212 The Land that Drinks Blood (1/2)

”It's not that I'm interested in modeling,” Tilly said, then she sipped her tea. ”I just wanted to have a grand entrance that would give you a heart attack. Unfortunately, I forgot that you're a heartless person.”

Kiho, who sat beside her, stifled a laugh.

Of course, Aku Moonchester didn't look impressed.

Heh.

Right now, they were in the tea room next to the parlor room where she almost gave in to Kiho's seduction.

Argh, I want to relive that moment.

Anyway, when they entered the tea room, Aku Moonchester was already waiting– with some tea and a variety of snacks.

”Interesting,” Aku commented when he put his tea cup on the table. ”You have a sharper tongue now than you did in the past as Soleil Rosenberg, Lady Nystrom.”

”I'd like to think that we're two different persons, thank you very much,” she said sarcastically, then she dropped the subject. ”Elis Ripperton stalked me the other day.”

”What?” Kiho asked with furrowed brows. When she turned to her husband, she noticed that he looked pissed. ”Elis Ripperton is the new captain of the Blue Dragon Knights. Did he do something inappropriate to you, Tilly?”

For a moment, she thought Kiho's memories came back. But she realized that it was just his jealous side showing up again.

With or without memories, Kiho is still my Kiho.

”No, he didn't. And he can't anyway,” she assured Kiho, then she gently tapped his cheek. ”Thank you for worrying about me, Your Grace.”

Kiho, obviously pleased by the physical contact that she initiated, smiled shyly.

”Duke Nystrom?”

”Just call me by my name, Tilly.”

She just smiled at his request. ”Can you leave the room for a moment? I need to talk to Aku Moonchester in private.”

Protest was evident on his face as he slightly pouted. ”Can't I stay? Or do you still not trust me enough?”

”Please?” she asked instead of answering his questions. She wanted to assure Kiho that he still owned everything of her. But not in front of the puppet. ”There's something that I need to settle with Aku Moonchester. It's something between us only.”

Her husband scowled and didn't move an inch from his seat.

She gave him the best puppy dog eyes that she could muster at the moment.

Of course, Kiho gave in easily. ”Fine,” he said. Then, he looked at her with pleading eyes. ”Please don't leave without saying goodbye to me, Tilly. I'll wait for you outside.”

She smiled and nodded. ”I'll come to you once I'm done here.”

Kiho looked relieved by that. Only then did he politely excuse himself to her and Aku Moonchester. After that, he quietly left the tea room.

”It seems like Kiho doesn't need his memories back,” Aku Moonchester commented. ”With or without them, he's still a fool for you.��

”On the other hand, it seems like your feelings for him disappeared when you lost your memories,” the emperor continued. ”It looks like you're playing with Kiho's feelings so that you can have him in the palm of your hand. Honey trapping, is it?”

”Impressive,” she said in a sarcastic tone. ”It amazes me how you were able to tell that I'm using honey trap to wrap Kiho around my fancy finger. But you let Nia Moonchester make a fool of you for many lifetimes.”

He glared at her.

She smiled sweetly in return. ”As I was saying a while ago…” she started to change the topic. ”Elis Ripperton told me that you're willing to work with me now.”

The emperor nodded. ”Tell me your deal, Lady Nystrom. I want to listen to it first before I bring Nia into this conversation.”

Well, she didn't mind.

After all, Nia Moonchester wasn't needed in that conversation yet. The princess was nothing more than collateral anyway.

”First of all, I want to reclaim my position as the Duchess of Oakes,” she declared. ”I won't let you acquire the wealth and the properties that House Prescott cultivated all these years through manipulating House Nystrom. I know that you can't afford to announce that I'm a Fire Mage anyway.”

”What made you think so?”

”If revealing my identity to the public will benefit you, then you should have done that when I disappeared five years ago,” she said casually. ”But you didn't. It's because you know that once your people find out that Fire Mages have survived, there will be chaos.”

”Interesting theory,” he said, then he sipped his tea.

”Am I wrong though?” she asked with a raised brow. ”I heard that instead of exposing House Denver and the Vermillion Tower as Fire Mages, you made it look like you sent Captain Denver to a mission that he wasn't able to complete. Apparently, out of shame, House Denver and the Fire Wielders went into hiding. You know what's more interesting? I also heard that there are idiots who think I ran away with the captain.”

”What are you getting mad for?” he asked with a raised brow, too. ”As soon as you returned to the Royal Capital, you already cleared that rumor. I know that it was you who spread the rumor about the Duchess of Oakes being ”abducted.” You even spread pictures to back it up.”

”I just spilled the truth,” she said. ”Anyway, I want you to release an official statement and confirm that I was really abducted. I want House Huxley to take on the blame.”

The emperor smirked bitterly. ”Lord Eugene Huxley was already dead. He was burned into ashes. I'm sure you're the one behind that.”