215 Final Bloody Game (1/2)
Tilly smiled ”sweetly” at High Priest Howard. ”Ah, you're still alive, Your Eminence. I see you that you haven't been promoted to a saint yet despite Saint Forrester's disappearance.”
”It doesn't work that way, Your Grace,” High Priest Howard said. ”A High Priest can't simply be ”promoted” as a saint without the blessing of the heavens.”
”I know that,” she said. ”I just thought that Aku Moonchester may have given his blessing to you since he thinks he's a god anyway.”
She heard Luna and Roarke stifle their laughter behind her.
The High Priest just smiled, obviously amused by her. ”I'm glad to see that you haven't changed at all, Lady Nystrom.”
”I think I've gotten prettier though,” she said. ”But don't think about complimenting me now. I only want to hear those words from Kiho.”
High Priest Howard just laughed while shaking his head. ”Please follow me, Your Grace,” he said. ”His Majesty is waiting in the prayer room. He has already reached out to Her Royal Highness.”
”I thought Nia Moonchester was already stripped-off of her title,” she said while following the High Priest to the prayer room.
”His Majesty doesn't like it when we don't refer to Her Royal Highness with her princess title.”
She rolled her eyes at that petty reason.
But she shouldn't have been surprised that he followed the kid emperor. The High Priest, despite saying that he had been waiting for the Moon Serpent all his life, was a slave to the Moonchesters through and through.
Though I admit that out of all the cohorts of the Moonchesters, High Priest Howard is the one who has the vaguest goal of all. There was a time that he almost pledged a genuine vow to me and Winter. But then, he never acted like he was on our side.
Well, it wasn't like she could trust the High Priest anyway.
”Welcome, Lady Nystrom and your dear friends,” Aku Moonchester, who sat on the sofa facing the cauldron with flaming orange flame, greeted them. Of course, he was having tea as expected. Prayer rooms didn't usually have tea tables. It was definitely prepared just to accommodate the emperor. ”It feels surreal to have to face you for the entire day.”
High Priest Howard quietly stood behind the cauldron, facing them.
”I know, right?” Tilly said, then she sat on the sofa beside the sofa where the emperor was. Luna and Roarke stood behind her. Even back in Solarium, whenever she was in an official meeting, Luna and the Keepers would stand behind her instead of joining her on the table. At first, she felt awkward to have her friends act like her bodyguards. But she eventually understood that despite being friends, they were also ”colleagues.” She had learned their respect their professionalism even more. ”Since I don't want to see your face any longer than I already have, let's get straight to the point.”
”As I said before, we have the medicine that can cure Nia Moonchester's infertility,” she said seriously. ”In exchange of that, I want a bottle of your blood, the permission to travel outside the Royal Capital, and to bring Kiho with me.”
”You're asking for too much.”
”No, I'm just asking for the same worth as what you will gain from our deal,” she insisted. ”You'll get to fix Nia Moonchester's body and the key to your goal.”
”That's too good to be true,” he said with a smirk. ”How can I trust you, Lady Nystrom?”
”I'm glad you asked,” she said. ”I don't trust you as well, Aku Moonchester. I know that you're going to betray me because that's your forte.”
He scowled as a response to her insult.
She just smiled at his reaction. ”That's why I want us to do a binding vow.”
He glared at her. ”I won't do a binding vow with you.”
She couldn't help but laugh at that. ”Of course you won't. After all, a binding vow favors the person with the purer bloodline. Since I'm a Rosenberg and you're just a Moonchester, I have the advantage. Even if I use my husband's name, I will still come out as superior to your bloodline since Kiho is a god.” She let out an exaggerated sigh. ”Now I understand why you're so envious of me.”
”Shut up,” the emperor snarled at her.
”You shut up because I'm not yet done,” she snapped back at him. ”Let Nia Moonchester do the binding vow with me.”
Aku Moonchester looked shocked with what she said.
”Nia Moonchester, before I cursed her, was a Guardian– a status that can be considered equal to a minor god,” she continued. Of course, she only learned that from Solaris since she lost Soleil Rosenberg's memories the same night she retrieved it. But looking back, she felt more at ease without her past self's memories. Anyway… ”That will make the binding vow between me and Nia Moonchester fair. Also, I intend to make the terms as fair as possible. Unlike you, I have values. I won't give up my humanity just to bring down a scum like you, Aku Moonchester. You're not worth it.”
”Do you think I will let you make a binding vow with Nia?” he hissed at her. ”You didn't mention the binding vow when you first offered the deal to me, Lady Nystrom.”
”Well, what can I do? I'm a woman full of surprises,” she said with a shrug. ”Plus, it's part of my ”give-Aku-Moonchester-a-heart-attack-even-though-he-doesn't-have-a-heart agenda.”
Luna and Roarker, once again, stifled their laughter behind her.
This time, even High Priest Howard had to bite his lower lip to probably stop himself from laughing.
Wow, did I get funnier over the last five years or something?
”The binding vow will ensure that we can't betray each other while we head to the same goal,” she explained to the kid emperor who was about to throw tantrums again. ���But as soon as we get what we want from the land that drinks blood, the vow will be over. We're free to kill each other by then.”
The emperor remained quiet. He was probably contemplating the pros and cons of her offer. She used that chance to convince him to fall into her trap.
Yes, trap.
She still had so much in store for the Moonchesters.
”I know that you're hesitant to agree with this deal because you don't want the Fire Mages to be cleared of the sin that you accused us of many years ago,” she continued sternly. ”But think about it, Aku Moonchester. If you're confident that you can kill me, then all you have to do is stop me from returning to the Royal Capital after I get the truth from the Great Fire Tree. If I die, I won't get to reveal the truth to the people of the empire. But if you turn down my offer, you will never get the last key that you need. Think about it, Aku Moonchester.”
Aku Moonchester fell silent for a couple of seconds before he talked again. ”The binding vow won't take effect if one party is coerced from taking it,” he said. ”Nia hates you more than I do. Do you think you can convince her to do with a binding vow with you when she doesn't want her body fixed?”
”Who do you think you're talking to, Aku Moonchester?” Tilly asked with a soft laugh. ”Just connect me to Nia Moonchester and watch me do my magic.”
***
IT WAS hard for Kiho to watch Winter and Julian, two little kids, kneel before him with their heads hanged low.
He didn't ask his children to do that.
After he made sure that Winter was already okay, he left them in the room to reflect on their actions. Then, he brought Amilo to a clean room and gave him first-aid. Since the jewel maker's injuries weren't serious, he didn't call a doctor.
When Amilo woke up, he asked him what happened. Unfortunately, the jewel maker said that he lost consciousness as soon as the loud blast went off the room. Apparently, he was hit by a solid thing in the end, knocking him out instantly.