The Flower of Separation

Natalia quickly turned her attention back to Braden and realized why he was quiet this entire time. The wounds sister Bridget inflicted on him earlier had reopened.

"Braden!" Natalia rushed over despite her weakened state. "Your-"

"I will be fine-" Braden coughed and placed his hand across his eye. His gaze fell towards Lillian. "You should be careful with that one."

"Eh?"

"She seems more dangerous than usual."

Natalia blinked, startled at those words. More dangerous than usual? She was about to refute that when a swarm of black roses rushed past her and surrounded her sister.

Lillian chuckled. "So you also chose a familiar flower. Did you do that after hearing about mine?"

"Be quiet! Today is the day I will take that seat of you."

The seat sister Bridget refers to are the seats representing the heads of the household. There are only three seats, one occupied by the actual head, which is their father, and the other two end up being a battle between siblings.

Normally the reward for the hunt is these seats. However, since both brother Eric and sister Lilian dropped out, it seems the rules have changed.

'A fight between siblings. If Sister Bridget beats sister Lillian, she can take her seat. But that will not happen.' Natalia got a proper look at her sister and realized that Braden was right; there was something off about her today.

What do they do? They can't stay here, or they will get caught up in this. Just as she said that a man with midnight blue colored hair entered the room. Ah, that's sir Ramon?

Ramon quickly scanned the room and went past Lillian.

"I owe you," Lillian mumbled faintly, but she heard it loud and clear.

In the next second, sir Ramon had picked up Braden; he turned to her. "I will carry you along using my magic; just grab my leg."

Natalia did as he said and a strong gust of wind surrounded them pushing the flames that entered the room back. It was enough to clear a path for them.

"Lilian, sir Lucas-"

"Go to him."

She could only watch the door slowly close but not before she got a look at her sister's eyes. There was something deadly, ,yet she could see something else for her. 'Pain and a lot of anguish and grief.'

Sister Lilian, did you know?

She wanted to make a wish on the silver tree in the courtyard; that was why she asked them to bring the cake outside. Natalia wanted to wish for her sister's happiness.

But it seems like that is impossible. If she were to do such a thing, it would only incur the wrath of the gods.

To ask for happiness for a person who has committed so many sins.

-----

Back at the magician tower in the Ageha family grounds, a certain man with black hair sighed in relief as they safely entered the room at the top of the tower.

Lucas quickly barricaded the door behind them with anything he could find. 'Although they made me this tower out of courtesy when I first joined, I don't like spending much time here.' He knew they put surveillance all over the place. Who do they think they are trying to trick?

His thoughts broke off once he saw the Empress shivering like a child in the corner of the room by the window.

"I apologize for the cold. I do not come here often." Lucas walked over to the fireplace and saw some wood in the corner of the room.

It would be difficult using magic now; he supposes he has to do this the old-fashioned way.

"Ah no, it is alright." Zushi kept stealing a glance at the window. "Is it truly fine to stay here? What if the fire spreads?"

"Lillian's magic cannot harm this tower because of my enchantment."

Although he does not spend a lot of time here, he still put his magic on the tower. It is a good place to use if an emergency arises.

'I can easily destroy their surveillance and turn this into a normal magic tower too.'

He has not done that yet because it would cause problems for Lillian. He does not want to burden her any more than he has.

"Just stay put here for a while. I already sent for Linden; he should be on his way."

It would be bad to help the Empress flee this place on his own. Rumors can easily start from anything. The Empress was still wounded; if people see them together, they can easily twist the situation, so he went through all the trouble of concealing their presence.

The only ones who should sense them are those with high-level magic.

"Braden." Zushi suddenly mumbled.

"That idiot Ramon will get them." There is no way Lillian will leave that young brat Natalia unguarded.

"Sir Lucas, Miss Lilian caused this fire. Why?"

"For once, I don't have an answer," Lucas recalled Lillian's expression before the banquet started. "She suddenly changed our plans at the last second. I have no clue what she is thinking."

The original plan was to lure the enemies to the ballroom. Lillian wanted to toy with the guests too. Setting the place in flames and going solo was not in the plan.

Then again, ever since he came back from his mission, Lucas has noticed something strange about Lillian. He concluded that something must have happened, but he has not had the time to ask her about it; so much has happened recently.

Lillian mentioned before that she does not have a time frame for her attack on the Empire. 'You will know when it is time because it will be a time of great peril.'

Would the recent odd events count? Lucas was unsure. The only thing he was certain about was that she decided he would remain by her side no matter what.

"I asked my sister regarding the thing Miss Lillian talked to me about in the hunt. It turns out that we did have a brother, and he disappeared during the monastery incident."

"And so?" Lucas didn't understand what she was trying to say. His focus was on the fireplace. It is harder to get the wood to light up like this. He became increasingly annoyed; perhaps he should just use magic.

"Sir Lucas, did you know that my brother and sister Lillian were engaged?"