Chapter 208: 208
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"It's probably Lady Nystrom," Brother Mikhail said with a smile. "She's finally back."
"But why did we leave without leaving a secret message for her?"
"We can't be too careless, Flint," he said while shaking his head. "Lady Nystrom wasn't trying to hide. That means she knows that His Majesty is still keeping an eye on her. But there's a reason why she's doing that."
His brows furrowed in confusion. "What's her other reason then?"
"This is just my hunch but I believe that Lady Nystrom is openly using herself as bait," the captain explained. "She's blinding the enemies with her brightness so that we can safely do our jobs in her shadow."
He didn���t really get it but it sounded like what his Big Sister Tilly would do.
She's still the selfless big sister that I know.
"I guess this isn't the time to reunite with her yet," he said in a sad voice.
"We can do that later, Flint," Brother Mikhail said, then he gently patted his back in an attempt to comfort him. "For now, we have to head back to the North and report to the Golden Tiger."
Flint smirked when he thought of something as a little payback for the Golden Tiger's years of "bullying" them through his harsh training. "I wonder if Lord Ainsworth would cry when I tell him that Big Sister Tilly is back."
***
RED HAIR, deep purple eyes, pale skin.
Winter almost didn't recognize Julian. But thanks to the light of his flaming dagger, he managed to successfully make out his features. And he also noticed something.
He's taller than me!
Well, Julian was almost two years older than him but still, it was annoying because he couldn't wait to be taller than his current height.
"Oh, it's you," Winter said. He only pulled back his dagger when Julian did first. Brother or not, he wouldn't let his guard down when it comes to fighting. "How are you, Brother Julian?"
His brother looked shocked by what he called him.
Which reminds me…
"Why are you calling me 'Lord Winter?'" he asked when he remembered the way he greeted him a while ago. "You can just call me by my name, you know?"
Much to his surprise, tears silently rolled down Julian's cheeks.
"H-Hey, why are you crying?" Winter asked in panic. "Are you hurt or something?"
Julian smiled while wiping off the tears on his face with his hand. "I'm just happy to see you again, Winter."
God, he's a crybaby.
***
"My lord, please pardon me but I think we should let the boys talk by themselves first," Amilo said. "I noticed Lord Julian's presence as soon as he entered the annex. But I decided to pretend that I didn't because I don't think he's here to hurt Lord Winter. I also felt their Mana. But they're not releasing bloodlust, which means they're not going to kill each other."
Before Kiho left the annex, he left some little ice cubes near his room. Once somebody who didn't have permission step foot near his son's chamber, the ice cubes would melt and then send a signal to him.
As soon as he felt the signal, he rushed to the annex building.
He only calmed down when he realized it was Julian when he felt him use his Mana. But he got worried again when he felt Winter use his power. He could vaguely tell that the two were entangled in a fight.
Julian probably noticed that I was hiding something in the annex so he went here to investigate.
"I'm still worried, Amilo," he admitted. "What if Julian accidentally hurts Winter?"
"Are you only worried about Lord Winter, Your Grace?"
Okay, that had to hurt.
His conscience kicked in but it was already too late. He was already hit by the realization that he refused to acknowledge before.
"I care more about Winter than Julian because Winter is my real son. He's the fruit of my and Tilly's love for each other," he admitted with a bitter smile. "I'm an awful father, am I not?"
"That doesn't necessarily equate to being a bad father, my lord," Amilo said. "Would you like to have a drink with me?"
He nodded because it was better than doing nothing while waiting for Julian and Winter to finish talking.
A few moments later, he was now sitting on the sofa across from Amilo. They went to the tea room in the first floor. But instead of tea, they had alcoholic drinks, of course. For the past five years, he often drank alone almost every night to cope up with loneliness so that wasn't new to him.
But now that Winter is here, I'll stop drinking since I'm not lonely anymore.
He froze when he realized that he was thinking about Winter's sake only.
I didn't stop drinking every night for the past five years even though Julian was my side.
Now he felt awful about himself even more.
"I had two sons in the past, Your Grace," Amilo started in a sad voice later. "When my wife and I weren't still blessed with a child after five years of being married, we decided to adopt a five year old boy from the orphanage. But just after two years, a miracle happened and my wife finally got pregnant."
Okay, that got him hooked instantly. Amilo had it rough, huh?
"My wife and I showered our second child with so much love that we began to neglect our first child," the jewel maker said in a voice filled with regret. "I only noticed how cruel we were to him when he ran away from our home. My first son was only ten then."
He gulped because that was exactly what he was doing to Julian now.
In an attempt to lessen the heaviness in his chest, he took his glass of whisky in one gulp.
