Mommy Villainess

"JULIAN, I bought you some art materials as souvenir."

Julian's ears perked up at what his father said.

Right now, he was in his father's room because he wanted to invite him for lunch. Then, he intended to show him his painting once they had tea after their meal. But he was surprised when he suddenly gave him a gift.

It was rare for his father to give him a present without an occasion.

"Thank you, Father," Julian said happily while hugging the box of paints and brushes close to his chest. More than the gift itself, he was happy that his father noticed his loved for painting. "I love it."

His father just ruffled his hair.

That surprised him even more because he almost never got affectionate to him for the past five years.

Father is in a good mood.

Maybe it was the best time to show him his painting.

But when he was just about to open his mouth, his father suddenly talked.

"Julian, I'm sorry but I can't join you for lunch later," his father said, then he got down on one knee to match his eye level. "Since Amilo and I are busy working with our new collection, I'll be spending more time in the annex building. Is that okay with you?"

He hugged the box tighter as he tried to hard his flinch.

To be honest, he didn't want to believe his hunch. He was praying hard that he was wrong about Lord Winter's presence that he felt a while ago. But now that his father was acting this way, he couldn't help but confirm his fears.

Father's memories are back, Julian said to himself. And he already found Lord Winter.

Was his father going to abandon him in this lifetime, too?

Although his heart was crippled by fear, he had to smile and hide his feelings. If he didn't act like how his father expected him to, he was afraid that he might abandon him right away.

"I understand, Father," Julian said in a forced cheerful voice. "I can take care of myself so please don't worry about me as you do your job."

***

AKU was in a difficult position.

The "present" from the White Tower was like a bomb to him. He never expected them to make a bold move like this.

"The White Tower had been quiet for a long time," Aku said as he sat on the sofa of his office, enjoying his tea alone. Sir Gregory used to accompany him during his free time. But the old knight was gone now. He had no choice but to (forcefully) invite Elis Ripperton instead. "But now I know why they locked down the tower for so long. They used Lahara's betrayal as an excuse to close the tower's doors."

Lahara betrayed the White Tower when she left it to join the Blue Dragon Knights before.

The last time the mages of White Tower went to his palace was when they demanded Nia to be stripped off of her title, and for her to be exiled for being infertile.

Now, after five years, they went back to drop a bomb on him.

"The mages aren't interested in power," Elis Ripperton said, then he sipped his tea before he continued. "They just want to show-off the result of their experiment. You said that their empress candidate is a witch who was supposed to be dead already. If she's alive now and can even give birth to your child, then they must have experimented on her."

He nodded in agreement. "That's what I thought, too."

"But have you considered that Nia Moonchester must have been the one who asked the mages of the White Tower to do that kind of experiment?"

He raised a brow at that. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nia Moonchester never wanted to have a child with you," the Blue Dragon said bluntly. "She destroyed her reproductive system, didn't she? But she wasn't a fool to think that no one could fix it. And so, to avoid that from happening, she must have devised a plan for you to have a royal heir with another woman before you find the cure to her infertility. Once you already have an heir, it's no use even if you find a cure for her. After all, the Moonchester law states that the emperor's first born son is automatically hailed as the heir apparent regardless of his mother."

He hated to admit how Elis Ripperton might be correct.

If there was a way to make Nia infertile, then there was obviously a way to fix it. Like the Blue Dragon said, his beloved was smart enough to realize that.

But if he suddenly had a royal heir before he found a cure for her infertility, then she would have no use for the empire anymore. His advisors and the different factions of huge households might not allow her to return even as a queen.

Worst of all, once a woman who wasn't a Moonchester becomes an empress, then people will soon think that it's alright for the Moonchesters to not marry within themselves anymore.

He couldn't allow that to happen.

Our bloodline must remain pure at all cost.

"I have to cure Nia's infertility before they force me to take another empress," Aku said, then he gave Elis Ripperton a serious look. "Lord Ripperton, find the Supreme and tell her that I will accept her offer. So she better bring me the cure for Nia's infertility on our next meeting."

Elis Ripperton, who looked like he was waiting for him to say that, smiled contentedly. "That's the only kind of order that I will take from you, Aku Moonchester."

***

"DAD, what's the occasion?" Winter asked when he saw the feast on the long table. Then, he looked at his father who was of course, sat in the center of the table. He was seated on his dad's right side while Amilo was in the left. "Why did you prepare so many food for lunch?"

"Every day I spend with you is worth celebrating, little rascal," his father said gently. "I don't know yet what kind of food you look– aside from seafood– so I asked the chef to prepare a lot of good dishes."

