The Flower of Separation

After he said those words Andrew could not hide the disgust on his face. He did not understand these feelings very well but ever since he met that man he has not liked him. Andrew recalled the first time they met, that man was escorting Lyn to the first family dinner in so long.

'From day one he was all over Lyn. I watched their interaction and saw him shamelessly trying to make a move! Lyn being so clueless and unfamiliar with men had no idea that Rhys was toying with her.'

As somebody who has maintained the traditional values of the royal family, he felt repulsed seeing such behaviour.

"I do not like that man." Andrew trailed off. "He reminds me off Claude using such dark magic."

"Biased as usual. I know you are aware that he uses it for good."

Andrew knew he could not argue there.

"Unlike Kazuya, he tells her everything. For Lyn that is very important."

"Leave, I still have work." Andrew did not respond to his words and sent him away. He returned his attention to his work and after a few minutes he heard the sound of the door closing.

A deep sigh passed his lips. 'It is not like I do not understand. That man, no Rhys is not just fooling around with Lyn.'

But Andrew recalled the conversation he had with Rhys recently.

…

It happened a few days before Lyn received the summons regarding the academy. It seemed Rhys knew before hand that she would eventually go.

Today he was supervising the soldiers training in the training grounds. 'It seems mother is serious about gathering the soldiers.' He knew she was prepared for combat at anytime but this is the first time she has been so open about it. Is it like that then?

'Since you already know what cards we have then we won't hide it.'

Andrew's gaze fell on the man who casually appeared beside him.

It was his sister's boyfriend, her current lover Rhys. The two had an unusual relationship with one another.

"Why is Lyn not with you?"

Rhys laughed. "Come now Prince Andrew, you know your sister and me are not tied to the hip."

Andrew frowned at his language. "Careful what you say."

"Queen Orthez training the soldiers in the open like this, she is basically telling people that war will happen."

"There is no use hiding anymore."

"Well it is better to show the enemy your cards to show them that they cannot intimidate you even if they know something."

He sighed when he heard Rhys response. It seems this man and him are quite similar. Is that the reason why he feels so frustrated and shaken whenever they meet?

"Did you need something from me?"

"Lyn will be joining the academy soon."

'I did hear her express an interest on that but-'

"The academy has to send a formal invitation." Andrew paused. "They will send her one."

Rhys nodded. "From that time onwards a lot of things will happen quickly. I came here to ask that you limit your interference. Please only intervene if Lyn is in a life threatening situation."

At those words his gaze darkened. "That is too risky."

"I am aware, but people will not take Lyn seriously if you continue to watch over everything she does. In fact it has the opposite affect right? People think Lyn is under some type of surveillance. They do not think your actions are for protection."

Andrew knew he could not argue with that. It is frustrating how sharp this man is, even if he is lowbor- he shook his head. That is no longer the case. He cannot use the words lowborn or insult his lineage. This guy's far was a scumbag but at the end of the day he is still royalty.

"Lyn is aware of your lineage now. Shouldn't you save this stuff for another time and ask me something else instead?"

Rhys sighed. "You already know what my feelings are towards her First Prince."

"That is even more the reason why I do not understand why you are mentioning all of this. If you truly want her to get recognition, her marriage with you will be more beneficial than the one she has with Allen."

Certainly if Lyn marries Rhys it means she will have to remain in the Mist Kingdom. Rhys was only one of the many Princes in the Rain Kingdom, he was not the heir so he would stay in the Mist Kingdom instead. However if Lyn married Allen then she would have to leave the Mist Kingdom and become the Wind Kingdom's Queen.

Allen is the direct heir of the Wind Kingdom royal family. If he takes a wife he will take her with him. Originally this was the reason why mother set up the marriage.

'I do not think I can fight them all off for long. It was your father, it was Osamu who shielded me from the wrongdoings of those people. I may have strength, but I am not as wise as your father. I will not be able to keep Lyn safe with my methods.

That is why she must marry Allen, it will be a legit excuse for her to leave. Even if Osamu's enemies learn of her existence it will be too late since she would have already become the Wind Kingdom's Queen.'

One cannot hold a dual citizenship if they are a member of royalty or the elite. If Lyn marries Allen she would become a citizen of the Wind Kingdom. According to the alliance between Kingdoms, one cannot interfere in the others citizens without permission. Those people would not be able to make a move.

Not as wise? He wanted to laugh at those words. Mother is a wise Queen, she has far more potential as a ruler than father did. Faher himself said such things when he was still around.

'You must support her, only Orthez can unite this land.'

To unite the land would mean joining all the Kingdom's together and becoming the Empire. Due to the war several centuries ago this place has been divided into several Kingdoms. There is no Empress or Emperor, and there are several rulers.

Some may say this is more efficient but he would have to disagree. Too many conflicts happen because they do not just report directly to one person.

"I am aware, but I cannot force Lyn to marry me. Moreover, I do not think I can become the King of the Mist Kingdom."

"Is that due to your personal grudge?" Andrew asked. He only heard a little bit about it, but it cleared a lot of things up. The reason why sir Rhys approached Lyn.

"Initially it was, I thought I could trick Lyn. When I first heard of the Queen neglecting Lyn, I knew something was wrong. I confirmed those suspicious feelings when I saw the place she remained at. Her residence that was cut off from the rest, and yet the flowers in the courtyard were beautiful. They were well maintained. The building was old and it looked neglected, but those flowers were all Lyn's favourites.. Ah so she is the Queens favorite, I had those thoughts and believed I could use her."