"I looked everywhere for our first son, determined to make it up to him. But no matter how hard I searched for him, I didn't even find a trace of him anywhere," the jewel maker continued. "Several years later, while I was on my way home to celebrate my second child's 15th birthday, I came across my first son. Behind him was our burning house."
He let out a soft gasp. Oh, no…
"My first son burned our house down while my wife and my second child were still inside," Amilo continued in a cracked voice. "I was devastated, of course. When I asked him why he did that, he only said one thing: "Father, if only you and Mother gave me half of the love you have showered your real son, I wouldn't have done this."" This time, the jewel maker was already crying silently. "After saying that, he killed himself in front of me."
He turned his gaze away from Amilo because he was afraid he might break down and cry with him, too. God, he went through hell.
And of course, as a father himself, he sympathized with Amilo. Especially since he was kind of in the same position as him right now.
"I apologize for breaking down in your presence, my lord."
"No, don't apologize for that," he said when he turned to the jewel maker. "Amilo, I'm sorry to hear that."
He just smiled and nodded. "My lord, I know that I'm not the best person that could give you an advice on how to be a better father. But may I still give you one?"
"Of course," he said. "I badly need an advice right now, Amilo."
"My lord, as a father, I believe you shouldn't divide your love and attention between your two sons. Instead, you must multiply it– even if one of them isn't your real son," Amilo said with a sad smile. "Please don't make the same mistake I did, Your Grace."
Kiho, taking Amilo's heartfelt advice seriously, nodded. "Thank you, Amilo."
***
"I CAN'T believe we're talking normally now," Winter said while munching on a chocolate bar. Before his daddy left, he put a stash of snacks on his bedside table. He shared them with Julian so right now, they were having midnight snack on his bed as they sat in lotus position opposite each other. "We used to talk telepathically when we were babies."
Julian stifled a laugh before he turned to her. "Winter, you're still a baby."
"I am not," he insisted. "And you're one to talk. You're not even two years older than me."
He just smiled at that. "You're not going to answer my questions even if I ask about where you have been for the past five years, are you?"
"My lips are sealed," he said with a nod. "But I'm not being mean to you. I haven't told Dad anything that might jeopardize my mommy's safety."
"Understandable," his brother said, then he paused for a while before he continued. "Winter, why did you call me 'brother' a while ago? I remember you telling me that you'll never call me brother in the past."
"Well, that was when I didn't know that we were real brothers."
Julian looked shocked to hear that.
"Why do you look surprised?" he asked with a raised brow. "I remember you telling me about your past life. That means you already know that we're brothers."
"How did you know that, Winter?"
"Mommy told me. Aunt Luna told us that you already know who you are," he said. He figured that his mother wouldn't mind letting Julian know that they already knew about him. Aku Moonchester seemed to be aware of it already. Why else would the Moonchesters abduct Julian that tragic night five years ago if they didn't know his real identity? "Why didn't you tell Dad that you're his real son?"
He didn't know if it was his imagination or guilt really crossed Julian's eyes before he spoke. "Father lost his memories," he said. "Everyone in the mansion is keeping an eye on him closely. I don't want them to realize that both Father and I were aware of what His Majesty did to us."
Okay, that made sense.
That also meant that Julian lived as their father's "pretend" son even though he was really his son. It must have been really hard for his brother to hide his real identity to protect their dad.
"You worked hard, Brother Julian," he said while patting his back. "But you don't have to endure anymore. Do you want me to help you tell Dad the truth about your real identity?"
Much to his disbelief, his brother shook his head.
"We can't do that, Winter," Julian said while shaking his head. "Father doesn't know yet that he's the Black Serpent. If we tell him that I'm his son from his previous life as Kalel Nystrom, he'll probably get very confused. It might trigger his memories and he might lose himself again."
"Oh," he said when he realized that his brother was right. "Brother Julian, you know a lot of things about our parents' past, don't you?"
"We're the same, Winter," he said seriously. "You know a lot of things that you can't speak of even if you want to, don't you?"
"Touché," he agreed while nodding his head. "But even if that's the case, you're here to protect our parents this time, aren't you?"
"Of course."
"Then, that's all that matters," he said, then he covered his mouth with his hands when he yawned. "Let's protect our parents until we can tell them everything we know."
"It's bed time for you, Winter," his brother said with a smile. "But brush your teeth before you go to sleep."
"Hey, I'm only calling you "Brother" because you were reborn first," he complained. "But technically speaking, I'm older than you. So don't treat me like a child, okay?"
"Sure," Julian said with a playful smile on his face. "Should I bring you a glass of milk, Winter?"
Winter grabbed a pillow and threw it at Julian who just laughed merrily.
Okay, maybe having a brother isn't that bad.
***
"TILLY, you can't sleep?"
