn't let his guard down around Lady Nystrom.
How did she get this strong?
He could also feel the room getting unusually hot. It was as if his chamber was suddenly put on top of boiling lava. He also had a feeling that Lady Nystrom's Mana had ”hidden” his room. In short, no one would come to rescue him because no one even knew that his chamber had been infiltrated.
Even Soleil Rosenberg's Mana didn't feel this overpowering.
”It looks like you really work hard to be that powerful, Lady Nystrom,” Aku said with a smirk. Of course, he could fight the Supreme if he needed to. But he liked using her weakness against her. After all, no matter how many times she got reborn, she would always have a hard time controlling her emotions. ”Can you really kill me this time even though you already know that my heart is the Moon Serpent's original heart?”
Lady Nystrom smirked…
… and in just the blink of an eye, she was already in front of him. Not only that. She had also stabbed him in the chest with her bare hand. And now, she was holding his still beating heart in that bare and warm hand of hers.
He coughed blood in shock.
How…
”I told you– I don't remember anything about my past,” Lady Nystrom said in a cold voice. ”So what if you have the Moon Serpent's heart? My son is alive now and that's all that matters to me.”
Death.
That was the first thing that entered his mind as chills went down his spine. For the first time in that era, he felt like he was really going to die for real.
This isn't the Lady Rosenberg or Lady Nystrom that I know.
Just when he thought that she would really kill him, she pulled her hand out of his chest and laughed merrily.
”Your life is no longer worth taking, Aku Moonchester,” Lady Nystrom said. ”Plus, I know that if I killed you right now, you're beloved twin sister or your allies will somehow find a way to blame your death on the Fire Mages. I can't let you tarnish our reputation again.”
”So, that's your goal, huh?” Aku said with a smirk. He covered the hole in his chest with his hand while trying to stop the bleeding and close the wound. Fortunately, the Supreme didn't damage his heart. It seemed like she just stabbed him as a warning. ”Are you here to clear the allegations against the Fire Mages, Lady Nystrom?”
***
”ARE YOU here to clear the allegations against the Fire Mages, Lady Nystrom?”
Tilly knew that Aku Moonchester would get her intention right away.
If he wasn't at least that smart, he wouldn't have lived this long.
Instead of answering the evil emperor's question, she turned to the balcony where she felt a presence join them. Ordinary knights wouldn't be able to crack the barrier that she made using her Mana– not even Nia Moonchester. Only one person in the palace could do that.
”Join us, Elis Ripperton,” Tilly said in a playful tone. ”I didn't bring an aide so you'll do.”
A gentle breeze brought Elis Ripperton beside her.
She noticed that unlike the memory of him that she had, his hair was cut short now. Plus, instead of an elegant robe, he was wearing the uniform of the captain of the Blue Dragon Knights. It was like an upgraded version of Captain Sherwood's previous uniform.
Gosh, Captain Sherwood was fired. He probably prioritized his fanboying over his captain duties. He's on the same level as Saint Forrester.
”I didn't expect to see you as soon as I returned from my mission, Lady Rosenberg,” Elis Ripperton said, then he handed over a blue handkerchief to her. ”Welcome back, Supreme.”
”Thanks,” she said, then she grabbed the hankie he offered and used it to wipe Aku Moonchester's disgusting blood off her hand. ”Don't even think about stabbing me in the back again, Elis Ripperton. Just so you know, I'm not the weak version of myself that you met five years ago.”
”I can tell that,” the Blue Dragon said. ”Your Mana feels very different now, Supreme.”
And she had to thank Solaris's ”Spartan training” for that.