He wanted to scold his father and say that he just made himself look suspicious to his servants. But when he saw the expectant look on his dad's face, he just smiled and expressed his gratitude. Well, he was really thankful at that moment. "Thank you, Dad. You're the best."

His father's face lit up. "You're welcome, Winter," he said, then he asked: "What do you plan to do today?"

"I asked Uncle Amilo to take me as his apprentice," he said. "Thankfully, he agreed."

Even though he didn't want to sound excited, he couldn't help it. He had been helping his mother create and develop gadgets using the unique spirit stones in Solarium ever since he was three. When he heard that Amilo was a jewel maker for his father, he immediately asked him to make him his apprentice because he liked doing new things.

"Thank you, Amilo," his father said to the jewel maker.

"It's nothing, my lord," Amilo said with a bow. "I have never taken an apprentice before. But when Lord Winter talked about his experience in making gadgets, I was impressed."

His father looked amused by that. "Experience? My son is only five, Amilo."

The jewel maker's face lit up. "Exactly, my lord," he said, then he turned to him. "Lord Winter was born for this."

His dad smiled proudly.

Dad smiles more often now unlike in my past life.

"Is that true, Winter?" his father asked when he turned to him. "You know how to make jewelry and stuff?"

"I'm more experienced in creating gadgets, that's why I'm excited to learn how to make jewelry properly this time," he said proudly. "I want to make jewelry for Mommy."

He was surprised when his father suddenly became serious. "I haven't thought of doing that," he said while giving him a playful glare. "As expected, Winter. You're still my most formidable rival when it comes to your mother's love and attention."

Ah, so that's it.

Ever since he was born, his dad already considered him a rival. But it was harmless so it was fine with it. Thankfully, his father had never crossed the line with his (over)jealousy. He knew that his father knew that if he went overboard with his possessiveness, his mother would dump him in a heartbeat.

Even though Mommy loves Daddy so much, she knows how toxic (over)possessive men and she doesn't have time to tolerate such behavior.

His mommy often told him that she'd disown him if he turned "yandere" in the future.

"I want to stay with you and make jewelry for you and your mommy," his father said. "Based on the videos that your mother left for me to watch, I know that I've made necklaces for the two of you in the past. But I want to make some jewelry for you again."

"You can't stay here for a long time, Dad," he reminded him strictly. Of course, he wanted to spend more time with his father. But unfortunately, they didn't have the freedom to enjoy each other's company yet. He had to hide well to protect his mommy as well. "I thought we don't want people to be suspicious of you?"

His father's face turned gloomy. God, he looked like a kicked puppy again. "I don't want to be separated from you, son."

Amilo looked shocked at how clingy his father was.

But since he was reborn in that lifetime, he had already witnessed the huge change in his dad's personality.

Dad used to be stoic in my past life. But I remember that he still secretly craved for mother's love and attention back then. Unfortunately, Mommy was already too brainwashed then to notice how my Dad cared for her.

That made him more determined to protect his precious family this time.

"I won't go anywhere, Dad," he assured his father, then he forced to smile at him even though the next things he said squeezed his heart painfully. "You just came back from a weekend business trip. I'm sure Brother Julian missed you." He didn't want to call Julian "brother" before but that changed when he found out the truth from his mother. "You should spend time with him as well."

Setting his personal feelings wasn't easy. After his tragic first life, he wanted his parents' love and attention all to himself.

But when he heard Julian's story from his mother, he decided to be more understanding. Just like him, Julian grew up longing for their parents' love. Admittedly, he was selfish and unapologetic of it. But this time, he wanted to be mature and act his age.

Technically speaking, he was older than Julian since he was the Moon Serpent. It just so happened that in this lifetime, Julian was reborn first.

"I wish you act more like a child, Winter," his father said in a sad voice. "You can be selfish and greedy, and I will never hate you for it."

"I don't want to be selfish when it comes to our family," Winter said with a smile to comfort his father. "And Brother Julian is a part of our family now, Dad."

***

"HOW LONG are you going to follow me, you oversized snake?" Tilly asked, then she turned around to face Elis Ripperton. Yes, it was the Blue Dragon. But her husband used to say that a dragon was just an "oversized snake." Frankly, she agreed. "Gosh, I know that you're obsessed with Soleil Rosenberg. But stalking me is very, very low of a Beast God, you know?" She looked up at the now orange-y sky and yelled. "Is the bar for being a Beast God in freaking hell, you divine fossils?"

She could act like that without inhibitions because after spending the whole day being stalked by Elis Ripperton, she finally decided to confront him. So she went up to the rooftop of the inn her group was staying at. In case of a fight, she could freely use her wings up there.

Of course, Luna and Roarke were just behind her.