"Yeah," Tilly said without turning to look at Luna. Right now, she sat on the windowsill of their room while moon gazing. "I'm worried about Julian."
"Why?" Luna asked in a sleepy voice. "Are you worried that Lord Winter and Julian might not get along?"
She turned to the witch and found her lying down on her bed ala-Cleopatra. The room that they were sharing was spacious and had two beds. Roarke was staying in the room next door. Their rooms had adjacent door so he could get to them faster if he needed to.
Well, I'm sure he could get to us fast even without one.
"You told me before that Julian thinks he's not my real son," she said. "He probably thinks that way because he doesn't know that he was stolen from me. He didn't know that Soleil Rosenberg was his mother because another woman gave birth to him."
"Is that the reason why you didn't tell Lord Winter that another woman gave birth to Julian?"
She nodded. "Winter inherited my nasty temper. I don't know how he'll react to that. I also don't want him to accidentally tell Kiho about what he knows. And we can't have Kiho lose himself again."
"I think it will be fine since Julian is there," Luna said. "Lord Winter inherited your feisty personality, Tilly. But Julian definitely inherited Duke Nystrom's calm nature."
Hearing that made Tilly smile. "I can't wait to meet Julian again so I can tell him personally that I'm his real mother."
***
JULIAN smiled as he tucked Winter in bed.
He didn't leave him alone until he brushed his teeth and feel asleep.
You've matured quite a bit, Winter.
When they were babies, his brother really hated the idea of having a brother. But right now, it seemed like he had become more understanding and less selfish.
He was happy about that, but fear still crippled his heart.
You'll probably hate me once you find out that we don't have the same mother.
But until then, he would savor the moments he would spend with him and their father.
Good night, my little brother.
After saying goodnight to Winter, he quietly left his room.
He wouldn't say that he was surprised to see his father standing in front of his brother's chamber when he got out. After all, he felt their father's presence a while ago.
"I'm sorry, Father," Julian said with fear in his voice. He was ready to be scolded because he knew it was wrong of him to sneak out of the main mansion to go to the annex building. "I was just curious because I thought I felt Winter's Mana. I wanted to confirm if I was right so I sneaked in at this hour…"
"I'm not mad, Julian," his father said gently, then he got down on one knee to match his eye level. Much to his shock, his father suddenly pulled him for a tight hug. "I'm sorry for neglecting you for so long," he whispered to him. "I'll make it up to you as well, son."
"Son."
His father called him "son" for the first time.
Both in his previous life and in the current one.
Of course, Julian couldn't help but cry and hug his father tight. "Thank you, Father."
***
SOLENN smirked at how strong the barrier around that area was.
The area that she was referring to was the "empty" dessert covered in thick snow. Heck, that was the only part of the North that was currently having a strong snowstorm. If she and Jameson were ordinary people, then they would have died already because of the unnatural storm.
"Jameson Crawford, what do I have to do if I want ants to get out of their hill?"
Jameson laughed like a lunatic. "You f*cking burn down the f*cking colony, Lady Solenn."
"Excellent," Solenn said with a smirk. "Go wild and make them come out, Jameson," she ordered him. "The Supreme asked me to kick the lazy saint's behind so you better do your job right."
***
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***
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"It's probably Lady Nystrom," Brother Mikhail said with a smile. "She's finally back."
"But why did we leave without leaving a secret message for her?"
"We can't be too careless, Flint," he said while shaking his head. "Lady Nystrom wasn't trying to hide. That means she knows that His Majesty is still keeping an eye on her. But there's a reason why she's doing that."
His brows furrowed in confusion. "What's her other reason then?"
"This is just my hunch but I believe that Lady Nystrom is openly using herself as bait," the captain explained. "She's blinding the enemies with her brightness so that we can safely do our jobs in her shadow."
He didn���t really get it but it sounded like what his Big Sister Tilly would do.
She's still the selfless big sister that I know.
"I guess this isn't the time to reunite with her yet," he said in a sad voice.
"We can do that later, Flint," Brother Mikhail said, then he gently patted his back in an attempt to comfort him. "For now, we have to head back to the North and report to the Golden Tiger."
Flint smirked when he thought of something as a little payback for the Golden Tiger's years of "bullying" them through his harsh training. "I wonder if Lord Ainsworth would cry when I tell him that Big Sister Tilly is back."
***
RED HAIR, deep purple eyes, pale skin.
Winter almost didn't recognize Julian. But thanks to the light of his flaming dagger, he managed to successfully make out his features. And he also noticed something.
He's taller than me!
Well, Julian was almost two years older than him but still, it was annoying because he couldn't wait to be taller than his current height.
"Oh, it's you," Winter said. He only pulled back his dagger when Julian did first. Brother or not, he wouldn't let his guard down when it comes to fighting. "How are you, Brother Julian?"
