168 Not This Time (1/2)
Tilly smiled when Kiho sat on the armrest of her chair, then he kissed her shoulder as a greeting. Since it was already summer, she started to wear light clothes. For today, she wore an off-the-shoulder black dress.
They were still mourning so everyone in the mansion still wore black or dark clothes.
It has only been a week since Winter was born but it already felt like years.
Thankfully, after the unexpected visit of the Blue Dragon, they hadn't been attacked again. The security around their estate also tightened now that the Black Serpent Knights were living with them.
On the downside, they decided that she shouldn't leave the mansion yet. So instead of going to her father's mansion to visit the servants, she just called them using a communication device similar to the modern world's video call.
She told everyone that she and her husband would take care of them now that her father was gone. Then, she asked Isabelle to be Winter's nanny.
Damian already went to the Prescott Mansion to fetch Isabelle.
While Blake, the vice-captain of the Black Serpent Knights, went to the tower to fetch Flint and bring the child to the mansion.
We're gathering our forces.
”I'm trying to design a CCTV using our spirit stones,” Tilly told Kiho. ”It's a video surveillance used for security purposes back in the world where I came from.”
After their breakfast, she went straight to work.
Since she didn't want to take her eyes off of Winter, she turned the lounge area of their room into her office. She put their son's crib beside her. Sentinel was inside her heart while Luna while staying in the next room with Julian. Winter fell asleep after she breastfed him but once he woke up, she might ask Luna to watch her son play with Julian.
”When I was in the modern world, I had several CCTV around my house,” she told him. ”It scares intruders. In most cases, CCTVs can be used as proof of evidence if a crime was caught in the camera. I want to create something similar to that, then install them in our estate.”
Kiho looked at her face with sparkling eyes. ”If the cameras caught the enemies attacking us in our mansion, we can use the video was evidence.”
”Exactly,” she said while nodding her head. ”We need stealth surveillance cameras that the enemies won't see or feel. That's what I'm worried about though. The spirit stones that we use as communication devices contain strong Mana. It will be hard to keep their presence hidden. That's why I'm thinking to make CCTVs with strong protection. To make that happen, I need to study different spirit stones first.”
”Really?”
He nodded. ”His name is Amilo. He was also the one I asked to make your engagement ring.”
Her ears perked up when she heard that. ”Oh. I love my engagement ring. Can you introduce Mr. Amilo to me, hon?”
”Of course,” he said. ”I'll bring him to our estate later.”
”Can you ask him if he wants to go with us to Oakes?”
He looked surprised by her request.
”Hon, when we leave for Oakes, we're not going back here anymore,” she reminded him. ”Let's bring all the people and things that we need with us.”
Understanding crossed his eyes. Then, he nodded and kissed her on the forehead. ”I will ask Amilo to come with us to Oakes, honey.”
”Thank you, hon,” she said, then her brows furrowed. ”Kiho, aren't you going to be late if you don't leave now?”
He let out a sigh and hugged her tight. ”I don't want to leave you and Winter here.”
She chuckled at his clinginess.
Well, she also didn't want Kiho to leave the mansion. But he needed to go to the Royal Palace to present the assailants to Emperor Aku. They needed to do that to begin the noble trial against House Huxley and House Hayward.
Before Captain Denver left, he already manipulated the mind of the assailants under their custody. Those people will testify to Kiho's accusation against House Huxley and House Hayward. And yes, they were faking evidence. What about it?
It wasn't like Emperor Aku and his cohorts were playing fair, so why would she?
Back in her second life, people would always tell the victims to not stoop down to their tormentor's level. She used to think that way before. But after all the things that her enemies did to her and her family, she became jaded.
”I won't be the bigger person anymore, Kiho,” Tilly said in a cold voice. ”From now on, I will bite back.”
”Hot,” Kiho said, his golden eyes glowing beautifully. ”Bite me, too, honey.”
That made her laugh out loud.
He really knows how to put me to good mood again.
***
”SO WE MEET again, Julian,” Winter told the other guy who was sitting beside him. As usual, he was lying down on his crib again. His body couldn't move the way he wanted to yet. Worse, he couldn't control his sleepiness. Every time he was full, he would fall asleep easily. ”I decided that I won't call you 'uncle' or 'big brother.' Is that okay with you?”
Julian smiled and nodded. ”You can call me anything you want, Lord Winter.”
”Why are you calling me 'lord?'” he asked curiously. ”You're not my servant.”
”You're the son of our benefactors,” he said. ”Of course, it's only right to refer to you that way. Does it make you feel uncomfortable, Lord Winter?”
Well, he wasn't sure.
He was the emperor's heir in his past life so he was used to being referred to as either ”lord” or ”Your Royal Highness.” But for some reason, he felt awkward when Julian called him that way even though they weren't close anyway.
”It's weird,” Winter admitted in the end. ”Just call me by my name normally.”
”I thought you hate me?”
”I did at first,” he said bluntly. ”But as long as you know your place, I'll tolerate you.”
He laughed softly. ”As you wish, Winter.”
Julian's laugh caught the attention of Louisa, the head maid, and the young maids who were looking after them.
His mother asked the maids to look after him and Julian because apparently, she had something important to talk about with Miss Luna. His Mommy knew that he could understand them. That only meant she didn't want him to know what was happening.
I know we're in danger but I'm confident that Mommy and Daddy will win against the royal family this time.
Because this time, they were a whole family.
Anyway, when he noticed that Louisa was looking at him with a worried look on her face, he smiled at the maid.
”Oh, the young lord is smiling,” Louisa squealed. ”Look at how pretty our young master is.”
When the young maids hovered over to take a look at him, he giggled for them.
As expected, the maids squealed in delight.
”The young lord is so cute.”
”Indeed. He'll probably break so many hearts in the future.”
”Just thinking about our young lord getting married in the future is already making me emotional.”
”That won't happen,” Winter said firmly. ”I won't get married early. I'm going to live with mommy and daddy for a very, very, very long time.”
”Winter, you seem to like your parents so much,” Julian commented.
”I do,” he said without missing a beat. ”I almost killed you, didn't I? I want Mommy and Daddy all to myself.”
���Duke and Duchess Nystrom love each other so much,” the other guy said. ”What if you get a younger sibling soon? Are you going to attack them the way you attacked me?”
”If it's a younger sister, then I'd love that,” he answered seriously. ”But I don't need a brother. I'm the only son that Mommy and Daddy need.” He blinked when he remembered something. ”You have an older brother, right?”
Julian nodded. ”But my older brother isn't just a brother to me. He was practically my father and I'm very thankful to him. That's why I can't understand why you hate the idea of having a brother but a sister is fine to you.”
”I don't know why I don't like the idea of having a brother as well,” he admitted. ”But if my parents would be blessed with another son, I hope it happens when I'm already an adult. Maybe if I was already mature by then, I wouldn't be this selfish.”
Mentally, he was no longer a toddler.