"Your brother is a part of the Beast Gods you're insulting, Supreme," Elis Ripperton said, then he took off the hood to reveal his handsome face. Well, he was handsome but not as handsome as Kiho, of course. Anyway, he wore simple noble clothes under his navy blue cloak. That meant he was trying to hide his identity as the new captain of the Blue Dragon Knights. "And Kalel Nystrom was practically our leader back then."

"So what?" she snapped back. "As a human oppressed by your little group, I have the right to criticize you."

"Fair enough," the Blue Dragon said. "But Supreme, can you refrain from speaking so crudely? It's unbecoming of someone of your stature."

"I'll f*cking speak the way I want to, thank you very much."

"Crawford's vocabulary is rubbing off on you, Supreme," Roarke commented in an amused voice.

On the other hand, she heard Luna stifled a laugh behind her.

For some reason, Elis Ripperton to the witch with an amused look on his face. "Pink eyes," he said. "They're not as unique as I thought, huh?"

"Who cares about your opinion?" Luna snapped back. "My eyes aren't meant for your entertainment, Blue Dragon."

It was her turn to stifle a laugh. "Careful, Elis Ripperton. Luna might look mature. But in reality, she's just as short-tempered as I am. Especially when it comes to nasty people like you."

"I guess it's time for me to accept that you're not Soleil," Elis Ripperton said when he turned to her again, then he smiled overly sweet at her. "Then, should I call you 'Tilly?' You seemed to be fond of that name."

"No," she said bluntly. "I'd rather you call me Soleil than my current name."

"Okay, Tilly," the Blue Dragon said with a smirk.

She clenched her teeth in annoyance. "Brat."

"Should I burn him to ashes, Supreme?" Roarke asked politely as if he wasn't asking to kill another person.

"Later," she said. "Elis Ripperton, state your business before my Keeper burn you to death."

"He can't even if he wants to," Elis Ripperton said before he continued. "I'm here to inform you of Aku Moonchester's decision."

She nodded. Of course, she already predicted that. And that was the only reason why she allowed the Blue Dragon to stalk her all day.

"The kid emperor accepts your offer, Tilly," the Blue Dragon continued so casually that she had to roll her eyes at him. "He wants you to bring the cure in your next meeting. He also wants me to assure you that you'd be able to talk to Nia Moonchester by then."

"What happened?" she asked with a raised brow. "Aku Moonchester wouldn't have sent you here if nothing terrible happened to him."

The last time she saw the emperor, he was adamant about working with her. Even though she knew that he needed the cure to fix Nia Moonchester's body, he still held his ground because of his ego.

But for that egotistical man to send the Blue Dragon just to inform her that he'd like to accept her offer…?

"I can feel his urgency and desperation," she said with a smirk. "Spill the tea, Elis Ripperton." When the Blue Dragon gave her a funny look, she explained. "I mean, tell me what happened for Aku Moonchester to change his mind."

"Tilly, we're not standing on the same side anymore so I can't tell you that," he reminded her while shaking his head. "Even though I hate working with Aku Moonchester, I still chose to stay beside him because we have the same goal: to bring you down all over again."

Roarke snarled and was about to attack the Blue Dragon when she stopped the Keeper by simply calling his name.

"I know why you chose Aku Moonchester's side, Elis Ripperton," she said seriously. "But I'd rather kill myself than to be owned by you. In short, you made a stupid choice."

"Only I can say if my choice was stupid or not. And frankly, I don't regret it," Elis Ripperton said, then he smiled as he changed the topic. "Tilly, I think the red dress from the last dress shop that you visited suit you the best."

Tilly rolled her eyes at that. Gosh, what a creepy stalker this Blue Dragon was. "Roarke, burn the red dress to ashes."

***

JULIAN successfully sneaked out of the main mansion without getting caught.

Since the annex building wasn't heavily guarded just like his father's order, he was able to sneak in without trouble. He followed the trace of Winter's Mana until he reached the biggest room in the annex building.

Father is really taking good care of Lord Winter, as expected.

He opened the door as quietly as possible. When he entered the dark room sneakily, he prayed for it to be empty. He wanted him to be wrong about his hunch.

But when he felt the hostile energy towards him, he smiled bitterly.

He's really here.

He pulled the dagger from the holster attached to his hip. Then, he made the blade burn when it hit another blade…

… the blade of an ice dagger, he must add.

Of course, the ice blade didn't melt even if his blade was burning hot.

And the owner of that ice dagger was whom he expected it to be.

Dark hair, golden eyes, pale skin…

"Lord Winter," Julian greeted him politely as he pulled away his dagger from him. "Welcome back."

"Oh, it's you," Winter said, pulling back his ice dagger as well. "How are you, Brother Julian?"

"Brother…?"

***

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