His brother looked shocked by what he called him.
Which reminds me…
"Why are you calling me 'Lord Winter?'" he asked when he remembered the way he greeted him a while ago. "You can just call me by my name, you know?"
Much to his surprise, tears silently rolled down Julian's cheeks.
"H-Hey, why are you crying?" Winter asked in panic. "Are you hurt or something?"
Julian smiled while wiping off the tears on his face with his hand. "I'm just happy to see you again, Winter."
God, he's a crybaby.
***
"My lord, please pardon me but I think we should let the boys talk by themselves first," Amilo said. "I noticed Lord Julian's presence as soon as he entered the annex. But I decided to pretend that I didn't because I don't think he's here to hurt Lord Winter. I also felt their Mana. But they're not releasing bloodlust, which means they're not going to kill each other."
Before Kiho left the annex, he left some little ice cubes near his room. Once somebody who didn't have permission step foot near his son's chamber, the ice cubes would melt and then send a signal to him.
As soon as he felt the signal, he rushed to the annex building.
He only calmed down when he realized it was Julian when he felt him use his Mana. But he got worried again when he felt Winter use his power. He could vaguely tell that the two were entangled in a fight.
Julian probably noticed that I was hiding something in the annex so he went here to investigate.
"I'm still worried, Amilo," he admitted. "What if Julian accidentally hurts Winter?"
"Are you only worried about Lord Winter, Your Grace?"
Okay, that had to hurt.
His conscience kicked in but it was already too late. He was already hit by the realization that he refused to acknowledge before.
"I care more about Winter than Julian because Winter is my real son. He's the fruit of my and Tilly's love for each other," he admitted with a bitter smile. "I'm an awful father, am I not?"
"That doesn't necessarily equate to being a bad father, my lord," Amilo said. "Would you like to have a drink with me?"
He nodded because it was better than doing nothing while waiting for Julian and Winter to finish talking.
A few moments later, he was now sitting on the sofa across from Amilo. They went to the tea room in the first floor. But instead of tea, they had alcoholic drinks, of course. For the past five years, he often drank alone almost every night to cope up with loneliness so that wasn't new to him.
But now that Winter is here, I'll stop drinking since I'm not lonely anymore.
He froze when he realized that he was thinking about Winter's sake only.
I didn't stop drinking every night for the past five years even though Julian was my side.
Now he felt awful about himself even more.
"I had two sons in the past, Your Grace," Amilo started in a sad voice later. "When my wife and I weren't still blessed with a child after five years of being married, we decided to adopt a five year old boy from the orphanage. But just after two years, a miracle happened and my wife finally got pregnant."
Okay, that got him hooked instantly. Amilo had it rough, huh?
"My wife and I showered our second child with so much love that we began to neglect our first child," the jewel maker said in a voice filled with regret. "I only noticed how cruel we were to him when he ran away from our home. My first son was only ten then."
He gulped because that was exactly what he was doing to Julian now.
In an attempt to lessen the heaviness in his chest, he took his glass of whisky in one gulp.
"I looked everywhere for our first son, determined to make it up to him. But no matter how hard I searched for him, I didn't even find a trace of him anywhere," the jewel maker continued. "Several years later, while I was on my way home to celebrate my second child's 15th birthday, I came across my first son. Behind him was our burning house."
He let out a soft gasp. Oh, no…
"My first son burned our house down while my wife and my second child were still inside," Amilo continued in a cracked voice. "I was devastated, of course. When I asked him why he did that, he only said one thing: "Father, if only you and Mother gave me half of the love you have showered your real son, I wouldn't have done this."" This time, the jewel maker was already crying silently. "After saying that, he killed himself in front of me."
He turned his gaze away from Amilo because he was afraid he might break down and cry with him, too. God, he went through hell.
And of course, as a father himself, he sympathized with Amilo. Especially since he was kind of in the same position as him right now.
"I apologize for breaking down in your presence, my lord."
"No, don't apologize for that," he said when he turned to the jewel maker. "Amilo, I'm sorry to hear that."
He just smiled and nodded. "My lord, I know that I'm not the best person that could give you an advice on how to be a better father. But may I still give you one?"
"Of course," he said. "I badly need an advice right now, Amilo."
"My lord, as a father, I believe you shouldn't divide your love and attention between your two sons. Instead, you must multiply it– even if one of them isn't your real son," Amilo said with a sad smile. "Please don't make the same mistake I did, Your Grace."
Kiho, taking Amilo's heartfelt advice seriously, nodded. "Thank you, Amilo."
