The Flower of Separation

Lillian did not know when she finally went to sleep, but it was in the middle of the night when she woke up. The room was pitch black, or at least it should be; the only light source came from the small window. But it was more than enough to light up the room. Is it because the room is small? Lillian tried to get up, but unfortunately, she had no strength.

Her entire head felt like it was bursting, and her muscles felt sore and weak. So this is what a severe fever does to the Great general? If others saw her in this state, they would undoubtedly laugh at her.

It is a good thing that Lucas is around. Although she now has Jorah and Ramon too. She did not want those two to see her in this state.

'I wonder why Lucas is different.' Is it because the person he sees is not the great general or lady from a noble household? In Lucas's eyes, she must be some troublesome woman with mana controlling issues.

But even though he grumbles and complains, he remains by her side.

Her gaze fell on the chair Lucas was sitting on earlier and realized that he was not there.

Lillian blinked, slightly startled. This is weird; it is not like Lucas to leave when she is in this condition.

It did not take long before she heard familiar voices.

"Sir Lucas, you should know better than to take her away when the imperial castle is throwing another party soon."

"There is no way she can make it in that state."

"If it's that serious, she ought to get treatment in a nicer environment."

It was Lucas and the other voice. 'Ramon?' Lillian listened for a few minutes before deciding to step up. She lightly pushed the door open because the door was old; the moment she pushed it, it made a large screeching sound.

The two who were arguing looked over.

"Lillian!" Ramon looked at her, horrified. "You look so pale. Hey Lucas, this-"

Lucas clicked his tongue, annoyed, and walked over. He tapped her forehead, and she felt her fatigue vanish.

"Only for a short while. It won't last long."

Lillian immediately understood and thanked him as she led Ramon to the seating area. The moment Lucas was not in sight, Ramon scolded her.

"When I heard the news that you were not in the manner I was horrified."

Lillian chuckled. "It is rare for you to visit the household using the front door."

In the past, whenever Ramon visited, he would use other means to enter the manor.

"I wanted to report the news to you directly. You were right; a group of people did take advantage of you, spreading the fire and Miss Bridget's actions towards the Empress. Due to the fire, it was difficult to see, but some people saw him, a man with red eyes and blue hair."

Lillian sighed when she heard the last part. "He used to joke about dying his hair blue, but I didn't think he would actually do it."

"It is a good disguise. If there was a way to change his eye color, I am sure he would have done that too."

"So, it really was, brother."

"What should we do? If he is back then-"

"I have to make adjustments to my plans a little. But it won't be that drastic of a change. We should still prioritize gathering at least one person per household."

Ramon, sir Orion, and Alex, so far that is three people, but she needs to gather at least seven; otherwise 'that' won't work.

"Lillian, according to the reports, your brother was very different."

"Is that so?"

"One of the old servants was there and recognized him. But, 'The young master's eyes were vigilant, watching every single movement. I could sense his sorrow and grief, his level of caution towards even us servants.'"

"This isn't surprising," Lillian mumbled. "Brother figured out that it was me who tried to harm his beloved. It is only normal for him to be like that. On top of that, I can only imagine what type of hardships he has had to face the last few years."

With the Ageha family blood in his veins, too, it would not surprise her if he turned into a crazy person. Considering how there have been no reports, he must have found a way to control that urge to kill.

"It turned out all the servants who saw him are now bedridden and sick with a terrible fever." Ramon looked at her. "Lillian is your sickness related? You didn't see him, right?"

"There are various other factors that contribute to why I am sick. However, if you're telling me, the servants ended up that way after their encounter. Then he is the reason for my fever."

"You saw him?"

"He came close when I was fighting with sir Aaron. It seemed like he was waiting for the opportunity for me to leave since he tried to stay back. It seemed that much contact affected me, though."

"Whatever power it is, it is a terrible ability. He did not have this before, right?"

Lillian nodded. "Correct. But he often studied curses; it would not surprise me if this was a curse." She trailed off. "Lucas is working on the solution now; wait for a while and then pass the remedy to the servants. Keep an eye out on their condition and report it back to me if anything drastic changes."

"I am surprised your not leaving them to their deathbeds."

"It is no fun having servants die if I am not the one inflicting the pain."

At those words, Ramon sighed. "Just when I thought you were being sincere for once." He trailed off. "Is it truly fine? I am sure if you start searching now, you can still catch up to him."

"If my brother is truly here, he won't leave that quickly. He still has not achieved what he wants."

'My brother probably wanted the scroll too. But Lucas was faster. No, her brother rushed over to Aaron when he realized I was there?'

Did brother want to meet with her?

That is the only possible explanation.. But, that does not make sense.