***
"I CAN'T believe we're talking normally now," Winter said while munching on a chocolate bar. Before his daddy left, he put a stash of snacks on his bedside table. He shared them with Julian so right now, they were having midnight snack on his bed as they sat in lotus position opposite each other. "We used to talk telepathically when we were babies."
Julian stifled a laugh before he turned to her. "Winter, you're still a baby."
"I am not," he insisted. "And you're one to talk. You're not even two years older than me."
He just smiled at that. "You're not going to answer my questions even if I ask about where you have been for the past five years, are you?"
"My lips are sealed," he said with a nod. "But I'm not being mean to you. I haven't told Dad anything that might jeopardize my mommy's safety."
"Understandable," his brother said, then he paused for a while before he continued. "Winter, why did you call me 'brother' a while ago? I remember you telling me that you'll never call me brother in the past."
"Well, that was when I didn't know that we were real brothers."
Julian looked shocked to hear that.
"Why do you look surprised?" he asked with a raised brow. "I remember you telling me about your past life. That means you already know that we're brothers."
"How did you know that, Winter?"
"Mommy told me. Aunt Luna told us that you already know who you are," he said. He figured that his mother wouldn't mind letting Julian know that they already knew about him. Aku Moonchester seemed to be aware of it already. Why else would the Moonchesters abduct Julian that tragic night five years ago if they didn't know his real identity? "Why didn't you tell Dad that you're his real son?"
He didn't know if it was his imagination or guilt really crossed Julian's eyes before he spoke. "Father lost his memories," he said. "Everyone in the mansion is keeping an eye on him closely. I don't want them to realize that both Father and I were aware of what His Majesty did to us."
Okay, that made sense.
That also meant that Julian lived as their father's "pretend" son even though he was really his son. It must have been really hard for his brother to hide his real identity to protect their dad.
"You worked hard, Brother Julian," he said while patting his back. "But you don't have to endure anymore. Do you want me to help you tell Dad the truth about your real identity?"
Much to his disbelief, his brother shook his head.
"We can't do that, Winter," Julian said while shaking his head. "Father doesn't know yet that he's the Black Serpent. If we tell him that I'm his son from his previous life as Kalel Nystrom, he'll probably get very confused. It might trigger his memories and he might lose himself again."
"Oh," he said when he realized that his brother was right. "Brother Julian, you know a lot of things about our parents' past, don't you?"
"We're the same, Winter," he said seriously. "You know a lot of things that you can't speak of even if you want to, don't you?"
"Touché," he agreed while nodding his head. "But even if that's the case, you're here to protect our parents this time, aren't you?"
"Of course."
"Then, that's all that matters," he said, then he covered his mouth with his hands when he yawned. "Let's protect our parents until we can tell them everything we know."
"It's bed time for you, Winter," his brother said with a smile. "But brush your teeth before you go to sleep."
"Hey, I'm only calling you "Brother" because you were reborn first," he complained. "But technically speaking, I'm older than you. So don't treat me like a child, okay?"
"Sure," Julian said with a playful smile on his face. "Should I bring you a glass of milk, Winter?"
Winter grabbed a pillow and threw it at Julian who just laughed merrily.
Okay, maybe having a brother isn't that bad.
***
"TILLY, you can't sleep?"
"Yeah," Tilly said without turning to look at Luna. Right now, she sat on the windowsill of their room while moon gazing. "I'm worried about Julian."
"Why?" Luna asked in a sleepy voice. "Are you worried that Lord Winter and Julian might not get along?"
She turned to the witch and found her lying down on her bed ala-Cleopatra. The room that they were sharing was spacious and had two beds. Roarke was staying in the room next door. Their rooms had adjacent door so he could get to them faster if he needed to.
Well, I'm sure he could get to us fast even without one.
"You told me before that Julian thinks he's not my real son," she said. "He probably thinks that way because he doesn't know that he was stolen from me. He didn't know that Soleil Rosenberg was his mother because another woman gave birth to him."
"Is that the reason why you didn't tell Lord Winter that another woman gave birth to Julian?"
She nodded. "Winter inherited my nasty temper. I don't know how he'll react to that. I also don't want him to accidentally tell Kiho about what he knows. And we can't have Kiho lose himself again."
"I think it will be fine since Julian is there," Luna said. "Lord Winter inherited your feisty personality, Tilly. But Julian definitely inherited Duke Nystrom's calm nature."
Hearing that made Tilly smile. "I can't wait to meet Julian again so I can tell him personally that I'm his real mother."
***
JULIAN smiled as he tucked Winter in bed.
He didn't leave him alone until he brushed his teeth and feel asleep.
You've matured quite a bit, Winter.
When they were babies, his brother really hated the idea of having a brother. But right now, it seemed like he had become more understanding and less selfish.
He was happy about that, but fear still crippled his heart.
You'll probably hate me once you find out that we don't have the same mother.
But until then, he would savor the moments he would spend with him and their father.
Good night, my little brother.
After saying goodnight to Winter, he quietly left his room.
He wouldn't say that he was surprised to see his father standing in front of his brother's chamber when he got out. After all, he felt their father's presence a while ago.
"I'm sorry, Father," Julian said with fear in his voice. He was ready to be scolded because he knew it was wrong of him to sneak out of the main mansion to go to the annex building. "I was just curious because I thought I felt Winter's Mana. I wanted to confirm if I was right so I sneaked in at this hour…"
"I'm not mad, Julian," his father said gently, then he got down on one knee to match his eye level. Much to his shock, his father suddenly pulled him for a tight hug. "I'm sorry for neglecting you for so long," he whispered to him. "I'll make it up to you as well, son."
"Son."
His father called him "son" for the first time.
Both in his previous life and in the current one.
Of course, Julian couldn't help but cry and hug his father tight. "Thank you, Father."
***
SOLENN smirked at how strong the barrier around that area was.
The area that she was referring to was the "empty" dessert covered in thick snow. Heck, that was the only part of the North that was currently having a strong snowstorm. If she and Jameson were ordinary people, then they would have died already because of the unnatural storm.
"Jameson Crawford, what do I have to do if I want ants to get out of their hill?"
Jameson laughed like a lunatic. "You f*cking burn down the f*cking colony, Lady Solenn."
"Excellent," Solenn said with a smirk. "Go wild and make them come out, Jameson," she ordered him. "The Supreme asked me to kick the lazy saint's behind so you better do your job right."
***
PS: You may send gifts if you can. Thank you~
***
[NOTE: Please ADD my story in your LIBRARY so you can be notified when I post an update. Thank you! :\u003e]
"It's probably Lady Nystrom," Brother Mikhail said with a smile. "She's finally back.""But why did we leave without leaving a secret message for her?""We can't be too careless, Flint," he said while shaking his head. "Lady Nystrom wasn't trying to hide. That means she knows that His Majesty is still keeping an eye on her. But there's a reason why she's doing that."His brows furrowed in confusion. "What's her other reason then?""This is just my hunch but I believe that Lady Nystrom is openly using herself as bait," the captain explained. "She's blinding the enemies with her brightness so that we can safely do our jobs in her shadow."He didnt really get it but it sounded like what his Big Sister Tilly would do.She's still the selfless big sister that I know."I guess this isn't the time to reunite with her yet," he said in a sad voice."We can do that later, Flint," Brother Mikhail said, then he gently patted his back in an attempt to comfort him. "For now, we have to head back to the North and report to the Golden Tiger."Flint smirked when he thought of something as a little payback for the Golden Tiger's years of "bullying" them through his harsh training. "I wonder if Lord Ainsworth would cry when I tell him that Big Sister Tilly is back."***RED HAIR, deep purple eyes, pale skin.Winter almost didn't recognize Julian. But thanks to the light of his flaming dagger, he managed to successfully make out his features. And he also noticed something.He's taller than me!Well, Julian was almost two years older than him but still, it was annoying because he couldn't wait to be taller than his current height."Oh, it's you," Winter said. He only pulled back his dagger when Julian did first. Brother or not, he wouldn't let his guard down when it comes to fighting. "How are you, Brother Julian?"His brother looked shocked by what he called him.Which reminds me"Why are you calling me 'Lord Winter?'" he asked when he remembered the way he greeted him a while ago. "You can just call me by my name, you know?"Much to his surprise, tears silently rolled down Julian's cheeks."H-Hey, why are you crying?" Winter asked in panic. "Are you hurt or something?"Julian smiled while wiping off the tears on his face with his hand. "I'm just happy to see you again, Winter."God, he's a crybaby.***"My lord, please pardon me but I think we should let the boys talk by themselves first," Amilo said. "I noticed Lord Julian's presence as soon as he entered the annex. But I decided to pretend that I didn't because I don't think he's here to hurt Lord Winter. I also felt their Mana. But they're not releasing bloodlust, which means they're not going to kill each other."Before Kiho left the annex, he left some little ice cubes near his room. Once somebody who didn't have permission step foot near his son's chamber, the ice cubes would melt and then send a signal to him.As soon as he felt the signal, he rushed to the annex building.He only calmed down when he realized it was Julian when he felt him use his Mana. But he got worried again when he felt Winter use his power. He could vaguely tell that the two were entangled in a fight.Julian probably noticed that I was hiding something in the annex so he went here to investigate."I'm still worried, Amilo," he admitted. "What if Julian accidentally hurts Winter?""Are you only worried about Lord Winter, Your Grace?"Okay, that had to hurt.His conscience kicked in but it was already too late. He was already hit by the realization that he refused to acknowledge before."I care more about Winter than Julian because Winter is my real son. He's the fruit of my and Tilly's love for each other," he admitted with a bitter smile. "I'm an awful father, am I not?""That doesn't necessarily equate to being a bad father, my lord," Amilo said. "Would you like to have a drink with me?"He nodded because it was better than doing nothing while waiting for Julian and Winter to finish talking.A few moments later, he was now sitting on the sofa across from Amilo. They went to the tea room in the first floor. But instead of tea, they had alcoholic drinks, of course. For the past five years, he often drank alone almost every night to cope up with loneliness so that wasn't new to him.But now that Winter is here, I'll stop drinking since I'm not lonely anymore.He froze when he realized that he was thinking about Winter's sake only.I didn't stop drinking every night for the past five years even though Julian was my side.Now he felt awful about himself even more."I had two sons in the past, Your Grace," Amilo started in a sad voice later. "When my wife and I weren't still blessed with a child after five years of being married, we decided to adopt a five year old boy from the orphanage. But just after two years, a miracle happened and my wife finally got pregnant."Okay, that got him hooked instantly. Amilo had it rough, huh?"My wife and I showered our second child with so much love that we began to neglect our first child," the jewel maker said in a voice filled with regret. "I only noticed how cruel we were to him when he ran away from our home. My first son was only ten then."He gulped because that was exactly what he was doing to Julian now.In an attempt to lessen the heaviness in his chest, he took his glass of whisky in one gulp."I looked everywhere for our first son, determined to make it up to him. But no matter how hard I searched for him, I didn't even find a trace of him anywhere," the jewel maker continued. "Several years later, while I was on my way home to celebrate my second child's 15th birthday, I came across my first son. Behind him was our burning house."He let out a soft gasp. Oh, no"My first son burned our house down while my wife and my second child were still inside," Amilo continued in a cracked voice. "I was devastated, of course. When I asked him why he did that, he only said one thing: "Father, if only you and Mother gave me half of the love you have showered your real son, I wouldn't have done this."" This time, the jewel maker was already crying silently. "After saying that, he killed himself in front of me."He turned his gaze away from Amilo because he was afraid he might break down and cry with him, too. God, he went through hell.And of course, as a father himself, he sympathized with Amilo. Especially since he was kind of in the same position as him right now."I apologize for breaking down in your presence, my lord.""No, don't apologize for that," he said when he turned to the jewel maker. "Amilo, I'm sorry to hear that."He just smiled and nodded. "My lord, I know that I'm not the best person that could give you an advice on how to be a better father. But may I still give you one?""Of course," he said. "I badly need an advice right now, Amilo.""My lord, as a father, I believe you shouldn't divide your love and attention between your two sons. Instead, you must multiply it even if one of them isn't your real son," Amilo said with a sad smile. "Please don't make the same mistake I did, Your Grace."Kiho, taking Amilo's heartfelt advice seriously, nodded. "Thank you, Amilo."***"I CAN'T believe we're talking normally now," Winter said while munching on a chocolate bar. Before his daddy left, he put a stash of snacks on his bedside table. He shared them with Julian so right now, they were having midnight snack on his bed as they sat in lotus position opposite each other. "We used to talk telepathically when we were babies."Julian stifled a laugh before he turned to her. "Winter, you're still a baby.""I am not," he insisted. "And you're one to talk. You're not even two years older than me."He just smiled at that. "You're not going to answer my questions even if I ask about where you have been for the past five years, are you?""My lips are sealed," he said with a nod. "But I'm not being mean to you. I haven't told Dad anything that might jeopardize my mommy's safety.""Understandable," his brother said, then he paused for a while before he continued. "Winter, why did you call me 'brother' a while ago? I remember you telling me that you'll never call me brother in the past.""Well, that was when I didn't know that we were real brothers."Julian looked shocked to hear that."Why do you look surprised?" he asked with a raised brow. "I remember you telling me about your past life. That means you already know that we're brothers.""How did you know that, Winter?""Mommy told me. Aunt Luna told us that you already know who you are," he said. He figured that his mother wouldn't mind letting Julian know that they already knew about him. Aku Moonchester seemed to be aware of it already. Why else would the Moonchesters abduct Julian that tragic night five years ago if they didn't know his real identity? "Why didn't you tell Dad that you're his real son?"He didn't know if it was his imagination or guilt really crossed Julian's eyes before he spoke. "Father lost his memories," he said. "Everyone in the mansion is keeping an eye on him closely. I don't want them to realize that both Father and I were aware of what His Majesty did to us."Okay, that made sense.That also meant that Julian lived as their father's "pretend" son even though he was really his son. It must have been really hard for his brother to hide his real identity to protect their dad."You worked hard, Brother Julian," he said while patting his back. "But you don't have to endure anymore. Do you want me to help you tell Dad the truth about your real identity?"Much to his disbelief, his brother shook his head."We can't do that, Winter," Julian said while shaking his head. "Father doesn't know yet that he's the Black Serpent. If we tell him that I'm his son from his previous life as Kalel Nystrom, he'll probably get very confused. It might trigger his memories and he might lose himself again.""Oh," he said when he realized that his brother was right. "Brother Julian, you know a lot of things about our parents' past, don't you?""We're the same, Winter," he said seriously. "You know a lot of things that you can't speak of even if you want to, don't you?""Touch," he agreed while nodding his head. "But even if that's the case, you're here to protect our parents this time, aren't you?""Of course.""Then, that's all that matters," he said, then he covered his mouth with his hands when he yawned. "Let's protect our parents until we can tell them everything we know.""It's bed time for you, Winter," his brother said with a smile. "But brush your teeth before you go to sleep.""Hey, I'm only calling you "Brother" because you were reborn first," he complained. "But technically speaking, I'm older than you. So don't treat me like a child, okay?""Sure," Julian said with a playful smile on his face. "Should I bring you a glass of milk, Winter?"Winter grabbed a pillow and threw it at Julian who just laughed merrily.Okay, maybe having a brother isn't that bad.***"TILLY, you can't sleep?""Yeah," Tilly said without turning to look at Luna. Right now, she sat on the windowsill of their room while moon gazing. "I'm worried about Julian.""Why?" Luna asked in a sleepy voice. "Are you worried that Lord Winter and Julian might not get along?"She turned to the witch and found her lying down on her bed ala-Cleopatra. The room that they were sharing was spacious and had two beds. Roarke was staying in the room next door. Their rooms had adjacent door so he could get to them faster if he needed to.Well, I'm sure he could get to us fast even without one."You told me before that Julian thinks he's not my real son," she said. "He probably thinks that way because he doesn't know that he was stolen from me. He didn't know that Soleil Rosenberg was his mother because another woman gave birth to him.""Is that the reason why you didn't tell Lord Winter that another woman gave birth to Julian?"She nodded. "Winter inherited my nasty temper. I don't know how he'll react to that. I also don't want him to accidentally tell Kiho about what he knows. And we can't have Kiho lose himself again.""I think it will be fine since Julian is there," Luna said. "Lord Winter inherited your feisty personality, Tilly. But Julian definitely inherited Duke Nystrom's calm nature."Hearing that made Tilly smile. "I can't wait to meet Julian again so I can tell him personally that I'm his real mother."***JULIAN smiled as he tucked Winter in bed.He didn't leave him alone until he brushed his teeth and feel asleep.You've matured quite a bit, Winter.When they were babies, his brother really hated the idea of having a brother. But right now, it seemed like he had become more understanding and less selfish.He was happy about that, but fear still crippled his heart.You'll probably hate me once you find out that we don't have the same mother.But until then, he would savor the moments he would spend with him and their father.Good night, my little brother.After saying goodnight to Winter, he quietly left his room.He wouldn't say that he was surprised to see his father standing in front of his brother's chamber when he got out. After all, he felt their father's presence a while ago."I'm sorry, Father," Julian said with fear in his voice. He was ready to be scolded because he knew it was wrong of him to sneak out of the main mansion to go to the annex building. "I was just curious because I thought I felt Winter's Mana. I wanted to confirm if I was right so I sneaked in at this hour""I'm not mad, Julian," his father said gently, then he got down on one knee to match his eye level. Much to his shock, his father suddenly pulled him for a tight hug. "I'm sorry for neglecting you for so long," he whispered to him. "I'll make it up to you as well, son.""Son."His father called him "son" for the first time.Both in his previous life and in the current one.Of course, Julian couldn't help but cry and hug his father tight. "Thank you, Father."***SOLENN smirked at how strong the barrier around that area was.The area that she was referring to was the "empty" dessert covered in thick snow. Heck, that was the only part of the North that was currently having a strong snowstorm. If she and Jameson were ordinary people, then they would have died already because of the unnatural storm."Jameson Crawford, what do I have to do if I want ants to get out of their hill?"Jameson laughed like a lunatic. "You f*cking burn down the f*cking colony, Lady Solenn.""Excellent," Solenn said with a smirk. "Go wild and make them come out, Jameson," she ordered him. "The Supreme asked me to kick the lazy saint's behind so you better do your job right."***PS: You may send gifts if you can. Thank you~***NOTE: Please ADD my story in your LIBRARY so you can be notified when I post an update. Thank you! :\u003e
